Ramblings

Maya Angelou has gone Angelou has moved on A bright light in the world of dark Her words lit the heart like a spark Maya Angelou has gone She taught us what it means to feel Her passion and words will live on In our sorrow we will soon heal Maya Angelou has gone Never did I see her in person Chances I had are gone Forever will that be a lesson Maya Angelou is gone She knew why the Cage Bird Sung She spoke truth in her inscriptions And spoke at Clinton’s Inauguration Maya Angelou is gone She made one think about their impact on others Believed words were things to be won And taught us all to be sisters and brothers Maya Angelou is gone … Phillip Moreno Redlands, CA May 28, 2014

I don't often speak on topics that evoke strong emotions and feelings. However, two recent incidents have prompted me to write about them as they have left an unsettling feeling in the pit of my conscience. One incident with me as an observer and the other by my very own actions. Both make me contemplate the work left to be done and how it needs to begin with myself. As a young boss in my office I am constantly reminded of how I am looked upon to set an example. Even further how that extends to my interactions with others. I have prided myself on being a strong and empathetic communicator. Therefore, you can imagine my dismay when I recently used a Native American term to discuss the need to collaborate while working with a Native American colleague. While I did not have the forth of mind to not say the offensive word I was able to apologize just after saying it. That did not make my conscience any less disturbed by my actions. The week progressed and I was able to put it behind ...

I now have a Twitter ... feel free to check it out; as the 144 character limit allows me to update it frequently without the stress of having to update this blog. My ADD should allow me to be an active twitter for at least two weeks ... I am guessing ... wait what was I talking about?

It rained today. This morning when I woke up I was greeted with dark grey skies with water falling from the sky. By the time my mental capacity had caught up with my physical state the skies had cleared, a picture perfect blue sky and sun had banished the grey skies eastward. The dark grey was headed for Arizona. An adolescent turn as a prop for then First Lady Hillary Clinton's speech at a local community college solidified my support for her during her recent run for president. Barack Obama's life story was not allowed into my consciousness by my loyalty for her. However, with the economy, ongoing war in Iraq, and countless other troubles facing America I started to pay attention a little more to the democratic presidential nominee within recent weeks. Tonight as I sat down to watch the election results, Colin Powell's contention that Obama was a trans formative figure rang loud as states like Virgina and Ohio went for the son of a Kenyan father and white mother. My...

Since 1930 schoolchildren around the world have considered a tiny orb of ice just beyond Neptune a planet. While Pluto will long stay in our minds as the ninth planet it may not remain classified one. That is if the International Astronomical Union (IAU) votes otherwise. The third estate in its' infinite wisdom in recent articles have decided to rally against such a change by arguing schoolchildren across the United States will be dissapointed. That's right folks, the largest international body dedicated to Astronomical Nomenclature should vote to keep Pluto a planet because little Jane and John Smith will be "terribly dissapointed." In fact, the article even describes the angry letters and death threats* from schoolchildren aimed at a New York Planeterium curator who displayed an exhibit of the solar System without Pluto. One Arizona scientist even proclaims to "never hearing of a scientist who doesn't consider Pluto a planet." Said scientist obvio...

With those words John F. Kennedy epitomized what it meant to be an American. I have been pretty fortunate the past couple of years to travel this great country and talk with our youth. And let me tell you the disparities that lie within this population are astounding. The young man in Glencoe, MD who rock climbs on the weekends and has done so so long that he now is considered on of the best young climbers in the country; is a world away from the twelfth grade student from Fontana, CA, born of immigrant parents, who although he has above a 3.5 GPA can't put together sentences in order to form an essay at a college level. I think of today the Fourth of July, and think what our founding fathers would think of a city ordinance targeted at a certain group of people. What they would say to an economy in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. How they would view our Superpower status and failure to secure wide international support for our foreign policy. And lastly how the...