Saturday, June 29, 2013

Stories by Boomers


       This photograph is on display at the
I recommend this remarkable story to you!
by Charlie Leck

I came across a fascinating story today in the New York Times… A Son of the Holocaust Buys German. It is part of a series called Booming, columns written by baby boomers about their lives.

This particular story was written by Henry Rozycki, a physician in Richmond, VA. It is a touching account of growing up as the child of holocaust survivors.

I found it a remarkable piece about healing. I strongly recommend it to you. It begins this way…

“I bought an Audi this year and with that, World War II finally ended for me.!

It’s brief – a quick read – and it is beautifully written!


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Thursday, June 27, 2013

The 1% or the 1%



American politics has changed dramatically since the Supreme Court of United States (SCOTUS) ruled in the Citizens United case. Dramatic political power now resides in the hands of a very small minority and elected officials don’t have to feel compelled to stay tuned-in to the majority.
by Charlie Leck

This is really a blog about a blog. This is an attempt to get you to go to another blog that can introduce you to the one percent of the one percent of Americans who have enormous control over the machinery of politics. The Sunlight Foundation Blog is one of the most important sources of information in America for those of us who want government to be open and transparent. In the link above I’m sending you to a particular and intriguing blog

The opening statement of the blog (the hook) really grabbed me…

“In the 2012 election, 28 percent of all disclosed political contributions came from just 31,385 people. In a nation of 313.85 million, these donors represent the 1% of the 1%, an elite class that increasingly serves as the gatekeepers of public office in the United States."

And, then, this remarkable statement of fact…

“One sign of the reach of this elite “1% of the 1%: Not a single member of the House or Senate elected last year won without financial assistance from this group. Money from the nation’s 31,385 biggest givers found its way into the coffers of every successful congressional candidate. And 84 percent of those elected in 2012 took more money from the 1% of the 1% donors than they did from all their other small donors (individuals who gave $200 or less) combined.”

Do read this important blog! Don’t let it enrage you! Allow it to stimulate you – to cause you to think and wonder about the whys and the therefores of this extraordinary fact.

The Characteristics of the 1% of the 1%
This uncommon group lives predominantly in big cities (New York, Washington, etc.). They generally work for blue chip companies. A fifth of them work for blue-chip companies and a fifth of them work in finance or for financial institutions, real estate or insurance. A tenth works in law or lobbying.

The smallest political contribution required
to make it into this elite and tiny group? You would have had to give at least $12,950 to get into this 1% of the 1% club in 2012. This little, elite club gave $1.68 billion dollars in the 2012 election cycle. Of that, $500.4 million came through super PACs (given such instant popularity by the SCOTUS decision in Citizens United).

One couple gave nearly $100 million!
Sheldon and Miriam Adelson gave nearly $100 million to that election campaign. Harold Simmons gave $25 million. Bob Perry, Texas, gave over $23 million. Michael Bloomberg, NY Mayor, gave over $10 million. Though it is possible to look at the very long list of all 31,385 donors, which will take some time to open on your computer, by
clicking here, I do not recommend it.

The overwhelming majority of the club gave directly to campaigns and not to Super PACS. There were 1,635 individuals who contributed more than $10,000 to Super PACS.

So what?
If you raise the question: What difference does it all make? So what? Well then, I really suggest you go to the blog and read it carefully in order to find out.

Believe me, the above is only a tiny summary of Sunlight’s very extensive and valuable report. I’ve become a fan of the organization and I am very pleased to receive regular, personal alert emails and notes from Zubedah Nanfuka.

By video…
If you prefer, you can also look at a video version of this extensive report. It’s extremely well done.


We still count!
Politics in America has changed dramatically. We must fight the inclination that we don’t count. In fact, these developments call for us to be more involved and informed than ever.


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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

If the Creek Don’t Rise!



Wasn’t that a Tennessee Ernie Ford song?... Oh, well, it was something like that. Remind me! And, the President was remarkable in the Miami heat yesterday, laying it all out for us so clearly. Yet, the House of Representatives, the Koch brothers, the Tea Party and the U.S. Senators from the traditional southern states will disagree.
by Charlie Leck

As a young man, I was a Tennessee Ernie Ford fan. Oh, my, but the man could sing. He had a weekly television show (black and white) and he always closed it out by saying: “See you next week if the good Lord is willin’ and the creek don’t rise!” Since I hadn’t heard one of Ernie’s songs in so many years, I had to hunt one down on the internet. When Ernie sings How Great Thou Art, a guy almost wants to fall to his knees in devotion – almost! (Hear him sing the great hymn here.)

The creek rose this week here at Native Oaks Farm and it rose up with a bit of ferocity. It took the bridge into our farm with it – the only civilized way to get into the place.

The weather events of the last week have seriously tested my devotion. I looked up to the heavens and shouted out my question: “What the f-bleep is going on here?”

My wife is devastated. This is really her farm and not mine. She’s lovingly poured the last 33 years of her life into this place, working most days from early in the morning until late into the evening. We’ve had our disagreements about the time and energy she puts into this place and the time and attention that I don’t get as a result. Yet, I’ve always admired the love she’s had for this farm and how devoted she's been to it.

Well, the weekend storm, a week ago, was a little too much for our wonderful spot on this earth to handle. The lovely, little creek that meanders through it turned into a bit of a monster and kept on rising over the weekend and also even in the week following the storm as the run-off water leaked into it.

A bridge – maybe 70 or 80 years old – was the main victim of the rising creek. It’s quite amazing how we get attached to such things. I liked that old bridge and didn’t want to see it go.

I’ve told myself a couple dozen times to stop feeling sorry for myself. “There are people with real problems,” I’ve said, “ – real problems! You’ll awaken in a cozy bed tomorrow and there will be orange juice awaiting you and a wonderful, hot cup of coffee. It isn’t the Earth’s fault – all these problems – but it is just that we don’t know how to plan properly for special times like this. I’m sorry that I snapped at you, Earth. You are wonderful and your abundance sustains us!”

This isn’t really a blog about our little bridge or our farm…
Did you listen to the President’s speech in Miami yesterday? Now, those are real problems that the man is outlining for us. Within 50 to 100 years, Miami may be considered America’s Atlantis. Most of the city is only five feet above sea level. The current pace of global warming will mean that Miami would be totally disabled in the near future. Still folks won’t believe it! We simply won’t learn to get along with this precious Earth.

Those phenomenally wealthy Koch brothers don’t agree either. They call the president “Chicken Little.” The creek simply won’t rise they tell us; and it seems like many Americans are willing to gamble on that.

Well, the president may be lots of things, but he isn’t chicken. The actions he announced in Miami yesterday will put both his reputation and his legacy at stake. Faced with a Congress that will not act, the president is trying to use the power of the executive office to initiate environment actions to save the earth. In my opinion it rivals President Lyndon Johnson’s brave actions surrounding the Voting Rights Act (to which SCOTUS* did great damage yesterday).

As I sit here, in my wonderful tree-top study, I can look out at the rising creek – higher and wider than I have ever seen it -- higher and higher and higher.

"And God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.' And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, 'Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.'  And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:9-13]
  
SCOTUS = Supreme Court of the United States


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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Feed the Hungry in Your Own Backyard


Carlson Meats, in Grove City, does the processing work
for my wife's farm. They recently celebrated 100 years of
business in their community. We admire the Carlsons a
great deal. I took this little photograph last week at their
big anniversary party. 

You probably have a food shelf in your community. If you do, I hope you know where it is and what it’s doing to feed the hungry; and, I hope you’re involved and helpful.
by Charlie Leck

I don’t do actual work anymore in the local food-shelf, but I still stop by occasionally and I am always saddened to see the number of people who need to use the service. I’m thinking about this because I had a wonderful dinner last night – splendid and perfect in every way.
“Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor.”
[Proverbs 22:9 ]
This morning, I was going through our pantry shelves and found so many, many things we’ve stored there that will probably never get used. I began to pack these things up, to take over to the food shelf on Thursday. When I see volumes of food like this it makes me wonder and think about the hungry. How can I have so much? How can I not share what I have?

We must never allow our neighbors to go hungry. It’s a rule I have. I worry about the world’s hungry also, but, at the very least, here at home I can do something. Here are some rules I have about local hunger…

Know where your local food shelf is! There’s a good chance it’s in a church – or maybe a community center. Wherever, know where it is. If you don’t, check it out (make a real effort to find out).

Visit the food shelf
and talk to some of the volunteers about how you might help. Ask about the kinds of foods they most need. Find out how and when you can drop off donations of food.

Find out what your local grocer is doing about local hunger!
One of my local food stores (Coburns) has a hunger bag program. I buy a hunger bag every time I shop there. I pay $6 for the bag that contains more than $10 worth of groceries. There’s a spot in the store to drop off the bag. The local food shelf comes around and picks up the bags. Wholefoods is famous for its community support program. The one where I shop has good connections and relations with the local food shelf.

Check your pantry or food closet regularly for items you are not consuming.
Make sure you do this at least quarterly. Clean it out and take appropriate items over to your local food shelf. Donate them and, while you’re at it, pull out a few of those cobweb covered dollar bills from your wallet and donate those, too.

Find out if your local food shelf needs more help!
If it does, help it find volunteers to staff its services. Volunteer yourself if you’re able. Chat with neighbors about people they might know who could help.

Encourage your church or place of worship to be active in feeding the hungry!
If you go to church or to any kind of place of worship, try to get your fellow worshippers to get involved in feeding the hungry. Have a place where food can be gathered and then transported to the local food shelf. A lot of churches have food shelves right within their building. Make sure they have plenty of volunteers. Get involved yourself or recruit volunteers to work there.

Find out about the extent of hunger in your own community!
How much hunger is there in your town? I am amazed to see how many people here are struggling. It just shouldn’t happen in a remarkable nation like our own.

Don’t moralize!
Don’t get your head spinning trying to figure out all the reasons for hunger. And don’t moralize about it. You can’t worry about why that mother spent two dollars on a Powerball lottery ticket instead of on food. Wasting money is not very common among those who are hungry. Remember your own little and big addictions and foibles and don’t think about those of other people. Just don’t allow people to be hungry. There are all kinds of pulls and tugs in this world that work on the minds of all people. Get past that! Instead, get involved in making sure families are not hungry.

Well, those are my simple little rules. I try to follow them myself. Be generous and give to your local food shelf as generously as you can.



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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Amy Krouse Rosenthal





Well, I can’t write about dunderheads, like Tom Emmer, Michele Bachmann and Gregg Steinhafel all the time. Sometimes I must write about the wonderful people; and Amy Krouse Rosenthal is certainly won wonderful won of them (as I put it – because it’s the way she might do it).
by Charlie Leck

I’ve written here before about Amy…


…but, Amy is a constantly evolving wonder and it’s difficult to keep up with her and what she’s writing or filming – or just plain doing – next. I’ve never – in all these lonnnng years met anyone like her. Is it enough to say she’s creative? No, it’s not nearly enough. You must add that she’s delightfully and ingeniously creative. As a communicator, she may be the best I’ve ever encountered. If you don’t know about Amy Krouse Rosenthal, you simply must, must, must!

The latest extraordinary, entrepreneurial adventure of Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the Mending Machine. New Yorkers are going crazy looking for this hot new item. And just below is a beautiful video about the Mending Machine that you must watch.


I hope it took your breath away, as it did mine.

Then, if you have a hankering to learn just a little more about this wonderful woman, go to this blog, Watch. Connect. Read. (Exploring Children’s Literature through Book Trailers). Your heart will soar as you get to know her. There are four or five videos on this blog that will allow you to get some of the same feelings about Amy that I have.

Amy has taught me an awful lot about being a better person. I feel her impact on my life nearly every day. Her life’s theme is beckoning lovely! Because of her, I try to surprise someone every day with little acts of unexpected and joyful generosity. I suggest to people that they try to raise their kids on the idea of beckoning lovely! What a way to go!

Thanks again, Amy, for all these new and wonderful ideas. Keep on keeping on, girl!

And, I mustn’t ever forget that it was my daughter, Erika, who introduced me to Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Her children know all about Amy and they feel about her as I do. I’m a 70+ year old crotchety old coot, but Amy makes me feel like a kid.


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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Target & Republicans, Please Don’t Fall for Tom Emmer!



The Tom Emmer watch has begun! When it comes to Tom Emmer, I just expect that Minnesotans in the sixth district will be smarter than that; but, then, I thought Target would be brighter than that, too!
by Charlie Leck

Tom Emmer wants to run for Congress in the sixth district. Aren’t Republicans getting tired of supporting whacko-nut-case candidates who leak such massive amounts of murky bullshit? I mean, common man!

And how about Target Stores?
Target and its CEO supported Michele Bachmann in the 2010 and 2012 elections. They supported Tom Emmer in the last gubernatorial race. Are they really that stupid? And, are their stockholders wising up? Target is embarrassed this morning by
a story in the Minneapolis newspaper that points out that Target’s shareholder approval of executive pay bonuses has fallen in the last three years from 92 percent to 52 percent. And I think it is going to fall even more when a lot of shareholders, who don’t pay attention, wake up and get in on the voting. Paying an executive 23 million dollars when his company is under-performing is outrageous. Standing aside and approving large political donations to PACS who support ultra-conservatives is also stupid – especially when most of those stock holders are moderates politically (and many of them Democrat moderates)!

Tom Emmer claims to be big into God, even while his list of people and organizations he hates grows longer and longer. Such rage doesn’t seem very godly to me. Target, pay attention!

One doesn’t exactly use the word compassionate when trying to describe Emmer. The adjectives that come immediately to mind are more like fierce, angry, hateful, disrespectful, cantankerous, negative and rigid.

Tom Emmer is not your stereotypical Minnesotan; that is, there is nothing Lake Wobegonish about this guy.

Here’s what a lot of Minnesotans are going to hold against Tom Emmer…

He authored a bill that required a baffling connection in school between religious reference and the “world view of America’s founders” and “American or Minnesota state history.” There are some political scholars still trying to figure out what Emmer was talking about in that piece of legislative slop.
Tom Emmer stands staunchly behind the view that marriage is a “union of one man and one woman.” Our state compassionately rejected that notion.
He wanted to pass a constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds vote in the state legislature in order to put federal laws into effect. What? Huh? Is the man on something?

If those little tid-bits are really not enough to help you understand that Tom Emmer is a little off-kilter politically, then you can find plenty more.

As well, someone ought to take a long, careful look at Tom Emmer’s career as an attorney-at-law. I think there would be a gold-mine of stupidity there.

What astounds me is that the Target Corporation, owner of the Target Stores, has given a significant amount of money to political causes that have supported Tom Emmer – just like they did on behalf of Michele Bachmann. You wouldn’t think that the CEO at Target would be so stupid as to allow that; but, then, he (Gregg Steinhafel) also personally contributed to the congressional campaign of Michele Bachmann and he’ll probably support Tom Emmer as well.

Target, wise up! You really don’t want to get caught in bed with Tom Emmer. Perish the thought! I can’t stop my wife from shopping at Target even though she agrees with me about the company’s stupidity. She tells me it’s so convenient and tidy. That means a percentage of my money (spent at Target) is going to ultra-conservative Republican candidates.


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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Creative Facebook



This blog is about a few of my friends who use Facebook creatively. You know, some people really do get creative with it. Really!
by Charlie Leck

“More than enough is too much!” [Confucius]

I struggle with Facebook. I don’t know how to use the social contact service very well. I’m awkward when responding to posts others put up. Some of my friends, who I’d like to really know more about, are desperately simple and, sometimes, alienating in what they post. I don’t want to unfriend people (which I wouldn’t know how to do) or to even block them (which I probably ought to do to keep my peace of mind). One of my children tried to explain, but I didn’t get it. So, I just scroll over most of the ordinary posts to get to the really creative stuff that a few of my Facebook friends put up. By the way, I put nothing up because I don’t know how to use Facebook creatively – to say things there that would really be interesting to people. Maybe someday I’ll learn!

Here are a few of my favorite Facebook friends – the creative ones…
– ones who I think are really creative about “the stuff” they put up and share. I look forward to finding a post from them whenever I load up Facebook.

Laurence Nobile
Laurence is the wife of a young cousin of mine (actually the son of a first cousin, so what do I call him? Is “cousin” okay?). His name is Patrice. He and Laurence live en France, southwest of Paris. Laurence and Patrice have 3 children. I love them all dearly. They are a wonderful family (
ils sont une merveilleuse famille). Laurence and Patti are artists – and not just ordinary ones. All of Laurence’s Facebook posts are creative and interesting – and often artistic. I look forward to them. Sometimes they leave me so moved I don’t know what to say in commenting on them. Often, it’s just “thank you (merci, merci).” Laurence, I think, should write a book on “creative facebooking.”

Last week Laurence pointed me to this remarkable video that wonders what the world will be like in fifty years… think about it... the world in fifty years – or a hundred years. It’s a brief video, but quite interesting and artistic. I include it here for you.


We live in a networked world. Premal Shah, in the video, says: “The power of a correct idea is spread so quickly in this internet connected age that scale can happen on a never before pace.”

In another post, a few weeks ago, Laurence tried to explain the approach to education that her family takes (she calls it “World Schooling” rather than home-schooling). The family made a presentation to a gathering of interested people in the village of Montargis. Laurence included a summary of the family’s presentation (in French) and I’ve tried to help with the translation a bit and hope I haven’t been unfaithful to what Laurence and her family said… (it is included at the very end of this blog)…

R.T. Rybak
The Mayor of Minneapolis is R.T. Rybak. His Facebook postings are always worth checking out. They tell me interesting things about what’s going on in the city. Sometimes they alert me to things that could be happening – good or bad. Sometimes they are touching and personal. Sometimes they’re funny and comforting. R.T. has a sense of humor and sometimes a devilish attitude. He just plain knows how to use Facebook. He has accumulated the maximum number of friends allowed on Facebook (5,000).

The mayor went to Boston College after graduating from one of our best private school here. He’s a journalist in his civilian life.

You can listen to a piece on Minnesota Public Radio about R.T. using Facebook. In it he says that his social connections (he also uses Twitter) are really him. He makes the posts and he doesn’t leave it to staff members.

The Daily Planet calls our mayor a “hipster.” And, he is hip. Most of his posts are light, cheery and often comical. You don’t get the usual political stuff out of him. He lets us know about things we ought to do in town – things we ought to see and places we ought to visit. His great love for the city comes out in his blogs and I really like that.

Anna Hillegas
Foundry Home Goods is a little shop in downtown Minneapolis (in the Warehouse District) run by Anna Hillegas. I don’t know how I ended up friending Anna, but I’m glad I did. She
doesn’t post frequently, but, when she does, she puts up something really neat, interesting and informative about her shop, her neighborhood or the city. She doesn’t go on and on. She’s short and sweet and I often follow up on suggestions she makes and I listen to her advice. I knew her when she was little and now I’m mighty proud of the woman she’s become.




Brook Hutchinson
is quite good also. She shows off her good taste. She posts terrific photography and she also recommends some really good reading. The other day she sent me off to a splendid article in the NY Times, called
How Not to be Alone. Terrific reading! Brook comes out of the western suburban horse community but she’s not stereotypical by any means. She has broader interests, a wonderful sense of justice and a passionate mind that seems hungry to learn.

Sam Stern
My neighbor and fellow-blogger (and good friend), Sam Stern, is a pretty good Facebook poster. He’s brief and to the point. He’s highly personal and reports on his own life and adventures. He also lets folks know about activities in the liberal political world and he alerts us to developments we ought to know about. I think Sam is a perfect Facebook friend. People in Egypt are not going to read him, but his friends, neighbors and Minnesotans are – and they’re going to find his “stuff” interesting.

As for me?
I don’t know how to Facebook. I can’t get the feel of it and I can’t get comfortable. A couple of friends have told me that my blog is my Facebook. That may be true. I rarely put up a Facebook post because I just don’t know what to say – and how to say it that briefly. Who cares about dull? [“I hit golf balls for nearly two hours today and I played nine holes with Tim, a very nice man from Virginia.”] Wow! That’s hot! Can you believe it?

One of my Facebook friends – the first girl I ever kissed – has gone in an immensely different direction than I since our childhood. And, she uses Facebook like an evangelist. She’s always telling me, on Facebook, to indicate I like Jesus or that I respect and devote myself to him – or that God is great and loves us and has our backs. She also tells me I ought to hate the President and love George W. She’s mum on Mitt Romney. I wish she’d tell me how life’s gone for her because I’m interested in that. Is she happy? Healthy? How does she like Pope Francis? How is Maureen? What makes her smile every day? She ought to friend Laurence on Facebook. It would expand her horizons significantly!

Even my family doesn’t light me up with “the stuff” they post. The photos are usually hurried and don’t do their kids justice. Maybe it’s because they understand Facebook better than I and they know to save the good material for private emails. When I talk to them about this they just tell me that I don’t understand. I guess they’re correct.

In these elderly years I’m hungry for creative thinking and signs of hopefulness in the world.

Most Facebook people who read this probably think I should just give up on it and stay off it. But then I’d miss the wonderful stuff I get from the mayor – and Brook – and Anna – and San.

Here’s the little presentation summary by Laurence that I told you about. She’s talking about her family’s approach to education…

The Nobile family are five, including Patrice (father), Laurence (mother), Armand, nearly 16 years, Hélène 14 years and André nearly 11 years. Invited by Art and Culture to Montargis, they have come to talk about their approach to the education of their children…

The most beautiful school in the world!
The Nobile, children do not attend school, they receive their education at home by their parents, whose educational base is found in a book written by thinkers on education (Illich, Freinet and the Montessori School) and take advantage of all the occasions and external opportunities to grow and learn. It means many things in life. Patrice is artist, painter and decorator. Laurence is an artist. Very early in their lives, influenced by their personal experiences, Laurence and Patrice knew that their children would not go to school.
If they are not watching TV the children have access to the Internet, Skype, and a wide variety of current media, cultural and naturalist associations. In other words, they have nearly the very world “at hand.” They have had the fortunate opportunity to travel and stay in various countries – such as the USA, Mexico, India, Morocco... where their father (Patrice) did not hesitate to accept “on the spot” opportunities and contracts for several months. They lived in motor homes, hostels, bed-and-breakfasts and in Earth houses...

School is not compulsory
Remember that school is not compulsory. It is education that is compulsory. What the Nobile contend is that school is too bound up with overloaded programs, that rhythms are not respected for the child and the teacher-student relationship is too rigidly formatted (as if every student was alike or the same).
The idea of school at home and as a world approach is a more well-developed phenomenon in other countries than in France. Here [in France] there are approximately 40,000 children between 6-16 years of age in home-schooling situations, or 0.4 per cent of the young people of school age.
We are all able to do that [home school and world schooling], but it has been formatted otherwise by the educational structure. Other countries, such as the India, are better than we are at flexible educational techniques and we need to change our methodology and approach.
The United States
The Nobile children returned bilingual after a year’s journey through the United States and Mexico. In their world travels they observed and reflected as "anthropologists looked for early evidence of human life. The children were able to reflect on this and learn from these observations. In India, they went into the rice paddies and planted rice.
"Observation is a powerful learning tool," explains Laurence. “Here in France, our children are given the opportunity to participate in sports and cultural clubs – in conservatories of music... All they observe and exchange outside the home, is discussed again in family gatherings and it is illustrated in their art and developed in the accounts and narratives they write down. The children – and, mind you, their parents – learn poetry and music and become creative in many different areas.
The teaching of the children Nobile
is “a natural learning process” and not the result of an imposed education.
This kind of education – this way of learning – is actually within the reach of nearly all of us. It is achievable by most all of us in the world. Think of the world as the school of the Republic. Yes, it has some flaws, but it also has huge qualities and possibilities?
You may judge what we have done. Our children are our evidence and our testimony. The Nobile family is generous. We try to share the rich experiences we have had in the world and the great opportunities we have had in our travels. We are proud to make the dream and our ideas public to as many people as we can. There are so many families yet to contact and to whom we want to explain what we have done.

You would need to know the Nobile children to see and understand just how successful their world education program is. Their children are a match for those educated in the most celebrated systems in the world. I guess it figures that one so successful in establishing such a system of education for her children would also be such a creative Facebook participant.

I’m not giving up on Facebook – not when there are such creative people making use of it. A happy Sunday morning to you all!



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Why not become a follower?
If you read my blog regularly, why not become a follower? All you have to do is click in the upper right hand corner and establish a simple means of communication. Then you'll be informed every time a new blog is posted here. If all that's confusing, here's Google's explanation of how to do it! If you don’t want to post comments on the blog, but would like to communicate with me about it, send me an email if you’d like.