Okay, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert was one of those books I read after seeing the movie first. Under Armour Pas Cher adidas tubular mujer As the tag line on the cover says, the memoir tells of “one woman’s search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia. Nike Air Max 2017 Dames zwart

I found it a good read, and though I enjoyed the movie with Julia Roberts, I found the book delightful and its pages gave the movie meaning it didn’t have before. buy albion gold The movie now seems more like a sketch of Gilbert’s memoir and many of the movie’s scenes that seemed perhaps bland or lacking a point gained new meaning and importance. cheap albion gold I have found effective memoirs to be instructive, and this read certainly taught me much more than I expected about Italy, India, and Indonesia–not only the history, but about geography, culture, religion, language, and the inner worlds of the people Gilbert encountered. ULTRA BOOST Uncaged We learn too about the writers, saints, and friends who have influenced her, her demons, her struggles, and her relationships (both the ones that worked and the ones that didn’t work so well).

albion gold As I read, I could feel her sadness, the moments of joy, her angst, and her resolve. Adidas NMD Goedkoop Goedkope Nike Air Max schoenen It was a strong woman who lived out this memoir, and an insightful one who wrote it with humor, precision, and reflection. My vocabulary was enriched (like Gilbert, I can be love-sick with language) when I encountered words and phrases like: un’amica stretta–In Italian, a close friend that you can wear tightly, snug against your skin. adidas scarpe 2017 il bel far niente — the beauty of doing nothing. cheap albion silver codega — In Venice, a man hired to walk in front of you at night with a lit lantern. New Balance 420 hombre l’aria fritta — describes the speech of politicians who have mastered the art of speaking fried air (manipulating the media) Antevasin — Sanskrit. It describes a person who is an in-betweener or you can call it a border-dweller. adidas outlet shop buy albion silver An antevasin is a scholar who lives in the sight of two worlds, but is looking toward the unknown. Fjallraven Kanken Sverige buy wow gold monkey mind — Buddhist, describing having thoughts that swing from limb to limb. Air Jordan 12 Retro adidas uk cheap albion gold I came away from this read wanting to learn more about meditation, about Yoga, and the three cultures Gilbert introduced us to in this memoir.

This was my first read of Gilbert’s writing, and I definitely intend to read more of her works in the future. buy albion gold Gilbert’s website is here: Here is the MLA Works Cited entry: (MLA) Gilbert, Elizabeth. Mens Nike Air Max 2016

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I’ll be presenting Red Ribbon Day Programs in the Rio Grande Valley soon. Air Jordan 12 cheap albion gold Here’s one of the fliers. Air Jordan 10 Retro
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Red Ribbon Week began in 1988 in honor of DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was kidnapped and killed in Mexico in February of 1985. chaussures de foot adidas Agent Camarena, then 37, had uncovered a multi-billion dollar drug scam in which he suspected officers of the Mexican Army, police forces and government. cheap albion gold As he left his office one day, five men appeared at his side and kidnapped him. albion silver His body was found one month later in a shallow grave; he had been tortured and beaten. Peyton Manning Jerseys (Above information was taken from this site:)

I have added a Red Ribbon Day Program as a presentation to do in schools this fall. Kanken No.2 buy albion silver If your school is interested in my coming to present this 45 minute program, or to help your school with its own program, drop me an email (rickeyp@bayou.com) I’m presenting this in a school in Harlingen in October. Tennis Nike It includes a motivational speech that presents the life story of this hero and many life-changing values he believed in that will help your young scholars to live drug free.

Here is a song I’ve written for this program.

The working title is “Red Ribbon Day” though that might change.

cheap albion silver I will also try to get the song on iTunes as soon as possible. buy albion gold Let me know what you think of the lyrics.

Red Ribbon Day by Rickey E.

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Verse 1:

Today, I heard your story, And my eyes were opened wide, And though I never met you.

I know how hard you tried. buty damskie squash asics CHORUS: And the wind carries your ashes, To the place where heroes go, From the top of Signal Mountain, To the borders of Old Mexico Verse 2: Now red ribbons tell your story, And honor your memory, One man can make a difference, I know you did for me.

buy albion gold CHORUS: Verse 3: Sometimes in the Valley, A sad dark rooster cries, Teaching us that it matters, How you live and how you die. albion gold CHORUS: Verse 4: You exposed all the lies, The payoffs and the greed, To bring down los narcos, And for that, they made you bleed.

Since 1973, the Texas legislature combined the previously official state holidays of Robert E. asics italia albion silver Lee and Jefferson Davis’ birthdays into a single Confederate Heroes Day and designated January 19 to honor the 90,000 Texans who served the Southern Cause during the War Between the States. Women Air Jordan 4 I’ve been asked to provide the music for this event. Golden State Warriors buy albion gold I’ll be doing songs from my CD of Civil War songs, The Bard of the South. nike air max pas cher cheap albion gold You can sample the songs here:

You are cordially invited to join us for

Confederate Heroes Day 2013

We will be honoring the Confederates buried in the Old City Cemetery

600 East Jackson Street, Brownsville, TX 78520

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Entertainment: The Bard of the South Rickey Pittman

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This event is sponsored by: Cameron County Historical Commission, Col. Air Jordan 6 cheap albion silver John S. adidas nmd beige buy albion gold (RIP) Ford Camp 2216, Old City Cemetery Center (Brownsville, TX), Palo Alto Chapter #2382, Sons of Confederate Veterans & United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Welcome to my new blog! Bard of the South! Alas, my Southern Missive is at an end. Nike Air Max 2017 Dames Now, though I’ve retained the posts (searchable) of the Southern Missive and attached them to this blog, I begin a new blog, hoping to do a better job. My calendar and my Facebook page and Facebook Fan Page will keep you advised of my schedule. Maglia Isaiah Thomas cheap albion gold The Bard of the South blog will focus on interviews, reviews, song lyrics, and various posts about my work as a songwriter, storyteller, folksinger, and author. 2012 looks like it’s going to be my best year yet. Cheap Fjallraven Kanken Bags cheap albion silver In 2011, I made over 150 presentations to schools, libraries, organizations, at festivals, and author events. albion silver This year has already started off more fiercely! I hope to have some interesting musicians, actors, songwriters, artists, and creative people featured, so please, check the blog often! This Tuesday, I leave with my friend, Jed Marum, for a 7 day tour to Okeechobee, Florida and back. buy albion gold We’ll be performing at O’Dalley’s Irish Pub in Mobile, Alabama Tuesday Night. Then we’ll be at the Battle of Okeechobee Seminole War Reenactment Feb. nike buty męskie 4-5.

I’ve attached that flier for you. buy albion gold Then we perform at the Keg and Barrel Brew Pub in Hattisburg, MS on Tuesday, Feb. buy albion silver 7; on Feb. Nike Sko Nettbutikk cheap albion gold 8, (Wednesday) at the Natchez Coffee Company (Natchez, MS) for lunch, then Enoch’s in Monroe, LA from about 8-10 p.m. Thursday night, Jed and I will be at Fenians Pub in Jackson, MS. Mochilas Fjallraven Kanken As is typical when we tour together (this is our third tour together), we try to pack our schedule full. Asics Whizłer damskie albion gold Jed is an internationally known and respected Celtic and Civil War folksinger, with a wonderful voice and a mind-boggling finger-picking style.

Sometimes I do stories at Celtic festivals, Canotta Los Angeles Clippers albion gold schools and libraries about the Irish gypsies, nike air maxschoenen buy albion gold known as travelers and tinkers. Canotta Milwaukee Bucks cheap albion gold During the Potato Famine, nike air max 1 og męskie albion silver they came to America along with the many thousands of other emigrating Irish. Fjallraven Kanken Mini UK buy albion gold II wrote this song and posted a video of it on YouTube about a Civil War soldier who meets one of these Irish gypsies in Arkansas. College Football Jerseys buy albion silver The song is called “Arkansas Gypsy” and is on iTunes if you’re interested in giving it a listen.

My novel will be out in October, 2012. Plan on ordering it then. nike This is from Chapter Seven, when Sheridan and Bronwynn go to a party.

My dad rose from the couch where he had nearly fallen asleep.

“I’m Eugene, Sheridan’s dad. adidas superstar uomo albion silver It’s good to meet you.” He shook Bronwynn’s hand, into which my mother quickly inserted a goblet of sweet tea. cheap albion silver “I’m Bronwynn, Sheridan’s new and permanent girlfriend. Let me give each of you a hug.” I came out of my room just as she made this announcement of our status to my father and had hugged both of my parents. I could tell that they liked her immediately.

She did have a winning way about her. nike air max 2014 uomo prezzo buy albion gold Smart girl.

I stood and ogled my girlfriend. cheap albion gold Bronwynn wore a vizard mask, a dark cape, the skeleton key necklace she always wore on her neck, a glittery paisley cotton shirt tied in the front that nicely revealed that perfectly flat stomach, and she wore a long wraparound skirt. Then of course, there was the Bronwynn factor. Canotta Memphis Grizzlies buy albion silver I had attempted an impersonation of Jimi Hendrix, wearing a broad-brimmed hat, a vest over a blue long-sleeved paisley shirt, and white bell-bottom jeans.

My dad laughed when he saw me.

buy albion gold “What are you supposed to be? Boy, I wouldn’t be caught dead looking like that.” “I’m a gypsy, Dad. albion gold Watch out or I’ll put a spell on you.” I wiggled my fingers at him. cheap albion gold “Well, I hope you can keep him straight for us,” my dad said to Bronwynn.

My newly published novel is now available in print or ebook form at this site: You can read an excerpt of the novel for free. nike air max 1 ultra moire mujer cheap albion gold I’ll be posting a signing and reading schedule soon. new balance 373 damskie bordowe cheap albion gold I’ll also be starting a new ezine full of stories, Asics Kinsei 4 męskie buy albion gold songs,

Down by the River: Drugs, Money, Murder & Family by Charles Bowden “There was a War on Drugs, and you lost . . .” This is one of the many memorable quotes of Down by the River: Drugs, Money, Murder & Family by Charles Bowden. I’ve previously posted a blog on his Murder City, and I’ve decided to read everything he’s written. I’m working backwards with his writings–next will be be Blood Orchid. He is one of those authors whose language is so strong, so piercing, that I’d have to place him on the same level as Ernest Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn, authors who have influenced and touched me deeply. I have read everything these authors have written–some works more than once. Bowden has been added to this list. This past year, I have worked one to three weeks every month in South Texas from Laredo to Brownsville, doing Texas History and Red Ribbon Day Programs at schools, various presentations at libraries and museums, and playing music at pubs, restaurants, and other venues. The Rio Grande Valley has deeply touched my soul. This last week, I performed Christmas music at the outlet mall in Mercedes, Texas, a week when the residents of Northern Mexico who can afford to do so, swarm into the Valley. As I looked into the eyes and smiling faces of the folks passing by and generously tossing money into my tip jar (see picture below), my heart was touched by their kindness and generosity, but I could not get Bowden’s books out of my mind. His books are the kind that change you forever–once you read them, you are never the same. Bowden’s books are the books that our nation’s leaders should read. They are the writings of a prophet–a man much like Jeremiah or Cassandra whom no one wanted to listen to. His books are an exposé of American politics, the jargon, ignorance, and silence of the media, and particularly in Down by the River, a heartbreaking account of how our government can hypocritically turn on our own citizens and agents who discovered the complicity between the drug lords, the Mexican government, and our our government. He points out that the drug problem is actually a major industry and an essential “part of the fabric of both nations” (65). The heartbreaking story of DEA Agent Phil Jordan and his family is one you will not be able to forget . Canotte Denver Nuggets . . . I once wondered what Elaine Shannon meant in her title of Desperados, when she described the War on Drugs as one we can’t win, but now I understand. We can’t win it, and our government really doesn’t want to win it. This is hard for me to express out loud. I know that sounds pessimistic, and I can feel the bitterness in my heart when I say it because I’ve always wanted to believe in our nation’s leaders, but Bowden’s books have jarred me. He asserts “that no drug policy will ever overcome the demands of domestic politics and foreign policy” (90).

I have friends who work in Homeland Security and the Border Patrol who have taught me so much about the difficulties of their job. I have studied the story of Kiki Camarena–even written a song about him (you can hear that song here). However, Bowden’s Down by the River, taught me many things I did not know and reinforced some suspicions. You’ll have to read Bowden to see why I list these points.

1. We have a porous border. adidas nmd r1 uomo (Insecure borders were one of the factors that hurried the destruction of the Roman Empire.) 2. Chaussures Nike Mexico’s economy would totally collapse without the drug business and our own would suffer significantly. 3. The drug world is built on bribery, murder, torture, and silence. It has penetrated U.S. banking, as well as other businesses. adidas stan smith uomo And our own government is silent on what it knows about the drug cartels and Mexico’s complicity. We hypocritically turn on our own citizens but ignore and even support the blatant transgressions of foreign governments for the sake of our politics. Bowden says, “The unwritten history, or the one that is almost instantly erased, is about the corruption of both nations” (7). Bowden’s book is a disturbing exposé. It is so specific in detail that I’m actually surprised he lived through his research. In this world he portrays, there is no certainty–“Anyone can be more than one person” (42) I’m going to give it another read, though the first read so hurt my heart and so boggled my mind that I know I’ll never look at the border the same. I know that the violence south of the Rio Grande exceeds the violence of Afghanistan and Iraq. asics tiger pas cher I’ve only been to Mexico once, but until and unless things change, I’ll likely never get to return. adidas originals superstar ii camo Read this book and you too will understand that “some things were not supposed to be found” (134). Bowden, Charles.

Down by the River: Drugs, Money, Murder, and Family. new balance uomo misure New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.

POST YOUR OWN ORIGINAL VIDEO ON YOUTUBE AND WIN A PRIZE!

Video Contest Guidelines

1. Goedkope Nike Air Max 90 albion silver You must use one of these songs: “Goober Peas” by Rickey E. buy albion gold Pittman from his CD Bard of the South (you can get this on iTunes) or “Ima Hogg Boogie,” also on the same CD and on iTunes. New Balance 515 hombre cheap albion silver “Goober Peas” tells of a love for peanuts! “Ima Hogg Boogie” tells of the most famous Texas Hogg in history, a young girl named Ima! 2. buy albion gold You or you and others must create a video to go with the song you select. Canotta Dallas Mavericks You can use a constant video, or go picture to picture (PowerPoint easily can become a video), or even use original art work. Canotte Sacramento Kings You can be in costume or regular clothes and you may use props and masks. It can be made inside or out. You can lip-sync (i.e,. pretend that you’re singing) or sing out loud along with the song or with the chorus of the song (that would work best). Watch a few Youtube videos to get some ideas. asics gel nimbus 14 donna You can tell a story in text or in pictures on the screen. The main idea is to create something funny, fun, and that goes along with the song. 3. GUIDELINES: 1. buy albion silver It must be posted on Youtube no later than May 20, 2012. 2. You must give credit on the first and last slide or frame of the video like this: “The Ima Hogg Boogie” a song by Rickey E. albion gold Pittman, bardofthesouth.com OR “Goober Peas” a song by Rickey E. Scarpe Adidas Italia cheap albion gold Pittman, bardofthesouth.com 3. You must list all actors at the end of the video as well as the school and city and state you are from. You must give your video a unique name. 4.

There must be NO profanity or anything inappropriate anywhere in the video. Air Max 2016 Goedkoop This should be viewed as a school project. 5. cheap albion gold You must email me at rickeyp@bayou.com and tell me the video is posted and give me the link.

It should look like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8r-_OAW2Fk In fact, watch this video to see how I made a video to fit my friend Jed Marum’s song. Adidas Stan Smith Dames If you win, I will contact you by email and make arrangements for you to receive your prize. 6. This contest is only for students from 4^th grade to high school.