“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

The efforts by China to rekindle the diplomatic relations of Iran and Saudi Arabia provides hope. I hope the momentum for diplomacy instead of conflict keeps expanding faster than violent acts.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

Flexibility is the key to working in the garden this time of year. It has been a week of moderately warm days and cold nights. This side of the mountains has not received the volumes of snow reported in the news. The beds by the house are waking up, a few weeds are sprouting and found a yellow crocus in bloom while weeding. Became a little to enthusiastic and dug up the irises which were scheduled to move last summer to a drier location. Their future bed just on the other side of the driveway was frozen solid. To create a hole would need the rock hammer and chisel. New plan required. Snow started just as the last rhizome was going into the soil. Only 6 weeks until irrigation season starts.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

Progress once again seems to be happening in my slow forced move to Idaho.

Greater Idaho resolution passes Idaho House; calls for talks with Oregon over moving border Oregonlive Feb 17, 2023

With a wink and a smirk the Idaho House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a nonbinding memorial calling for formal talks between the Idaho and Oregon legislatures to discuss moving some rural Oregon counties out of their state and into Idaho.

The proposal is rooted in the so-called Greater Idaho movement, which seeks to include about 11 counties, or 63% of Oregon’s landmass, within Idaho’s borders because proponents of the plan think eastern Oregon is more politically and culturally aligned with Idaho than Oregon’s larger progressive cities in the western part of the state.
...
Rep. Ned Burns, D-Bellevue, criticized legislators for working on the proposal, saying they are backing a far-fetched plan to help Oregon residents at a time when the Idaho Legislature has not yet set any of Idaho’s 2024 state budget or passed property tax reduction acts that Idahoans have said in public surveys should be a top legislative priority.

Even Rep. Lance Clow, R-Twin Falls, who voted for the memorial to encourage discussion, expressed his doubts.

“The reality is, I don’t believe this will ever happen,” Clow said.

In the end, the Idaho House voted 41-28 to adopt the memorial.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

As the flood of breaking news reports, opinions on the sources of the news and suggestions on how to interpret the news I have started to rate the stories on Kubler-Ross Model of five stages of grief. Is the presenter or policy maker at step 1 - denial, step 2 - anger, step 3 - bargaining, step 4 - depression or the final step - acceptance on events related to special military operations in Ukraine?

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

This past week was the 2 year anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar. Or as the State Department refers to the country Burma. A National Unity Government has been established outside the country and has control of the United Nations seat for Myanmar. Military efforts have not been as well supported by the international community.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

Why the continued focus on Ukraine conflict? Because it has accelerated the reshaping of our world and not in the direction desired by the World Economic Forum (WEF or Davos crowd). Economic instability and rising energy costs are two of the direct effects on our personal futures.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

I have mentioned in the past my original visit to China was to explore the use of herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Herbs were part of the curriculum at collage and I was co-writing articles with an Herbalist. It was the late 1980's and there were severe restrictions on providing information regarding herbal treatments to the general public. Language needed to be very specific to avoid consequences. Some physicians were being disciplined for using vitamin therapy in their practices. Remember a state of Washington physician's office raid by federal officers was attributed to giving injectable vitamin B shots to patients.

In 1994 a grassroots campaign for "health freedom" the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act was passed. The alternative treatment industry growth exploded as more treatment modalities and information became available to the general public. Market abuses yes, harm to some individuals yes, but in my opinion outweighed by healthful trends in selfcare.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

The time between events, collective narrative created and new revelations challenging the official narrative keep getting shorter. This could be an interesting year.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

My timing has been off this week. Lots of changes going on some surprises, others long standing plans set in motion years ago are happening in 2023. Ironically the one constant activity I currently have is writing my opinions and observations regularly, which was never a plan. Simply an unforeseen opportunity provided by JCT and the C99 community. Happy Anniversary for the C99 community.