IN COLOR! COOL VESPA SCOOTERS

The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy to a full line of scooters and one of seven companies today owned by Piaggio.

From their inception, Vespa scooters have been known for their painted, pressed steel unibody which combines a complete cowling for the engine (enclosing the engine mechanism and concealing dirt or grease), a flat floorboard (providing foot protection), and a prominent front fairing (providing wind protection) into a structural unit.

Post World War II Italy, in light of its agreement to cessation of war activities with the Allies, had its aircraft industry severely restricted in both capability and capacity.
Piaggio emerged from the conflict with its Pontedera fighter plane plant demolished by bombing. Italy's crippled economy and the disastrous state of the roads did not assist in the re-development of the automobile markets. Enrico Piaggio, the son of Piaggio's founder Rinaldo Piaggio, decided to leave the aeronautical field in order to address Italy's urgent need for a modern and affordable mode of transportation for the masses.

In 1944, Piaggio engineers Renzo Spolti and Vittorio Casini designed a motorcycle with bodywork fully enclosing the drivetrain and forming a tall splash guard at the front. In addition to the bodywork, the design included handlebar-mounted controls, forced air cooling, wheels of small diameter, and a tall central section that had to be straddled. Officially known as the MP5 ("Moto Piaggio no. 5"), the prototype was nicknamed "Paperino" (either "duckling" or "Donald Duck" in Italian).[2] Piaggio was displeased with the MP5, especially the tall central section. He contracted aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio, to redesign the scooter.

THE DAILY ZEN JOURNAL

MAY 17 2017 JOURNAL

Those who studied Buddhism in antiquity would not speak as the Buddha had not spoken or act as the Buddha had not acted. Thus they treasured only the sacred literature of the sutras and nothing else. But for those who study Buddhism today, that which they hand on and recite are the writings of officials; that which they seek out and hold onto are the verses of these officials.

Today's Buddhists even color their paper with red and green and decorate their buildings with fine silk. No matter how many verses they have, they are not satisfied; they consider these writings to be the greatest treasure. Alas! How can Buddhists of old and Buddhists today have such different values?

Although I am not worthy of the task, I am intent on the study of the ancient teachings and consider the sacred writings of the sutras to be a great treasure. But these writings are nonetheless numerous as leaves in thick foliage and the sea of the Tripitaka is vaster than the ocean, and it seemed that later others of the same intention would surely not be able to avoid the labor of picking through the leaves one by one, so from among the writings I selected several hundred maxims which are the most imporant and to the point and wrote them down in one place.

The result can well be called concise, yet complete in meaning. If one were to take these maxims as one's stern teacher, study thoroughly, and attain their true meaning, then there in each sentence would be a living Buddha. Do your best!  READ MUCH MORE HERE

THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE RUBY SLIPPERS OF OZ

I found this book called The Ruby Slippers of Oz by Rhys Thomas. It reads like a suspense filled detective novel. Keeping up with who just ran off with which pair of shoes...There were many pairs of shoes created for the Wizard of Oz movie. Miss Garland had several pairs and her stand ins had their own Ruby Slippers as well. The Witches shoes were the Slippers on the feet of the deceased Wicked Witch of the East. Her slippers had a much higher heel. (See the photo below)

With the disappearance of the traveling slippers

This pic above shows the "Witches" Shoes (higher heel)

Back to my personal fascination with the Ruby Slippers. All my life I have longed to own, touch, see, feel, and try on a pair of those slippers! They are a totem for my life. I have always made jokes in reference to OZ. "Somebody always helps that girl..." "These things must be handled delicately..."

Purchase the Book 

Click the links below

The Ruby Slippers of Oz

The Ruby Slippers of Oz tells a fascinating story of all the designers that worked on making those shoes and the drama behind the scenes of people trying to snatch them for their own financial gain.

Interesting is that there were possibly more than 12-17 pairs or slippers created for the movie. Judy Garland had several, the dead witch wore a pair with higher heels than Judy's. Margaret Hamilton wore a pair in the tornado scene (as the witch of the East). Debbie Reynold's has the the first prototype pair. (ugly ones) The first ones were supposed to be silver but they didn't photograph very well.

The fine print says: Protruding feet of the recently squished Wicked Witch of the East, shortly before she loses her shoes. Slipper fanatics will note a higher heel than on shoes worn by Judy Garland in the film

Arabian Ruby Slippers once owned by Debbie Reynolds

Arabian style ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. Gilbert Adrian designed two different style for Dorothy's shoes but this arabian pair were too exotic and didn't suit the look of a Kansas farmer girl. In the original novel of L. Frank Baum Dorothy wore a silver pair of slippers but it was changed in benefit of the Technicolor.

This book though is a fascinating read with all the background drama that happened to all of these shoes. Drama continues to this day. And the fact that any of them exist is pretty miraculous as they were made of flimsy materials.

They weren't much of a shoe to begin with, just a plain cloth pump but the sequins, bow and red dye made the magic and all the difference...

Western Costume designer Joe Napoli is credited with designing the slippers.

Kent Warner found a few pairs of them while working on a back lot that were supposed to be discarded. He was smart enough to hang on to those slippers!

Smithsonian Ruby Slippers

How the Ruby Slippers were obtained by the Smithsonian

Read more about the drama behind the 2 different shoes that are on display in the Smithsonian ... Rumor has it that these are a mismatched pair of the slippers..(2 different sizes)

THE CURE FOR MY DEPRESSION

A friend sent me this and I think it is helpful for battling Depression which I have been doing since my youth.

The cure for my depression was learning to tune into the thoughts I was thinking – and subsequently believing – about myself.

The mistake I made for most of my life is the same mistake many of my clients make when we first start working together.

They believe: “The voice inside my head is my voice, therefor whatever I am thinking is the truth”.
But that is a lie.

The key to success lies in learning to use the mind, instead of being used by it.

Depression is more than just sadness

SIMON'S CAT FROM THE UK/DISNEY IS FABULOUS!!!

Simon's Cat is an animated cartoon and book series by the British animator Simon Tofield featuring a hungry house cat who uses increasingly heavy-handed tactics to get his owner to feed him.

The first video of Simon's Cat I saw was CAT MAN DO

In January 2009, it was announced that Simon's Cat would be published in book format. Canongate released the title on 1 October 2009 in the United Kingdom. It was later released in many other countries and additional titles in the series were subsequently published.

In June 2012, Walt Disney Animation Studios began releasing specially-made shorts of Simon's Cat, while a Simon's Cat newspaper strip ran in the Daily Mirror from 2011 to 2013. In August 2015, it was announced that Endemol UK had acquired a stake on Simon's Cat. In July 2016, Simon's Cat partnered with Sesame Street as part of their Love to Learn campaign.

Simon's Cat: The title character. His antics, often in the quest for food, vex his owner, Simon. He loves cat food, but also enjoys birds, mice, and fish out of Simon's koi pond.

A significant amount of the humour in the book comes from his efforts to capture birds, mice, and fish. Simon's cat has not been officially named, though writer Simon Tofield says that Simon's cat is based on his own cat, Hugh and the kitten is based on Teddy.

Characters

• Simon: The long-suffering owner of the cat, a graphic artist.
• Simon's sister's dog: A dog that first appears in the video "Fed Up," in which he is fed underneath the table by a family. The dog also appears in the book and loves to play fetch.
• The Bird: A bird who Simon's cat chases, and who generally outsmarts him.
• The Hedgehog: A hedgehog that lives in Simon's back garden. Simon's cat loves to annoy the hedgehog by impaling objects such as apples, leaves, and tennis balls onto its prickles. The hedgehog also has children.
• The Garden Gnome: A garden gnome similar to the one broken by Simon's cat in "Let Me In." The gnome is seen holding either a fishing rod or a net. Simon's cat often tries to get the gnome to help in his schemes to catch food. The cat considers the gnome a friend, apparently unaware that it is an inanimate object.
• The Bunny: A rabbit that lives in Simon's garden who can literally run circles around the cat.
• The Kitten: In October 2011, Simon brings home a new member of the family who, in spite of his tender age, appears to be considerably smarter than his adult counterpart.
• The Toad: The toad also lives in the garden.
• The Frog: The frog appears in some shorts as well, and is differentiated from the toad in a "How to Draw...Frogs and Toads" short as well as in the "Simon Draws" section of the Kitten Chaos book.[10]
• The Squirrel: The squirrel lives in a tree in Simon's back yard. He loves to pelt Simon's Cat with acorns when the cat chases him.
• The Mouse: Another creature that is often chased by Simon's Cat. Despite their adversarial relationship, the mouse aided Simon's Cat in an elaborate plot intended to impress a female cat in "Smitten."
• Chloe: A female cat who is the object of Simon's cats affections for a time. Demure and somewhat snobbish, she exhibits a finicky appetite, munching on a trail of cat treats but angrily refusing a mouse offered by Simon's Cat in the first film.

Here are some cool Simon's Cat Items for sale in my Amazon Store. Click on the picture for more info.

OBSERVING WORLD NARCISSISTIC ABUSE AWARENESS DAY JUNE 1

#ifmywouldswerevisible  

More Info Http://www.naad.com