Municipal Development Concept: Sister Cities In Arms

Hello All,

What if on the county US level across the States we paid more than lip service to our honoree sister cities. For example, here in my Florida county of Sarasota we have six designated sister cities. They are: Dunferline, Scotland; Hamilton, Ontario; Perpignan, France; Tel Mond, Israel; Vladimir, Russia; and finally Siming District, Xiamen China.

Sister cities usually align themselves due to the cultural demographics of their adopted city. In this case many citizens from other countries have chosen as their adopted home my city and county of Sarasota.

Now instead of only an official designation in name only for a sister city. Why not put some muscle into it where it belongs, where the county or province local governments draw up a developmental wish list. Such a wish list of municipal development be it in infrastructure or other citizen initiatives would need to be approved or ratified. Once done so from each of the other sister cities in kind via a larger collective barter system. One of the other sister cities picks an item of need from another city and pours needed aid into the initiative. Be it a: trade development package, disaster relief, needed skilled personnel, student exchange programs, resources, charitable aid, block grants or loans.

Such a slew of available menu options to aid other sister cities will help foster civic pride within one's own city and those whom are being aided. Not just from the public government sector, but from the private commercial and private charities that become inter-dependent in such a web of relationships.

This is truly a "Win / Win" scenario when sister cities step out of their own bubble mind-set and look beyond their own geographic boundaries.

Food Concept: Sweet Pasta

Hi All,

This dessert type of food treat came to me whilst I was eating lunch with pasta filled with garlic paste. My "A Ha!" moment came shortly afterwards, since I enjoy many types of eclectic dessert treats.

Picture Ravioli filled with chocolate instead of the typical meat or cheese fillings. The sweet fillings can be: milk, dark, white chocolates, caramel, taffy, cotton candy, and fruit jams. The pasta itself can be plain or it can be sweetened to include various different flavors onto itself. Such as a chocolate flavored pasta, or any of these varieties such as: peanut butter, vanilla, cookie dough, mocha, strawberry, etc... Besides it doesn't just have to be ravioli type of pasta it can be any other type of pasta that allows fillings to be present.

This is even a better dessert treat if accompanied with a sauce topping like hot fudge, or caramel. Mmm, can't you just picture it now. :o)

Jewels of Truth Quotations & Favorite Quotes Of The Day

Hello All,

Today I'll return to the former line-up of quotes that left off at number #773 from mid-November.

Enjoy my own authored wisdom based spiritual quotes.

773) Revenge is an empty road leading no where. It is ripe with hatred and offers only destruction to its intended victim(s). It is truly one of the many inroads to perdition. Surrender such hatred with forgiveness for the sake of your own inherent sanity and well being. That is the way to reconciliation for ones own sake by mercy. Otherwise hell on Earth will persist to your own undoing. ---Ivan / Atrayo.


774) "Precept of Time & Eternity"

In a moment one can understand eternity. As a concept of no time at all. Eternity is but an instant, one moment in time but paradoxically it consists of no time at all. This instant for eternity to a mortal is incomprehensible due to a linear view point. From the point of view of eternity it is a fully non-linear moment. Linear time scale is set at the slowest time dilation for mortal creation. For eternity which consists for an instant, it is set at full velocity ahead. Or full momentum without any restrictive dilations of time. To understand a mundane moment is to understand all of creation in but an instant. Amen. ---Ivan / Atrayo.


775) When you bless one soul, you will bless them all. Since we are all one meta-entity (spirit) in this realm and in many other forms of existence. We are one akin to a web of conduits to each other. One can not be effected well without affecting all those in their realm of influence. A blessing, a miracle, and grace are all methods to reveal ones holy identity in this life. Amen. ---Ivan / Atrayo.


---------------------

Our walls of division do not rise all the way to heaven. ---Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow.

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. ---Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

What you resist, persists. ---Carl Jung.

Beauty seen makes the one who sees it more beautiful. ---David Steindl-Rast. "A Listening Heart".

Prosperity depends more on wanting what you have than having what you want. ---Geoffrey F. Abert.