New Holiday Greeting Cards are now available on my website.

 

http://gerlinde-keating.artistwebsites.com


About FAA Greeting Cards 

FAA greeting cards are 5" x 7" in size and are produced on digital offset printers using 110 lb. paper stock. 

Each card is coated with a UV protectant on the outside surface which produces a semi-gloss finish. 

The inside of each card has a matte white finish and can be customized with a text message up to 500 characters in length.


The artist's name and the name of the image is printed on the back of each card along with the FAA logo.

Cards can be ordered in a horizontal or vertical configuration. 

Cards can be ordered with a white background or black background. 

All greeting card orders ship within 48 hours! 

Each card comes with a white envelope for mailing and gift giving.

Thank you for all the e-mails and calls. The storm is gone and today we have a little bit of sunshine. We have been very lucky. My prayers are with all the people along the coastline who are suffering. It has been a verocious storm.

Thanks again!

Enjoy your day

Nik P. - Come on let's dance

It is raining and the wind gusts are strong. We are prepared for this hurricane as much as we can. Tonight will be the worst part. The storm will last 36 hours. There will be a lot of damages and flooding.
I needed something to cheer up.  This music will do it.

Have a great day!

Good News for the USA:

In related news, the U.S. is giving Saudi Arabia a run for the title of world's top oil-producing country, a boom that has left many experts surprised.

U.S. production of oil is on pace to rise 7 percent this year to a daily average of 10.9 million barrels. The Energy Department forecasts that production will continue its rise and average 11.4 million barrels per day in 2013.

"Five years ago, if I or anyone had predicted today's production growth, people who have thought we were crazy," Jim Burkhard, the head of joil markets research at IHS CERA tells The Huffington Post.

Should the projections hold, the U.S. will supplant Russia as the world's second-largest oil producer. Here's a look at the world's top oil-producing countries, according to Central Intelligence Agency statistics:

1. Saudi Arabia 11.6 million barrels per day
2. United States 10.9 million barrels per day
3. Russia 10.3 million
4. Iran 4.2 million (estimated)
5. China 4 million

Sense of humor (regardless the situation) helps us to master the art of living - Paulo Coelho

Hurricane Sandy is coming! It will make landfall in our area according to the weather forecast this morning. Today we have to make all the necessary preparations. Hope it will not be that bad! We have many old large trees in our backyard and I hope that they will outlast this storm!

I shall keep you informed if I have electricity.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your day!

LIBERATION 
Digital Art by Gerlinde Keating

We need to encourage an understanding that inner peace comes from relying on human values like, love, compassion, tolerance and honesty. - Dalai Lama

Politics:

We have to educate ourselves and search for the truth before we make a decision.

Politicians should explain how they are going to change things and not just throw around statements they believe we'll accept or want to hear!

.

Creating jobs - we only can create jobs if there is a demand for products and services. People have been holding on to their money and instead of charging up the credit cards they have been paying down the debt. This is also the case in Europe. No great demand for products and services.The global economy is suffering too.

Good news - We have had a steady increase in job creations for the last 45 months. We are on the road to recovery.

My thoughts for the future:

We have to keep the rules and regulations for the financial industry (Banks, Wall Street / De-regulation got us into this mess)
We have to invest in our educational system
We have to invest in repairing and building bridges, roads, railroads, etc.
We have to invest in alternative energy
We have to invest in cyber security
We have to make sure our military stays strong
We have to implement health care for everybody
We have to check our trade agreements with other countries

We shall do everything to keep this a peaceful world!
And of course we shall continue with our humanitarian aid around the world.

The President of the United States of America has to be a great Diplomat and Leader!

I'll address the Deficit and Taxes another time.

Congress should not give themselves a salary increase as they have always done during the last years; they should put a freeze on their salaries for a few years.

O objetivo de grande parte de políticos e economistas é nos manter em estado de pânico - e desta maneira nos manipular mais facilmente

Success can’t be measured by how much money you have, but by whether you have inner peace in your heart.  DalaiLama

The Pearl

This song is about putting an end to bullying and hate. We all have a treasure inside.
Written by Marco Gonzalez

The wind cannot shake a mountain. Neither praise nor blame moves a wise man.-Buddha

Nik P. - Der Fremde 2011

Concert  in the rain! No cancellation!

Translation:

The Stranger

Outside it started to rain
And he’s ordering one more drink
With strangers he has been sitting at the bar
For hours so far
They start to discuss and debate
And sometimes they deliberate
They swear and they complain
About work, weather, life’s meaning  and sense
Hey- e-oh ……..
Don’t you see how beautiful life can be
Hey-e-oh……
Then he stands  up and says
Just imagine
There would be no snow and no rain
And there would be  no flowers blooming
And no snowman
Would be built in the lane
Sometimes you will feel good
Sometimes you will feel bad
But always have love in your heart
Because without it nothing will happen
One can twist it and turn it
Hey-e-oh ……
Don’t you see how beautiful life can be
Hey-e-oh ….
Hey-e-oh…
Don’t you see how beautiful life can be
Hey-e-oh ….
Dressed in a black coat
And a black hat
He  goes to the door and says:  listen well
Time is a present that life is giving you
Hey-e-oh ……
Don’t you see how beautiful life can be
Hey-e-oh …….

Nik P. - Es ist mehr als die Liebe 2011 It is more than love - filmed in Austria

Peace isn't the mere absence of violence; peace must come from inner peace. And inner peace comes from taking others’ interests into account      Dalai Lama

Health is the greatest gift

Contentment the greatest wealth

Faithfulness the best relationship." -Buddha
 

Enjoy your day! 

Nik P. - Der Sonne entgegen

I love this song. He sings about the feeling of being in love.

Astrology - Libra

I am a Libra - yes, my birthday is coming up.

Happy Birthday to all Libras. The following is a description of a "Libra". I read this a long time ago and I believe that it is quite interesting and fun to read.

"Libras are the diplomat of the zodiac. They are able to put themselves in other's shoes and see things through another person's point of view. They are the ones that always want to make things right and have balance and harmony in their life, their surroundings and the lives of the people close to them. They have captivating charm, elegant taste and they are easy to like due to their eager-to-please, easygoing nature. In return for a Libra's amazing ability to be a good listener, sooth and calm people, they expect admiration. Libras will gather a group of people, everyone will become friends then the Libra will be in the center of the group. They like the attention and the admiration for the people that they have brought together. Libras are very intelligent, they often hide this inside their easygoing exterior. They express their intelligence through creativity, most are involved in some sort of artistic or creative pursuit. Many people overlook just how intelligent a Libra actually is. When others see a Libras wide range of interests and hobbies, their intelligence and creativity is more then obvious. Libras love variety and different situations. They welcome change. Libras love luxury. They will spend lots of money and surround themselves with beautiful things and they seem to be constantly fussing over their appearance. They love anything upscale and classy. Libras work hard to please others, this they do and others find them incredibly captivating."
 
Is there some truth to it? Do you recognize a few characteristics?  Do you believe in astrology? I know a few Libras: Sharon Osborne, Simon Cowell, Julio Iglesius.

 

Have a great weekend!

Elections!

President Clinton explained very well the accomplishments of President Obama. If President Obama would not have taken the actions he did, there is no doubt in my mind that we would have had a depression. We have to remember the job losses before he was President. His swift actions stopped the "free fall" of the economy.

Tax cuts are creating jobs? Well, if that is true then we should have had a very low unemployment rate under the Bush Presidency. The opposite was true.Towards the end of his second term the job losses were in a gigantic "free fall".

Deregulation? What a joke! Look what happened with Wall Street. We need regulations for the financial industry and other public sectors.

Health Care - you cannot leave it up to each individual State as Romney suggested. What happens when one is moving from one State to another State? Changing jobs? What happens to pre-existing conditions? Romney said that they are covered if you have been insured before and it would be up to the States to decide. Are we not united? We are the United States of America and our health care and educational systems should be the same in each State.

We have to invest in education. More teachers are needed. Education is so important for the future.
It should be mandatory for new teachers to have a one to two year residency. We have a residency for doctors, we have apprenticeships for other professions, so why not for teachers. They can work as an assistant to the established teacher in a class room. They will learn the teaching skills needed and this also will weed out those teachers who discover that teaching is not for them. Everybody will benefit, especially the students.

Why do Romney and Ryan use most of the time just slogans and then when asked about details they say that there is not enough time to explain the details? Whenever I hear this, the following  statement comes into my mind : ...uninformed people are better to manipulate''..

For example Romney says that Obama has cut millions of dollars in Medicare. Not true - he did cut the premiums paid by the government to private insurance companies called Medicare Advantage. These cuts have added many years to the life of the Medicare Fund.

The next few weeks will be interesting. Please inform yourself and find out details before you make a decision and vote.

Have a great day!