International Day of Peace Sparks a Personal Comment on “The Film” . . . The Mobs . . . The Violence

Today, September 21, is International Day of Peace. It was established by the United Nations in 1982 to “encourage all of mankind to work towards worldwide peace.” 

How ironic that this year the date falls just as our world grapples with seemingly never ending whirlwinds of protests and violence fueled by hate.

The media headlines of the past week are disturbing; because of an amateurish crudely made film, The Innocence of Muslims, more than 30 people are dead and mobs have rioted in 20 countries.  All allegedly in the name of avenging an insult to a religious leader whose religion, Islam, means peace. 

Why are we letting the fanatics on both sides control the agenda?

Boomer Blog Carnival #279

The Boomers Bloggers are in hot pursuit of the most interesting issues of the day. Don’t miss a one. What happens when you don't following your intuition? Boomers love to dunk it in milk - whose anniversary is it? Can you guess what are the "endangered species" in your office? Release your energy in midlife. Is Pinterest an indication of why there is so much obesity in the USA?  What can go wrong with your retirement financial plan? And for our travelers - how to get those cheap airline tickets for Thanksgiving and a trip the most romantic city in India. Read on . . . .

Boomer Blog Carnival #278

The Boomers are back! From Mid-Life crises to developments in the Middle East to a good rack of lamb, it's all here ... Join us!

Travel to India - Udaipur, India's Most Romantic City

Note . . ..  this is continuation of my India trip with my sister Paty and friends Jani and Kathryn. 

Jagmandir Island Palace

Udaipur lays claim to being the most romantic city in India. It is a tranquil beauty of ornately turreted palaces elegantly floating like gleaming jewels on Lake Pichola. The lush dark-green Aravilli hills surround the city in a protective embrace. All are watched over by the Maharana’sCity Palace regally sitting on a hill lake side. I sense the peaceful graciousness that has such a long tradition here.

While in Udaipur we visit the City Palace, the “Crystal Palace” and on the outskirts of town, the Sahelion Ki Bari – Garden of the Maids. We take a sunset boat cruise to visit the enchanting Jagmandir IslandPalace floating on the North end of Lake Pichola. Our guide Suryaaveer (Sunni) is an art expert who travels all over the world lecturing about Indian art and introduces us to the beauty of “Indian Miniature Art.”

Autumn Edition of the Blogging Boomers Blog Carnival!

There’s a chill in the air up here in northern Colorado, and the aspen are at their golden peak up in the Rockies!  After such a hot, dry summer, don’t we all deserve a break? Here’s the latest from our group of top Boomer Blogs: . . . travel to the UAE Liwa Oasis  . . . Is autumn's highlight election day? . . .  How was the world different in 1958 for the time traveler in Stephen King's book 11.22.63? . . . Who doesn't like September? . . .  Can you recognize the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease?  . . . What creepy spider experiments are going on in the SpaceLab? . . . . How is finding love different at 49? Enjoy!

Travel to India - The Oberoi Udaivilas Hotel, Udaipur, A Regal Experience

NOTE: . . . . This is the continuation of my “Incredible Elegant Journey” to India with my sister Paty and good friends Jani and Kathryn.  

Arriving in Udaipur after a short plane ride from Delhi, we are once again royally welcomed by a merry band of greeters. The airline people are there inquiring about the flight - "a bit of a hard landing," - a greeter from the hotel welcomes us profusely and a representative from Elegant Journeys (our tour operator) checks that all is in order. They swiftly gather our belongings and whisk us away in a private car.

We are all a bit anxious on this first "in-country" excursion of our 11-day trip to India. Still a bit dazed by the masses of people and the jumble of Delhi, we are not quite certain what to expect.

The Udaipur streets are every bit as chaotic as Delhi, if on a more delicate scale. Traffic still goes in crazy directions, all manner of animals freely roam the streets, entrepreneurs of every description are in every nook and cranny and the people we pass are constantly smiling.

We know "we are not in Kansas anymore" but we are totally unprepared for our "Royal" Udaipur stay.

The Top 7 Things on Baby Boomers’ Minds

This week the  the Boomer Bloggers weigh in on seven important topics: building bonds with grandchildren; outsourcing your job search; if the world ends in three weeks what's on your to do list; the dilemma of free speech; a "Regal Experience" in India; the latest tech scams; and a yummy question, "Is ice cream ever out of season?" Enjoy!