tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57523324741020670322024-03-19T05:08:00.586-07:00The Westover-Fulton Post -- Just Be NobleBeing Noble and Treating Others as Nobles Will Revolutionize the WorldRobert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-10543136427946430002024-03-12T07:05:00.000-07:002024-03-12T12:47:21.984-07:002024 is Smokey Bear's 80th Birthday Year! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79p3-nVYB-kSYqXDhqw5UTHrLPnrjGbc1RCWnFr28rwbbxUo5QvtKl_HRahOzNDRqUXVNeplfmybyWmWKMu3k7nQ5okAy8bKnHIxZ1fWXwm2xffy1iUiL20CTJbVEUCvV6z2ESWqDOeT_RUYLwx0RvBlMHo-oplneF7cF0U0KCR3PYrQNvC7mwpzmJms/s880/smokey-bear-turns-80-logo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="880" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79p3-nVYB-kSYqXDhqw5UTHrLPnrjGbc1RCWnFr28rwbbxUo5QvtKl_HRahOzNDRqUXVNeplfmybyWmWKMu3k7nQ5okAy8bKnHIxZ1fWXwm2xffy1iUiL20CTJbVEUCvV6z2ESWqDOeT_RUYLwx0RvBlMHo-oplneF7cF0U0KCR3PYrQNvC7mwpzmJms/s320/smokey-bear-turns-80-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b><i>By Robert Hudson Westover</i></b></p><p>It's been 15 year for me and my bear. </p><p>15 years of being what many jokingly call me "Smokey Bear's PR man". </p><p>But it's no joke. </p><p>In fact, I have been honored to have played a significant role in getting the word out about Smokey's universal and timeless message of "Only You can Prevent Wildfires". </p><p>As a recipient of a Gold Smokey, our nation's preeminent fire prevention award called the <a href="https://smokeybear.com/en/awards">Smokey Bear Award</a> and first handed out by President Eisenhower in 1958, I know the importance of getting the word out to each new generation of kids. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilf-2VtqyptqgI6imuB2Har7sOKOkRH_bhDRTgL2qXAzOC6dxuARiTUQ53M86r0suS1U96E4s0xES0IgKUsQ96pRcwl9zKasLgk5UsRc6RjOcBAWQ-nJrkuv3B_7BYjD5YZp3bbVpFVnSfA9S0R04hsmpqAip0f-QonMAjQyOxLqwFuvnM3F8KccY2C9o/s800/Eisenhower%20and%20Smokey.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="800" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilf-2VtqyptqgI6imuB2Har7sOKOkRH_bhDRTgL2qXAzOC6dxuARiTUQ53M86r0suS1U96E4s0xES0IgKUsQ96pRcwl9zKasLgk5UsRc6RjOcBAWQ-nJrkuv3B_7BYjD5YZp3bbVpFVnSfA9S0R04hsmpqAip0f-QonMAjQyOxLqwFuvnM3F8KccY2C9o/s320/Eisenhower%20and%20Smokey.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>President Eisenhower holding a <br />Smokey Bear doll in the White House.</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>So let's all give Smokey Bear the BEST birthday gift of all this year by doing all we can to practice safe fire prevention methods while visiting the Great Outdoors! Click hear to learn what you can do to prevent wildfires: <a href="https://www.smokeybear.com/?gad_source=1">Only You</a></p><p>Learn about Smokey Bear's 80th by clicking here: <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/features/coming-2024-smokey-bear-turns-80">Smokey Bear Turns 80!</a> </p>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-23699937983175968942023-01-11T09:04:00.005-08:002023-01-11T10:41:48.025-08:00Dali and Picasso aren’t the only forged artists<p><b><i>Artists on the cusp of worldwide recognition can find
themselves victims of stolen identity</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>By Robert Hudson Westover</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During a recent Google search for an artist friend of mine
(I own some of his works) I discovered something impressive and something disturbing.
The impressive something was the artist, <a href="https://jamesmpurpura.com/">James Purpura</a>, is on Getty Images. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>No Small Feat...</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yvK96bKk19v3gt7_JXDrpJq0816KB42NgESQVFnXADMOeNWhgxCuX4AOMWOwMMOG7_4g6yTNvtbvvsJ3NPw3etIr6Cx9yhocnyrkbWHmgqn2PIGPqELeYf3x7Whbe3MwPcvfTEEQb_beg5F6GYx14ox2GD_JV9F-5P1HlkCoPPC0_rsTUhMo-1RK/s964/JP%20Art%201.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="729" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yvK96bKk19v3gt7_JXDrpJq0816KB42NgESQVFnXADMOeNWhgxCuX4AOMWOwMMOG7_4g6yTNvtbvvsJ3NPw3etIr6Cx9yhocnyrkbWHmgqn2PIGPqELeYf3x7Whbe3MwPcvfTEEQb_beg5F6GYx14ox2GD_JV9F-5P1HlkCoPPC0_rsTUhMo-1RK/w242-h320/JP%20Art%201.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Getty Images picture <br />of James Purpura <br />(courtesy photo)</span></b><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Having an image with Getty is basically saying you exist as
a viable professional in your field, or you are a person of notoriety. James,
at this point in his career, clearly falls into the former category but, possibly, not for very long.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I feel this because the disturbing something seemed
innocuous enough—an ad from someone on eBay reselling one of James’ paintings.
The first thing I found unusual was the price. At about $900 it seemed rather
low as a Purpura painting often sells for many times that price. But what was
most unusual was the art itself. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Those Colors...</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you know Purpura’s works you know how his use of color is mind bending unlike this portrait of a woman which, in my estimation, was so drab, so plain, and so
grounded-in-reality, that it completely violated James’ philosophy of art: have
the observer question reality. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_FSN6GdR6vn83zKDdtUJG8o6I_S1LIm79I9vAFuA1ujHg2DqnYIwwfa_ezfMTMH_poVAxBfbPShIUsrZ7kGGRfJSB878oU3Jo4My_vvS-qczfIgxxBh1T11Zpb6iuVVmitEP4oBNlS75gz8IyvzD93vuL1bPdMBzWfP3zc2dIAiYacQ0jXdEf86z/s758/The%20Bunnies.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_FSN6GdR6vn83zKDdtUJG8o6I_S1LIm79I9vAFuA1ujHg2DqnYIwwfa_ezfMTMH_poVAxBfbPShIUsrZ7kGGRfJSB878oU3Jo4My_vvS-qczfIgxxBh1T11Zpb6iuVVmitEP4oBNlS75gz8IyvzD93vuL1bPdMBzWfP3zc2dIAiYacQ0jXdEf86z/w317-h320/The%20Bunnies.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">An actual portrait by artist<br />James Purpura. Note the use<br />of color. (courtesy photo)<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">So, I contacted James and sure enough it wasn’t his work.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He was understandably upset. On a month’s long sabbatical in
Palm Springs (so art guy like!), he would have to wait until returning to Paris
to deal with these alleged forgers. Truth is the person(s) selling the Fake
James may be victims themselves of the international market in forged works.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Maybe Not a Forgery?</b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSy09PQfqSucXoemVHEBKUXJ7r4GPdwJjgt7KOq9VdZO2QkSZWRjuN4F8t1NOsgT7hgVIiLdomSQ2AAtf1vWeVP1j2imNwvSvKMMqsZ9-fyHrbSHffrV1lnSaBYYmqG-oAGtSpXjh9ddRxqdjAfEpsjM6dJ5DWD1IZ93Kpe-TStwp5ZaEXOHlU4fr/s1011/JP%20Art%202.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="741" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSy09PQfqSucXoemVHEBKUXJ7r4GPdwJjgt7KOq9VdZO2QkSZWRjuN4F8t1NOsgT7hgVIiLdomSQ2AAtf1vWeVP1j2imNwvSvKMMqsZ9-fyHrbSHffrV1lnSaBYYmqG-oAGtSpXjh9ddRxqdjAfEpsjM6dJ5DWD1IZ93Kpe-TStwp5ZaEXOHlU4fr/w147-h200/JP%20Art%202.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The "Purpura" portrait <br />in question. (courtesy photo)</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">And, of course, there is a
small chance that another painter named James Purpura has a strikingly
similar signature—anything is possible in the world of art.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Obviously, there will be more to follow (for sure) but for
now I told James that this is a good thing: His name in the art world is
prominent enough that even thieves want to cash in on him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think I might buy a couple more (real) Purpuras. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you would like to see James Purpura’s reality challenging
art, go to: <a href="https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/james-purpura-15851">https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/james-purpura-15851</a><o:p></o:p></p>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-16367491466580484482022-12-04T21:08:00.000-08:002022-12-04T21:08:05.277-08:00My (unexpected) Journey to the Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ Jesus <p><b><i>This is the first article in series of an unintentional eight-year
pilgrimage I took that led to my baptism in the Jordan River</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>By Robert Hudson Westover<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hundreds, no thousands of little white pieces of paper
seemed to magically cling to the stones of the long wall with the occasional
note falling off in the light breeze among the tall trees on this mountainside
property. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With a modest stone built, two-room house and its very own artesian
well providing water up a steep mountain (which seemed nearly impossible) this
wasn’t any other property either in its location, on Mt. Koressos above the ruins
of Ephesus, Turkey, or its purported former owner, Mary, the mother of Christ
Jesus. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s right. The Virgin Mother, or as Catholic’s refer to
her, Mary the Mother of God lived here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And we, a gathering of folks from a cruise of Greece and
Turkey, were unintentional guests. In fact, when exiting our cruise ship and boarding the bus as the sun rose over the small port town of Kusadasi, we thought we
were going to see the ancient "ghost town" of Ephesus, once the third largest city in
the Roman Empire. But our tour guide suggested we first visit the site of “Mother
Mary” as the gates to enter the ruins of Ephesus had still not opened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the time I was not Catholic--the faith of my husband, Tom.
However, Tom had no idea that this holy site even existed and was as surprised
as me and our newest traveling friends, Randy and Charlotte, when told of the
surprise stop.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As we entered the front approach to the house our tour guide
pointed out the “miracle well” where Mary would have drawn water and said that
the well "proved to be a powerful piece of evidence" that the property was indeed the
site of Mary’s last earthly home. The reason being a nun in
the late 19<sup>th</sup> century. This nun had had a vision that this precise
location in the mountains surrounding Ephesus was were Mary had been brought to
live when John, the only disciple not to disavow Jesus during his trial and crucifixion,
took Mary to protect her.<o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK10tdlUareb6BR2tUR8ZH6PnqKZAjg0sYJWMX_DUHFM-RFFBmlw8v6VuAVpoVhBpBMpWwGI6PdoZgifrpv9U4Fuj5rIKQNYgmilKKiSGpFAXv-EdTuKip4RiteZOsWsas_WZGEuarCysKRjANRm-0GL8rX_o9VbbO6o7r6Ip84x35wUvNYMu4WE3-/s2313/Mary%20Picture.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2099" data-original-width="2313" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK10tdlUareb6BR2tUR8ZH6PnqKZAjg0sYJWMX_DUHFM-RFFBmlw8v6VuAVpoVhBpBMpWwGI6PdoZgifrpv9U4Fuj5rIKQNYgmilKKiSGpFAXv-EdTuKip4RiteZOsWsas_WZGEuarCysKRjANRm-0GL8rX_o9VbbO6o7r6Ip84x35wUvNYMu4WE3-/w320-h290/Mary%20Picture.jpg" width="320" style="max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; height: auto; width: auto;"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>An ancient icon of Mary the Mother of Jesus. <br>The blue cross on the left was purchased at<br>the House of the Virgin Mary, Turkey.<br>(Photo credit: Robert Westover</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">The Vatican Curia staffers are renowned for not jumping to
conclusions on any subject, so it was decades before the site was investigated.
The big hesitancy being: How could Mary live on a mountainside with no running
water? </p><p class="MsoNormal">Upon investigating, not only was an artesian well discovered, but so
were the foundations of a two-room house.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I come from a family with a strong interest in history
either for amateur or professional purposes. In both cases one learns to be skeptical
of any claim even when recorded over centuries let alone one based on a vision. </p><p class="MsoNormal">However, to be
taken seriously, at least for historians, some clear proof needs to exist and
with the case of both the well and the house, it’s about as much evidence as
can ever be hoped for with a lost trail of records especially after the passage
of nearly two millennia. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So I began to accept that, indeed, this claim should be
taken seriously and respected. So I did. I took the que from Tom and with great
reverence walked through the rebuilt rooms of the home-now-shrine and watched Tom
as he lit a candle in prayer. In fact, Tom’s piety inspired both Randy and me
to do the same and three candles were lit in gardens just outside the “House of
Mother Mary.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As we excited the grounds of the shrine, we walked past the long
wall of prayers. Looking at the hope, sadness, and devotion in the eyes of
those, including Tom, who put a note in one of the many tiny crevasses I pulled
from my pocket a little translucent blue cross I bought as we were walking into
the compound, and I too said a prayer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Little did I know but that day would begin a journey of
mystical revelations of such profundity that I would humble ego, all that I had
been raised to believe, all that I had rationally learned, and fall at the feet
of God.<o:p></o:p></p>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-14143632848373805482022-09-08T13:46:00.011-07:002023-09-07T10:31:02.498-07:00A Westover Family History with Queen Elizabeth II.<p><b>By Robert Hudson Westover</b></p><p>Like most families with Anglo-Saxon roots we Westovers
grew up with a profound respect for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. I mean mom
had several coffee table books celebrating the British Royal Family! And, when
in the early 1980s, my brother, Mark, got to “sign” both Queen Elizabeth and
Philip, the Prince Consort (her husband) onto the backlot of 20th Century Fox the family was impressed with such a brush with “The Queen!”</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqBSh0AITzoXvABh_Tq9xrXUpE0_8iD0zavzwV4rnQ8vLx_Huonr7xHnTRsRbUhleyRI_DHJp2MLtqkNwjCIlsyOCJLXC7_HMJcVUW7MVm9TmyCZHxOaJoO1mj_sVFG8BalpwxeQtPX-YiHmAcUj3Q0tjWL2YYvYv92nOvE5nBTtsUKNea7eiqyWR/s640/QE%20II%20Letter.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqBSh0AITzoXvABh_Tq9xrXUpE0_8iD0zavzwV4rnQ8vLx_Huonr7xHnTRsRbUhleyRI_DHJp2MLtqkNwjCIlsyOCJLXC7_HMJcVUW7MVm9TmyCZHxOaJoO1mj_sVFG8BalpwxeQtPX-YiHmAcUj3Q0tjWL2YYvYv92nOvE5nBTtsUKNea7eiqyWR/s320/QE%20II%20Letter.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Letter sent to me from <br />Buckingham Palace</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Years later, I co-authored a book about the ocean liner SS United States and
sent the Queen a copy to which I received a reply from one of her
Ladies-in-Waiting on Buckingham Palace letterhead telling me how “Her Majesty” was interested in learning about the plight of the great American ship that took the Transatlantic
speed record from the HMS Queen Mary!</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNnAR2wH9VTlvINU0bsl0N2XCkTrqhI8heoml3dkAoSSDX-7KetMqsN1AmWEce6oX0VIPb-QEX16sWo3w7EYKaBiQoslPVhLJsiqqNszaeHgc32oHCnXL7JaenkA0ZY1S2cZswrw5eBy_hsnMPb9b9sOqmO9q1Rr3SxKMPrefUKCBlaaG5_P225p_/s169/Lord%20Westover%20and%20the%20Queen.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="169" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNnAR2wH9VTlvINU0bsl0N2XCkTrqhI8heoml3dkAoSSDX-7KetMqsN1AmWEce6oX0VIPb-QEX16sWo3w7EYKaBiQoslPVhLJsiqqNszaeHgc32oHCnXL7JaenkA0ZY1S2cZswrw5eBy_hsnMPb9b9sOqmO9q1Rr3SxKMPrefUKCBlaaG5_P225p_/w400-h334/Lord%20Westover%20and%20the%20Queen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Although I never actually met Queen Elizabeth, <br />apparently Lord Westover has--indeed! </b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Then, I had my “brush” with the Queen. It was at NASA
Goddard Space Center and Her Majesty was touring the facility. I worked just
down the road and thought I would head over to see if too could catch a glimpse
of the world’s queen. As luck would have it I got that glimpse as Queen
Elizabeth’s limo drove right passed me and I got to wave like a true smitten
fan at a little old lady dressed in a yellow dress. I’d like to say we made eye
contact (I was that close) but I’ve never been a good liar so I gave up fibbing
years ago!</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Now the World’s Queen is gone and except for strange
reoccurring dreams, I never actually met her. But as the Fates would have it I
did meet a now Monarch of Great Britain when he was the Prince of Wales. It happened
at the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/commongoodcityfarm/albums/72157626662397530/with/5693845841/">Common Good City Farm</a> in DC. My husband, Tom, called one morning to tell me that Prince Charles was making a visit to the collective farm near our house in Washington, DC. So I
walked over and sure enough there he was! I shook his hand and we had a brief
conversation about Climate Change.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">There are no accidents.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">God Bless the Late Queen and God Save her son, King
Charles III!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><b><u>Below is a photos taken of the Future King Charles III in Washington, DC (Photo Credit: Robert Westover):</u></b></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgue5IboEtxLjyzix2z0o3qSCNVpsmc9kicF2kIROwfG2S2G91KAIKBtICl0vkZSfWvelVura96gCnHbwFP8Y4XkJfdnvbVqYvTEIYz28anp72leJlRsV_Uh3Kv1fdLfLIBxFiVsvKBfoCHGU7CSabNFS32QM6ffDW58kvVUwtAnqeAKkn2dt4UFVnT/s2592/Prince%20Charles%20013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgue5IboEtxLjyzix2z0o3qSCNVpsmc9kicF2kIROwfG2S2G91KAIKBtICl0vkZSfWvelVura96gCnHbwFP8Y4XkJfdnvbVqYvTEIYz28anp72leJlRsV_Uh3Kv1fdLfLIBxFiVsvKBfoCHGU7CSabNFS32QM6ffDW58kvVUwtAnqeAKkn2dt4UFVnT/w299-h400/Prince%20Charles%20013.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>King Charles III as the Prince of Wales</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /><br /><u>Below meeting a Future King:</u></b><div><b><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BGgVixdulqIaRsdYcFgGBgL7SibOQwANFKngfbkYF2JNvFOFcdSXSmX2cXNCUAj2xgKRvUtPmkGj78WoPbPBq5CT-BmCPPy40KM7CWrau2cHpXKKl3V1aLYMFkbB4DkYAbFRG1dBmHKzjOfjflR1FHgDd5qfx1FabyBsg_vJmN9Gq5e2NurmJY9i/s326/King%20Charles%20III%20and%20Robert%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="326" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BGgVixdulqIaRsdYcFgGBgL7SibOQwANFKngfbkYF2JNvFOFcdSXSmX2cXNCUAj2xgKRvUtPmkGj78WoPbPBq5CT-BmCPPy40KM7CWrau2cHpXKKl3V1aLYMFkbB4DkYAbFRG1dBmHKzjOfjflR1FHgDd5qfx1FabyBsg_vJmN9Gq5e2NurmJY9i/s320/King%20Charles%20III%20and%20Robert%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Me shaking the hand of Prince Charles now <br />King Charles III <br />(Courtesy Photo Common Good City Farm)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><u><br /></u></b><p></p></div>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-23040095710828161672022-08-17T08:24:00.004-07:002023-09-07T10:30:30.193-07:00Celebrating Smokey Bear!!! My Livestream with Darley Newman!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uuztn4PlSZ0" width="320" youtube-src-id="Uuztn4PlSZ0"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-83286637809234178122022-08-10T11:33:00.021-07:002023-09-07T10:29:52.878-07:00I’ve "Impressed" Everywhere, Man -- 40 Years of Making Headlines <p><b>By Robert Hudson Westover</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuTd1vv_ppyEV_-qcv2FKoGpcze_K-iNXpjujeQAjOnJzEOB9T2gfdDOjlkUG0I2bBnOwaitNpLUGUtBMUwDcxP-bAPaGCkHZ-sJ7TYczebwtPpqr5Wegs94-NpHd4kxO0aNCrB4ygW0PvWY4u6YLs-JaNIrtcEdVffS7IQ8xrJ-8cD-pGPpRvge3/s3117/Fair%20Pic.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3117" data-original-width="2038" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuTd1vv_ppyEV_-qcv2FKoGpcze_K-iNXpjujeQAjOnJzEOB9T2gfdDOjlkUG0I2bBnOwaitNpLUGUtBMUwDcxP-bAPaGCkHZ-sJ7TYczebwtPpqr5Wegs94-NpHd4kxO0aNCrB4ygW0PvWY4u6YLs-JaNIrtcEdVffS7IQ8xrJ-8cD-pGPpRvge3/w131-h200/Fair%20Pic.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">What does it mean to be seen, read or heard by over one
billion people? Well, apparently not much--or much. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I say this because as I completed a bibliography
(of sorts) of my published works, broadcasts, and newspaper quotes, I soon
realized that with the coin of the realm of what I do for a living in public
relations, <a href="https://www.shiftcomm.com/insights/pr-101-what-is-a-media-impression/">media hits and impressions</a>, I have, well, somewhat conquered the world. I mean
from just 1999 to 2000 my media impressions alone where over 100 million! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Like Johnny Cash, "I've been everywhere, man.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yet, unlike the country music legend, no one
knows my name, man. Truth is if I were to get hit (the bad kind of hit) by a
meteor doing yardwork the headlines would read: local man killed by meteor.
Not, “man who did all this amazing, fun and exciting stuff”—you know him,
right? <o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpdWUk1rAiSg8b5N-51SpOXgJare-LwQYHc9tZNBQdeN4WG3O1cW6D4GSdCdzo4B_n7OwiwOaJ9Aeen3Y4DVIy0qddfzWi4pmzrWy-UKPmMAq8LDdL1b_tNqnOq5qpHkC-PwhIEcSJNzwc5a1g1YcF1qYBD9q_VTFwm0YHLVpQ9FokZnIxOnmhQ58/s3054/Robert%20in%20NYT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3054" data-original-width="2675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpdWUk1rAiSg8b5N-51SpOXgJare-LwQYHc9tZNBQdeN4WG3O1cW6D4GSdCdzo4B_n7OwiwOaJ9Aeen3Y4DVIy0qddfzWi4pmzrWy-UKPmMAq8LDdL1b_tNqnOq5qpHkC-PwhIEcSJNzwc5a1g1YcF1qYBD9q_VTFwm0YHLVpQ9FokZnIxOnmhQ58/w280-h320/Robert%20in%20NYT.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert in the New York Times, <br />Easter Sunday, 1999</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM69mce_2L0uCFbpBuv4qAg3PIAYc56rC6_8iIJYrrnTmYDYZCQYb3upEfSnZ3-fHpifCf-lAHMcgThwV_N1Mhb5Yr5kh4k6C4NeOkAQvJrdrDwyCkzn9Ak5ou9cOClIj311YBGNDR5Q8B1Siir_8H4el9-XdrNwF_hs6lYVsQTzLjBkRAh3QyHpE1/s2878/Smokey%20and%20Me.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2878" data-original-width="1938" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM69mce_2L0uCFbpBuv4qAg3PIAYc56rC6_8iIJYrrnTmYDYZCQYb3upEfSnZ3-fHpifCf-lAHMcgThwV_N1Mhb5Yr5kh4k6C4NeOkAQvJrdrDwyCkzn9Ak5ou9cOClIj311YBGNDR5Q8B1Siir_8H4el9-XdrNwF_hs6lYVsQTzLjBkRAh3QyHpE1/w215-h320/Smokey%20and%20Me.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert standing next to a <br />Smokey Bear sign in <br />Griffith Park, Los Angeles</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">So, all this begs the question: Why do so many of us in the
public relations world (and its cousin profession, advertising) desire that
brass ring of fame--of recognition?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And we do. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I guess it’s the desire to be relevant, immortal. Right? I
mean, we’re all going to go from this amusement park called Planet Earth sooner
or later—even if we can all live more than 100 years--someday our number comes up
and we’re escorted out of the place--with most of us leaving as if we had never been here at all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I did have that moment of feeling relevant once and it was,
well, meteoric. It happened at work. A new intern had started for the summer.
She had come in from Los Angeles and me also being a native Los Angelino I went over to
introduce myself. As I welcomed her to the shop I said, “Hi, I’m Robert
Westover and I work on…” at that moment she looked like she had seen a ghost. I
had to asked her if everything was ok—I mean she was literally shaking. She
said yes everything was ok and then explained to me that an article I had written
about <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/features/conservation-versus-preservation">conservation
vs preservation</a> in managing our national forests and grasslands had
inspired her to follow a career in wilderness land management! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So perhaps this is why we carve our names into those
proverbial trees or want to have a building, park bench, or something named
after us. It’s our hope, I think, that future generations might stumble on one
of our achievements and connect the dots to get an outline of who and what we
were and how we added to the Autobiography of Us. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now I can see why I have done a lot of carving on trees. Maybe
I might even have a billion more carved by the time I’m escorted out of
Planet Earth having been “everywhere, man.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>My Bibliography and How I Came Up With Over One Billion
Impressions</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The list below is by far not exhaustive of all hits and
impressions<a name="_Hlk110256179"> </a>my news stories have generated over the
past 40 years. In fact, none of my media awareness campaigns <u>where my name
isn’t mentioned</u> appear below. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve organized my major media awareness and personal
achievement third-party validation* reach into nine categories: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The SS United States awareness campaign (1998 to 2005),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Stories related to my service in the United
State Marine Corps (2004 to 2006),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->My historic run for Congress in 2000 (as the
first openly Gay man in Virginia’s history),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->My time as a ballet dancer and actor (1982 to 1992),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->My husband and my LGBTQ activist work (2012 to 2015),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->My performance art character, Lord Westover, and
other royalty related stories (2010 to present),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->My articles/social media livestreams with the
USDA Forest Service (2007 to present),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My work in bringing awareness to the importance
of the Digital Millennium Copy Right Act (1999 to 2000), </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span> </span><span> </span>Miscellaneous: Jackie Kennedy connection, book credits, career promotion articles, movie, TV and other videos.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsv_kslzQxH37tmzTmV1XHVCcFwdCxB6rfFvt8xL6VzJfwEmFZuF7N-q59GS3tT8jtRrSVNJt3tr3qa4j0ck0RbsGU7ZLYZDTeq9T7ecc3d2Dn6Pkbu_78aFeXSD6Bi8aEErMhffBil38x5Ajrk1w6YYL9-oHrTKiwzy5AdVBiO8XEXpy5IyOmq-3/s400/free.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsv_kslzQxH37tmzTmV1XHVCcFwdCxB6rfFvt8xL6VzJfwEmFZuF7N-q59GS3tT8jtRrSVNJt3tr3qa4j0ck0RbsGU7ZLYZDTeq9T7ecc3d2Dn6Pkbu_78aFeXSD6Bi8aEErMhffBil38x5Ajrk1w6YYL9-oHrTKiwzy5AdVBiO8XEXpy5IyOmq-3/s320/free.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A photo seen around the world of Robert and Tom<br />taken on the day the US Supreme Court ruled in<br />favor of Gay marriage equality. This was the lead<br />photo on the Huffington Post that day. <br />(Courtesy photo, Huffington Post)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I need to point out that many of my hits and impression
happened when the Internet age was just getting started (or before the Internet
even existed!) so the reach was much more limited. For instance, before the
ubiquitous use of Internet search engines the New York Times, like all major
newspapers, could count its possible impression by its subscribership x 3 has
it was estimated that up to 3 people would share a story via hardcopy in those olden
days. In fact, this is exactly how those of us in the Public Relations world
calculated the worth of a hit to our clients.<o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcICl9LjNK7q3GkxwvODrZ_W2kroMajOL2acRito55NZyc8rSfaY_JmALyIKrNx3ijPdzn5iNOHUxHpPSADuZiikN-d6lpEaCs19vo9B472Drj-I0vfKmcfllzgH5I7Cswy6O60kda-Efq8rC_t3DcFFXWvoe1OwXTrFL3JwbEBX4HFuPOq0fzb4ko/s2592/Arty%20Iphone%20027.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1734" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcICl9LjNK7q3GkxwvODrZ_W2kroMajOL2acRito55NZyc8rSfaY_JmALyIKrNx3ijPdzn5iNOHUxHpPSADuZiikN-d6lpEaCs19vo9B472Drj-I0vfKmcfllzgH5I7Cswy6O60kda-Efq8rC_t3DcFFXWvoe1OwXTrFL3JwbEBX4HFuPOq0fzb4ko/s320/Arty%20Iphone%20027.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert's first news story</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Now, with something like 20 million subscribers, and the
ability to easily send a story to reach far more than 3 people per subscriber,
the impressions generated by the New York Times is potentially well over 100
million. It is for this reason you’ll notice that my hits in the New York Times,
that were not picked up by its syndicate, were in the several millions vs the
syndicate pickups that exceeded 75 million impressions—but would now be in the
hundreds of millions. It’s a little confusing for sure!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By far the largest media story I was ever part of happened
in June of 2015 when the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gay and Lesbians
having the legal right to marry nationally. The side story of my marriage of 15
years (at the time--we're now at 22 years and counting!) to my husband, Tom Fulton, was picked up by nearly every
major media outlet in the US and by the <a href="https://www.afp.com/en/news-hub">Agence France-Presse</a> (AFP), the
oldest and largest media outlet in the world. With bureaus in over 100
countries the AFP’s potential impressions exceed 2 billion. I cut this figure
to 500 million as many of the dozens of newspapers and broadcast news stations
that picked up the story internationally were the English editions as was the
case in both China and India. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And just for fun I added my book sales and my acting career
“hits” as they certainly deserve some mention, though the impressions are
difficult to calculate. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>National/International Broadcasts:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ImAJC1aSHY">CNN</a>
(<a name="_Hlk110419166">SS United States Foundation, </a>1999) 15 million
impressions <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h1pAsFeJi8">ABC
World News Tonight</a> (SS United States Foundation, 2000) 20 million
impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">BBC World News (SS United States Foundation, 2000) 350
million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/sex-couples-gain-equal-right-marry">PBS
New Hour</a> (LGBT issues 2015) 10 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://nz.news.yahoo.com/love-has-won-rainbow-of-joy-at-us-gay-marriage-ruling-28579732.html">AFP</a>
(LGBT Issues 2015 – Was picked up and broadcast internationally in dozens of
news stations and newspapers as well as being picked up by <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/film?phrase=robert%20westover">Getty
Images</a>.) 500 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/from-alaska-to-dc-the-journey-of-the-capitol-christmas-tree">PBS
News Hour</a> (Capitol Christmas Tree 2015) 10 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Op Eds and other published pieces:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Soundings Magazine (SS United States Foundation, 1999) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Westmoreland Times (SS United States Foundation, 2000)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Letters to the Editor:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Christian Science Monitor (Ballet 1990) 100 thousand
impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/12/opinion/l-america-s-own-big-ship-901318.html">New
York Times</a> (SS United States Foundation, 2004) 3 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">USA Today (SS United States Foundation, 2000) 5 million
impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Features/Articles/Mentions in Newspapers</b>:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Morro Bay Sun (Ballet, 1981)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">San Luis Obispo Tribune (Ballet, 1981)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Associated Press (Chicago Sun Times—SS United States
Foundation, 1998) 2 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2000/11/13/appointments/88f2b39c-99a7-4e03-bbe4-54220d67b6b1/">Washington
Post</a> (job promotion/Arnold Worldwide, 1999) 1 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/05/07/in-va-house-races-hold-a-national-clue/13d02658-0566-4920-906c-32a2ef44e616/">Washington
Post</a> (Run for Congress, 2000) 1 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.wired.com/2001/02/copyright-or-copy-wrong/">Wired Magazine</a>
(DMCA cover story, 2001) 3 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeReporter/200307/content/cruise-ships-scrap-208272">Maritime
Magazine</a> (SS United States Foundation, 2003)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://archives.starbulletin.com/2003/04/15/business/index3.html">Honolulu
Star Bulletin</a> (SS United States Foundation, 2003) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030416&slug=ship16">Seattle
Times</a> (SS United States Foundation, 2003)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.rd.com/article/big-boys-dont-cry-and-other-myths-about-men-and-their-emotions/">Readers
Digest</a> (USMC, 2005) 100 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2005/11/17/many-differences-one-grim-problem/b370775e-0ec8-4ed6-bcaa-66bf36609dee/">Washington
Post</a> (Washington, DC ANC work, 2005) 1 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2007/11/the_daily_goodbye_1.html">Washington
Post</a> (Grand Mother’s obituary —appeared first in the San Diego Times Union,
2007) 1.5 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2009-07-14-sales-jumbo-loans_N.htm">USA
Today</a> (Real Estate Issues, 2009) 5 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Washington Post (Lord Westover/State of the Union Contest, 2010)
1 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/news/news/royal-wedding-coverage-americans-watched-sighed-153033124.html">Yahoo
News</a> (Royal Wedding/William and Kate, 2011) 3 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Christian Science Monitor (Lord Westover at John Stewart
Rally, 2010) 100,000 impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">South Tahoe News (Forest Service, Fire story, 2014)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://digimag.tcia.org/publication/?i=637292&article_id=3542320&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5">TSI
Magazine</a> (Forest Service antique furniture story, 2021)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://pcpatriot.com/u-s-forest-service-fights-fires-by-starting-a-few/">The
Patriot</a> (Forest Service fire story, 2021)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://theroanokestar.com/2021/09/24/robert-hudson-westover-falling-in-love-again-with-fall-colors/">Roanoke
Times</a> (also appeared in Advent News and Opera News Forest Service fall
colors, 2021)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Quotes in Articles of Major National and International
Media Outlets:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/04/us/group-battles-to-save-luxury-liner-big-u-and-glory-of-its-day.html">New
York Times</a> (SS United States Foundation--Save the SSUS–1999 front page
national section and <a name="_Hlk109995998">entire syndicate including Dallas
Morning News, Detroit Free Press and the Times Herald</a>) 75 million
impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">New York Times (SS United States Foundation), Visit to New
Port News in Metro section)—1999) 2 million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/15/us/for-a-historic-ship-a-new-port-of-call.html">New
York Times</a> (SS United States Foundation, 2003 NCL buys SSUS/Front page
national section entire syndicate including the Times Herald) 10 million
impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/04/us/l-j-alexanderson-93-liner-s-last-captain.html">New
York Times</a> (SS United States Foundation--Commodore Anderson obit– 2004) 4
million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Newsday (SS United States Foundation – 1999)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Newsday (SS United States Foundation, Book – 2002)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Philadelphia Inquirer (SS United States Foundation, 1999 –
2004) 500 thousand impressions <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2006/03/12/saving-the-united-states/">Orange
County Register</a> (SS United States Foundation, 2002-2006) 300 thousand
impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108872967958753818">Wall
Street Journal</a> (USMC 2004) 6 million impressions <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Huffington Post (LGBTQ issues – lead picture 2015) 12
million impressions<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">CBS News (LGBTQ Issues 2015) 15 million impressions <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/amphtml/us-supreme-court-rules-gay-marriage-nationwide-141601707.html">Yahoo
News</a> (LGBTQ issues 2015) 3 million impressions <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://muckrack.com/robert-hudson-westover/articles">Muck Racker</a>
(Stories written about the USDA Forest Service—not exhaustive)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Books:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/542104.S_S_United_States">SS United
States, Fastest Ship in the World</a> (Turner) sold over 20,000 copies<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14259240.Robert_Hudson_Westover">Lessons
in Nobility</a> (self-published) sold over 1000 copies<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nobility-Training-Dummies-Highbrow-Humor-ebook/dp/B013J4PQMK">Nobility
Lessons for Dummies</a> (self-published) sold over 10,000 copies<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Academic Recommendations/Scholastic References:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.coursehero.com/file/63681971/Copy-of-Conservation-versus-Preservation-Close-Read-Worksheet/">Course
Hero</a> (Forest Service – Conservation vs Preservation)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.coursehero.com/file/32874686/Same-Sex-Couple-Right-to-Marry1docx/">Course
Hero</a> (LGBT+ Issues)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1771&context=wmelpr">William
& Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review</a> (Forest Service --
Conservation vs Preservation)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=H6KB4q7M938C&pg=PA407&lpg=PA407&dq=%22robert+hudson+westover%22&source=bl&ots=ichMb0k3ui&sig=ACfU3U2HuNoL9iGB7wQRZnf-frcke1B0uQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTn-rdxJ75AhXTGFkFHcOcBVk4MhDoAXoECBIQAw#v=onepage&q=%22robert%20hudson%20westover%22&f=false">A
Man and His Ship – The Story of America’s Greatest Naval Architect</a> (SS United
States Foundation reference)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=w-t6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA515&lpg=PA515&dq=robert+westover+christian+science+monitor&source=bl&ots=4blSDvzs6N&sig=ACfU3U2-jY0NPoa2pJttlvxFZBJEa55yaA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBnKPq1J75AhVGLEQIHXwUC_AQ6AF6BAgYEAM#v=onepage&q=robert%20westover%20christian%20science%20monitor&f=false">Janet,
Jackie and Lee</a> (Jackie Kennedy bio where I am both quoted and referenced)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250276216/jackiepublicprivatesecret">Jackie: Public, Private, Secret</a> (Jackie Kennedy bio where I am both quoted and referenced)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Movies/TV/Livestreams/YouTube:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8781083/">IMDb</a> (entertainment listing) </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8781083/">Uncle Joe
Shannon</a> (MGM/Actor -- 1978)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8781083/">Love Thy
Neighbor</a> (ABC/Actor -- 1982)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MCI (national ad campaign/actor--1993)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxyo988F4SA&t=102s">Historic run for Congress</a> (News 8, Washington, DC)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZKeAj84HiE">DNC National Convention in Los Angeles</a> (News 3 LA -- DNC spokesman, 2000)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8781083/">History of
Veteran’s Day</a> (History Channel/highlighted--2004)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/faces-of-the-forest-service/meet-robert-hudson-westover">Meet Robert Hudson Westover</a> (Faces of the Forest Service, 2016)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1438171614076563468">Woodsy
Owl’s 50<sup>th</sup> Birthday</a> (Forest Service livestream)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=172940454724759&_rdr">Pride Month</a>
(Forest Service livestream)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucx6txGFIKk">JFK's Summer White House</a> (You tube video that features Hugh D. "Yusha" Auchincloss, Jackie Kennedy's beloved stepbrother.) </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/smokeybear/videos/754307215812061">Smokey Bear’s
78<sup>th</sup> Birthday</a> (Ad Council livestream)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>*</b>Third Party Validation is a term used in public relations to emphasis the importance of a media outlet selecting to broadcast a story without being paid to do so by the firm or author. Unlike paying for advertising space, something anyone can do, third party validation means one has had to convince an editorial board that the story is worth being disseminated to the public. </p>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-64471135869386049212021-12-20T08:49:00.006-08:002021-12-20T08:54:40.756-08:00God’s Love in icons both large and small<p> By Robert Hudson Westover</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who hasn’t turned the wheel of a kaleidoscope and looked in
amazement as a hidden cluster of crystal beads, painted mirrors and glass create
color patterns that make you wish you could jump into that little handheld toy?
Of course, now we have virtual reality goggles which almost make one feel like
they are doing this—diving us into a galaxy of iridescence--but virtual isn’t
reality. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, in Paris, the City of Light, such a place does
exist, a real structure made of stone and glass but mostly stained glass. It’s
the chapel built over 800 years ago by the good king of the French, Saint Louis,
and the Parisians call it the saint’s chapel or <a href="http://www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en/">Sainte Chappelle</a>. From the moment
you step into this sacred space of a million fragments of colored glass you are
transfixed by the eye sensory overload of so much color. <o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6uebZjRDfz9MceQX0b-HFk1IT5A8vvCjT7KQU9O1WijoDCA9levaAtgWYk9XIaSF_AZ2LVI1-yoJiQNryoETFF1jY4X9BY0UIKTZp3ujwIJR6cvE25odO0GBTK5PjhMEnhJGyma7Oy4-3E4rSiEYcKDUSysuEZlIeuCZChXEjjTCilBAG3kuJ8Jp9=s2986" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2330" data-original-width="2986" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6uebZjRDfz9MceQX0b-HFk1IT5A8vvCjT7KQU9O1WijoDCA9levaAtgWYk9XIaSF_AZ2LVI1-yoJiQNryoETFF1jY4X9BY0UIKTZp3ujwIJR6cvE25odO0GBTK5PjhMEnhJGyma7Oy4-3E4rSiEYcKDUSysuEZlIeuCZChXEjjTCilBAG3kuJ8Jp9=w400-h312" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sainte Chapelle in Paris</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">You are in the kaleidoscope.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And it’s in this place of Holy wonderment that my husband
and I had a rare encounter with a person who studies and creates, or I should
correctly say, writes the spiritual arts of sacred colors that prefigured the
glowing stained glass imagines of Biblical scenes seen in so many churches and
cathedrals.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s called<a href="https://www.orthodoxroad.com/"> iconography</a>
and the artist’s name is Sue Jones. A devote Christian from Texas, Sue had
never really liked icons and thought the (often) small rough wood blocks with
two dimensional painted figures of Jesus and his mother, Mary (and many other
saints) almost ugly and even kind of strange. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3uPIsjAeUgwo5P_gUJTvA2L1cSiHaPmj1so5rnSi1PpNc54HiZuRTE2DKh9WitJ1ppBu58t6n1CJgi0eMkjc5PPl6VYRY-hhFjfTfcAlnU97Xuj_fzGmHiHTFkCYqvwPyH0j54ekA9oZ4MxExvCHrxjUfdhtmvOK0vymmR-9TwbbKz9A864dEGbun=s3247" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3247" data-original-width="2546" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3uPIsjAeUgwo5P_gUJTvA2L1cSiHaPmj1so5rnSi1PpNc54HiZuRTE2DKh9WitJ1ppBu58t6n1CJgi0eMkjc5PPl6VYRY-hhFjfTfcAlnU97Xuj_fzGmHiHTFkCYqvwPyH0j54ekA9oZ4MxExvCHrxjUfdhtmvOK0vymmR-9TwbbKz9A864dEGbun=w251-h320" width="251" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>An icon of the Archangel Gabriel<br />by iconographer Sue Jones </b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">However, all that changed when she started visiting an icon
“writing” class held at her church, “I
started understanding the significance of the meaning behind icons. An icon is
to be written, not painted, and read by the onlooker,” said Jones.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The class is called The School of Sacred Arts and the master
iconographer leading the course, Jane Ladik, has her work all over the world.
Jones explains the icon writing process taught to her by <span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ladik as one that starts with
a pattern and the writer is always referring to the pattern, “just as we refer
to our master pattern, Jesus Christ.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jones
added, “Back in the day when people could not read, they would know what they
were looking at, <a href="https://russianicon.com/meaning-of-colors-in-eastern-orthodox-iconography/">the
colors have a message</a>, and other things you see, curly hair, a knob on the
forehead, even where the eyes are looking. Writing an icon is done in prayer,
contemplating the life of the saint.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
fact, when you see Mary, or the saints, it indeed does appear that the eyes are
often not looking in the same place. Jones explains that this is because the
icon both looks at the observer while also keeping an eye on the heavenly
realm. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaszPeI-Qr6_Tv_NRfCm2rsYP5UWD099Zfo8i1x7Zr8EnTFAnEEUeUlgC3IcAes-lGMBoCwGr2gA3_iDwestxEXsXchtGRQXpAuFhGEzJoWo7g9J2vhiDlGb0-i_mj3dOdCfJaivw03PP7K8qmkLUBGikMytY-LdwtgH8Rcg9cF1wTt87qbe5g7c9i=s1922" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1922" data-original-width="1254" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaszPeI-Qr6_Tv_NRfCm2rsYP5UWD099Zfo8i1x7Zr8EnTFAnEEUeUlgC3IcAes-lGMBoCwGr2gA3_iDwestxEXsXchtGRQXpAuFhGEzJoWo7g9J2vhiDlGb0-i_mj3dOdCfJaivw03PP7K8qmkLUBGikMytY-LdwtgH8Rcg9cF1wTt87qbe5g7c9i=w261-h400" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Listening
to Sue that day in Sainte Chapelle, and feeling the holy spirit move me, I
looked up at the many images of the stained glass and thought about the stories
of faith they were telling and experienced the chapel with new eyes.
Iconography, whether in wood, stone glass or paint inspires us all to love God
more and experience the promise of his Love through art.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let’s
call it the kaleidoscope of the Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">(<b>Pictured to the left: An ancient icon of Mary and Jesus. The lettering is in archaic Cyrillic and the icon is thought to have written anywhere between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries</b>.) </p>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-7946796178636326082021-10-19T13:56:00.016-07:002021-12-20T05:45:30.100-08:00A Dream in the Desert leads to an art career in Paris <p><b>By <a href="https://jamesmpurpura.com/twenty-years-together/">Robert Hudson Westover</a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Joshua trees were darkly silhouetted against a faint yet
deep shade of blue—a color <a href="https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/james-purpura-15851#:~:text=James%20Purpura%20describes%20himself%20as,including%20abstract%2C%20landscape%20and%20figurative.">James
Purpura</a> would never forget. When he woke up from the dream, in the desert
outside Palm Springs, he didn’t know it at the time, but this hue of blue would
haunt him beyond just a day of contemplating this unique vision.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He became obsessed with it and bought paints to mix and find
it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A new language of blue.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A new language of art.<o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAP10Ev0HJRp1xedZz_7TVbepAMNmuSLvtyEO4YtpRwPcxjio3wWy2U6RNAK43EUipbtY82YoSFOtOxoTiNeVvbTIaPy8xhjEcQh38zdMqYxofgrWU9AnZM7pe3Vk5lOqoSdsOANr2Q4o/s2048/James+lake+pic.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1574" data-original-width="2048" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAP10Ev0HJRp1xedZz_7TVbepAMNmuSLvtyEO4YtpRwPcxjio3wWy2U6RNAK43EUipbtY82YoSFOtOxoTiNeVvbTIaPy8xhjEcQh38zdMqYxofgrWU9AnZM7pe3Vk5lOqoSdsOANr2Q4o/w400-h308/James+lake+pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A work by James Purpura. One of 13 that will be exhibited <br />this November in Palm Springs.</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Paris, 20 years later and my husband and I are walking the
storied boulevard Rivoli on our way to the Louvre. We were in no rush, having
been to the awe-inspiring former “other” palace home of the Sun King, when just a few blocks away, we spotted a rather strange looking building that stood out
from the very well-kept limestone and marble facades of Rivoli.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I mean really stood out as in huge blue humanoid looking
statues climbing up the façade.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Curious as he is my husband wanted to go for a closer
inspection. He was utterly fascinated. I wasn’t. Just another weird art
gallery, I thought as we entered the foyer of <a href="https://www.59rivoli.org/homepage/">59 Rivoli</a>, a former hotel now
covered in paint of multiple colors and a strange assortment of odd-looking
art. Everywhere. As we ascended the stairs of the seven-story structure, we
soon discovered that there were at least 30 artists of varying talent either
displaying or creating their art.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As we looked at the amazing, contemplative and wonderous
works I remembered one of the lessons I learned when I worked at the <a href="https://www.arts.gov/">NationalEndowment for the Arts</a> in Washington, DC: Every new great artist must
distinguish themselves from the past and other artists. To break new ground,
they need to speak a new language of art.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As we turned a tight corner in the maze-like complex, we
stumbled on James Purpura’s studio and looked into colors in such placement as
I have never seen before, an interpretation of reality both surreal and
accurate and that blue. That Purpura blue.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lucky for us James had just come back from an errand and we
struck up a conversation. Somewhere in between James’ normal pitch to sell his
art to us, and me being pulled into his alternate realties on canvas, I
thought, “I not only want to buy one of his works, I want to help promote him.”<o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbbbE_HUROK2gEEZ0GEkioVqp1NedsHLfgjeghBc4skDNjnvfJnWl6S0KYR4ig7DlLk9lh9VOuzc5b9XF1U6xt-0O4sAhpleaxiz7uoBNhjp8tD-mma2mPw_foOyZ7CB75Ijs-tkITmo/s2048/James+Eiffel+Tower+Pic.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbbbE_HUROK2gEEZ0GEkioVqp1NedsHLfgjeghBc4skDNjnvfJnWl6S0KYR4ig7DlLk9lh9VOuzc5b9XF1U6xt-0O4sAhpleaxiz7uoBNhjp8tD-mma2mPw_foOyZ7CB75Ijs-tkITmo/w234-h320/James+Eiffel+Tower+Pic.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>James Purpura's surreal take on the<br />Eiffel Tower in this painting is one of his most<br />well know works.</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">As a fulltime PR specialist, I was in no position to commit
fulltime, but I went to work talking James up to anyone and everyone in the art
world I happened upon. Then, when James was given the distinct honor of having
his work displayed by the city of Paris in the 5th district across the street
from the famed Pantheon I wrote a blog which has been viewed over 5000
times—for a yet-to-be, world-famous artist this is a big number. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I know enough about art to know that James is the real
thing. All I can say to those thinking of buying his work is to do it now. It
won’t be long before the whole world knows about the dream in the desert. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-36713915965890527182021-06-28T06:52:00.005-07:002021-08-18T08:44:36.230-07:00This Pride Month I Honor LQBTQ Hero Frank Kameny<div><br /></div><div>Let us never forget that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Frank Kameny's efforts to fight for Gay Rights throughout his long life means we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Yes, Gay is Good! </div><div>Watch my tribute video: <a href="https://twitter.com/forestservice/status/1408466291510419465?s=20" target="_blank">Happy Pride!</a></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAJuVgFJ9833u4nMshpDcTuz6fQvCF1U7pKc-DnIIDEmFF2jZg4XLoLqTp5M3msW3YIhoi2qqLXL4LIhWzTyOKg5D9MrtYEZJiojuD7slYSqtvCKzMX7It9xpUqjUYEW6bq2dRAUlRSU/s1920/Robert+Pride+Video_Moment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAJuVgFJ9833u4nMshpDcTuz6fQvCF1U7pKc-DnIIDEmFF2jZg4XLoLqTp5M3msW3YIhoi2qqLXL4LIhWzTyOKg5D9MrtYEZJiojuD7slYSqtvCKzMX7It9xpUqjUYEW6bq2dRAUlRSU/w640-h360/Robert+Pride+Video_Moment.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></blockquote></blockquote><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-37235411340719889472021-04-13T07:52:00.001-07:002021-04-13T07:52:52.266-07:00Lord Westover: A Prince Among Princes<a href="https://lordwestover.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-prince-among-princes.html?spref=bl">Lord Westover: A Prince Among Princes</a>: Heaven has gained a Noble Prince and we, here below, have lost a man of such impeccable character that it is truly hard to believe he will n...Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-66968985738722287502020-11-12T13:27:00.001-08:002021-08-18T08:32:01.524-07:00 Queen of The World<p><i><b>How Queen Elizabeth II’s noble behavior has out shone the
character of every British Monarch in the history of her nation and perhaps even
the world.</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><o:p></o:p></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>By Robert Hudson Westover, the creator of His Grace, <a href="mailto:www.lordwestover@blogspot.com">LordWestover</a> (obviously).<i><o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When Princess Elizabeth ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom in 1952, Winston Churchill predicted that the nation’s new Queen Elizabeth would usher
in a renewed Elizabethan era—as in the first English queen named Elizabeth.
That first Elizabeth presided over what would become the world reach of a tiny
island realm into the superpower Britannia and would rule the seas—for hundreds of years.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many laughed at the irony of such a statement from Churchill.
I mean, Great Britain, the empire where "the sun never sets," was already falling apart. It had, by 1952, lost many of
its overseas colonies including India and South Africa. Anyone with any
political savvy knew once magnificent Britannia, the largest empire ever known
to man, was soon to be just another one of Europe’s “regional” powers. <o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1Z_RQAnAQa9nY8agpQHwgaSGyQ7S2p6bmz3K3MaDsfKy507J792QQWLcn6Xpjitvz6v-MZ7QWr9Dz-gKQeF6VYlVRb01k2SRGS1g6WLZzRkQbp8LqdewHX2XeL9UjDAV8a3DiWX1L4c/s2000/The+Queen.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="2000" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1Z_RQAnAQa9nY8agpQHwgaSGyQ7S2p6bmz3K3MaDsfKy507J792QQWLcn6Xpjitvz6v-MZ7QWr9Dz-gKQeF6VYlVRb01k2SRGS1g6WLZzRkQbp8LqdewHX2XeL9UjDAV8a3DiWX1L4c/w400-h265/The+Queen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II (Courtesy photo.)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">So was Churchill dreaming? Or was he sensing something far
beyond our traditional concepts of national boundaries and cultural
imperatives?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Clearly, he left no deeper insight to his statement. But I believe
he was on to something. And, yes, he was right. He was right not because Elizabeth
Windsor has extended the reach of her kingdom’s physical borders but because she has
recreated an empire not of lands but of people—that is to say peoples of the
entire world.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Think about it. When people all over the world speak of “the
queen” for the vast majority of humanity they are referring to Her Majesty, Queen
Elizabeth II. Even in my United States of America the term means <i>her</i>, our de facto
Queen.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And what a queen! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Queen has, for nearly 70 years, during some of the most wrenching
political crisis imaginable, stood aloft with the Banner of True Nobility
for all the world to see: Duty, Country, Family. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In that order. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She has inspired countless millions to be more noble to
others, more clearheaded in a crisis and less emotionally reactive to whatever absurdity
rears its ugly head—in other words, to be more like her in mind and spirit. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Take a moment to pounder how this physically diminutive
woman of towering and steely character, so imbued with noble temperament, has impressed,
inspired and amazed you in your own life. Even if you disagree with the concept
of The Divine Right of Kings it’s a fool’s errand to find a serious cosmic flaw with The
Queen. Yes, Elizabeth Windsor is a person, has flaws like all of us, but I
would argue her flaws have been turned into strengths with this woman who
stands out (especially now) as a rock of ages for humanity.<o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmDaf-QclusVnEVZ3vikmRIFmwgP2eLgZpDWqq_i7JlrbXksAncoOwgBDxwRm4NO8gRb6C9BN_U_kqkD2h3L1VvQHIAa78lZtnLANAtQMHNtiTQGFpxkdbs84Sz4Oj5fOnB3xp0Sq-lI/s169/Lord+Westover+and+the+Queen.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="169" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmDaf-QclusVnEVZ3vikmRIFmwgP2eLgZpDWqq_i7JlrbXksAncoOwgBDxwRm4NO8gRb6C9BN_U_kqkD2h3L1VvQHIAa78lZtnLANAtQMHNtiTQGFpxkdbs84Sz4Oj5fOnB3xp0Sq-lI/w400-h334/Lord+Westover+and+the+Queen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The performance art character @LordWestover <br />was inspired by Queen Elizabeth.</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">On a personal level Queen Elizabeth inspired me all my life.
I’ve attempted to model her behaviors in my personal crises often resulting in
very positive outcomes. </p><p class="MsoNormal">In fact, the creation of my highly successful performance
art character @LordWestover was partially a result of my desire to share these new Elizabethan
traits with others. Yes, Lord Westover is a comedic character, but his silliness
points to Elisabeth II’s true north of Being Noble in all one says and does.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some who read this article will think it’s just a fan
letter and perhaps they are right. But I can think of no one better to be
admired than Queen Elizabeth. </p><p class="MsoNormal">So, from one of your superfans, Your Majesty, may
I say God bless you for launching and sustaining a true and marvelous Elizabethan
Era of Being Noble.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">God Save the Queen!</span>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-14354922878556216632020-10-27T12:32:00.001-07:002021-08-18T08:32:59.186-07:00Lord Westover Productions' New Arts and Humanities Foundation!<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Washington, D.C. --</b> For 10 years, <a href="mailto:www.lordwestover@blogspot.com">Lord Westover Productions</a> has been dedicated to the arts and humanities. Now, with the launch of a new foundation, the Anon Foundation (not to be confused with QAnon--yikes), the new non-profits seeks to build bridges to unify all Americans no matter what political party they belong to--with a motto of remembering: We Are Americans First. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The launch party had a Jackie Kennedy theme as the foundation's founders take a great deal of inspiration from the life of the former First Lady who had a profound appreciation for the arts and it's influence on culture and politics in particular.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Check out the video of the launch party! <a href="https://animoto.com/play/MaGetDV1R8iIluUgbuwxgg">Anon Foundation Launch Video</a></b></span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_g4E2HPGn1u0rogQu56EKMhmB0JFC0Uqy69Dwfx4xnK-SgjBku94gBZUr2BbqTKI3XNgAGEWU87Y2KJOWhXZFzAZ7scLogm0bnh6Q8fxkUk5euc-kN29A9cJ0xTIThNuLTbD36oh4BGE/s300/Laughing+lady.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="300" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_g4E2HPGn1u0rogQu56EKMhmB0JFC0Uqy69Dwfx4xnK-SgjBku94gBZUr2BbqTKI3XNgAGEWU87Y2KJOWhXZFzAZ7scLogm0bnh6Q8fxkUk5euc-kN29A9cJ0xTIThNuLTbD36oh4BGE/w358-h255/Laughing+lady.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lord Westover Productions has launched a new <br />effort to bring attention to the arts. <br />(Lord Westover Productions photo.)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18bZy42TrZdSuj9X6guKgZhErltEB9cCI7847mTmbaozuvMgH-6qQiyzzz3-vmxRDMzyZcIn_DJc6eerofBcv4q_63pn3aMtruQY0-oFlKgmfLj4ZRFVVWsas35jhFmkWRW8MdnDofis/s2048/monte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18bZy42TrZdSuj9X6guKgZhErltEB9cCI7847mTmbaozuvMgH-6qQiyzzz3-vmxRDMzyZcIn_DJc6eerofBcv4q_63pn3aMtruQY0-oFlKgmfLj4ZRFVVWsas35jhFmkWRW8MdnDofis/w308-h410/monte.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Special guest for the foundation launch was <br />Say Yes to the Dress reality show super star <br />Monte Durham (left) who is self professed huge Jackie Kennedy fan.<br /></b></span><b>(Lord Westover Productions photo.)</b></td></tr></tbody></table>.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcout16omLsKLT019fb9vvrkbQlRLqzpqNH1OFYlBT_x_OY24Yf9YKVzJjrP-iDod8KSzBEBStXyKHU910uhmvVrsqUY0dEHB59z6Tfl0SaMgdUT3Hsq6SOqX6BqIdgSvTX3prHQ-KHM/s1200/Jackie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcout16omLsKLT019fb9vvrkbQlRLqzpqNH1OFYlBT_x_OY24Yf9YKVzJjrP-iDod8KSzBEBStXyKHU910uhmvVrsqUY0dEHB59z6Tfl0SaMgdUT3Hsq6SOqX6BqIdgSvTX3prHQ-KHM/s320/Jackie.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jackie Kennedy serves as a type of inspiration <br />or patron saint of the arts for the Anon Foundation<br />(Jackie by Robert Dyber acrylic on canvas.)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So what does Jackie Kennedy have to do with Anon Foundation you might ask?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">"Jackie Kennedy serves as type of inspiration for the new foundation," said Robert Hudson Westover, Chairman of the Anon Foundation. "I've admired her dignity and grace since childhood and she very much believed in the power of art to reach across all cultural, political and monetary boundaries."</span></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-34021896835305628302020-09-25T09:12:00.010-07:002020-09-25T09:33:29.317-07:00Lapin Bleu Garden VideoThe video is an end of summer view of our beautiful gardens. Every year at Easter we put Holy Water taken from the Grotto of the Virgin Mary outside the Justinian Wall in Istanbul and sprinkle it into the fountain which is the centerpiece to the garden we have dedicated to the Virgin Mother. <div><br /></div><div>See it here: <a href="https://animoto.com/play/ElASssWeDA1IPyYRhR0BCg">Lapin Garden Video</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsryeIKoUqdfxIeieCOhD5LZK5RnMgpV4rhfd0vcn4DcFDZZEpCV_0snHNJqX3fX0aHEcFQAKcfwK9hdDdqXSiPCUJsDtN_uqjzgkYVDt1R93WVYE5yfA-g2qP_XQ-Hlqkm1ZaWnVwL0/s2048/IMG_9720-EFFECTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsryeIKoUqdfxIeieCOhD5LZK5RnMgpV4rhfd0vcn4DcFDZZEpCV_0snHNJqX3fX0aHEcFQAKcfwK9hdDdqXSiPCUJsDtN_uqjzgkYVDt1R93WVYE5yfA-g2qP_XQ-Hlqkm1ZaWnVwL0/s320/IMG_9720-EFFECTS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-34840358480524561162020-07-14T10:48:00.001-07:002020-07-14T10:48:22.413-07:00Lord Westover: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Nobility for All ...<a href="https://lordwestover.blogspot.com/2020/07/extra-extra-read-all-about-it-nobility.html?spref=bl">Lord Westover: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Nobility for All ...</a>: Celebrate Lord Westover’s 10 year anniversary by being Noble! By Robert Hudson Westover Ten years ago this summer a noble star w...<br /><br />
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<br />Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-24932482565727226232020-07-08T14:10:00.000-07:002020-07-10T09:43:29.156-07:00An Open Letter to Our Beloved American Family<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dear America - Let us start by saying we have unwavering support for our incredibly positive
American way of life. We lead the world in the newest ideas of making progress, and being positively progressive, contrary to much of what is said by many. We
Americans, since our founding and throughout our history, continue to strive to
be better, especially in expanding matters of freedom and equality. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c-M06VJRFE0TxyY1_b5ogc6le7x_bdEMWDYtoj92iUR86ssUbqW3cifm1GJ7PZe2HMfzFswBjEGn0xb1Wq9qx_lYYnWs1Of50ilcQPq8U0IBYT5dyUdiYKjk51_PLEnhFnq3fA3I7X0/s1600/Liberty+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c-M06VJRFE0TxyY1_b5ogc6le7x_bdEMWDYtoj92iUR86ssUbqW3cifm1GJ7PZe2HMfzFswBjEGn0xb1Wq9qx_lYYnWs1Of50ilcQPq8U0IBYT5dyUdiYKjk51_PLEnhFnq3fA3I7X0/s400/Liberty+Pic.jpg" width="315" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tom and Robert, a married Gay couple for <br />20 years have <br />Loved America all their lives. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It amazes us on how much We all work
to improve our lives and our communities and our bellowed country--just look at
the progress for LGBT rights over the last 30 years! And We continue to find
inspiration from our still cutting edge founding documents, confidant that
tempered with understanding, history, and wisdom that each generation, both the young and old, will aspire to new heights as we celebrate our freedoms engaging freely in
enterprise, civil rights, and important national priorities. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We, more than ever, demand freedom of thought given to all, but without misrepresentation, which
then flow towards actions which exalt good, and create beauty and order which
is conducive to human flourishing. And We should always welcome newcomers from around the globe who are able to build up America, with their unique and exciting capabilities, as they contribute to strengthening
our national fabric today and into the following centuries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So let's, together, raise up
hard work, self-reliance, loyalty to and love of nation, faith in God, honesty,
strong families, and minimal class consciousness--the American way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are
overwhelmingly a fair people, greatly underestimated by our adversaries. During
this time of disruption, all should know that things are not always what they
seem on the surface, or as we are being told by many. So don't be taken in by the rancor and chaos some contribute to around us. These are the crashing waves of a temporary storm but the strong calm currents have never been disturbed by the ferociousness of the violent and self-consumed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do not be afraid to stand up for what is right--and America with all her blemishes, glory and hope is a shining light to the world. WE will build an
even stronger and more resolute America able to
further anchor to the enduring values developed and codified by imperfect messengers of liberty. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though inarticulately at times, we are fighting to sharpen our vision of
needed changes to make America as great as possible. This is a wonderful goal. Now with the veil more removed, the true challenge to our past, present
and future--America herself--stands is stark relief to the horrific history of man's inhumanity toward man. We are now actually even more up to slaying the true dragon</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">--the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hatred</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">principles</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of liberty for all enshrined in our founding documents. Many now know that they have billions of miles to
go, if they in fact can EVER sleep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like so many of us in our great American family, WE believe in equality for all and the idea that our country, despite the challenges we now face, is and will continue to be the best hope for the betterment of humanity. But we also know that our creator gave us the precious gift of conscience--of choice to do right or wrong--and that, unfortunately, many of us chose wrong over right far too often in the past, in our present and likely in our future. But this is not an indictment of America but rather the manifest human condition that our founding principles continually force us to examine and forge a more perfect union. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With All Our Love and Devotion,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tom Fulton and Robert Hudson Westover</span>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-62979747922162888692020-06-10T08:06:00.004-07:002023-10-05T11:09:33.638-07:00BLM Mom Way Ahead of Her Time[UPDATE: The official cause of my mother's death was "complications due to Covid-19". Please protect the most vulnerable in our population by at least wearing a face mask while in public spaces.]<br />
<br />
Mardelle Hudson Westover 1938 to 2020<br />
<br />
My mom has passed.<br />
<br />
It was a tumultuous last two years of her fighting “the system” the term she used to describe the ten odd nursing homes she lived in during this time. Often lovely facilities she would liken to prisons and as she would later say she “escaped” from like some geriatric Houdini.<br />
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But this was to be excepted.<br />
<br />
Mardelle was always a rebel, a fighter for the downtrodden and defiant almost literally to her last breath.<br />
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She lived her truth. She truly did.<br />
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For instance, even as a child, she felt strongly that racism was a disease that had to be eradicated. As a child in the 1940s she angered her teachers by opposing the inequality of the black community. In the 1940s!<br />
<br />
As a child.<br />
<br />
Wow.<br />
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Her BFF, Jackie, (literally they stayed friends to the end) enjoyed recounting the moment when as a teenager in the early 1950s in Santa Monica, California, mom took her new friend, a young black man from South Africa, to church at the very white 5th Church of Christ Scientists one bright sunny afternoon. “Your mom walked with him right down to the front of the church heads turning all the way!”<br />
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In the Calvinist-based Christian Science church there are no rituals including baptism. So some Christian Scientists “adopt” honorary god parents. My mom chose a black woman, a daughter of a slave, as her honorary family. We called her momma Broyels. She was a spiritual healer in the Christian Science church and was very effective. Momma Broyels died in the 1970s at nearly 100 years of age.<div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcl0ZWCi4IEk_ohfcBntn9n4nuQwWbcBNQq1b7u-CNNqrwp1drZD576ON-CFL9mhBBOVujyP5Ifn7b84QPbIkrzusF_h9yUEXhAOaQ5eDNh7oZQv0Zhpv9ujm2SN4Cjf2QiS2HfkWLTVjfOfAOOZ1ECb2dBh2cPrD2mycKcBxifQnNJVrunzoTkj22/s2676/Mama%20B.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2676" data-original-width="2072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcl0ZWCi4IEk_ohfcBntn9n4nuQwWbcBNQq1b7u-CNNqrwp1drZD576ON-CFL9mhBBOVujyP5Ifn7b84QPbIkrzusF_h9yUEXhAOaQ5eDNh7oZQv0Zhpv9ujm2SN4Cjf2QiS2HfkWLTVjfOfAOOZ1ECb2dBh2cPrD2mycKcBxifQnNJVrunzoTkj22/s320/Mama%20B.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mardelle in 1968 with her honorary <br />godmother "Mama Broyels".<br />(Westover family photos)</span></b><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>On a personal level my mother eradicated any sense of racial difference for her children by encouraging us to befriend black kids in our neighborhoods and at school. Because of this my best friend in junior high was a black kid named Tony Davis. We were inseparable and even broke in to MGM studios together running into a casting agent who was so amused by our “forwardness” that he cast us in a film.<br />
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It’s strange when your last parent passes. When my dad, Lawrence Robert, died, I was 31. He only lived to 58 but he and mom had a powerful love, so powerful that mom never remarried--out living dad by 25 years! </div><div><br /></div><div>My husband, Tom, told me a lot of soul searching begins when the last parent is buried. 12 hours into mom’s passing it has already begun for me.<br />
<br />
Without her influence of equality for all I would have been a very different person.<br /><br />
Without her constant and emphatic insistence on forgiving all who had harmed her I would be a very different person.<br />
<br />
Without her love for the arts and humanities I would be a very different person.<br />
<br />
And, without her love for God, and the Universe He created, I would most certainly been a different person.<br />
<br />
As the sediment of life with my “crazy” mom is sifting away, now faster than ever, the peaks and valleys are coming into stark relief and I am beginning to see this woman as the complicated, loving, angry, forgiving, defiant, selfish and generous person she was and will be remember by those who knew and loved her.<br />
<br />
Welcome to heaven, mom, where the only skin color is the light of Love.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHwLgAPXIa_FUYPTVlgA1NdvckC1xOY2Qy-0R3Y3dN8dYCUW5Ye3gRJcWcspf8qdDNd79IpexjImsJjwKzdsf4D9Vqb6ysaqr-Q_uxX1-7byxtEDgrhkBtVL7iBWDE7hadp4wehf4MMwLAXjr7ysgu2WW1ZYveYD5UzxQHUVjNi-15DBXPx7g8JSXAq4/s1711/Mom's%20birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1711" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHwLgAPXIa_FUYPTVlgA1NdvckC1xOY2Qy-0R3Y3dN8dYCUW5Ye3gRJcWcspf8qdDNd79IpexjImsJjwKzdsf4D9Vqb6ysaqr-Q_uxX1-7byxtEDgrhkBtVL7iBWDE7hadp4wehf4MMwLAXjr7ysgu2WW1ZYveYD5UzxQHUVjNi-15DBXPx7g8JSXAq4/s320/Mom's%20birthday.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mom and dad shortly before they were married in 1957.<br />(Westover family photos.)</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>
<br />
(I have included this link to a testimony my mother wrote many years ago. I can think of no better eulogy as the highest mountain peak of her life—risking her life to save another:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/1967/9/69-39/one-summer-afternoon-while-at-the-beach-with-my-four-children<br />
<br /></div>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-59041576876232728512019-03-27T06:09:00.001-07:002019-03-27T06:09:07.418-07:00The Restoration of a 1902 Colonial Revival Mansion in Northern Virginia<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="243" id="vp19chtj" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1553691929&f=9chtjJadkPytBnB3Cs29vg&d=0&m=a&r=360p+720p&volume=100&start_res=720p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=" title="Video Player" width="432"></iframe><br />
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Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-58707392004962451502019-03-25T04:57:00.002-07:002021-08-18T08:33:48.766-07:00An American Painting Music in Paris’s City Hall<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i>James Purpura is emerging as one of the most profound and uniquely talented artists of a generation</i></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Paris -</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
For artists to distinguish themselves is never easy. To distinguish themselves
in Paris is an altogether bigger deal. </span><a href="http://www.jamespurple.com/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">James Purpura</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">,
a native of Ohio, has done exactly that. Starting April 1 and ending on April
13 Purpura’s wide range of paintings, including landscapes, portraits and the
fanciful, will be exhibited in one of the City of Lights most magnificent
buildings the City Hall of Paris' 5<sup>th</sup> Arrondissement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A cityscape by Jame Purpura. (Used by permission.)</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Purpura,
who sees colors in music, an almost sixth sense called synesthesia, has also
accomplished another rare feat among artists in that he has been able to
translate this concomitant sense for the world to see. According to Purpura he
sees colors in “Beats, instruments, layering, vocals, and lyrics can evoke
certain colors and brush strokes, and pieces of music in an infinite number of
ever-changing visuals.” His musical inspirations for painting includes
classical, pop, transcendental, and remixes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
artist's work is innovative and spontaneous, and never scripted. He likes to
play with colors and lets them answer each other on the canvas. Often,
characters such as animals and people begin to appear magically in the story
and he will give them finishing touches to complete these characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A landscape by James Purpura. (Used by permission.)</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“My
approach gets people involved in the canvas as they lose themselves in color
and the story on the canvas. It allows them to escape and ask ‘Why is the moon
black? Why is the sun green? Why are there two suns? Why is there one sun but
the reflection of seven?’ This is how I see. T</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">his is how
I interpret the world.” said Purpura.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To
learn more about James Purpura and his new exhibit in Paris visit: </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.jamespurple.com/">http://www.jamesmpurpura.com/</a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">TAGS: Art, Paris, James Purpura,
synesthesia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HASHTAGS #ArtInParis, AprilArtEvents,
ArtExhibition </span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-20501787624030539762016-06-14T05:22:00.001-07:002016-06-14T05:28:07.793-07:00Robert Westover Featured by US Forest Service for LGBT Month<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/blogs/meet-robert-hudson-westover">Meet Robert Hudson Westover</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7fwcLoDEZuvX1AdDMh-is5T9aMElzaajmnWeHB7OJXhP7fIeiOcRSrdVs7ieN1Gz1Q6lU_1WyDSTzld2YfDV6NOBM3fTSXtXBvZFE4Zi_VycOLKQVdSHHBvQy_ezuqgW-oPRHaWjpQk/s1600/westover-portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7fwcLoDEZuvX1AdDMh-is5T9aMElzaajmnWeHB7OJXhP7fIeiOcRSrdVs7ieN1Gz1Q6lU_1WyDSTzld2YfDV6NOBM3fTSXtXBvZFE4Zi_VycOLKQVdSHHBvQy_ezuqgW-oPRHaWjpQk/s320/westover-portrait.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-45927173497861717922016-03-01T06:52:00.002-08:002021-08-18T08:34:38.117-07:00Final Bow<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>By Robert Hudson Westover<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Chairman Emeritus, S.S. United States Foundation</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Seeing the film Titanic when it was released in December
1997 proved to be pivotal moment for me. That’s because watching Mr.
Cameron’s near exact replica of the 1912 White Star ocean liner reminded me of
another ship I had adored, imagined and built (the Revel model that is!) as a
child. A ship whose very name made me feel patriotic.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitPLzJ2yiJX9PAUF8Cdp6X3s28Drc3xNrEl7nZ0e0SFlMkHPy7YLhW2HrWe1evSyhTVdM9kD5WDCzw0CQRkSWAgT95YCvSUJw5cOCmaTOQRuRprKHQj_TcNuEYqYyM_V20x-vBjP9F6w/s1600/File0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="981" data-original-width="474" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitPLzJ2yiJX9PAUF8Cdp6X3s28Drc3xNrEl7nZ0e0SFlMkHPy7YLhW2HrWe1evSyhTVdM9kD5WDCzw0CQRkSWAgT95YCvSUJw5cOCmaTOQRuRprKHQj_TcNuEYqYyM_V20x-vBjP9F6w/s320/File0014.jpg" width="154" /></a><br />
The S.S. United States.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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Titanic made me want to know where the S.S.
United States had gone. I went on (what we called then) the World Wide Web and
discovered (to my delighted surprise) that America’s flagship was very much
still afloat and a former passenger, <a href="http://www.ss-united-states.com/f2/G2RWSG553QM.jpg">Mike Alexander, had started a Website</a> to
bring awareness to her plight.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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That following January I went to visit the United States for
the first time. I could hardly sleep the night before! I felt like a little boy going
to Disneyland for the first time! I’ll never forget seeing her red, white and
blue funnels for the first time that day. Her sleek profile. Her dramatic and
cutting bow. <o:p></o:p></div>
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She was weather beaten for sure, but where others saw discouragement
and a badly decaying vessel I saw hope and a glorious restoration like the RMS
Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.<br />
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I was 33 years old and full of excitement
and possibilities. I didn’t care that the herculean task of saving this ship
would take years of my life. I didn’t care that many other interests where
vying with their own visions--and, sadly, personal self-aggrandized agendas.<br />
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I just knew I could do this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And I began by starting an organization I named the S.S.
United States Foundation.<o:p></o:p><br />
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I’m not going delve into the details--the impossible odds of
creating and leading one of the largest all volunteer preservation non-profits
in the country--because this amazing story has been covered in many news stories and in
books.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Safe to say, the attention I sought to bring to the ship via
the SSUS Foundation, went well beyond anything I could have imagined. For the
first time since the ship won the Blue Riban for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean (and her untimely retirement in
1969) her story appeared in the New York Times, then the BBC World News Service,
then ABC World News Tonight and on and on. <b>(Click on video below)</b><o:p></o:p><br />
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This constant national and international media attention
began in April 1999 and has never let up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With success came attention and many now wanted to become
part of what had been a few, but highly devoted, Big U (her nickname) fans in varying fields of expertise
from advertising, public relations, media relation, maritime and
legislative-based professions.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The SSUS Foundation's greatest accomplish happened when we lead
the effort and succeeded in placing the S.S. United States on the National
Register of Historic Places when she was less than 50 years old. This "less than 50 years old" is
important because we had to prove the Big U met the National Register's stringent “National
Significance” criterion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We did and the Big U was placed on the National Register in
June 1999 resulting in another round of national attention including a prime time
broadcast on CNN. <o:p></o:p><b>(Click on video below)</b><br />
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But soon the reality of having to actually convince a municipality
to take her in as a Queen Mary type attraction set in. Meetings were held with
elected representatives but no one seemed to grasp (or have the vision) of what a
huge tourist attraction the SS United States could become—a classic problem in
preservation efforts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then the owner, who had allowed the SSUS Foundation free and near unfetter access to the ship passed away. She was sold to NCL and the Foundation’s
noble vision to see the S.S United States preserved as a monument to her splendor
(and being able to keep her on the National Register) seemed lost. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then everything changed.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0L4eymGxU3QhWIdL1Pi0XOWYm_b2BNvR1vn3Ry-lBPzkwkKafEYpxW6myaPmH5kMGFIkTtZ_mAA7MfxixaKEHS3Ddzyb4QzEglpfTCtA26M-GyZqeeGVG6AsN36CXK_RWxWNeGWu7cw/s1600/ssunitedstatesfoundation+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0L4eymGxU3QhWIdL1Pi0XOWYm_b2BNvR1vn3Ry-lBPzkwkKafEYpxW6myaPmH5kMGFIkTtZ_mAA7MfxixaKEHS3Ddzyb4QzEglpfTCtA26M-GyZqeeGVG6AsN36CXK_RWxWNeGWu7cw/s400/ssunitedstatesfoundation+002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The official logo of the S.S. United States Foundation.</i></b></td></tr>
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The Foundation's confrontational approached to NCL’s
renovation plans didn’t sit well with some members of the board of directors.</div>
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In the ensuing heightened climate of profound ideological
differences a new non-profit, the S.S. United States Conservancy, was created (or reemerged
from an existing organization as some would insist) and they succeeded in
purchasing the United States from NCL after the cruises line abandoned its
renovation plans.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not long after the remaining board of the SSUS Foundation
voted to suspend any further activities and to not compete for our vision of
preservation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Since that time I have maintained a social media
presence as a fascinated spectator of the SSUS Conservancy’s efforts to bring
their vision of the Big U to fruition--I even donated my last royalty proceeds from the book <a href="http://www.turnerpublishing.com/books/detail/s-s-united-states/">SS United States Fastest Ship in World</a> (Turner) to the Conservancy. And until their recent announcement about the deal worked
out with Crystal Cruise Lines I was as unaware of their vision as anyone else.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1EYuQ9ozS1ANf2pi-mQwnmn3YS3XXCuF_6pGiBWTI9AY-mnpxRMCNyS_1CVKpc7nT5IifP06WOSS9B-MjSaO0O64xYchsswZES5GfPcwFdKda0ggANuwI5vNz_5v67prXzO-9OOcHSI/s1600/9781563118241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1EYuQ9ozS1ANf2pi-mQwnmn3YS3XXCuF_6pGiBWTI9AY-mnpxRMCNyS_1CVKpc7nT5IifP06WOSS9B-MjSaO0O64xYchsswZES5GfPcwFdKda0ggANuwI5vNz_5v67prXzO-9OOcHSI/s320/9781563118241.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Cover to the successful book <br />SS United States Fastest ship in the World (Turner)</i></b></td></tr>
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Let me be clear. I cannot begin to express my profound
disappointment in the future chosen by the SSUS Conservancy for this great
historic site.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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To me the plans are an abomination of what I, and many others feel, was the epitome
of ship building. And I realize many feel differently but I very much disagree
with the argument that all that matters is that she sails again.</div>
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Sails as what? <o:p></o:p></div>
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To me it’s analogous to giving Queen Elizabeth a Hollywood-style face lift, collagen
lip injections, massive Dolly Parton-esque breast implants, a tummy tuck and a rear-end lift, put
her in a red, skin-tight beaded dress and parade her around with the Kardashian sisters.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, what a comical and ridiculous site that would be and what horrid last visual memories of a great queen!<br />
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Yet, I’m
supposed to feel that what is planned for the S.S. United States is any
different?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, I can’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now that the board of the SSUS Conservancy has made their
choice to, what I strongly feel, eviscerate the remaining historic integrity (as I
believe is clearly spelled in the requirements for historic designation by The
National Register of Historic Places), I will suspend any involvement in and
abandon my watch as a preservationist seeking to protect this amazing relic of maritime
greatness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Good-by once great Queen of the Seas. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I did my best to save you.<o:p></o:p></div>
Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-8344348471976411462015-12-30T07:20:00.001-08:002021-08-18T08:35:57.990-07:00 Lessons in Nobility - A Real Downton Abbey Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRSEmpP8r_3WN86ocJYVRaAzJ9vDUVPo-vCnOZa4UbAiDSefvRFDk9RSBk2OJVi7Yff3eTcCTO_KkVek5cFkI-bGtWnt1VByEnkVEUMH67s6-oXOv0evNgiClODYuU-yZEUaIF-jEXkM/s1600/Lessons+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DPUHWmumyKrXak-3-t7M2aUHHMmR7PWhmDXlIBmf8ZCnbDreXBIHluwNNlENHvSh6pw5OluxQIqcl0PniL-LKIDDPMKigzcOaj6UKYmV0J0ng2mj2einfarVsnNSi4cQ1EMC2cmACz4/s1600/Lessons+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DPUHWmumyKrXak-3-t7M2aUHHMmR7PWhmDXlIBmf8ZCnbDreXBIHluwNNlENHvSh6pw5OluxQIqcl0PniL-LKIDDPMKigzcOaj6UKYmV0J0ng2mj2einfarVsnNSi4cQ1EMC2cmACz4/s320/Lessons+Cover.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Now Available </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.1px;">on </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012OIEGV4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.1px;">Amazon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.1px;"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Who wouldn’t want a fairy
godmother? They would lavish you with gifts, of course, but more importantly
they would teach you how to be a better person by bringing out your inner
nobility. Lessons in Nobility is about how a very real fairy godmother changed the
author’s life from a self-destructive one to a life of noble aspirations and
wonderful achievements.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">While
still a teenager, Robert Westover was introduced to his “fairy godmother” who,
like the plot of so many Russian novels, was a delightfully eccentric countess.
Countess Olga de Chravpovitsky was raised in the court of Tsar Nicholas II. She
was a playmate of the legendary Grand Duchess Anastasia and at one point even
encountered the mysterious Siberian monk, Rasputin.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Despite
the horrors of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Olga’s family managed to escape.
Exiled in America, she became a relative (through marriage) to Jacqueline
Bouvier Kennedy and helped influence the former First Lady’s fascination with
imperial Russia—a fact known by few. But all these things were just the baubles
of a life of any well-born person with great connections. What made Olga
special was the nobility she expressed in nearly everything she did—and how she
taught it to Robert.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">So how
did a middle class kid from LA become the “honorary godson” to such a regal and
highborn woman? That will be for the reader to decide. Some will see it as pure
luck while others will see it as fate. But, no matter the conclusion, the story
of how Robert was taught to be noble is one that everyone can gain from.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The
reader will walk away with a better understanding of what being noble is and
how they can apply these lessons in their own lives. Sometimes dramatic and
often moving, Lessons in Nobility has a timeless appeal.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Never
before Published Insight into Jackie Kennedy’s Life<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;">As an
exciting addition to the book, the author has included an article he wrote
about the relationship between Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Hugh D. “Yusha”
Auchincloss III, Olga's newphew. Step brother and sister, Yusha and Jackie
shared a love that lasted their entire lives.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Mr.
Westover had unique access to Yusha Auchincloss and interviewed him on several
occasions at Hammersmith Farm in Newport, Rhode Island. The interviews, in the
twilight of Mr. Auchincloss' life, reveal just how much love he and Jackie had
for each other.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.1px;">Available</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> on Amazon at: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012OIEGV4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012OIEGV4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0</a></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><b><i>Robert
Hudson Westover is a professional writer of articles, humorous columns, and was
the subject of many national news stories including ABC World News Tonight
(2000), The New York Times (1998/2003) and the BBC (1998/2000). His "Lord
Westover" blog was nominated to the Washington Post's "Best Blog
Award" by its readers and mentioned in the Christian Science Monitor. Mr.
Westover is co-author of the well-received “S.S. United States – Fastest Ship
in the World” (Turner). He and his husband, Gay rights activist Tom Fulton,
live in Virginia.</i></b></span></span></h4>
<o:p></o:p>Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-70968349555912279512015-12-15T04:58:00.002-08:002021-08-18T08:36:41.495-07:00Lord Westover: A Christmas Story for All - The Forgotten History ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhE_9T1pXTgtOSYcQ-UHfzMtkzX8_h0O34dhv7Et-XC8hWPR3A-xkH0vCH2cMLgpPVIX2dtL2f6QDTiVwfqE7yqmItrtGlblvcXu9AVUEbiEbhfHYzfgGnWWXbgEDch74gZ3VIHA_gfDs/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhE_9T1pXTgtOSYcQ-UHfzMtkzX8_h0O34dhv7Et-XC8hWPR3A-xkH0vCH2cMLgpPVIX2dtL2f6QDTiVwfqE7yqmItrtGlblvcXu9AVUEbiEbhfHYzfgGnWWXbgEDch74gZ3VIHA_gfDs/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://lordwestover.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-christmas-story-for-all-forgotten.html?spref=bl">Lord Westover: A Christmas Story for All - The Forgotten History ...</a>: By His Grace, Lord Westover and the Earl of Fulton Millions of children believe in Santa Claus, a mystical fat man who brings them pre...Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-6876286239881819202015-12-07T10:32:00.001-08:002021-08-18T08:37:13.745-07:00Getty Images: Same sex couples activists celebrate US Supreme Court decision<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;">You know you’re part
of LGBT media history when Getty Images, the world’s largest repository of
pictures and broadcast roll media has you in their database. Tom, me and our
friend Phil Attey appear in the attached clip—note the caption! So proud to be
a “</span><span style="color: #666666;">Flag waving LGBT rights” advocate!</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;"><b>This news clip (or
portions of it) were broadcast around the world to over 100 countries. Take
that LGBT haters!</b></span><span style="font-size: 18pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;">Getty Images: Same
sex couples activists celebrate US Supreme Court decision<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BUfKdydyEZIH4QLb3UwW33XVXFFGN1T_nK3k5-iTtctIlrpTMPBE29_9V59vG7cO7fDc97SiS_agBVfNPhnpy8BFCOH2VsoMYCYntNuF-q9HMl67_gizYl0mvj6nEUL0q-9OAtiGYgM/s1600/479216098_k5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BUfKdydyEZIH4QLb3UwW33XVXFFGN1T_nK3k5-iTtctIlrpTMPBE29_9V59vG7cO7fDc97SiS_agBVfNPhnpy8BFCOH2VsoMYCYntNuF-q9HMl67_gizYl0mvj6nEUL0q-9OAtiGYgM/s1600/479216098_k5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">Credit: </span><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/film?artist=AFP+Footage&family=editorial" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #4cb7ff; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">AFP Footage</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/film?artist=AFP+Footage&family=editorial"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #4cb7ff; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">More from this filmmaker</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Caption: Flag waving
LGBT rights advocates on the packed Supreme Court forecourt some in tears
cheered danced shouted USA USA and sang The Star Spangled Banner in celebration
of the high court’s decision to make same sex marriage legal throughout the US</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/flag-waving-lgbt-rights-advocates-on-the-packed-supreme-news-footage/479216098"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/flag-waving-lgbt-rights-advocates-on-the-packed-supreme-news-footage/479216098</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-42772264894066007712015-10-22T07:28:00.000-07:002019-02-14T05:21:48.593-08:00Let’s Talk Story - Be a Witness to Climate Change<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>By Robert Westover</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On our way into work this morning my husband, Tom,
was reading an article in The Atlantic about Microsoft founder Bill Gate’s
perspective on climate change when Tom abruptly turned to me and said: </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I hear so much about the science of climate change but I
rarely hear people tell how it has affected them...on an individual level. I
want to hear about their personal experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNediaEi3R3DhlYHscRf0X-Du8qM1ptD62D3Iz46IwPDJ2eePpuW9IPu4nWB8Kd3X7WXcwEObQDETEVeR0Y2XD4bjByszKKckYqhF7IFkqJ9l3mmHBm89-DupLCAiVC5QR3bYvaZPV4Bg/s1600/IMG_6569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNediaEi3R3DhlYHscRf0X-Du8qM1ptD62D3Iz46IwPDJ2eePpuW9IPu4nWB8Kd3X7WXcwEObQDETEVeR0Y2XD4bjByszKKckYqhF7IFkqJ9l3mmHBm89-DupLCAiVC5QR3bYvaZPV4Bg/s320/IMG_6569.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Tom enjoying New Zealand's great outdoors</i></b><br />
<b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i> (Photo credit Robert Westover)</i></b></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was astounded
that I hadn’t thought to promote this type of anecdotal climate change awareness on a
more focused level in the ten years I’ve been writing about global warming. (</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Full
disclosure: for many years I’ve been a “true believer” in the effects of climate
change, as a man-made phenomenon. Tom has always been a keen observer and
skeptic of political/environmental trends but he now agrees wholeheartedly with
me that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing mankind and we
need to do something about it.)</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, I got to work—immediately
(as in today). </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span>And here's the
start.</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve launched a
Facebook page called <b>Witness to Climate Change</b> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/witnesstoclimatechange/" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: windowtext;">https://www.facebook.com/witnesstoclimatechange/</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> to
capture in one location as many personal storied of how climate change has affected
You and Me—all of us on an individual level. This is how the story needs to be
told. This is how people learn. Anecdotes of </span></span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">this-is-what-happened-to-me</b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> have
guided humanity for millennia and I now feel this should be the focus of a
worldwide climate change awareness campaign I’m calling (like the </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Facebook</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> handle) <b>Witness to Climate
Change</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASFSEuL447Rob-ZULtYzFAfm1zrXCXZj_uqmnjlS8LsXt_7c3O4-beMle-AJ9iqSGd1-M48f1A9p0r0sLg9FzB256W_3o6QBmpf8pTczVtwjIgDWyQX0hzCZlf928nNmQn-QEjQLohKw/s1600/Prince+Charles+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASFSEuL447Rob-ZULtYzFAfm1zrXCXZj_uqmnjlS8LsXt_7c3O4-beMle-AJ9iqSGd1-M48f1A9p0r0sLg9FzB256W_3o6QBmpf8pTczVtwjIgDWyQX0hzCZlf928nNmQn-QEjQLohKw/s320/Prince+Charles+013.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Shortly after meeting Prince Charles<br /> (Photo credit Robert Westover)</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back a few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet one of the great climate
change spokespersons (if you will) in the world. I shook hands with Prince
Charles and told him I worked on climate change issues to which he responded, “</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But is anyone listening?"
to which I replied, "We're making progress. They will listen..."</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I hope the <b>Witness to Climate
Change</b> grassroots awareness campaign is an answer so that many more will start “listening”.
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Please go to the
new <b>Witness to Climate Change</b> Facebook page </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/witnesstoclimatechange/"><span style="color: windowtext;">https://www.facebook.com/witnesstoclimatechange/</span></a> and </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">share your own experiences of what you've seen, lived or how
you’ve been affected by climate change. I’ll choose stories to be promoted on
this blog and my Twitter site <b>@MrClimateChange</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let’s fight Climate
Change one story at a time!</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752332474102067032.post-75506673452438564182015-10-02T11:23:00.001-07:002019-02-14T05:23:57.962-08:00An Open Letter to Pope Francis on Gay Marriage<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“In the resurrection they neither marry nor are
given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” – Christ Jesus</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dear Pope Francis:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a baptized and loving Catholic I have worked to thread
my Catholic upbringing into daily living as I have sought to lead a life
with integrity, dignity, and personal success as a <u>natural gay man</u> created by
God as Gay. I have a wonderful loving
husband named Robert who, although not Catholic (I’m working on it), loves God
with such profundity that it was one of the reasons I married him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My often difficult but blessed personal journey has
occurred while at the same time, throughout the advanced world we all have witnessed,
as part of each generation’s spiritual revelation, a deeper understanding of same-sex
attraction within the human race, as well as the animal kingdom. And are not animals in their simplistic innocent creatures of God? If same sex attraction was not natural,
why did God instill it in a small percentage of his lessor creation?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMk0q1bZCl604y0fsfNSt-TQV9r1ZSoTsIBiDhzbRytqfOHTkZEByYlEMQc0m69kH5tVSiyUMXXGQmTJ2Cu-pBC-2EbvmUZEQZe9JgyQV0qhIA57-c1F4eKcNjWuOd485yND3u77EnmM/s1600/free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMk0q1bZCl604y0fsfNSt-TQV9r1ZSoTsIBiDhzbRytqfOHTkZEByYlEMQc0m69kH5tVSiyUMXXGQmTJ2Cu-pBC-2EbvmUZEQZe9JgyQV0qhIA57-c1F4eKcNjWuOd485yND3u77EnmM/s320/free.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>My Husband and me after the US Supreme ruled that our<br />marriage, our devotion and love for each other, was<br />equal to every other married couple in America. <br />This picture was the lead photo on the Huffington Post's<br />website and was picked up all over the world</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I, and others like me, seek to demonstrate that values
such as wholesome living, honor, love and fidelity can be lived while having a
spouse of the same-sex. Millions of us seek to live a life in Christ. As with all people, this walk is often a
challenge, but made unnecessarily difficult by unloving, uniformed, or less
spiritually developed forces which attack and demonize Gay people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And, we as LGBT Catholics have an additional cross
put upon our shoulders by our own church.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Many of us turn in despair to anti-spiritual fronts, often exemplified
by popular culture which often elevates and </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">glorifies</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> baser ways of living, which
many do know, through often </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">tragic</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> personal experience, leads to a spiritual dead end--yet even as this “front” has offered us refuge when the Church has turned against us!</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Indeed, <u>this is a challenge</u> calling for great gifts
of discernment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I too have a concern for the “family”, Pope Francis,
which I agree can be greatly healed by individuals committing to living lives
far more focused on self-less love, and service. Please pray to understand,
though, that physical expressions, depending upon body parts, DO NOT, Pope
Francis, change “fundamental relationships” that you expressed concern about in
the marriage covenant. Rather sexuality,
including Gay sexuality, is truly a mysterious wonder which according to God’s
plan, when property used, can lead to a deeper, richer life in every way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With our <u>natural</u> sexuality intact we can develop
towards a deeper life in Christ. Many
things threaten all types of family life today, I agree: a culture which too often
degrades or ridicules wholesome values, rather than the transformational power
of love for another. Or others: worldwide economic pressures, self-centeredness,
declining discipline, delaying gratification, a changing socialization which
focuses on short-term versus long-term goals, and many many other
challenges. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This ostracized community of Gay people, especially </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">middle-age</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> elders, can actually offer tremendous insight into how to counter
these corrosive visions within the flock. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Holy Father, you can seize this opportunity and actually help by understanding
and speaking compassionately about our rightful place within the body of
Christ!</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">You can speak forth that our
dreams too reflect the dream that Martin Luther King Jr. had that men and women
should be judged by the content of their character, and people who are LGBT
should not in any way be discriminated within the public realm, and this must
be clearly stated in federal law, and throughout the world.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Your Holiness you are actually in concert with
another fellow Catholic, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Kennedy. Yes, in removing the splinter from the
Church’s eye, you may see symmetry, mathematical beauty. You reiterated the importance, above all, of
the richness and the beauty of family life, likewise through the movement of
the Holy Spirit, Justice Kennedy affirmed in his ruling regarding marriage
equality that no union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the
highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, and sacrifice, and FAMILY. In forming a marital union two people
(<b>regardless of body parts which soon enough turn to dust</b>) become something greater
than they once were.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Marriage embodies a love that may endure even beyond
death. It would misunderstand these men
and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. We in the LGBT community respect it so much
that we want to be part of it, find </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">fulfillment</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> in it for themselves and proclaim its great value to others. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The loving and equal affirmation of LGBT people, Holy
Father, is human dignity. It is this generation’s spiritual revelation, that I
deeply pray every night that your will ultimately proclaim during your
Papacy. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I know in this life I will never meet with you, Holy Father, to sit down together and share in the spirit of Christ's Love, but in heaven when all is clearly seen, I pray we will </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">see eye-to-eye as brothers of the faith in the most holy council of Our Lord.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’d like to end this letter with another mention of
my husband. Holy Father you took the name of my most admired saint. Fifteen
years ago when I showed Robert, the film Brother Son, Sister Moon by Franco
Zeffirelli’s he cried. Two weeks before your ascendancy to the Throne of Saint
Peter, Robert told a friend, who had hardened their heart toward our one true and
Apostolic Church, they should watch the film because “Saint Francis of Assisi
was what being a Christian and Catholic means…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With Great Love in Christ Our Savior,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thomas Eugene Fulton,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Washington, DC</span><br />
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Robert Westoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09835186062975011085noreply@blogger.com0