Happy 250th Birthday America!

We The People 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Happy Birthday America! 

 

AI Image by wirestock from magnific

Aloka And The Buddhist Monks' Walk For Peace

“Let us walk with open hearts, with respect for every life, every path, every faith. May every footprint we leave behind bloom into flowers of peace, so that wherever these steps have touched the earth, there remains a quiet fragrance of loving kindness.” - Tue Nhan Bhikkhu known as the Rev. Nguyen, the vice president of the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center 

In a Buddhist tradition of peace activism, on October 26, 2025, a group of Buddhist monks in Fort Worth, Texas embarked on a 2,300 mile (3,700 kilometers) long journey for peace. The pilgrimage leads through ten states and Washington, DC is set to be the final destination. The monks are accompanied by a dog named Aloka. On route to the US Capitol the monks will be stopping at state capitols, historic landmarks and community centers to share their message of peace and invite people to join them for prayer and reflection.  

Aloka - an Indian stray Pariah dog that marches with the monks became a social media sensation in his own right. In India the dog followed a group of Vietnamese-American wandering Buddhist monks for one hundred days. He was with them despite the hardships he experienced. He was injured when a car hit him and was very sick, but rejoined the monks over and over again. Eventually, the monks adopted him and brought him with them to the United States. Now he bravely and cheerfully follows them on their journey through the United States. The puppy has a distinctive heart shaped mark on his forehead, wise eyes and very cheerful disposition. His name Aloka is quite fitting. In Sanskrit it means light, brightness or radiance and symbolizes knowledge and enlightenment. This name is often associated with hope and guidance suggesting a bringer of clarity and joy to all around them. 

Accompanied by Aloka, the monks will be following the practice of self-discipline that involves humility, endurance and spiritual focus. They will be eating one meal a day and sleeping outdoors in tents pitched on public or private grounds provided by churches, temples, private persons or local communities. Some of the monks walk barefoot. Some are over sixty years old. No community and no individual that comes in contact with the monks will remain unaffected by their motivation, wisdom, humility and serenity. Their pilgrimage will end on February 13, 2026, with a message of healing, compassion, mindfulness, renewal, and peace. 

"The Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole.” - Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra

The Walk for Peace is a journey that is meant to bring blessings to individuals and communities in a world that is filled with restlessness and uncertainty. 

Our world was never a perfect place but there were at least some short periods of peace in some regions. The new millenium began with a beautiful vision for the planet but the New York attack on September 11, 2001, destroyed our hopes for a better, more enlightened world. Belligerent ideologies seemed to be spreading around the world and by 2025 there were more regional conflicts than ever. Many people feared the possibility of another world war. The never ending conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine gave us little hope for peace on Earth in 2026.

In the United States and in many European countries citizens experience extreme violence on daily bases, often perpetrated by people of different cultural backgrounds that were once invited to live in their communities. Cultural incompatibility and different moral values make harmonious coexistence impossible. Rape, murder, robberies, arson, vandalism, and violent attacks seem to dominate the daily news cycle in mamy urban centers. Many people live in fear. 

At the same time, the social fabric, the respect for life or property, the respect for individual rights and the right to one's own opinion, are completely disappearing in so many places. This process began with totalitarian measures imposed on many societies during the 2020 pandemic. The decline of civility is appalling. Social media allows the spread of verbal aggression never seen before and allows that aggression to spill out to our streets. The belligerence and intolerance seem to be spreading through our societies like cancer and that "cancer" is often exploited for political reasons. Many tormented souls live their aggression out in the real world. Mental disease and drug abuse are prevalent and often remain untreated. Financial instability and lack of perspective aggravate the situation. 

Can this downward spiral be stopped? Is there hope for our societies? Is there any hope for the world?

A practicing Buddhist would understand the current conditions as a reflection of inner chaos and suffering. Buddha himself believed that true peace comes from within when the mind is free from greed, anger and delusion. It can only be achieved by profound introspection and the practice of mindfulness. This however is difficult if not impossible in a world where people are slaves to their electronic devices; in the world where people have time to insult and abuse others but have no time for introspection and self-reflection; in the world where people demand respect for their opinions without acknowledging that others have the same right. People no longer agree that it is all right to disagree and demonize others for having their own mind. 

Peace is not a mere idea. It is a practice. The path to peace begins with a single step within. 

Mindful walking and a quality time spent in nature might be the first step to inner healing. There is a beautiful practice in Japan called Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing where a practitioner consciously relaxes and engages with nature focusing all the senses on the experience. The practice is known to improve mood and reduce stress. Quality time spent away from electronic devices and the noise of discord and argument may help calm the troubled souls, induce inner peace and a completely new outlook on things that matter. 

Our societies, our world will not change overnight and suddenly become peaceful but each of us has the potential to bring peace to our immediate surroundings, to our homes and the workspace. We can refuse to get triggered, we can refuse to get angry and judgmental and instead, lead by example. Mindful detachment, mutual respect, loving-kindness (mettā), and the understanding that we all are on a journey, is a good place to start. 

"What we think, we become" - Buddha 

By Dominique Allmon

Post scriptum

On November 19, 2025 a car slammed into the escort vehicle that accompanied the monks. One of the monks, the Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan, abbot of the Wat Lao Buddha Khanti in Snellville, Georgia, was seriously injured and taken to hospital. The damage was very serious and the bhikkhu's left leg had to be amputated. He is no longer able to continue the Walk For Peace in person but follows the monks in spirit. 

Today, on January 12, Aloka underwent surgery at the Charleston Veterinary Referral Center (CVRC) in South Carolina for a flare up of an old injury he sustained to one of his legs back in India. In order to heal the veterinarians, who performed their services free of charge, advised the monks that Aloka should stay in the clinic until he has healed completely. This sweet puppy needs some rest in order to heal. He will be taken care of for at least one week and as soon as it is safe for him, he will join the monks and walk with them again. 

On January 17, 2026, after 84 days on the road, the Venerable Samma Maggo, 68 years old Vietnamese monk from France terminated his pilgrimage and will be returning to his temple in France. 

"The Venerable never spoke of endurance, yet that solitary figure along the long road became a teaching in itself - quiet, unheroic, without drama - simply walking on, and enabling those who followed to stand more upright within their own lives." - Venerable Baro Beso

I wish I could be there to meet these monks on the road. Since this is not possible I follow their progress online. It is very touching to watch these men walking with such determination, dispensing blessings to all and sharing the message of peace. We can only hope that all the people who meet the monks will have the strength to hold on to the wisdom imparted on them. 

"May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace." 

Dominique Allmon©2026 

To learn more about the Walk For Peace and to support the monks in their endeavor please click here 

Follow Aloka the Peace Dog on Instagram 

A "gofundme" page was set up for the Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan.  

Images source X 

Jan Baraś-Komski

Jan Baraś-Komski - Portrait with Sunflower (Portret ze słonecznikiem), oil on wood, 1937

Jan Baraś-Komski is probably best known for his Auschwitz paintings and drawings. Born on February 3, 1915 in a small Polish town of Bircza, he entered the prestigious Polish Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow - the Akademia Sztuk Pięknych Jana Matejki w Krakowie, in 1934, where he studied painting and art history until 1939.

Like many young Poles in the early months of the war, Jan Komski, a Polish Roman Catholic, joined the resistance movement. In 1940 he was arrested while trying to cross the southern border under the assumed name of Jan Baraś in order to join the newly formed Polish Army in France.

 

He was first taken to the prison in the town of Tarnów only to be deported to the concentration camp at Auschwitz, arriving there in the very first transport, together with 727 other Polish men, on June 14, 1940. He was issued the prisoner number 564. The early numbers were not yet tattooed on prisoners' arms. He wore a red triangle on his camp uniform which identified him as a political prisoner.

 Jan Baraś-Komski - Arrival

 

In the camp, Komski became part of the clandestine resistance movement created by Witold Pilecki. On December 29, 1942, he and three of his comrades, Mieczyslaw Januszewski, Boleslaw Kuczbara, and a German, the Auschwitz inmate N°2 and Kapo Otto Küsel, participated in one of the most famous escapes in the history of Auschwitz. A cart drawn by two horses passed the camp's gate in the afternoon. It carried Kuczbara, dressed in a stolen SS uniform holding forged papers. Three inmates that appeared to be escorted by the SS-man walked alongside. The escapees made it to the village of Broszkowice where they were hidden and given civilian clothes. 

 

Komski made it safely to the city of Kraków (Cracow), in what was then known as the General Government, (Gubernia Generalna), or the Generalgouvernement under the German governor Reichsminister Hans Frank. 

 

Jan Baraś-Komski - Eating and Starvation 

In January 1943 Komski was arrested in a routine roundup (łapanka) near the railway station in Cracow and held there in the Montelupi prison, after a failed escape and a brutal beating, till the end of September. On October 1, 1943 he was deported to Auschwitz for the second time. Not identified as a former escapee, with the help of the camp's underground movement, he was registered under the name of Józef Nosek and assigned prisoner number 152884. He was sent to the camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau where the guards did not know him, and transferred later that month to the concentration camp at Buchenwald in Germany proper.

We were like soldiers exposed every minute to a danger of dying, but we couldn't help ourselves, because we have nothing for our defense except the will to survive. But will not always was enough, because very often, in most cases, the prisoner died. - Jan Komski in an interview on January 30, 1992

Komski was moved a few times between different concentration camps and eventually ended up in Dachau where he was liberated by the units of General Patton's army on April 29, 1945. He survived because of his special talent as an artist.

 

After his liberation he lived in Displaced Persons camps in Bavaria where he met and married Zdzisława "Jean" who was also an Auschwitz survivor. They both emigrated to the United States with their son in 1949 where they became citizens. 

 

Jan Baraś-Komski at work in Virginia

 

In the United States Komski assumed a career as an illustrator for the Washington Post. He retired in 1984 but continued to draw and paint. 

 

After seeing Francisco de Goya's "Disasters of War" at the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain in mid-1970s, Komski decided to paint the horrific scenes of life and death in the concentration camp as he remembered them.

 

To contrast the horrors of his past, at the same time he created a vast body of colorful work that depicted the beauty and serenity of Northern Virginia. 

 

Jan Baraś-Komski - Barge on Canal

 

He painted every day, even at the tender age of 86. Those who knew him reported that he loved life and was very alert, courteous and caring. 

Towards the end of his life, Komski visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum at Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau for the last time. He went there twice before. Most of his camp art is there on display in the museum.

 

On July 20, 2002 he lost his battle with cancer and passed away at the age 0f 87 in Arlington, Virginia. 

 

By Dominique Allmon

Jan Baraś-Komski - African Violet

 

 

Image sources: here, here and here

 

Also of interest

 

Muted Works of One Man's Silent Rage 

 

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Oral history interview with John Komski

 

In German: Otto Küsel - der Kleinkriminelle, der in Auschwitz Leben rettete

How to Be Grateful When You Have Nothing to Be Grateful For

The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful at all times. - Zig Ziglar

Thanksgiving is a time of reflection. It is a time when families gather together to count their blessings and express their gratitude for all the good things in their lives. 

But what if you have nothing to be grateful for? What if your loved one or you were diagnosed with an incurable disease? What if you lost your home due to a natural disaster? What if you lost your job? What if you were a victim of a terrible crime? What if all your savings are gone thanks to the raging inflation? What if you lost someone? 

It isn't easy to express appreciation and gratitude in challenging times. When bitterness, fear, disappointment, anger, and uncertainty dominate your emotional landscape, it is difficult to be grateful. And yet, we can only survive the storm if we have hope.

Can we fake gratitude? 

Research shows that people who feel grateful are not only happier but also healthier. Scientists measured lower levels of stress hormones, less inflammation in the body, and even improved immunity in people who felt grateful or had thoughts of gratitude.* Wouldn't this alone be a good reason to motivate oneself to a daily practice of gratefulness? 

Do not compare your misery to the happiness of others. Accept reality as it is and do not suppress your real feelings. Instead, try to find something that will bring you joy every day and be grateful for it. Take time to observe nature, listen to music, read poetry, or talk to a dear friend. Take time to pamper yourself. Shift your attitude. Embrace activities that give you comfort and consciously express your gratitude even if you do not feel like it. If there is nothing at all, recall a happy moment from the past.

Start your day by counting the good things in your life and end it reflecting on all the things that warmed your heart: a smile from a child, a kind gesture from a stranger, a leaf falling off the tree and dancing before you... Make gratitude a habit. This will give you the strength to continue even in the most difficult circumstances. 

The tragedy of our existence is the realization that good things do not last. But neither do the bad things, and this alone is a very good reason to be grateful. 

Wishing you a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving - Dominique

Post scriptum

Stress kills so please, do not underestimate the impact your nastiness, your anger, your egoism and intolerance have on others, especially those who are sick, those who are trying to heal and are too weak or simply no longer willing to fight with you. 

When I wrote this post my husband who was diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer in 2021 was still alive. His cancer treatment was terminated in October. We still had hope and felt grateful that he made it so far. I was in Europe, scheduled for a medical check up and could not be around for Thanksgiving. We were used to the fact that sometimes the only way to celebrate was to spend hours on the phone. On Thanksgiving's Eve James felt a little tired and weak but was in a rather good mood. On Thanksgiving Day, however, my husband's condition deteriorated considerably after his daughter, an obtuse woman in her late 40s, quarreled with him over the phone. She scolded him because he declined a dinner invitation that would have involved a 70-miles drive from Roswell, NM, to her home in Carlsbad, NM, and he did not feel that he could do that. This quarrel stressed and depressed him more than one could even imagine. He collapsed later in the evening and had to be taken by helicopter from Roswell, NM to a hospital in El Paso, TX. He never recovered and eventually left this plane of existence on December 15, 2023. He was 70 years old.

Also of interest: The Importance of Being Grateful

*Lilian Jans-Beken, Nele Jacobs, Mayke Janssens, et al. Gratitude and health: An updated review. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 2020/15:6. pp 743-782

Dominique Allmon©2023

Happy Labor Day!

No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. 

Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Image source: unknown but greatly appreciated

75th Anniversary of the Roswell Incident

Happy 75th Anniversary of the UFO Crash in Roswell! 

As every year, Roswell, NM, celebrates the alleged event with a colorful three-day long  festival.  Alien parade, costume competition, night sky watch, live music, and other activities fill out the weekend.

For three days UFO enthusiasts from all over the world descend on this small desert town. There is something for everyone there, even for the UFO deniers and skeptics. Leave your Serious Hat at home and join the jolly crowd! 

Dominique Allmon

Image: Alien on Main, Roswell by Dominique Allmon©2022

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Eighty years ago, on December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on a naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack crippled United States Pacific Fleet, killed  2,403 Americans including 68 civilians, and wounded 1,178 people. It came as a shock to a "sleeping giant" that was a post-World War I isolationist America. 

The Japanese attack that happened without a declaration of war changed the current of history forever and precipitated America's entry into the war theaters of the Pacific, Europe and North Africa. On December 8, 1941, president Roosevelt declared war on Japan. Only three days later, on December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy, the powers of the Axis, declared war on the United States in support of their ally Japan. This prompted an immediate US declaration of war on Germany and Italy. 

About 10 million Americans, the greatest generation ever born, fought on many fronts in a war that ended with two atomic bombs being dropped on Japan in August 1945.  

As every year, Pearl Harbor Survivors, Veterans and visitors from all over the world gather on December 7 to commemorate the tragic anniversary of the Japanese attack and to honor and remember those who perished on that day. This year's theme for the 80th National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration is Valor, Sacrifice, and Peace. 

This is a good time for all of us to reflect on bravery and sacrifice of all those who fought to restore and preserve peace on earth.

Dominique Teng

Image source unknown but greatly appreciated

Happy 245th United States Marine Corps

Courage is endurance for one moment more…
- Unknown Marine Second Lieutenant in Vietnam 

Happy Birthday Devil Dogs!

 

Image source unknown but greatly appreciated. 

Endeavour - From the American Soil Back to Space!

History was made on May 30, 2020, when NASA and SpaceX successfully launched two American astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, to Space in a Dragon capsule named Endeavour.

This first manned mission from the American soil in almost forty years ends NASA's dependence on foreign launch providers to send their astronauts to the International Space Station.

On May 31, the Endeavour successfully docked on to the ISS. The two astronauts were cordially welcomed by the ISS crew. They will remain in the Space for 110 days before returning back to Earth.

The launch and the docking maneuver were transmitted live on social media and broadcast on television networks all over the world. At least ten million people watched this historical event.

For more information and mission update visit the websites of NASA, SpaceX, or Space.

Image source: world wide web.

One Small Step For A Man...

"Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. 

July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind." - 

text from a commemorative plaque on one of the Eagle's legs.

Fifty years ago, at 10: 56 EDT on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong was ready to step out of the "Eagle" and become the first human being in history to set his foot on the surface of the Moon. 

More than half a billion people all over the world were watching the first televised images. As Armstrong climbed down the ladder, the viewers could hear him say his famous words: 

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

A few minutes later, Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong on the Moon surface. For Aldrin the Moon was a "magnificent desolation." 

The two astronauts planted an American flag and spent the next two and a half hours exploring the surface of the Moon, collecting rock samples, and taking photographs. 

The mission was a success. It ended when the Columbia capsule carrying the astronauts splashed into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii on July 24, 1969. 

A new era has begun. New missions to the Moon followed over the next three and a half years. Some people, most notably Wernher von Braun, Vice President Spiro Agnew, and the Apollo 11 astronaut Mike Collins, were talking about mission to Mars that could be accomplished before the end of the 20th century. Kids like me hoped that by the year 2000 we would be spending our summer vacations on the Moon. In 1973 NASA abandoned its lunar program and all our dreams became science fiction once again. 

By Dominique Teng

50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Lift Off

Fifty years ago on July 16, 1969, an incredible human adventure has begun: Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket at 9:32 ET (13:32 UTC) from Cape Kennedy (formerly Cape Canaveral,) Florida, and headed for the Moon.

The spacecraft carried three American astronauts - Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. It consisted of three parts: a Command Module with the cabin for the three astronauts; a Service Module designed to support the Command Module with propulsion, electrical power, oxygen, and water; and a Lunar Module "Eagle" that had two stages - the descent stage for the landing on the Moon's surface, and the ascent stage for the transport of the astronauts back into the lunar orbit.

Almost a million people descended on Cape Kennedy to watch the lift off of Apollo 11. Millions of people all over the world watched the lift off and followed the progress of the mission on television. It would take another four days for the spacecraft to reach its destination.

The mission to the Moon was initiated on May 25, 1961, when President John F. Kennedy issued his famous challenge to Congress and the American people: “I believe that this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.”

Incredible 410,000 people were involved in the mission's success, many nameless, but many well known and remembered to this day. The Saturn V rocket itself was a pet project of a German aerospace engineer, former SS Wernher von Braun, who was involved in  the construction of the V2 rocket in Peenemünde during the WWII. The American space program included a few more Germans with a Nazi past, some of them war criminals like Arthur Rudolph who also worked on the V2; and  Hubertus Strughold who conducted various medical experiments on inmates from the concentration camp in Dachau.

These "details" cast a very dark shadow over the American space program. They were not revealed to the American public at that time. In the middle of Cold War, NASA simply wanted to succeed in the space race against the Soviets and this would not have been possible without the knowledge and expertise of the German scientists. History was made. The mission was a success. This was all that mattered.

By Dominique Teng

*Hitler's secret V2 project at Peenemünde was an incredible advancement in war technology with grim statistics. In 1944 more than 1,300 rockets were fired at England, Belgium and France killing 2,724 people in Britain alone. Estimated 20,000 slave workers lost their lives in harsh working conditions at the facilities at Peenemünde and Mittelwerk manufacturing the deadly weapon.

The Habit Of Gratitude

Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it. - Ralph Marston

~ Happy Thanksgiving ~

Image: Pumpkin Centerpiece by Dominique Allmon©2018

The Names

The Names 

Names etched on

the head of a pin.

One name spanning

a bridge, another

undergoing a tunnel.

A blue name needled

into the skin.

Names of citizens,

workers, mothers,

and fathers,

The bright-eyed

daughter, the quick son.

Alphabet of names in

a green field.

Names in the small tracks of birds.

Names lifted from a hat

Or balanced on

the tip of the tongue.

Names wheeled

into the dim warehouse

of memory. 

So many names, there

is barely room on

 the walls of the heart. 

By Billy Collins, American poet laureate

Fragment from a poem dedicated to the victims of September 11 and to their survivors. 

Cultural Appropriation And The Chinese Dress Scandal

Only a few weeks ago a girl from Salt Lake City, UT, suffered harassment on social media for making a simple fashion choice. She decided to wear a traditional Chinese dress known as cheongsam or qipao, to her high school prom. The trouble started when a young Chinese man, Jeremy Lam, saw the girl's picture on Twitter.

You would have thought that the whole Great Wall of China fell down in an instant! The girl was accused of cultural appropriation and a serious abuse of sacred tradition. More than forty thousand people got involved in the "discussion" on Twitter. The matter was taken up online by the USA Today, The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, The Guardian, Washington Post, and many others.

This would have been a silly, meaningless pseudo-intellectual exchange, but unfortunately, the Chinese dress outrage is a symptom of a very disturbing trend. Something is boiling in the melting pot of America and it does not smell nice. 

 

 

Is the world turning upside down? I studied Chinese culture for many years and traveled to China, Hong Kong, and Singapore on monthly bases for almost three decades. Among other things, I accumulated a small collection of Chinese silk blouses that I proudly wore on many occasions. They became unique additions to my wardrobe and attracted many gazes. My very first Chinese style blouse was designed by Donna Karan. It was sold under her DKNY brand. I bought it at Marshal Fields in Chicago many years ago. In Hong Kong I had a small ritual every time I went there. On the first day, the luxury Shanghai Tang store with its Chinese 1920s flair was my first destination after a hearty dim sum breakfast at the Luk Yu Tea House. In 1997 the store opened a branch in New York City,  but unfortunately, it did not make it there.

When China began to open up to the West in late 1980s, interior designers and a few fashion designers adopted the Chinese aesthetic idiom and translated it into incredibly beautiful creations. No one was screaming or accusing anybody of cultural appropriation. In fact, the Chinese were rather proud that so many Westerners appreciated their culture. Westerners learned to love Chinese literature and cinema. Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Wang Kar Wai, to name only a few, became household names among cinephiles.

Things changed so much. Quite recently, many American learning institutions turned into places of insanity. Political correctness, social justice, Marxist overtones, obsession with gender, and infantile lack of tolerance dominate the discourse now. Those who militantly demand tolerance for themselves, deny the freedom of speech to those whose opinions differ from their own. Totalitarian tendencies in the academia are not only annoying, they are dangerous. Once cradles of freedom and free speech, universities are becoming places of hatred and virulent intolerance. No one even considers that tolerance works both ways.

There must be something truly wrong with me because it bothers me that the appreciation of a culture is now viciously considered to be cultural appropriation. If this trend continues, good luck to all the gift store owners in every China Town across America. They may soon be saying goodbye their American Dream.

By Dominique Allmon

 

Images: Dominique's favorite Chinese blouses

Dominique Allmon©2018

Memory Of The Heart

Gratitude is the 

memory 

of the heart. 

-

Jean-Baptiste Massieu 

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Image: Memory of the Heart by Dominique Allmon©2017

Life Is A Precious Gift - Remembering September 11

September 11 impressed upon us that life is a precious gift … And I think we all have a duty to devote at least a small portion of our daily lives to ensuring that neither America nor the world ever forgets September 11. - Sen. Bill Frist

Image: Life Is A Precious Gift by Dominique Teng©2017

Ragged Old Flag

I walked through a county courthouse square,

On a park bench an old man was sitting there.

I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."

He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."

I said, "Your flagpole has leaned a little bit,

And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it.

He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down.

"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"

I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,

But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag."

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there

When Washington took it across the Delaware.

And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key

Sat watching it writing "Oh Say Can You See".

And it got a bad rip in New Orleans

With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams."

"And it almost fell at the Alamo

Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through.

She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville

And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.

There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,

And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag."

"On Flanders Field in World War I

She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.

She turned blood red in World War II

She hung limp and low by the time it was through.

She was in Korea and Vietnam.

She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam."

"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,

And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.

In her own good land she's been abused -

She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused."

"And the government for which she stands

Is scandalized throughout the land.

And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin,

But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.

'Cause she's been through the fire before

And I believe she can take a whole lot more."

"So we raise her up every morning,

Take her down every night.

We don't let her touch the ground

And we fold her up right.

On second thought I DO like to brag,

'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."

Written by Johnny Cash

Image source here

Legendary American Astronaut John Glenn Dead at 95

John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016)

John H. Glenn Jr, the first American to orbit the Earth passed away in Columbus, Ohio on December 8, 2016 at the age 95. America has lost one of its greatest pioneers.

Glenn was an aviator, engineer at NASA, astronaut, politician, and recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He was an officer in the US Marine Corps and a war hero who served his country as a fighter pilot in the Pacific during WWII and during the Korean War. 

In 1962 he became the first American to orbit the Earth. he flew the Friendship 7 mission and was also a backup pilot to Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom, on the Freedom 7 and Liberty Bell 7 respectively.

In 1974 he won elections for the US Senate and became a congressman representing the State of Ohio for a quarter of a century.

A legend and a true here, he will be missed by many.

Godspeed, John Glenn!

Never Forget 9/11

 One World Trade Center, New York City

Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge -- huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.”  - U.S. President George W. Bush

One World Trade Center under constructions as seen  in 2014

from the Westin Hotel window in Newport Jersey City, NJ

It’s been 15 years since the most devastating attack to hit U.S. soil on September 11, 2001. Nearly 3,000 people died in the assault, which was orchestrated by the cowardly al Qaeda terrorists who hijacked four passenger airplanes and crashed them into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon building in Virginia, and a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

All I ever needed to know about islam
I learned in five minutes on 9/11.
- Quote from Conservative Infidel website

For many people born after 9/11 the events of that day are just history, but those who witnessed the attacks in person or on television will never forget that day. The attacks touched so many people and changed the way we live and see the world today. And while people across the Middle East celebrated the attacks, some of us became New Yorkers.

September 11 is also an anniversary of a 2012 terrorist attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya where four lives were lost. The former Secretary of State still did not take the responsibility of her inaction on that day...

Happy 240th Birthday America!

 Stars and Stripes in Roswell, NM

The winds that blow through the wide sky in these mounts, the winds that sweep from Canada to Mexico, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, have always blown on free men. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

 Image by Dominique Teng©2016