Amber Dorrian and my kid sister "Bela" not Bella (Wisdom Quarterly)
Breaking Dawn premieres. The forces of the Moon versus those badly affected by the Moon. "Twilight" is basically Dracula vs. Wolfman. Only the vampires are melodramatic and the wolves are so CGI. This series is a mess. But, melodrama can be good. Soap opera thrillers for tweens who need a romantic lead are keeping the mall theaters alive.
Giggly Bieber kids and gayish gothy teens are outnumbered by horndog moms. Fans everywhere are sure to keep this blockbuster going. And that's good. It's keeping "romance" alive. And there's nothing higher to live for. So get used to it.
The world needs more Harry Potter with heavy petting because Emma Thompson isn't doing anything to meet our need for sizzle. Taylor Lautner is pure peach fuzz for a hirsute leading man. Robert Pattinson is very, very Brit'ish. And Kristen Stewart's lesbian child molester kiss with Dakota Fanning was a real let down.
For American parents, teenage sex is something to be feared and forbidden. Sex is often a source of family conflict. But in the Netherlands, where teenage pregnancies are far less frequent than in the US, parents aim above all for family cohesiveness
They often permit young couples to sleep together and provide them with contraceptives. Probing our child-rearing for what it tells us about our culture, Not Under My Roof by Amy T. Schalet offers an intimate and unprecedented account of the different ways girls and boys in both countries negotiate sex, love, and growing up.
Not Under My Roof features personal stories of teens and parents, a sociologically and historically-informed analysis, and a roadmap for guiding US social policy on adolescent sexual health.
Teenagers and sex? It's a controversial subject in America. Different attitudes Dutch parents hold towards teen sex prevent teen pregnancy (with a teenage birthrate four times lower than in the US) and disease.
Wisdom Quarterly (INTERVIEW with Fat Joe) no relation to Fat Mike
Joe, do you or could you meditate?
"What? I have ADHD. At least I think I do. My mom's doctor gave me speed [the chemical pharmaceutical Ritalin], so I do now anyway."
[Still drinking soda, eating fast food (excitotoxins and cancer-forming carbs, adulterated fats, sugars), watching TV (commercials)...]
"There's no way I can meditate. I can't pay attention. I've been sitting here playing Call of Duty: Black Ops for like 12 hours.
"If I try to meditate, I'll fall asleep. So, like, forget it. My phone keeps going off, texts, uh... What was I saying?
"I'm so fat and losing my hair. I look like Da' Buddha, or who's that guy at the Chinese take-out, Hotei Budai? You know, you rub his belly. Anyway. What, like, you sit down, like, on the floor on a cushion? Dude. No way! Maybe after some primo bud..."
But, Joe, how are you able to pay attention to those videogames for 12 hours?
"What d'ya mean?"
If you have Attention DEFICIT and Hyperactive Disorder, where are you getting all this attention?
"Oh-oh, I see! Hmm, huh, yeah. Medication? This game's exciting! Isn't meditation, like, BORING? Just sitting there staring at your belly button. What is meditation? I can't do it! I don't have the attention span to meditate."
CC Liu, Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells (Wisdom Quarterly) MICHAEL JACKSON DOCTOR FOUND GUILTY
First Herman "Koch" Cain, now this. Child music idol Justin Bieber is being accused of having gone "all the way" -- possibly against his will, certainly without his consent. (By law minors are not able to consent to sex).
Now someone is pregnant, and baby, baby, baby Bieber is willing to take a paternity test to prove it is not him, uh, his. One thing's sure: former-child star abusing Conrad Murray will not be conducting that test. No comment yet from girlfriend/beard Selena Gomez.
While these allegations would give little Bieber street credentials with Ludacris and the rap/hip-hop underworld, it would shock and scandalize soccer moms and church groups everywhere.
Was baby Justin, shown here with Ludicrous in possibly the world's most viewed video, statutorily raped by Mariah Laci Yeater (shown below)?
They have already lost former Mouseketeers Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera and with Lindsay Lohan in and out of jail, anti-sex trafficking advocate Ashton Kutcher cheating on Demi, and Drew Barrymore having gotten away with more than all of them (allegedly).
What is our world coming to? Not since the Partridges or Bradys were dating (each other) or Donny and Marie and the Mommas and the Poppas seemed a bit too close have the tabloids had so much to wag about. Oh, Justin, say it ain't so!
Execution? Not in our name! Supreme Court stay rumored. Democracy Now! Live Special 3:00-5:00 pm, Wednesday
Watch live from Democracy Now: On location in Georgia covering the legal lynching
There is a last ditch effort to ask Pres. Obama or Attorney General Holder to take action regarding the execution of Troy Anthony Davis.
This is a call to community radio stations to please ask listeners to go to the Answer Coalition website at answercoalition.org to send a letter to President Obama and Attorney General Holder requesting action.
It is not only the execution of an innocent black man but the lynching of a guilty white supremacist (Lawrence Brewer) taking place today. No to the death "penalty" for anyone. It does not work to prevent murder but exacerbates it. In every state in the world, the banning of the death penalty has not increased murder rates. Few police states in the world continue this barbaric practice, which is even opposed by former FBI Director Sessions. Among them Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Pakistan, and the US are responsible for 90 percent of state murders. Brewer is being used to sell the death penalty, which disproportionately targets and is implemented against ethnic minorities in an openly naked racist way in the US.
People can also call the White House switchboard at 1-202-456-1111 or go to whitehouse.gov and click CONTACT US in the upper right hand corner.
(AmnestyUSA) AmnestyUSA.org/Troy Davis is at risk of execution even though his innocence is likely. Part One "The Investigation" gives a thorough explanation of the case and the many problems with the investigation. With appeals exhausted, Davis' fate is in the hands of Georgia's Board of Pardons and Paroles. Once an execution date is scheduled, there is an option of permanently preventing his execution.
NCADP, Friend, Fellow Abolitionist Message We at the National Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty have been working around the clock, and many creative actions are under way. Below is the alert we sent yesterday -- if you have not taken the actions within, please do so now. In DC, we'll be gathering at 6pm at Vernon Square, across from the DC Convention Center where the Congressional Black Caucus is holding its annual convention in order to involve as many of those leaders as possible.
Yesterday, Troy sent the following message:
"The struggle for justice does not end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davis' who came before me. I'm in good spirits and I'm prayerful and at peace. But I will not stop fighting until I've taken my last breath. Georgia is prepared to snuff out the life of an innocent man."
So Keep Hope Alive! In a bit of good news, last night's scheduled execution in Texas was stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
This is an odd juxtaposition of two executions scheduled for exactly the same time this evening. At 7:00 pm EDT in Georgia, racism plays a part in the execution of Troy Davis. At 6:00 pm CDT in Texas, Lawrence Brewer is to be executed for his participation in the infamous racist hate crime dragging murder of James Byrd in Jasper, TX in 1998.
Please join NCADP in opposing the executions of both men. We stand against all executions without reservation. Keep in your thoughts and prayers the families of James Byrd and [Security Guard] MacPhail, the families of the men being executed and those men, all those whose jobs require their [karmically abysmal] participation in this process, and all those working to stop the executions.
Please do something today to stand visibly in opposition to the death penalty: ncadp.org
Troy Davis vigils today in SoCal:
Pasadena: 275 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105 (Central Park) - 3:00 pm
Los Angeles: 2439 Silver Ridge Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039 - 8:00 pm
Stonehenge Partners with National Yoga Month to host an Event Series in NYC
Dear Chien,
Stonehenge Partners, a fully integrated New York City-based real estate company, is partnering with Yoga Month to host the first annual Stonehenge Yoga Month Series this September.
The series will kick-off with a memorial event on September 11 at the Ritz Plaza Fireman’s Memorial Park. A 90 minute slow flow Vinyasa yoga class will be led for all levels in honor and appreciation of the firefighters’ service. Live music will be provided by the September Concert Series (SeptemberConcert.org).
A family-friendly yoga festival benefiting Bent on Learning (BentOnLearning.org) is planned for September 24 at Stonehenge Village. With ongoing kids yoga classes, music, children’s activities and vendors, this event seeks to inspire healthy living in a fun-filled manner for all ages.
The final event of the series is in conjunction with Yoga Month’s culminating community practice, The Time for Yoga. On September 30, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to take part in this worldwide yoga practice in the comfort and luxury of ten Manhattan apartments. This innovative event will be followed by a celebration of healthy living, happy homes and community through yoga.
Here at the Clif Bar headquarters, home to LUNA, we are lucky enough to have daily yoga classes. Abby, one of our yoga instructors, kept her day job as our HR manager, so she knows how hard it is to spend time sitting in your cube 5 days a week. Here’s a modified Garudasana yoga pose to keep your shoulders relaxed while working away at your desk:
Sit with both feet on the ground, hip-width apart.
Inhale; lift the crown of your head and stretch your arms out to the sides at shoulder height.
Exhale; cross your arms in front of your torso, right elbow on top of left elbow and bend your arms so your hands are at face height.
Cross your wrists pressing your left fingers into your right palm, slightly lifting your elbows and slowly breathe.
Release and repeat on the other side.
If your coworkers ask what you’re doing, guide them through this stretch so they’ll be as relaxed as you! To learn more about Luna, visit www.lunabar.com. Namaste from your friends here at LUNA!
Shop to Support Yoga Month
Described by yoga lovers as savasanain a bottle, 222 Waters help users to relax and focus with a simple spritz. The botanical waters, or hydrosols, are naturally produced during the essential oil steam distillation process and come in a variety of scents. Infused with love and transformative energy, each hydrosol features specific affirmations to reinforce positive thinking and health. Considered to be the homeopathic version of aromatherapy, botanical waterscan be used anywhere, from yoga class to the beach, and are safe for pets. During the month of September, 10% of all sales of 222 Waters will be donated to Yoga Month. For more information, visit 222Waters.com. Please link to 222waters.com
Isha Foundation offers tools for transforming yourself, transcending limitations, and experiencing higher levels of consciousness. Create your life the way you want it with Inner Engineering - 7 online classes guided by Sadhguru, a yogi, mystic, and visionary humanitarian who works tirelessly toward physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing for all. After completing the online course, you can experience a 2-day live program with Sadhguru and learn the ShambhaviMahamudrakriya, a powerful yogic energy practice that establishes a chemistry of blissfulness within you. Shambhavi programs upcoming in Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Toronto! Begin your journey at www.innerengineering.com. Donation of 5% goes to Yoga Month when you enter the code YOGAMONTH.
Attend one of 4 amazing events featuring EckhartTolle, Kim Eng, Ram Das and Wayne Dyer either in person or online. 30% of all subscriptions to EckharttolleTV or of bookings for one of 4 inspiring Maui events will benefit Yoga Month.
Libre tea glasses are the convenient, economical, and eco-friendly way to enjoy loose leaf tea on the go. With a health-conscious glass interior and durable poly exterior, the glasses are both healthy and practical, not to mention sleek and stylish! Libre tea glasses love to inspire tea moments, a moment to connect and reflect in your busy day; take a breath and relax. Libre tea, an inspiration of Energetic Marketing, is joyous to connect with Yoga.
Recommended Website
ECOEDEN The AURA SHOP announces the development of a very special project: ECO EDEN, a comprehensive eco-community in the fertile farmland near Santa Barbara. The creation of a vibrant community with resilient organic food and green energy systems, LEEDS-certified architecture, and enlightened educational, cultural and wellness programs and facilities, as well as business opportunities, fulfills a life-long dream for all of us. By putting our environmental and spiritual philosophies into active practice, we hope to help transform the way humans consider our relationship with the Earth. Please visit www.ecoeden.us to see what we envision! All the land photos are of the actual property we have been working to secure; we look forward to breaking ground as soon as possible.
Yoga Local NYC is the mobile yogi's go-to guide for all things yoga near you in NYC. This free geo-targeted iPhone app helps you find and navigate more than 250 yoga studios throughout the city, with listings of 5,000+ weekly classes, daily yoga news, and special offers and deals all over the city.
Kick Off of Nation Yoga Month: Titans of Yoga Screening & Pot Luck. This event will be held at MindBody Living Friday September 2 7p.m. to kick off National Yoga Month. We will be collecting donations to attend and all donations will help to support Yoga-Recess in Schools (www.yoga-recess.org). Please bring a covered dish to share with others as we enjoy this film together. Kindly R.S.V.P. your attendance by calling (954) 252-7999. MindBody Living, 8620 Griffin Road, Cooper City, FL 33328, Phone (954) 252-7999
9/14 @ Fredericksburg, VA
Screening of the movie "Titans of Yoga" open to the public, followed by Q&A at 7:00 pm in the downstairs screening room of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in downtown Fredericksburg, VA, followed by Q&A with local yoga teachers. Weather permitting, an outdoor yoga class will be held in town (place to be determined) on Saturday, September 17th at 9:30 am. Rain date will be announced if it looks like the weather won't hold. Central Rappahannock Regional Library,1201 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 Trinity Yoga and Healing, Phone 540-272-5242
9/14 @ Indus Valley Yoga, TX
Titans Of Yoga Movie Night 07:30 PM. Join us for the screening of the Titans of Yoga movie. Bring a folding chair, a picnic blanket and join us in the lawn for this outdoor screening. Indus Valley Yoga, 2463 Bill Smith Rd, Conroe/The Woodlands/Spring, TX 77384/77380. Indus Valley Yoga, Phone 832-277-3577
Friday Sept. 23 - Los Angeles @ LMU
LA Yoga Month is hosting a special screening of the movie, Titans of Yoga, through Loyola Marymount University's Yoga and the Healing Sciences Teacher Training Program. The screening is scheduled on Friday, September 23rd from 7-9pm at the Ahmanson Auditorium at LMU. This special event is being held by donation and will feature surprise musical guests to kick it off and a Q&A panel with some of L.A.’s master Yoga teachers following the movie. It’s sure to be a fantastic evening! Please go YogaDoctors.com for more details on the Yoga and the Healing Sciences Teacher Training Program. Or, go to www.lmu.edu for a map to the Ahmanson Auditorium
9/24 @ The Yoga MAT, Orange CA
6-7 Yoga Blend Class 7-7:30 Refreshments 7:30-9.00 TITANS OF YOGA movie screening with popcorn, & goodies 9-10 Vino & Dessert * Stay for part or all of the event. the Yoga Mat, 1315 -GTustin St., Orange, CA 92867, Phone 714.403.1550
Sat, Oct. 1 - Atlanta, GA
One of our conference presenters, Sara Ivanhoe, is featured in “Titans of Yoga” and will moderate a conversation about the film after the screening. The screening will take place on Saturday, October 1st at 7:30pm at the W Midtown on 14th Street. The cost is $15, with all monies going to Yoga Recess in Schools. Please note: You don’t have to be registered for the conference workshops to participate in either the Friday or Saturday night event! www.atlantayogaconference.com
(LINK) Rabbi Levin provides Biblical and Rabbinical citations that connect disasters in general, such as earthquakes and floods (tsunamis) in particular to gay sex...
"G-D shakes the Earth because gays shake their male members where they shouldn't," according to Jewish (Old Testament) scholar Rabbi Yehuda Levin ("The Fear Kashes" on blip.tv; see full video below from the archives of the Rabbi's weekly radio program are heard on 6.20 AM (in NYC) every Sunday night from 12:00 to 1:00 am.
Many fundamentalist Christians, whose religion is intricately tied to Judaism, agree.
(YourSupremeBeing) August 24, 2011 - Using biblical passages, Rabbi Yehuda Levin tries to blame east coast earthquakes (Virginia, DC, New York City and Haiti, Dominican Republic) on God's wrath against homosexuals and gay marriage.
Using this logic, one could show that God hates Jews even more than he hates homosexuals. In actuality, God does not hate anybody. Maybe Rabbi Yehuda Levin does. But he notes that he does not dislike gay people. And he is not the only one to read Judeo-Christian scripture in this way.
The New York rabbi claims gay marriage and the earthquake that shook the East Coast last Tuesday are directly connected. In a video uploaded to YouTube (and soon taken down as "hate speech"), Levin says gay rights legislation, like the gay marriage law passed in New York, are responsible for earthquakes, like the one that just struck Virginia/Washington, D.C.
"The Talmud states, 'You have shaken your male member in a place where it doesn't belong. I, too, will shake the Earth,'" Levin says. "We don't hate homosexuals," he says. "I feel bad for homosexuals. It's a revolt against God and, literally, there's hell to pay."
If people love each other, why can't leaders get along? (avsastesi.com)
Muslims in America and Ramadan 2011
(TWS, August 3, 2011)
Misunderstanding Islam continues. For Muslims in America, Ramadan 2011 brings an opportunity to reach out to fellow Americans.Muslims across the world started the holy month of Ramadan on August 1 with fasting. American Muslims are no different. But Keith Ellison, a member of the House of Representatives from Minnesota, claims that Islam is still much misunderstood in the country. More
On a much deeper level, what are Mecca and the Black Cube at its center really about?
Mecca is the center of the Islamic world. But the treatment of the central edifice is an ancient Vedic ritual, more characteristic of Hinduism, honoring Saturn a planet or an anthropomorphic representation of that heavenly body (or, more likely, a visitor therefrom). Who is the god of this world? Judging by our behavior for millenia.
The powers that be (Pentagon, CIA, banking elites, and similar movers and shakers) want a Holy War. The sides? The "good" Judeo-Christian US wages endless war against "evil" Islam (Persian post-Zoroastrian asura-worship). It may be mythology and a fundamentalist interpretation of the Christian Bible, but it is motivating very serious decisions to destroy people on the basis of religion. The military-industrial complex operates as if it is true, growing rich while impoverishing everyone else.
How and Why the World worships Saturn
Theforceiswithinyou.com
[We may] not know it, but the entire world has been worshiping Saturn for thousands of years. The cult has never stopped, and its rites are still present to this day. Saturn, dubbed the “Lord of the Rings,” is the reason why we exchange rings at weddings or put halos on the heads of godly people.
Semitic civilizations referred to the god Saturn as “El.” The supreme deity was represented by a black cube. We can find instances of the cube across the world.
The gods of ELohim are angELs, the messengers of god.
When witches cast a speEL, they put the “Hex” (6) on someone, and when chefs deep fry something, they “Deep 6” it. It is the ELites who run the world today. Elite comes from the “IsraElites” which came from the Egyptian worship of the Moon (Isis), the Sun, (Ra), and Saturn (Elohim), hence IsRaEl.
Jews and Muslims alike worship a huge black cube/box called Kabba at Mecca. Their god YHWH is known as the “Tetragramaton” meaning their 4 letter (4 sided?) God. The “Kabballah” of Jewish mysticism/Masonry comes from KabbaAllah or “CubeGod” around which people gather and ceremonially walk in circles. More (see cube photos and video)
Connection older than Hinduism and Judaism
Walking in circles, called circumambulation, is an appeasing mark of respect. It is explicitly called for in Hindu and pre-Hindu ceremonies. ("Hinduism" only began when Adi Shankara systematized disparate views and schools of thought prevalent in India around 800 CE). Interestingly, as part of the Hajj, or annual pilgrimage to Mecca, pilgrims throw stones at the Devil as if to keep bad luck away.
Hindus are under fear of evil and ill-effect from his planet Saturn. In Vedic astrology, the planetary position at the time of birth determines the future of a person. So Hindus accord immense importance to the planets, and Saturn or "Shani" is one such planet.
The "return of Saturn" as Gwen Stefani sang about might be something to fear more than to celebrate. Of course, making the best of it is always best. There's no bad that cannot lead to some good as well.
The Nine Realms of Nordic mythology -- as one learns in the movie "Thor" or from deep study of Viking lore -- are space worlds corresponding to the nine planets of our solar system. (There is or was a tenth "planet," Nirbiru, but that's another matter). The "gods" (devas) hailing from these worlds came to Earth to help or conquer, pillage or lift up. This left Earthlings with very different feeling about various deities, their days, and their "stars" (planets).
Thor (Sakka, Indra) got Thursday, Saturn Saturday, and so on. This is the collective spiritual inheritance of the world, but it only remains in mythological form. We are pressed to believe it is only fantastic or symbolic. It was once very literal, and as ELenin approaches (see video below) and the "gods" (powerful extraterrestrials revered like gods) return, all will be revealed. Meanwhile, the harmful titans (called asuras in Buddhism) and reptilians (nagas) have been here a long time preparing to resist. [It's not clear where an ape-like race of forest dwellers stand.] Humans are caught in the middle, with many taking the wrong side.
WARNING: Potentially offensive or humorous depiction of how the Great Creator (Maha Brahma) in theistic faiths might have produced the universe, subsequent evolution, and the Church's alternative theory ("Family Guy").
WASHINGTON (RNS) - More than half of U.S. voters approve of God’s job performance, according to a new poll, making God more popular than all members of Congress.
The poll -- which was conducted by the Democratic research firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) -- surveyed 928 people and found that 52 percent of Americans approved of God’s overall dealings [they particularly liked "its" creation of the universe], while only 9 percent disapproved.
Questions about God were asked as part of a larger survey assessing American opinions of congressional leaders in the midst of the ongoing debt ceiling debate in Washington.
God’s approval rating exceeded that of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, as well as both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, with each party receiving only a 33 percent approval rating.
God also polled significantly higher than the scandal-ridden media baron Rupert Murdoch: only 12 percent of those polled viewed him favorably, compared to 49 percent who viewed him unfavorably.
“Though not the most popular figure PPP has polled, if God exists, voters are prepared to give it (sic) good marks,” PPP said in a July 21 press release.
The poll also gauged God’s handling of specific “issues.” When asked to rate God on the creation of the universe, 71 percent of voters approved and only 5 percent disapproved. Respondents were also generally appreciative of God’s governance of the “animal kingdom,” with 56 percent approving and 11 percent disapproving.
Younger respondents were more critical of God’s handling of natural disasters, with those ages 18-29 expressing a 26 percent disapproval rating, compared to 12 percent disapproval among those 65 and older.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
(Searchfortheunknown) The second pilot documentary in the In Search Of series: "In Search of Ancient Mysteries" (1975). The seventies were a time of disclosure and openmindedness before new and more powerful drugs were released into the society that put the kibosh on actual growth to welcome the Age of Aquarius. It was the dawning of the New Age, but not the realization of it. Why do the real thing when a synthetic substitute is cheaper, faster, and more profitable? So here we are, not much further along 35 years later. Of course, we have made a great deal of progress individually but not as a collective culture. This should remind us that the we is me; what I do is what we do, for that is the collective consciousness, and all we can do is contribute to it ourselves and by encouraging others. This episode is based on the book In Search of Ancient Mysteries by Alan and Sally Landsburg, narrated by Rod Serling of "Twilight Zone" fame.
An American worker puts the final touches on a beautiful smile (@berto/Flickr.com).
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns Or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses"*
Aesthetic Realism states that there will be no economic "recovery" until economics -- making money, creating jobs -- itself becomes ethical, based on goodwill rather than on the common ill-will that has been dominant for centuries.
This grand view points to a road map that Republican B.S. Obama (judged on his actions not his public relations campaigns) for the U.S. economy.
What steps could be taken to create jobs? There are many. We have done it before. After disastrous wars of the past -- and we have pretty much been involved in conflict almost without interruption for 200 years, but these dots are not connected by mainstream history books even though information on most of our invasions, covert wars, conquests, and prolonged occupations are well documented -- we had recovery programs.
There was the G.I. Bill. There was a massive movement to employ artists. There was once even a space program. We built bridges, a massive highway system, reservoirs, scenic routes, a rich library system, civic institutions, all of which we collectively call "infrastructure." The world and we are happier when we focus within.
But some element in power -- a shadow government that pulls strings at the White House, Pentagon, CIA, and other centers of power -- prefers to look for happiness without.
What is the meaning of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? It certainly does not mean happiness. We are not happy, and we were never promised happiness. Just its pursuit. So let's pursue it here. And when we grow happy, strong, and fabulously affluent, lets help others with no strings attached.
Those strings get us in a lot of trouble "policing" the world, subverting other governments, creating untold pollution and misery. Let's keep it in our pants. And our pockets will runneth over with riches to share with everyone around us. Is it a Cold War we need? Why not a Hot Peace? Let's wage peace!
And as the first act of peace, let's employ our own citizens to help our own citizens.
These roads need fixing.
These walls need painting.
These cities need planning.
These national parks need salvaging.
These corporations need regulating.
(Of course they don't want regulation, who does?)
The space above us needs exploring.
Plants need planting.
Farms need diversifying.
The environment needs cleaning.
Animals need caring.
Kids need raising by the community.
Teens need tutoring.
Prisoners need rehabilitating.
Parents need help.
Elders need teaching opportunities.
Bread needs baking.
And somewhere somehow there needs to be more candlestick making so we can all meditate (or pray) together in peace.... It's easy and natural.
So why are Americans still unemployed? It seems obvious.
This misery is the way the "powers that be" (which include the international bankers, the Obama administration, the war profiteers in their corporate jobs, the major industries, all of which may be referred to as, however secret its members may be, the "Military-Industrial Complex").
So before you find yourself at your neighbor's throat or blaming those darn economically-pressured immigrants, or becoming a violent xenophobe demanding a scapegoat (ala 1945), look for the real culprit. Nothing that is happening today is happening by accident or necessity. It's someone's plan. And THE PLAN is going well.
Would that they made another plan -- rather than blaming biblical prophecy and the angry, vengeful God of our Judeo-Christian society. There will never be peace without until there is peace within. So that puts the onus on us to peace out.
And if your son/daughter is a CIA functionary or soldier, tell him/her to come home and stop following illegal orders to kill, disrupt, rape, terrorize, drug, and sow fear throughout the world.
Meditate, pray, play, discuss, debate, join together respectfully -- whatever peaceful means it takes to pursue happiness. Because the pursuit, also called the journey, is the happiness. Or as Buddhism likes to say: There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way!
How does one go from college to drugs to a search for nirvana?
Bearing an uncanny resemblance to Buddhist monk Ven. Rahula, Rev. Jim* (Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd) from "Taxi" explains his roundabout path from Harvard University (with Tom Hanks), to peer-pressured premarital sex, to Woodstock, to the garage.
American (Sri Lankan Theravada) forest monk Ven. Rahula (Dhammatube)
The author of one of the most surprising and candid books on the "Buddhist" spiritual quest one may ever read (One Night's Shelter) is by Ven. Rahula. He is a former resident of West Virginia's Bhavana Society. He was once in line to succeed as its abbot when the noted elderly Sri Lankan scholar-practitioner Bhante G (author of Mindfulness in Plain English) stepped down. But he returned to the call of the open road after many years.
Meandering down from Afghanistan to the call of Acid (LSD) Full Moon Parties in Goa, India
Bhante Rahula recounts the "Hippie History" that led many in the West to seek a deeper spirituality through the Dharma (Pali, Dhamma) rather than the spiraling senselessness of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll.
Baby boomers evolved from being fed up with endless American wars -- with Vietnam destroying the illusion that we were killing and conquering for any noble or humanitarian reason whatsoever -- via drugs towards interest in sharp mindfulness and blissful meditation.
The real renunciation of drugs is as much mental as physical
*Explaining the character of Jim on "Taxi"
Drugs Are Bad Embodiment of the Sixties Jim attended Woodstock ("500,000 people... Lucky for them I went, or it would have only been 499,999"). He said he kept finding God everywhere -- except "he kept ditching me." He spent a year of his life making a macrame couch. He was once traded from his commune to another commune for two goats and a Donovan record. Jim once claimed that instead of finding NIRVANA, his 1960's experiences only left him with recurring flashbacks of the original Mouseketeers appearing as visions hatching out of seedpods.
The lesson here is best summarized by South Park's Mr. Mackay: "Drugs are bad, m'kay?"
Hating hateful actions (like murder) or hateful actors (like murderers) makes us guilty of hate. Hate is toxic to all who harbor it, and it is not cured by vigilantism or revenge.
There are those who give free rein to hate when it arises like stampeding horses. There are others who pull the reins and control their chariot even when the horses are bolting. The Buddha called the latter "charioteers," whereas the former are merely holding the reins.
American hatred has grown so great -- animosity at a mother or a trial gone wrong -- that citizens are ready to lynch anyone named Casey Anthony.
Searching Facebook, many have found a man by the same name and tormented him. His response to the vigilante mob? "I can't change my name, ladies and gentlemen."
"Casey Anthony" is a 43-year-old African-American male. He lives in Darby, Pennsylvania, and just happens to share the name of a 25-year-old Anglo-American female from Orlando, Florida, who is infamous for being found not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter.
PHOTO: The other Casey Anthony from Pennsylvania (NBC Philadelphia)
Mr. Casey Anthony has been bombarded on Facebook. He estimates that he has gotten at least 300 friend requests, messages, and posts, all targeting the other Casey Anthony.
"After the verdict that day, it went crazy. It was like everybody wanted to know and wanted to comment on this Casey Anthony situation," he explains.
The Antidote is the Opposite There are Three Poisons of the heart/mind: greed, hatred (often expressed as fear), and delusion. It is wise to root them out at every opportunity. It is easier to transmute or transform them into something useful than it is to rid oneself of them.
But surely if they remain, they are serving as the basis of unprofitable karma (unskillful action of mind, speech, or body). Their "antidotes" are categories of opposite states -- nongreed, nonhatred, and nondelusion. Three immediate remedies are given as:
Why would one even try to avoid or abandon hatred if it is manifesting as "righteous indignation"? Surely, that justifies it and strengthens us to act in opposition!?
No, what it does is obscure the mind, cause one to act in ways that result in remorse, that bring about suffering for us (when those actions later ripen), the bring humans down to subhuman states.
Hate helps no one. And those who say it does are trying to make the best of a bad situation. Transform it, transmute it, let it go, be freed from it, free others from it -- for it will surely drag us down, and we will only realize it too late.
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If people love each other, why can't leaders get along? (avsastesi.com)
