"And he fain would have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him."
How true this is; no one can give unto us but ourselves and no one can rob us but ourselves. "There are no gods to say us nay, for we are the life we live." In our greatest extremity, in the moment of great need and dire distress, who can help or serve us? All of our troubles come from an isolated sense of being; we alone can return to the "Father's House."
The question might be asked, "Where was God and why did He not come to the rescue of His beloved son? Did He not care............was He heedless about His son's welfare? Why did God allow such a thing to happen?" There is only one answer to all questions of this nature: God is always god, and man can always do as he pleases. He would not be an induvidual unless this were possible. The Father is never conscious of incompletion. the Father's House is always open, the latch string ever hanging out, the door always ajar, but man must enter, if he wishes to abide within.
Harmony can never become discord. the truth can never produce a lie. God can never be less than God. Could God enter into a field of strife, then He would not be God. God cannot enter the pig pen. We cannot contract the Infinite, but we can expand the finite. "And no man gave unto him." It is always thus.
The Science of Mind,
A Philosophy, A Faith, A Way of Life
by Ernest Holmes
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Friday, July 07, 2006
Oh My God! What have I done?
Last Saturday I drove to Phoenix to celebrate Independence Day with my babies. Michael is three now and so much fun. We had a wonderful visit, however, I came home with more than I left with.....72.5 pounds of dog. Her name is Maggie Mae, she's almost 11 months old, and she promptly barfed up her dinner on my bedroom carpet last night. Have I lost my mind?
Friday, June 30, 2006
Transcendence
This is still my favorite painting of all time.....I may have to buy it. Yes, I think I must.You can see all of Susan Seddon Boulet's magical art here.... http://gallery.arcobaleno.tv/index2.php?41
Knowing the Goddesses
Knowing which Goddess energy you pull from or resist can be very enlightening.
A brief psychological overview of Aphrodite
Aphrodite - possesses an extroverted temperament and focuses on relationship/love--she represents goddess of love (boundless eros) --her primary concerns/interests are mature, adult relationships, romance, sexuality, beauty and the arts. One account of Aphrodite's birth states that she rose up from the foam on the ocean as a naked and fully developed beautiful woman; and she rode on a scallop shell.
Aphrodite's origins, in fact, pre-date the ancient Greeks. She is said to be older than Time. An even more ancient deity exhibiting more aspects than love and beauty, she can also be recognized as Astarte or Ishtar. Her origins were Babylonian/Sumerian. Her domain embraced all of nature: vegetable, animal as well as human. Among her powers were associated with fertility and growth/harvesting of crops, war, descent to the underworld, birth/life/love/death and fate. She was also worshiped as sacred 'prostitute'.
Aphrodite represents the uniting of feminine and masculine energies--through sexual union.
This goddess includes autonomy similar to 'virgin' goddesses yet also includes aspects of the 'vulnerable' goddess such as relationship-oriented. Her consciousness is both focused--directed, goal-oriented and diffuse--receptive, taking in the relationship between things. Aphrodite does not suffer, however, as did the 'vulnerable' goddesses. Although she is known for her numerous sexual liaisons, she is not bound by any man. However, unlike Athena, Artemis and Hestia--'virgin' goddesses--Aphrodite did give birth to children. Unlike the 'vulnerable' goddesses--Demeter, Persephone and Hera--Aphrodite was never a victim of a man's unwanted passion for her; the desires were mutual. Unlike her 'virgin' sisters, she values emotional experiences with others more than she desires more solitary goals. Although an independent figure in her own right, this independence does not preclude emotional involvement with others. On the other hand, she is not attracted to permanent relational bonds like her 'vulnerable' sisters.
Aphrodite type woman admires potently masculine men and their capacity for success and combativeness. Her arena of interaction is in the boudoir or the salon. She feels comfortable with multiple relationships or extramarital affairs. She is attracted to creative men and engages with them as their inspirer. She is said to be attracted to the Son/Lover, as her romantic interests were a generation younger than she--those of the sons of her godly peers.
A brief psychological overview of Aphrodite
Aphrodite - possesses an extroverted temperament and focuses on relationship/love--she represents goddess of love (boundless eros) --her primary concerns/interests are mature, adult relationships, romance, sexuality, beauty and the arts. One account of Aphrodite's birth states that she rose up from the foam on the ocean as a naked and fully developed beautiful woman; and she rode on a scallop shell.
Aphrodite's origins, in fact, pre-date the ancient Greeks. She is said to be older than Time. An even more ancient deity exhibiting more aspects than love and beauty, she can also be recognized as Astarte or Ishtar. Her origins were Babylonian/Sumerian. Her domain embraced all of nature: vegetable, animal as well as human. Among her powers were associated with fertility and growth/harvesting of crops, war, descent to the underworld, birth/life/love/death and fate. She was also worshiped as sacred 'prostitute'.
Aphrodite represents the uniting of feminine and masculine energies--through sexual union.
This goddess includes autonomy similar to 'virgin' goddesses yet also includes aspects of the 'vulnerable' goddess such as relationship-oriented. Her consciousness is both focused--directed, goal-oriented and diffuse--receptive, taking in the relationship between things. Aphrodite does not suffer, however, as did the 'vulnerable' goddesses. Although she is known for her numerous sexual liaisons, she is not bound by any man. However, unlike Athena, Artemis and Hestia--'virgin' goddesses--Aphrodite did give birth to children. Unlike the 'vulnerable' goddesses--Demeter, Persephone and Hera--Aphrodite was never a victim of a man's unwanted passion for her; the desires were mutual. Unlike her 'virgin' sisters, she values emotional experiences with others more than she desires more solitary goals. Although an independent figure in her own right, this independence does not preclude emotional involvement with others. On the other hand, she is not attracted to permanent relational bonds like her 'vulnerable' sisters.
Aphrodite type woman admires potently masculine men and their capacity for success and combativeness. Her arena of interaction is in the boudoir or the salon. She feels comfortable with multiple relationships or extramarital affairs. She is attracted to creative men and engages with them as their inspirer. She is said to be attracted to the Son/Lover, as her romantic interests were a generation younger than she--those of the sons of her godly peers.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
A Simple Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon.
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith.
Where there is despair, let me sow hope.
Where there is sadness, let me sow joy.
O Divine Master, grant that
I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon.
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith.
Where there is despair, let me sow hope.
Where there is sadness, let me sow joy.
O Divine Master, grant that
I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Goddess Archetypes...which one are you? Hestia 16
A brief psychological overview of Hestia
Hestia - possesses an introverted temperament and is focused on her inner, spiritual world. Hestia is an archetype of inner centeredness. She was known to be mild mannered, upstanding, charitable, as well as a protector. She is the least known of the Olympian goddesses primarily because she never takes part in any disputes or wars. She minds her own business amidst a family of goddesses and gods who engage in 'high drama'. Similarly to Athena and Artemis she resists the amorous advances of men, therefore, placing her in the 'virgin' goddess category. Her energy is impersonal and detached. Her awareness is focused. Different than Persephone who seeks to please others, Hestia's focus is for herself. She is grounded and her life has meaning. Unlike Athena & Artemis, Hestia did not venture out to explore the world or wilderness; she remained inside, contained within the hearth. The goddess, Hestia did not take a partner. A Hestia-type woman, today, may prefer to live a more solitary life or live within a community of like-minded, spiritual 'sisters'.
Hestia - possesses an introverted temperament and is focused on her inner, spiritual world. Hestia is an archetype of inner centeredness. She was known to be mild mannered, upstanding, charitable, as well as a protector. She is the least known of the Olympian goddesses primarily because she never takes part in any disputes or wars. She minds her own business amidst a family of goddesses and gods who engage in 'high drama'. Similarly to Athena and Artemis she resists the amorous advances of men, therefore, placing her in the 'virgin' goddess category. Her energy is impersonal and detached. Her awareness is focused. Different than Persephone who seeks to please others, Hestia's focus is for herself. She is grounded and her life has meaning. Unlike Athena & Artemis, Hestia did not venture out to explore the world or wilderness; she remained inside, contained within the hearth. The goddess, Hestia did not take a partner. A Hestia-type woman, today, may prefer to live a more solitary life or live within a community of like-minded, spiritual 'sisters'.
Debra Sievers
I met Debra at Steven's party this weekend. This is a sample of her art. She's amazingly talented. http://www.visionsfineart.com/sievers/aa_index.html She told me the story of this particular piece. She saw it in her dreams night after night and decided it needed to be put on canvas. She searched for a model with long hair, one who looked like the young man in her dreams. Months went by and then....one day, in a restaurant, she spotted him sitting at the counter. She asked the waitress who he was and as luck would have it, he was the woman's son. He was happy to pose for her. He is beautiful, isn't he?
Another email.....
Published on Wednesday, April 3, 2002 by Common Dreams
What the American Flag Stands For
by Charlotte Aldebron
The American flag stands for the fact that cloth can be very important. It is against the law to let the flag touch the ground or to leave the flag flying when the weather is bad. The flag has to be treated with respect. You can tell just how important this cloth is because when you compare it to people, it gets much better treatment. Nobody cares if a homeless person touches the ground. A homeless person can lie all over the ground all night long without anyone picking him up, folding him neatly and sheltering him from the rain.
School children have to pledge loyalty to this piece of cloth every morning. No one has to pledge loyalty to justice and equality and human decency. No one has to promise that people will get a fair wage, or enough food to eat, or affordable medicine, or clean water, or air free of harmful chemicals. But we all have to promise to love a rectangle of red, white, and blue cloth.
Betsy Ross would be quite surprised to see how successful her creation has become. But Thomas Jefferson would be disappointed to see how little of the flag's real meaning remains.
Charlotte Aldebron, 12, wrote this essay for a competition in her 6th grade English class. She attends Cunningham Middle School in Presque Isle, Maine. Comments may be sent to her mom, Jillian Aldebron: aldebron@ainop.com
What the American Flag Stands For
by Charlotte Aldebron
The American flag stands for the fact that cloth can be very important. It is against the law to let the flag touch the ground or to leave the flag flying when the weather is bad. The flag has to be treated with respect. You can tell just how important this cloth is because when you compare it to people, it gets much better treatment. Nobody cares if a homeless person touches the ground. A homeless person can lie all over the ground all night long without anyone picking him up, folding him neatly and sheltering him from the rain.
School children have to pledge loyalty to this piece of cloth every morning. No one has to pledge loyalty to justice and equality and human decency. No one has to promise that people will get a fair wage, or enough food to eat, or affordable medicine, or clean water, or air free of harmful chemicals. But we all have to promise to love a rectangle of red, white, and blue cloth.
Betsy Ross would be quite surprised to see how successful her creation has become. But Thomas Jefferson would be disappointed to see how little of the flag's real meaning remains.
Charlotte Aldebron, 12, wrote this essay for a competition in her 6th grade English class. She attends Cunningham Middle School in Presque Isle, Maine. Comments may be sent to her mom, Jillian Aldebron: aldebron@ainop.com
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Glorious weekend...
Los Angeles has been blanketed with a thick marine layer of grayness for two months now with an occasional day of blue skies. This weekend was no different. I had hoped that driving up to the local mountains (6,000 Ft.) would take me above it all but that wasn't the case. Stevens party was Saturday, a party I was looking forward to. I always look forward to Stevens parties. He is a most thoughtful and generous host and Saturdays party was no exception. The clouds, however, did not cooperate. But, Anna, the caterer was a delight and her organic cooking is superb. She owns a little restaurant in Idyllwild but caters on weekends. Her treats just kept coming throughout the day and evening. How she managed to do that with such a tiny kitchen I have no idea. Hats off to her, for sure. The cute little bartender was gracious, as well. The open bar was on one end of the deck and the musicians on the other. I had my first cranberry margarita, and my second and third. Yikes! After that it was water and more water for the rest of the night. The musicians, (two of them) played a standing bass and guitar and sang in sweet harmony. At one point, in the middle of a sentence, they began a song I had never heard before, and I was taken away....I literally felt a shiver move through my body. They are very talented, but then, knowing Steven as I do, all I can say is, "Of course they were."....
One hundred of Stevens friends, from all the stages of his life, made the trip. People I have met over the years at his other parties or get togethers, artists, musicians, attorneys, engineers, software geniuses, therapists, and Intuitive healers. It was a perfect mix of personalities. Everyone stayed at the local cabins and inns. I chose to pitch my tent under the trees but got offers from almost everybody to share their homes or cabins, but I preferred sleeping near my campfire.
Living at sea level all my life, as I have, it takes some getting used to the altitude when hiking and climbing the mountains. I was out of breath too much of the time and have decided to kick up my workout routine by doing more hills. I have several trips planned for this summer and I don't want to miss out on the outdoor adventures.
One of Stevens new neighbors is an artist. She was leaving the next day for a two month stay is Idaho with her boyfriend. She asked me to give her a reading before she left, so we met Sunday morning at 10:30. After the reading, she told me that I could have her house for the summer. Can you imagine? Knowing someone so briefly and then just letting them live in your house anytime they want for as long as they want? Steven seems to attract the most generous, talented and loving people which says everything about who he is. I stayed in her home for the rest of the day. The view from her mountain top home is breathtaking, but when it came time to turn in....I went back to my tent and my campfire. All in all....it was a wonderful weekend, even with the gray skies and moist heat everywhere.
One hundred of Stevens friends, from all the stages of his life, made the trip. People I have met over the years at his other parties or get togethers, artists, musicians, attorneys, engineers, software geniuses, therapists, and Intuitive healers. It was a perfect mix of personalities. Everyone stayed at the local cabins and inns. I chose to pitch my tent under the trees but got offers from almost everybody to share their homes or cabins, but I preferred sleeping near my campfire.
Living at sea level all my life, as I have, it takes some getting used to the altitude when hiking and climbing the mountains. I was out of breath too much of the time and have decided to kick up my workout routine by doing more hills. I have several trips planned for this summer and I don't want to miss out on the outdoor adventures.
One of Stevens new neighbors is an artist. She was leaving the next day for a two month stay is Idaho with her boyfriend. She asked me to give her a reading before she left, so we met Sunday morning at 10:30. After the reading, she told me that I could have her house for the summer. Can you imagine? Knowing someone so briefly and then just letting them live in your house anytime they want for as long as they want? Steven seems to attract the most generous, talented and loving people which says everything about who he is. I stayed in her home for the rest of the day. The view from her mountain top home is breathtaking, but when it came time to turn in....I went back to my tent and my campfire. All in all....it was a wonderful weekend, even with the gray skies and moist heat everywhere.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
..........and yet another email....
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh's nationally syndicated radio show has an estimated audience of nearly 15 million weekly listeners. It is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications. Limbaugh also authored two books in collaborations with conservative writers: The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) with Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund and See, I Told You So (1993) with WorldNetDaily.com editor Joseph Farah.
Limbaugh regularly feeds his audience a diet of falsehoods, misstatements, distortions, invective, and childish put-downs in service of the conservative movement. During his long reign over the airwaves, Limbaugh has called abortion rights activists "feminazis", told an African-American caller to "take that bone out of your nose," referred to prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib as "blow[ing] some steam off, " and declared that "what's good for Al Qaeda is good for the Democratic Party." He touts his close connections to Republicans, claiming that he "[g]ot a big hug" from President George W. Bush during a 2004 White House visit.
In August 2005, Limbaugh asserted that Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who staged an anti-war protest outside President Bush's ranch in Texas, "is just Bill Burkett. Her story is nothing more than forged documents." Burkett is a retired Texas Air National Guard officer who provided CBS' 60 Minutes with unauthenticated documents regarding President Bush's National Guard record. After Media Matters for America documented this, he claimed that he was taken "out of context" by "little pimple-faced kids that are working at wannabe websites" -- even as the audio and text published by Media Matters proved otherwise. Limbaugh also claimed that Sheehan was "exploiting death."
Limbaugh has also spread numerous rumors and conspiracy theories about the Clinton family, alleging that Hillary Rodham Clinton was involved in the 1993 suicide of deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster and peddling gay-baiting sexual innuendo about Clinton based on Edward Klein's error- and innuendo-filled book, The Truth About Hillary.
Limbaugh was forced to resign from his position as a football analyst on ESPN in 2003 after he claimed that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because "[t]he media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." The following season, McNabb led his team to the Super Bowl.
Based on Limbaugh's trivialization and enthusiasm for prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, Media Matters requested that he be removed from taxpayer-funded American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS), while Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) offered amendments to defense authorization bills in both the 108th and 109th Congress requiring political balance on AFRTS. The Senate unanimously passed a Sense of the Senate resolution calling for balance on AFRTS.
Rush Limbaugh's nationally syndicated radio show has an estimated audience of nearly 15 million weekly listeners. It is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications. Limbaugh also authored two books in collaborations with conservative writers: The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) with Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund and See, I Told You So (1993) with WorldNetDaily.com editor Joseph Farah.
Limbaugh regularly feeds his audience a diet of falsehoods, misstatements, distortions, invective, and childish put-downs in service of the conservative movement. During his long reign over the airwaves, Limbaugh has called abortion rights activists "feminazis", told an African-American caller to "take that bone out of your nose," referred to prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib as "blow[ing] some steam off, " and declared that "what's good for Al Qaeda is good for the Democratic Party." He touts his close connections to Republicans, claiming that he "[g]ot a big hug" from President George W. Bush during a 2004 White House visit.
In August 2005, Limbaugh asserted that Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who staged an anti-war protest outside President Bush's ranch in Texas, "is just Bill Burkett. Her story is nothing more than forged documents." Burkett is a retired Texas Air National Guard officer who provided CBS' 60 Minutes with unauthenticated documents regarding President Bush's National Guard record. After Media Matters for America documented this, he claimed that he was taken "out of context" by "little pimple-faced kids that are working at wannabe websites" -- even as the audio and text published by Media Matters proved otherwise. Limbaugh also claimed that Sheehan was "exploiting death."
Limbaugh has also spread numerous rumors and conspiracy theories about the Clinton family, alleging that Hillary Rodham Clinton was involved in the 1993 suicide of deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster and peddling gay-baiting sexual innuendo about Clinton based on Edward Klein's error- and innuendo-filled book, The Truth About Hillary.
Limbaugh was forced to resign from his position as a football analyst on ESPN in 2003 after he claimed that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because "[t]he media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." The following season, McNabb led his team to the Super Bowl.
Based on Limbaugh's trivialization and enthusiasm for prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, Media Matters requested that he be removed from taxpayer-funded American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS), while Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) offered amendments to defense authorization bills in both the 108th and 109th Congress requiring political balance on AFRTS. The Senate unanimously passed a Sense of the Senate resolution calling for balance on AFRTS.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Churches today...
My mother took me to Sunday School with my sisters every week. We sang "Jesus Loves Me" and "Let There Be Peace On Earth". We drew pictures and listened to stories but my favorite time was when my mother allowed me to join her in the sanctuary. In those days the sanctuary was very quiet. Nobody spoke. It was a place of quiet meditation and prayer and everybody respected that. Women wore dresses and hats and sometimes gloves. The men were all in suits. When I visited my friends Catholic church we always wore something on our heads. We were silent and respectful. The sermons were serious and solemn with the occasional inside joke. But nobody was dancing and we only sang at the end of the service.
I've visited many churches over the years. I went to several Catholic churches, Agape, and a Seventh Day, a Baptist, Trinity and while in Denver, The Mile High Church. It seems that the reverence of the religious experience has changed. Churches have bands and singers and everybody is chatting. People come in wearing flip-flops and shorts, I half expect them to light up a cigarette. The entertainment is great, don't get me wrong. The jazz group in Denver was amazing and the band at Agape really rocks...but that's not why I go to church. I want the holy reverence the old experience gave me. I want to walk in and FEEL it. Hearing the conversations behind me or in front of me....."Jack couldn't come...he's playing golf with his father.".......... "Really? Where are they playing? Tom's playing today too." No, I'm sorry...you should respect the sanctuary as I was taught. Silent prayer and meditation ....communion with God isn't done with chit chat. I guess this is a sign that I am old. I'm old and old fashioned. I want to pray and meditate with God in a silent holy space. I want our voices to be one when we sing the praises of Holiness. I want the chills and shivers of physical resonance when the LOVE is present. I may have to start my own church...lol The church of shut the hell up.
I've visited many churches over the years. I went to several Catholic churches, Agape, and a Seventh Day, a Baptist, Trinity and while in Denver, The Mile High Church. It seems that the reverence of the religious experience has changed. Churches have bands and singers and everybody is chatting. People come in wearing flip-flops and shorts, I half expect them to light up a cigarette. The entertainment is great, don't get me wrong. The jazz group in Denver was amazing and the band at Agape really rocks...but that's not why I go to church. I want the holy reverence the old experience gave me. I want to walk in and FEEL it. Hearing the conversations behind me or in front of me....."Jack couldn't come...he's playing golf with his father.".......... "Really? Where are they playing? Tom's playing today too." No, I'm sorry...you should respect the sanctuary as I was taught. Silent prayer and meditation ....communion with God isn't done with chit chat. I guess this is a sign that I am old. I'm old and old fashioned. I want to pray and meditate with God in a silent holy space. I want our voices to be one when we sing the praises of Holiness. I want the chills and shivers of physical resonance when the LOVE is present. I may have to start my own church...lol The church of shut the hell up.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
This email arrived today....
When Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva (enlightened one) of compassion and protection, shed tears that formed a lake, a lotus flower rose to the top of the water. When the flower opened, a beautiful goddess stepped out of the middle, and her name was Tara. She’s the female counterpart and consort of Avalokitesvara. Tara has many different sides and personalities to her, represented by different-colored Taras (Green Tara, White Tara, Red Tara, Blue Tara, and Yellow Tara). In her Yellow, Blue, and Red personas, Tara is temperamental, but as White and Green Tara, she’s loving and very helpful.
Tara’s name means “star,” and like stars that provide navigation for our sailors and travelers, Tara helps us travel smoothly and safely and find our way — whether on a trip, on our spiritual path, or just during daily life.
Green Tara is known as a “speedy” goddess who rapidly induces insight and who quickly comes to your aid. If you need emergency help physically or spiritually, call upon Green Tara.
White Tara helps increase life expectancy, and if you call upon her, she will bring you longevity. She also is a bringer of Enlightenment.
Green Tara is very intense, yet she’s a very loving warrior spirit. Green Tara is a no-nonsense divinity who conducts rapid energy exchanges to help and assist those who call upon her. She says, “I get matters settled quickly and go right to work using wisdom and action. I set my sight on an intended outcome, and bring those preferences into experience.” She attains her goals, in other words.In contrast, White Tara is gentle, peaceful, patient, doting, nurturing, and maternal. She is the essence of purity. She approaches problems with prayer and by holding a steady focus on the beauty of Divine love. Her eyes overflow with gratitude, joy, and love. She feels and sees only love, so that’s what comes forth in her presence. She says,
“I am here to shift people’s hearts away from an inclination of worry. I love and I am happy, and this has a settling effect on people whose lives I touch. It is my pleasure to spread joy far and wide.”
Both Green Tara and White Tara help with:
Compassion
Protection
Removing and avoiding obstacles
Green Tara helps with:
Emergency aid
Overcoming fear
Understanding and insight
White Tara helps with:
Longevity
Enlightenment
Tara’s name means “star,” and like stars that provide navigation for our sailors and travelers, Tara helps us travel smoothly and safely and find our way — whether on a trip, on our spiritual path, or just during daily life.
Green Tara is known as a “speedy” goddess who rapidly induces insight and who quickly comes to your aid. If you need emergency help physically or spiritually, call upon Green Tara.
White Tara helps increase life expectancy, and if you call upon her, she will bring you longevity. She also is a bringer of Enlightenment.
Green Tara is very intense, yet she’s a very loving warrior spirit. Green Tara is a no-nonsense divinity who conducts rapid energy exchanges to help and assist those who call upon her. She says, “I get matters settled quickly and go right to work using wisdom and action. I set my sight on an intended outcome, and bring those preferences into experience.” She attains her goals, in other words.In contrast, White Tara is gentle, peaceful, patient, doting, nurturing, and maternal. She is the essence of purity. She approaches problems with prayer and by holding a steady focus on the beauty of Divine love. Her eyes overflow with gratitude, joy, and love. She feels and sees only love, so that’s what comes forth in her presence. She says,
“I am here to shift people’s hearts away from an inclination of worry. I love and I am happy, and this has a settling effect on people whose lives I touch. It is my pleasure to spread joy far and wide.”
Both Green Tara and White Tara help with:
Compassion
Protection
Removing and avoiding obstacles
Green Tara helps with:
Emergency aid
Overcoming fear
Understanding and insight
White Tara helps with:
Longevity
Enlightenment
Emails
You know the emails you get that tell you to make a wish, or say a prayer, or think of someone you love, then forward the email to ten friends in ten seconds and your wish or prayer or friend will appear or the phone will ring? Or the ones that ask you 25 personal questions, like "What was the last thing you ate?" and "What are you wearing?" and "What is your favorite color?" then put your name on the top of the list and mail it back to the sender and on to ten others? If you are my friend, my client, my sister, my ex.....please, please, please stop the insanity. What I am wearing or eating or reading today doesn't give you any real knowledge of who I am or what I think. Prayers are answered, not because we forward emails or make wishes, they are answered according to Universal Laws. And if I want a friend to appear or call, I'll send them a telepathic message!
The emails I love to receive are ones that are personal. If you have a question for me or just want to say 'hi' then say it. Write it. Send it. Emails that make me laugh or ponder new ideas, or open new ideas for discussion are what float my boat. Send them on or forward them and I will promise to read them through and respond. But, I will not now, nor will I ever, forward to ten of my friends a bunch of answers to questions they never asked. That's just not me.
The emails I love to receive are ones that are personal. If you have a question for me or just want to say 'hi' then say it. Write it. Send it. Emails that make me laugh or ponder new ideas, or open new ideas for discussion are what float my boat. Send them on or forward them and I will promise to read them through and respond. But, I will not now, nor will I ever, forward to ten of my friends a bunch of answers to questions they never asked. That's just not me.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Animal Medicine
The power that Butterfly brings to us is akin to the air. It is the mind, and the ability to know the mind or to change it. It is the art of self-transformation.
To use Butterfly medicine, you must astutely observe your position in the cycle of self-transformation. Like Butterfly, you are always at a certain station in your life activities. You may be at the egg stage, which is the beginning of all things. This is the stage at which an idea is born, but has not yet become a reality. The larva stage is the point at which you decide to create the idea in the physical world. The cocoon stage involves "going within": doing or developing your project, idea, or aspect of personality. the final stage of transformation is the leaving of the chrysalis and birth. This last step involves sharing the colors and joy of your creation with the world.
If you look closely at what Butterfly is trying to teach, you will realize that it is the never-ending cycle of self-transformation. The way to discern where you are in this cycle is to ask yourself:
1) Is this the egg stage: Is it just a thought or idea?
2) Is this the larva stage: Do I need to make a decision?
3) Is this the cocoon stage: Am I developing and doing something to make my idea a reality?
4) Is the the birth stage: Am I sharing my completed idea?
By asking yourself these questions, you will discover how Butterfly is relating to you at this moment. When you understand where you are, the symbol can teach you what to do next to continue in the cycle of self-transformation. If you have found the position through which you are cycling, you will see the creativity of Butterfly.
Using the air, or mental powers, of this medicine is done with ease. As an example, if you have been feeling exhausted and have asked how to heal your fatigue, take notice of the colors you hve been drawn to recently. Does your body feel better in green? Could this mean that you need to eat more green vegetables? This type of thinking is an inspiration from Butterfly medicine.
Butterfly can give clarity to your mental process, help you organize the project you are undertaking, and assist you in finding the next step for your personal life or career. The main message to be obtained from drawing this symbol is that you are ready to undergo some type of transformation.
As there are the many stages of development for the Butterfly to emerge, so are there many stages for your spirit to experience change and transformation. It may appear that you are struggling, crawling, surviving the many predators who want to gobble up your energy. Or perhaps you are feeling like wrapping yourself up in a blanket to hide and rest while you heal or regenerate and clarify the answer to: "Who am I?" or "What do I want?" Be assured that as the Butterfly shows us, you will emerge and fly.
Some people think that the Butterfly is a fragile and weak totem. However, know that the Monarch Butterfly has enormous strength, endurance and determination, flying thousands of miles, migrating from as far north as Canada to Central Mexico.
Monday, June 19, 2006
My Father...
My father loved music. I was so fortunate to have been given that gift from him. He had an eclectic taste in music too. It ranged from Mexican Ranchero ballads, Mariachi sounds, opera, classical symphony recordings, even Joan Baez and The Kingston Trio.
I found some Cuco Sanchez recordings on Music Match. Nothing brings back the memory of my father more profoundly than the sound of the Spanish Guitar. Guitarras, lloren guitarras!
Today, I listen to the sounds of my father's favorites. >sniff, sniff<
Sunday, June 18, 2006
I drove the long way today....
My house call was in Thousand Oaks today, an hours drive north of here on the famous 405 Fwy to the 101. I got there at noon and left at 4. Since the weather was so postcard perfect I decided to open the sun roof and drive through Malibu Canyon to Pacific Coast Hwy and then all the way from Zuma, through Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Playa Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and all the way to my little condo in Redondo. With the sun on my face and wind in my hair...it was spectacular! I listened to some good old rock and roll, Buffalo Springfield, Janis Joplin, The Doors. It was the most perfect day today....Happy Father's Day!
He's out of the hospital....
.....thank you for your prayers, Reiki and well wishes. All the tests were negative. I guess it's still a mystery as to what his body was fighting....at least it's a mystery to the doctors and to him. He's not inclined to think in spiritual terms or unconscious awareness principles....he's a meat and potatoes thinker, and a man with nine lives.
Cooking....
I love, love, love to cook, especially in my new kitchen. I remodeled my 80s kitchen, into a Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen of the the new millennium. I have beautiful golden granite countertops and bar. I have custom Alder cabinets with glass doors and lighting. I have the most excellent KitchenAid stove, convection oven, and microwave/convection oven with bread warmer, and a side by side frig...even my barbecue is brand new, fancy-dancy, hooohaaa, stainless, smokin-ass, grill. Well, let me tell you, I took all of out for a test drive tonight with recipe's I've never tried before and I am so stoked! I barbecued pork tenderloin marinated in a fresh soy/ginger and shallot marinade and I cooked up some granny smith apples into a very scrumptious sauce. I served brown rice in a beef bouillon and served it all up after the most delicious appetizer of steamed artichoke with a garlic/dill sauce, and fresh steamed asparagus/baby broccoli/baby zucchini and carrot appetizer. All of it was put together while sipping fresh raspberry martinis. Man-o-man....Thank you Food Network! I got the pork recipe online and the rest I just threw together. For dessert we had fresh strawberries dipped in a gourmet dark chocolate sauce and freshly ground Vanilla Nut coffee beans, brewed in my new Grind and Brew coffee maker (a Christmas gift from Mother). I swear to all that is holy.....I've made some fine dinners in my life but tonight!....I freakin' out did myself. I know that those of you in Denver, the ones I served my "Slap Yo Mama Nachos" to, or you lucky recipients of my Emeril Banana Cream Pie with caramel and choc sauce will not believe it...but really....this was it. I didn't think I could top the smoked St Louis Ribs with the homemade sweet and spicy sauce but, tonight, I did. Yum, yum, yum. I am a Goddess!
It's midnight and the dishes will have to wait 'till morning. I have a house call tomorrow. A 50 year old woman who suddenly, very suddenly, became dizzy...really dizzy. She hasn't been able to drive for two weeks and spent several days in the hospital having tests. Her brain in fine, her chems are normal, everything checks out....except,....her stress level. Divorce, a child going away to college, a mother going blind.....and on and on. If you read this blog often or know me in real time...you know this is right up my alley. By the end of the day she'll be good as new. Easy speazy.
Good Night....... Sorry, no proof reading or spell checking.. live with it.
It's midnight and the dishes will have to wait 'till morning. I have a house call tomorrow. A 50 year old woman who suddenly, very suddenly, became dizzy...really dizzy. She hasn't been able to drive for two weeks and spent several days in the hospital having tests. Her brain in fine, her chems are normal, everything checks out....except,....her stress level. Divorce, a child going away to college, a mother going blind.....and on and on. If you read this blog often or know me in real time...you know this is right up my alley. By the end of the day she'll be good as new. Easy speazy.
Good Night....... Sorry, no proof reading or spell checking.. live with it.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Idiots
I received an email this morning, "...Al Gore is an idiot." This was in response to an email I sent out to just about everyone I know urging people to go see "An Inconvenient Truth". Whatever your opinion of Al Gore is, as a man, as a government representative or as a human being, put that aside. This isn't a movie about him. He's just the messenger. If I stopped watching movies that have idiots in them, well, I would have missed "Mission Impossible", "The Matrix" and "Pretty Woman".
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
These Plates and Bowls Serve the Environment
Clear Creek Compostables sells products made from sugar-cane pulp or corn resin. The market is small but growing.
By Evelyn Iritani, Times Staff WriterJune 9, 2006
Richard Feldman is trying to put himself out of the plastic business. For years, Feldman, an importer of plastic containers, gave little thought to the nation's overflowing landfills. But that changed when he realized that many of his customers, including Whole Foods Market Inc., were going green.
"I will lose the business someday," said Feldman, the founder of Los Angeles-based Clear Creek Compostables. "I just want to lose it to myself."It's already happening. Last year, Feldman began importing biodegradable plates and bowls from China that are composed of 90% sugar-cane pulp and 10% paper.He also is making clear containers from a corn-based resin developed by NatureWorks, a subsidiary of food supplier Cargill Inc."I've spent a career filling landfills. Now, it's time to reverse that," said Feldman, who calls himself a "born-again environmentalist."Compostable products are a tiny fraction of America's $8-billion-to-$12-billion-a-year container and packaging industry, according to the Foodservice & Packaging Institute Inc. in Falls Church, Va. But demand is growing as companies migrate to more environmentally friendly operations in such areas as energy and water consumption as well as in the products they sell and use.Compostable products biologically decompose in an oxygen-rich process used by industrial facilities.In addition to being biodegradable, Feldman's products are made from a renewable resource that is a byproduct of sugar production. The plates and bowls — which can be used in the microwave and will hold boiling water — are sold at Whole Foods, Sam's Club and a number of independent natural food stores.The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that each year, Americans discard about 14.4 million tons of plastic— 8% of total waste. Much of the container and packaging waste ends up in landfills, which produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is blamed for contributing significantly to global warming. Rising oil prices also have pushed up the cost of petroleum-based products such as plastic.The plastics industry has fought back by promoting the reusability of its products and encouraging recycling.Steve Mojo, executive director of the Biodegradable Products Institute in New York, said environmentally savvy consumers such as college students were putting pressure on their food service providers to reduce waste and move away from natural resources in danger of depletion."This market is beginning to accelerate because all these drivers are coming together," said Mojo, who compared composting to the recycling movement a decade ago.The institute tests products to make sure they meet the biodegradable standards set by ASTM International, formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials. Nearly two dozen producers of biodegradable bags and food service items carry the "Compostable Logo," more than double the number two years ago.At Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods, using and selling compostable products is a natural extension of the company's "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet" philosophy, said Patrick Lewis, the retailer's regional buyer in Emeryville, Calif."We're trying to put our money where our mouth is," he said.In addition to selling Feldman's bowls and plates under its Green Mission brand, Whole Foods has begun testing the sugar cane products in its deli and bakery operations and food sampling programs. The retailer also is considering substituting corn resin-based containers for the millions of plastic products it uses each year.Although those biodegradable products are more expensive, the prices should go down if other companies join in and the market expands, Lewis said."We're a very small fish in the pond when it comes to packaging," he said.The whale in that pond is Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has promised to step up its recycling and energy efficiency programs and offer its customers more healthful and environmentally friendly products.But the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer has discovered that it isn't easy going green without undermining its drive to deliver the lowest possible price to its customers.Sam's Club began carrying Clear Creek's plates this year in 18 stores in Southern California, the first time it's offering such a program. At $11.88 for 100 plates, the compostable products cost about 20% more than a comparable paper product. Sales have been slow and Feldman was told that the product might be dropped. But he won a reprieve after arguing that customers needed to be educated about the benefits of recycling and composting.Matt Kistler, vice president of products and packaging innovation for Sam's Club, agreed that the retailer should "step up the effort" to market Clear Creek's plates because they are a novel product. But in the end, he said, the customers rule."We want to see what the opportunity is," he said. "Ultimately, our members will decide whether or not we carry the product."Feldman, who has spent three decades in the food service business, is working to keep his costs low. He has outsourced his back-office work, and just three employees work in a small, crowded office in West Los Angeles. He gets his products through Jervey Ho, a Hong Kong entrepreneur who has produced plastic action figures and Halloween costumes in China for decades.Producing the biodegradable products is similar to making waffles. The basic material is sugar-cane pulp, or bagasse, which comes to the factories in flat sheets and is mixed with water and some chemicals before going into a molding machine. Using a combination of heat and steam, the machine presses the pulp into the final shape.It wasn't easy locating Chinese companies that could produce a high-quality product and meet the strict environmental and labor standards demanded by U.S. companies. Ho is working with three factories in southern China, but production is limited because the process is so time-consuming. One $70,000 machine can produce only six plates at a time and a factory's daily output is about 175,000 pieces."We cannot invest too much unless there's greater demand from the buyers," said Ho, owner of Palco International and an associate director at Clear Creek.To meet Clear Creek's green mandate, Ho has asked his sugar-pulp suppliers to stop using bleach, which means the products are light brown. He also is looking for a more environmentally friendly replacement for a petroleum-based additive that is mixed into the pulp to make the products water- and oil-resistant."It will not be 100% biodegradable, but maybe 98%," Ho said. "It will certainly be better than 100% Styrofoam."
Clear Creek Compostables sells products made from sugar-cane pulp or corn resin. The market is small but growing.
By Evelyn Iritani, Times Staff WriterJune 9, 2006
Richard Feldman is trying to put himself out of the plastic business. For years, Feldman, an importer of plastic containers, gave little thought to the nation's overflowing landfills. But that changed when he realized that many of his customers, including Whole Foods Market Inc., were going green.
"I will lose the business someday," said Feldman, the founder of Los Angeles-based Clear Creek Compostables. "I just want to lose it to myself."It's already happening. Last year, Feldman began importing biodegradable plates and bowls from China that are composed of 90% sugar-cane pulp and 10% paper.He also is making clear containers from a corn-based resin developed by NatureWorks, a subsidiary of food supplier Cargill Inc."I've spent a career filling landfills. Now, it's time to reverse that," said Feldman, who calls himself a "born-again environmentalist."Compostable products are a tiny fraction of America's $8-billion-to-$12-billion-a-year container and packaging industry, according to the Foodservice & Packaging Institute Inc. in Falls Church, Va. But demand is growing as companies migrate to more environmentally friendly operations in such areas as energy and water consumption as well as in the products they sell and use.Compostable products biologically decompose in an oxygen-rich process used by industrial facilities.In addition to being biodegradable, Feldman's products are made from a renewable resource that is a byproduct of sugar production. The plates and bowls — which can be used in the microwave and will hold boiling water — are sold at Whole Foods, Sam's Club and a number of independent natural food stores.The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that each year, Americans discard about 14.4 million tons of plastic— 8% of total waste. Much of the container and packaging waste ends up in landfills, which produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is blamed for contributing significantly to global warming. Rising oil prices also have pushed up the cost of petroleum-based products such as plastic.The plastics industry has fought back by promoting the reusability of its products and encouraging recycling.Steve Mojo, executive director of the Biodegradable Products Institute in New York, said environmentally savvy consumers such as college students were putting pressure on their food service providers to reduce waste and move away from natural resources in danger of depletion."This market is beginning to accelerate because all these drivers are coming together," said Mojo, who compared composting to the recycling movement a decade ago.The institute tests products to make sure they meet the biodegradable standards set by ASTM International, formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials. Nearly two dozen producers of biodegradable bags and food service items carry the "Compostable Logo," more than double the number two years ago.At Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods, using and selling compostable products is a natural extension of the company's "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet" philosophy, said Patrick Lewis, the retailer's regional buyer in Emeryville, Calif."We're trying to put our money where our mouth is," he said.In addition to selling Feldman's bowls and plates under its Green Mission brand, Whole Foods has begun testing the sugar cane products in its deli and bakery operations and food sampling programs. The retailer also is considering substituting corn resin-based containers for the millions of plastic products it uses each year.Although those biodegradable products are more expensive, the prices should go down if other companies join in and the market expands, Lewis said."We're a very small fish in the pond when it comes to packaging," he said.The whale in that pond is Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has promised to step up its recycling and energy efficiency programs and offer its customers more healthful and environmentally friendly products.But the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer has discovered that it isn't easy going green without undermining its drive to deliver the lowest possible price to its customers.Sam's Club began carrying Clear Creek's plates this year in 18 stores in Southern California, the first time it's offering such a program. At $11.88 for 100 plates, the compostable products cost about 20% more than a comparable paper product. Sales have been slow and Feldman was told that the product might be dropped. But he won a reprieve after arguing that customers needed to be educated about the benefits of recycling and composting.Matt Kistler, vice president of products and packaging innovation for Sam's Club, agreed that the retailer should "step up the effort" to market Clear Creek's plates because they are a novel product. But in the end, he said, the customers rule."We want to see what the opportunity is," he said. "Ultimately, our members will decide whether or not we carry the product."Feldman, who has spent three decades in the food service business, is working to keep his costs low. He has outsourced his back-office work, and just three employees work in a small, crowded office in West Los Angeles. He gets his products through Jervey Ho, a Hong Kong entrepreneur who has produced plastic action figures and Halloween costumes in China for decades.Producing the biodegradable products is similar to making waffles. The basic material is sugar-cane pulp, or bagasse, which comes to the factories in flat sheets and is mixed with water and some chemicals before going into a molding machine. Using a combination of heat and steam, the machine presses the pulp into the final shape.It wasn't easy locating Chinese companies that could produce a high-quality product and meet the strict environmental and labor standards demanded by U.S. companies. Ho is working with three factories in southern China, but production is limited because the process is so time-consuming. One $70,000 machine can produce only six plates at a time and a factory's daily output is about 175,000 pieces."We cannot invest too much unless there's greater demand from the buyers," said Ho, owner of Palco International and an associate director at Clear Creek.To meet Clear Creek's green mandate, Ho has asked his sugar-pulp suppliers to stop using bleach, which means the products are light brown. He also is looking for a more environmentally friendly replacement for a petroleum-based additive that is mixed into the pulp to make the products water- and oil-resistant."It will not be 100% biodegradable, but maybe 98%," Ho said. "It will certainly be better than 100% Styrofoam."
Finally, the sun is shining on Los Angeles
We've had a few days of sunshine now and I think it's safe to say we are past the June Gloom. Hurray! I know now I could not survive in Alaska or Washington or even Oregon for very long without falling into a bit of a gloom myself. I just laid out on the patio for fifteen minutes and I already feel more energized than I've felt all year.
Last year I went to a lecture on Solar Healing. It was fascinating. The sun temples were built, it seems, for more than worship. I have forgotten now what prompted this man to experiment with staring into the sun....something about his father and ancient texts....anyway, he started by looking into the sun at sunrise for ten seconds the first day. He added ten seconds everyday until he made it to forty-five minutes. He says the suns energy is all a person needs to be healthy, well, that and water. He hasn't eaten a morsel in nine years. He drinks water and walks barefooted on the sand to absorb the energy from the sand crystals. Doctors and scientists have studied him for months at a time, twenty-four hours a day and confirm he doesn't eat food.
http://www.solarhealing.com/
Last year I went to a lecture on Solar Healing. It was fascinating. The sun temples were built, it seems, for more than worship. I have forgotten now what prompted this man to experiment with staring into the sun....something about his father and ancient texts....anyway, he started by looking into the sun at sunrise for ten seconds the first day. He added ten seconds everyday until he made it to forty-five minutes. He says the suns energy is all a person needs to be healthy, well, that and water. He hasn't eaten a morsel in nine years. He drinks water and walks barefooted on the sand to absorb the energy from the sand crystals. Doctors and scientists have studied him for months at a time, twenty-four hours a day and confirm he doesn't eat food.
http://www.solarhealing.com/
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Water Fuel Experimenter and Team Threatened
Ken Rasmussen's research team has been working on a process that turns out to have similarities to the super-efficient electrolysis process being developed by Professor Kanarev. Rasmussen's work ceased after a member of the team was threatened at gunpoint.
by Sterling D. AllanPure Energy Systems NewsCopyright © 2006
VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA -- On May 16, a technician who was one of a team of garage experimenters investigating a hydrogen-on-demand technology was run off the road near a rural intersection and accosted by four white, middle-aged males in black suits, carrying Glocks and Mac tens. The assailants were driving a late model, black Lincoln Town Car.This comes just one month after Bill Williams was similarly threatened because of his alleged experimentation with running a vehicle on a Joe cell.The victim in this latest incident is an associate of New Energy Congress member, Ken Rasmussen, who had been working together with him on the project. Rasmussen also runs an alternative energy news service at http://www.commutefaster.com/Energy.html A week before the incident, Rasmussen learned of the work being done by Professor Kanarev in Russia. Both use a pulsed signal, and both were seeing similar performance rates. Kanarev holds multiple patents, and is widely published. A day before the incident, a person who was interested in funding the project of Rasmussen et al., and who had been trying to reach him since November, had finally made contact.Rasmussen reported the incident for the first time publicly in his news today. He said, "As editor of this page, my life has now been threatened by 2 loaded guns pointed in the face of a good friend.""Using information which could only have been obtained by monitoring digital cell phones and e-mail, the assailants portrayed to the victim that they had total control over his personal life, and was told to remain silent and to not talk to government authorities." He was told that if he did not comply, a family member would be killed. The assailants produced extensive details about this target family member. The threat also included himself, his family and all associates if he did not stop work on the process immediately. The threats made actually applied broadly to anyone working on overunity."I'm breaking the story to warn others who might be involved in similar technologies," said Rasmussen.Obeying the threats made to him, the person threatened has stopped all work on the project. "When happy people start acting silent and paranoid, friends get suspicious," said Rasmussen, who waited to publish this account until the necessary measures had been taken to protect the lives of those directly threatened in the incident.At the time of the assault, Rasmussen had been in discussion with several pre-screened, suitable investors, who were waiting on Rasmussen's team to fix a final detail before attending a live demonstration.Rasmussen addressed them publicly in today's report, saying: "For any of my previous business contacts reading this, please excuse the delay. Our lives have been directly threatened if we were to complete the item we were intending to demonstrate for you. All progress is stopped" . . . for now."Enormous amounts of personal information thrown in our face behind the guns proved to me NONE of the prospective investors had anything to do with the violence we experienced. These thugs knew things I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW. Their boss has digital cell phone tapping technology at the very least. Other details were probably obtained by wire tapping neighbors and friend's phones too."In closing, Rasmussen said, "We have this kind warning to fellow experimenters who try to challenge the conventional physics being taught to students around the world. Challenge the system, the system that says oil is god, and there are paid mafia goons all over the world who will stop you for a few measly dollars. We know, because we met their guns face to face. Please continue your noble research, but PLEASE PLEASE watch your backside."Rasmussen's words to the assailants were that if anyone were harmed, the plans for this technology would be plastered all over the Internet. He believes that cowering to bullies is not good policy.
Ken Rasmussen's research team has been working on a process that turns out to have similarities to the super-efficient electrolysis process being developed by Professor Kanarev. Rasmussen's work ceased after a member of the team was threatened at gunpoint.
by Sterling D. AllanPure Energy Systems NewsCopyright © 2006
VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA -- On May 16, a technician who was one of a team of garage experimenters investigating a hydrogen-on-demand technology was run off the road near a rural intersection and accosted by four white, middle-aged males in black suits, carrying Glocks and Mac tens. The assailants were driving a late model, black Lincoln Town Car.This comes just one month after Bill Williams was similarly threatened because of his alleged experimentation with running a vehicle on a Joe cell.The victim in this latest incident is an associate of New Energy Congress member, Ken Rasmussen, who had been working together with him on the project. Rasmussen also runs an alternative energy news service at http://www.commutefaster.com/Energy.html A week before the incident, Rasmussen learned of the work being done by Professor Kanarev in Russia. Both use a pulsed signal, and both were seeing similar performance rates. Kanarev holds multiple patents, and is widely published. A day before the incident, a person who was interested in funding the project of Rasmussen et al., and who had been trying to reach him since November, had finally made contact.Rasmussen reported the incident for the first time publicly in his news today. He said, "As editor of this page, my life has now been threatened by 2 loaded guns pointed in the face of a good friend.""Using information which could only have been obtained by monitoring digital cell phones and e-mail, the assailants portrayed to the victim that they had total control over his personal life, and was told to remain silent and to not talk to government authorities." He was told that if he did not comply, a family member would be killed. The assailants produced extensive details about this target family member. The threat also included himself, his family and all associates if he did not stop work on the process immediately. The threats made actually applied broadly to anyone working on overunity."I'm breaking the story to warn others who might be involved in similar technologies," said Rasmussen.Obeying the threats made to him, the person threatened has stopped all work on the project. "When happy people start acting silent and paranoid, friends get suspicious," said Rasmussen, who waited to publish this account until the necessary measures had been taken to protect the lives of those directly threatened in the incident.At the time of the assault, Rasmussen had been in discussion with several pre-screened, suitable investors, who were waiting on Rasmussen's team to fix a final detail before attending a live demonstration.Rasmussen addressed them publicly in today's report, saying: "For any of my previous business contacts reading this, please excuse the delay. Our lives have been directly threatened if we were to complete the item we were intending to demonstrate for you. All progress is stopped" . . . for now."Enormous amounts of personal information thrown in our face behind the guns proved to me NONE of the prospective investors had anything to do with the violence we experienced. These thugs knew things I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW. Their boss has digital cell phone tapping technology at the very least. Other details were probably obtained by wire tapping neighbors and friend's phones too."In closing, Rasmussen said, "We have this kind warning to fellow experimenters who try to challenge the conventional physics being taught to students around the world. Challenge the system, the system that says oil is god, and there are paid mafia goons all over the world who will stop you for a few measly dollars. We know, because we met their guns face to face. Please continue your noble research, but PLEASE PLEASE watch your backside."Rasmussen's words to the assailants were that if anyone were harmed, the plans for this technology would be plastered all over the Internet. He believes that cowering to bullies is not good policy.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Faux Pas
In my eagerness to post a story, about how our thoughts, ideas, beliefs and patterns in our unconscious mind are manifested in our physical condition, I gave little thought to the fact that this blog is a public blog. It is viewed, by some, daily. Others drop by from time to time. I also, in my thoughtlessness, neglected to filter my emotions. The subject matter was very close to me. I was quite emotional about it. I'm afraid that is part of who I am. I say what comes to my mind and act on it rather than letting the emotions settle down. Consequently, I have caused someone, maybe more than one someone, pain. It was not my intention and I have apologized. An apology will not erase the situation as a simple tap on a delete button erases a post. However, I do, again, apologize.
The truth is, we all create our reality. We are the only ones who can change the situations, patterns and the beliefs that support our pain and suffering. The process of change requires one to WANT to change. There was my mistake. I wanted the change in what I saw as a diseased and toxic relationship and the relationship is not mine to change. Silly me. I, of all people, should know that change can only occur when we are finished with the lesson. Can't hurry people through it, can't teach that which is not ready to be learned.
The truth is, we all create our reality. We are the only ones who can change the situations, patterns and the beliefs that support our pain and suffering. The process of change requires one to WANT to change. There was my mistake. I wanted the change in what I saw as a diseased and toxic relationship and the relationship is not mine to change. Silly me. I, of all people, should know that change can only occur when we are finished with the lesson. Can't hurry people through it, can't teach that which is not ready to be learned.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
White Tara
My Aunt Nancy used to have a fat, happy Budda in her living room and when we were kids we rubbed his belly for good luck. I remember thinking that was very cool and some day I would get a Budda of my own. I still don't have one, not a fat happy one, anyway. But while I was in Castle Rock a couple of weeks ago, Carm took me to one of her favorite shops. They sold many figurines of Budda and others. They burned incense and played beautiful music. I don't know how long we spent there, browsing the shelves but it was delightful. There was one figurine that kept calling me back. I didn't know who she was or what she represented but she touched me in some way. I bought her and brought her home. She is White Tara.
White Tara is an emanation of Tara who is connected with longevity. One calls on her for health, strength, and longevity. Her white colour indicates purity, but also indicates that she is Truth complete and undifferentiated. She wears the Bodhisattva ornaments. She has seven eyes: the two usual eyes, plus an eye in the centre of her forehead and eyes in her hands and feet. These indicate that she sees all suffering and all cries for help, even in the human world, even in the worlds of pain, using both ordinary and psychic or extraordinary means of perception. She carries day lotuses.
This Tara is also known as Samaya Tara, meaning Vow Tara. This refers to Tara's vow to save all beings and also to our vow, which is a Bodhisattva vow like Tara's. Whereas the Green Tara is a young girl and has a mischievous or playful nature, the White Tara is represented as a mature woman, full-breasted and wise. Some practitioners comment that the energy of the two Taras feels a little different. Green tara is very immediate and quick. One calls to her for immediate assistance, and also often for help with worldly things like lover, wealth and so on, as well as spiritual things. She feels very close. White Tara seems to help more with longer-term problems, particularly problems of physical or mental health. It sometimes seems as if she is more distant, harder to contact at first. Then it is as if she sends us healing energies and mystical power and understandings.
How appropriate.... >grins<
Closing my eyes, I visualize the healing of Mother Earth and Father Sky. Heavenly rays of sun stream through my body cleansing away all toxins and nourishing all weaknesses. The earth replenishes my lost energy with her own and draws out anxiety and other heaviness through the soles of my feet.
by Rita Loyd
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Jay Aleccia
My dear friend, Jay. He and I made a beautiful daughter some 31 years ago, a lifetime ago....
He's laying in a hospital bed tonight. He's very seriously ill. The doctors don't know yet what is causing it and many tests have been ordered. His temperature yesterday was 103.8 degrees. His blood pressure was 97/38....his body was shutting down. He felt sick last Saturday but didn't get to his doctor until yesterday, stubborn man. The doctor immediately called the paramedics and he was rushed to Torrance Memorial Medical Center. They put him on oxygen and an IV of antibiotics but, still, they have no idea why his white blood cell count is in the 21,000's. He was on deaths door. The doctors have managed to get his temperature down to 102 and his blood pressure up to 100/63. He shivers and shudders uncontrollably and barely has the energy to move a muscle on his own, without getting out of breath....
When I met Jay he was wearing his uniform. He was a radio man in Vietnam and had only been home one day when he came into the Proud Bird Restaurant,where I was working at the time. We hit it off right away. He was lean, dark and muscular under that uniform. Hmph. Years of memories we have shared, some beautiful....some very dark. I love that man. I will be praying and sending Reiki for the rest of the evening......Please see him well.
He's laying in a hospital bed tonight. He's very seriously ill. The doctors don't know yet what is causing it and many tests have been ordered. His temperature yesterday was 103.8 degrees. His blood pressure was 97/38....his body was shutting down. He felt sick last Saturday but didn't get to his doctor until yesterday, stubborn man. The doctor immediately called the paramedics and he was rushed to Torrance Memorial Medical Center. They put him on oxygen and an IV of antibiotics but, still, they have no idea why his white blood cell count is in the 21,000's. He was on deaths door. The doctors have managed to get his temperature down to 102 and his blood pressure up to 100/63. He shivers and shudders uncontrollably and barely has the energy to move a muscle on his own, without getting out of breath....
When I met Jay he was wearing his uniform. He was a radio man in Vietnam and had only been home one day when he came into the Proud Bird Restaurant,where I was working at the time. We hit it off right away. He was lean, dark and muscular under that uniform. Hmph. Years of memories we have shared, some beautiful....some very dark. I love that man. I will be praying and sending Reiki for the rest of the evening......Please see him well.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
I received another gift!
I'm so blessed to have such thoughtful friends. Carm and Karl sent me a gift for my new office in the spirit of blessings and feng shui. It's a wonderful chime that hangs inside of a wooden stand. A small fan is in the base of the unit and it turns off and on to simulate a breeze. I love it. I have it on my desk as I type but when Carm comes out here in July she may intuit a more apporpriate place for it. Right now, it is peaceful. Thank you Lotus Lady.
Monday, June 05, 2006
"An Inconvenient Truth"
www.climatecrisis.net
Go see this movie. Tell everyone to see this movie. Al Gore has been an environmentalist since his college days in the 70s. He knows more and has seen more about the changes to our planet than probably any man alive. Are we ready to change? Are we ready to face the truth? If not now, when? This movie moved me tonight and I for one am ready. I want my grandchildren to be saved from what will surely be a catastrophe if we do nothing.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Remember Who You Are.....
I received this in a newletter from another Reiki practitioner who works nearby. I thought I would share it.
5 Steps to Intuitive Healing
Intuition is a form of inner wisdom not mediated by the rational mind---and it's accessible to all! It's that still, small voice inside—an unflinching truth-teller committed to your well-being. Sometimes I experience it as a snap-shot-like flash, a gut feeling, a hunch, a physical sensation, a dream. Whatever the form it keeps a steady eye on our bodies and spirits, letting us know if something is out of sync.
Intuition is not something that is taught, it's an innate inner wisdom that insists you live in the moment with no expectations. Intuition is our birthright! To access it, here are five steps that can be applied to any issue you'll ever confront from healing your body, to deciding what to do next, to saving your life! Everyone can develop their intuition and utilize it as a powerful tool for living.
Step 1: Notice Your Beliefs
Your beliefs set the stage for healing. Positive attitudes stimulate growth and negative attitudes impede it. It's important to rid yourself of counterproductive attitudes that you may not even realize you have. If you examine your beliefs, choose life-enhancing ones and you'll create optimal wellness since your beliefs program your neurochemicals. Be completely true to yourself and this will free you from unconscious negative beliefs that can sabotage your healing.
Step 2: Be In Your Body
Your body is a complex and sensitive intuitive receptor. Make a commitment to be in it completely to heal. Most people in Western society are conditioned to live from the neck up, ignoring the rest of their body. This is counter-intuitive. Shift that perspective and enjoy your intellect but revel in your physicality as well. Being aware of the sensuousness of your body opens intuition. Then you'll become more aware of early warning signs your body sends. This gives you a head-start on preventing illness, choosing healthy relationships, and avoiding detrimental situations.
Step 3: Sense the Body's Subtle Energy
We are composed of flesh and blood, but also of subtle energy called "chi or ki or prana," a vital substance which penetrates the body and extends many feet beyond it. From an intuitive npoint of view, these vibrantly colored energy fields (or chakras) have a significant effect on our health so it's important that we learn to sense this energy within us, recognize when its off, and learn to correct the imbalance. Learn to tap into your body's energy.
Step 4: Ask for Inner Guidance
We each possess an intuitive voice that contains answers about our healing. Because our intellect is often so loud, this voice often gets drowned out. It's essential that we learn to access the stillness within—through meditation, quiet contemplation, connecting with nature, prayer—in order to gain answers about our health. Spend a few minutes each day devoted to listening to this voice. It may appear as a gut feeling, a hunch, an image, a sound, a memory, an instant knowing—as if a light bulb suddenly switched on. Learn to trust the signals your inner wisdom sends.
Step 5: Listen To Your Dreams
Intuition is the language of dreams. Dreams provide answers about health, relationships, career choices, any new direction. The secret is to remember them. I suggest keeping a dream journal by your bed. Before you go to sleep, ask a dream question. For instance, "Is this relationship healthy for me or should I move on?" The next morning, write down any dreams immediately before getting out of bed. Try repeating the question, every night for the next week until your answer comes. As you develop the habit of remembering dreams, you'll be able to benefit from this form of healing. ...........
5 Steps to Intuitive Healing
Intuition is a form of inner wisdom not mediated by the rational mind---and it's accessible to all! It's that still, small voice inside—an unflinching truth-teller committed to your well-being. Sometimes I experience it as a snap-shot-like flash, a gut feeling, a hunch, a physical sensation, a dream. Whatever the form it keeps a steady eye on our bodies and spirits, letting us know if something is out of sync.
Intuition is not something that is taught, it's an innate inner wisdom that insists you live in the moment with no expectations. Intuition is our birthright! To access it, here are five steps that can be applied to any issue you'll ever confront from healing your body, to deciding what to do next, to saving your life! Everyone can develop their intuition and utilize it as a powerful tool for living.
Step 1: Notice Your Beliefs
Your beliefs set the stage for healing. Positive attitudes stimulate growth and negative attitudes impede it. It's important to rid yourself of counterproductive attitudes that you may not even realize you have. If you examine your beliefs, choose life-enhancing ones and you'll create optimal wellness since your beliefs program your neurochemicals. Be completely true to yourself and this will free you from unconscious negative beliefs that can sabotage your healing.
Step 2: Be In Your Body
Your body is a complex and sensitive intuitive receptor. Make a commitment to be in it completely to heal. Most people in Western society are conditioned to live from the neck up, ignoring the rest of their body. This is counter-intuitive. Shift that perspective and enjoy your intellect but revel in your physicality as well. Being aware of the sensuousness of your body opens intuition. Then you'll become more aware of early warning signs your body sends. This gives you a head-start on preventing illness, choosing healthy relationships, and avoiding detrimental situations.
Step 3: Sense the Body's Subtle Energy
We are composed of flesh and blood, but also of subtle energy called "chi or ki or prana," a vital substance which penetrates the body and extends many feet beyond it. From an intuitive npoint of view, these vibrantly colored energy fields (or chakras) have a significant effect on our health so it's important that we learn to sense this energy within us, recognize when its off, and learn to correct the imbalance. Learn to tap into your body's energy.
Step 4: Ask for Inner Guidance
We each possess an intuitive voice that contains answers about our healing. Because our intellect is often so loud, this voice often gets drowned out. It's essential that we learn to access the stillness within—through meditation, quiet contemplation, connecting with nature, prayer—in order to gain answers about our health. Spend a few minutes each day devoted to listening to this voice. It may appear as a gut feeling, a hunch, an image, a sound, a memory, an instant knowing—as if a light bulb suddenly switched on. Learn to trust the signals your inner wisdom sends.
Step 5: Listen To Your Dreams
Intuition is the language of dreams. Dreams provide answers about health, relationships, career choices, any new direction. The secret is to remember them. I suggest keeping a dream journal by your bed. Before you go to sleep, ask a dream question. For instance, "Is this relationship healthy for me or should I move on?" The next morning, write down any dreams immediately before getting out of bed. Try repeating the question, every night for the next week until your answer comes. As you develop the habit of remembering dreams, you'll be able to benefit from this form of healing. ...........
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Pisces
Susan Seddon Boulet is one of my favorite artists.
I received a gift tonight. It's not my birthday today but it is a birthday present that's been waiting patiently to be delivered. It was all wrapped up in paper and ribbon with a lovely card from my friends Bonnie and Wayne. We haven't been able to get together since before Christmas because she's been working a lot of hours building a pond for Kelsey Grammer and I've been .....well, you know what I've been doing. Anyway, my gift is fantastic! I love it, love it, love it! It's note cards and gift cards and Goddess cards of Susan Seddon Boulet's beautiful work. You guys are the best! And interestingly, I was just thinking I needed more Goddess information for an upcoming retreat I'm giving. Yous guys must be psychic! LOL And the new Dixie Chicks album...Woo Hoo! I so love that they are number 1 on the charts. Happy birthday to me....happy birthday to me....happy birthday to meeeeeee eeeeeee. Happy birthday to me.
In one minute, Michael will be three years old. It's almost midnight. Happy birthday my Angel.
Friday, June 02, 2006
First day back...
Yesterday, my first day back in town I had a mixed up schedule. My eleven o'clock client was a Deep Meditation Massage, my one o'clock was an Avatar session, my three o'clock was a Manual Lymph Drainage, my six o'clock was a phone session from Chicago, an 'Introduction to Avatar', my eight o'clock was an emergency Couples Repair Session....
The door closed at 11:45. Whew! It was the perfect blend of protocols to keep me interested and focused. To be honest, when I have a day of five, ninety minute sessions of pure massage, I'm exhausted, but when it's mixed up like it was yesterday, I feel like I could work forever. I almost did.
I saw a sign while in Denver. "Stewardship is a fancy word for Karma"
The door closed at 11:45. Whew! It was the perfect blend of protocols to keep me interested and focused. To be honest, when I have a day of five, ninety minute sessions of pure massage, I'm exhausted, but when it's mixed up like it was yesterday, I feel like I could work forever. I almost did.
I saw a sign while in Denver. "Stewardship is a fancy word for Karma"
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Women, Power and Wisdom
I'm home from Denver and unpacking bags. I found the beautiful plastic bracelet Miss. Leah gave me as a parting memento. I received a rock and a crystal from Miss. Andra (one for Uncle Steven and one for me) and two sponge animals from Miss Jessie. I also opened a bag of a variety of incense from Carmelita from one of our shopping excursions. Ten days is a long time to be away from my garden but I thank Jay for coming by to give them water. Some survived, one or two didn't.
I spent a couple of hours in the airport yesterday clarifying the notes for the retreat coming up in September, "Women, Power and Wisdom". As is my usual process, as soon as I start thinking, I get into a planning mode. I'm happy to report that I caught myself before I started obsessing and instead I turned to my Runes. They are tools for centering, in the present.
The Blank Rune
The Unknowable
The God Odin
Blank is the end, blank the beginning. This is the Rune of total trust and should be taken as exciting evidence of your most immediate contact with your own true destiny which, time and again, rises like the phoenix from the ashes of what we call fate.
The Blank Rune can portend a death. But that death is usually symbolic, and may relate to any part of your life as you are living it now. Relinquishing control is the ultimate challenge for the Spiritual Warrior.
Here the Unknowable informs you that it is in motion in your life. In that blankness is held undiluted potential. At the same time both pregnant and empty, it comprehends the totality of being, all that is to be actualized. And if, indeed, there are "matters hidden by the gods,' you need only remember: What beckons is the creative power of the unknown.
Drawing the Blank Rune brings to the surface your deepest fears: Will I fail? Will I be abandoned? Will it all be taken away? And yet your highest good, your truest possibilities and all your fertile dreams are held within that blankness.
Willingness and permitting are what this Rune requires, for how can you exercise control over what is not yet in form? the Blank Rune often calls for no less an act of courage than the empty-handed leap into the void. Drawing it is a direct test of Faith.
The Blank Rune represents the path of Karma--the sum total of your actions and of their consequences. At the same time, this Rune teaches that the very debts of old karma shift and evolve as you shift and evolve. Nothing is predestined: the obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.
Whenever you draw the Blank Rune, take heart: Know that the work of self-change is progressing in your life.
I spent a couple of hours in the airport yesterday clarifying the notes for the retreat coming up in September, "Women, Power and Wisdom". As is my usual process, as soon as I start thinking, I get into a planning mode. I'm happy to report that I caught myself before I started obsessing and instead I turned to my Runes. They are tools for centering, in the present.
The Blank Rune
The Unknowable
The God Odin
Blank is the end, blank the beginning. This is the Rune of total trust and should be taken as exciting evidence of your most immediate contact with your own true destiny which, time and again, rises like the phoenix from the ashes of what we call fate.
The Blank Rune can portend a death. But that death is usually symbolic, and may relate to any part of your life as you are living it now. Relinquishing control is the ultimate challenge for the Spiritual Warrior.
Here the Unknowable informs you that it is in motion in your life. In that blankness is held undiluted potential. At the same time both pregnant and empty, it comprehends the totality of being, all that is to be actualized. And if, indeed, there are "matters hidden by the gods,' you need only remember: What beckons is the creative power of the unknown.
Drawing the Blank Rune brings to the surface your deepest fears: Will I fail? Will I be abandoned? Will it all be taken away? And yet your highest good, your truest possibilities and all your fertile dreams are held within that blankness.
Willingness and permitting are what this Rune requires, for how can you exercise control over what is not yet in form? the Blank Rune often calls for no less an act of courage than the empty-handed leap into the void. Drawing it is a direct test of Faith.
The Blank Rune represents the path of Karma--the sum total of your actions and of their consequences. At the same time, this Rune teaches that the very debts of old karma shift and evolve as you shift and evolve. Nothing is predestined: the obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.
Whenever you draw the Blank Rune, take heart: Know that the work of self-change is progressing in your life.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
I received this email today.....
Hi Elizabeth ~
I also meant to share with you from the last email, Jamie's lovely observation. She asked if we thought our reading with you had helped our marriage. We said, "absolutely". She then made the meshed fingers hand signal and said, "I can tell. There's some new Carm and Karl energy happening. I don't know exactly what it is, but it swirls differently" Isn't that beautiful! Just thought you'd like to know how your work is helping to "heal the planet".......one relationship at a time.
Peace ~
Carm
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.~ Kahlil Gibran ~
I am fulfilled.
I also meant to share with you from the last email, Jamie's lovely observation. She asked if we thought our reading with you had helped our marriage. We said, "absolutely". She then made the meshed fingers hand signal and said, "I can tell. There's some new Carm and Karl energy happening. I don't know exactly what it is, but it swirls differently" Isn't that beautiful! Just thought you'd like to know how your work is helping to "heal the planet".......one relationship at a time.
Peace ~
Carm
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.~ Kahlil Gibran ~
I am fulfilled.
God's Splendor of Spring
This photograph was taken recently in California, just east of Bakersfield.
I'm leaving Denver tonight to return to California. I've been here for ten days, meeting new people, seeing new things and falling in love with three little blonde angels. Andra is six, and Leah and Jessie are four and a half, twins. Their parents, Barbara and Dave have been very generous to allow me to stay in their guest room for many of these nights in Colorado. I also stayed with Karl and Carmelita in Castle Rock. It has been a glorious journey, a spiritual avalanche.
As some of you know, I was told, back in January, that it was time to 'channel'. I channel information but I was told that it was time to channel a spirit. I've been doing this work for nearly 30 years and, still, the idea frightened me. Well, I got over it and Friday night during a reading, a beautiful spirit I call Lotus Lady, came into the room to answer some questions. At one point, early in the session she nodded to me in such a way, that I knew it was time. I was ready. I let go of all of my fear and allowed the process to proceed. My clients, a couple, had been busy taking notes of their session. There is so much information that comes through that clients want to record it, either by electronic means or the old fashioned paper and pen method. As she was busy writing she noticed that my voice had changed, I went from third person to first person. She looked up from her paper and my face had changed, as well. I felt like I was sitting in the backseat while someone else drove my car.....heheheh. It was pleasant and not at all uncomfortable.
I've been doing many readings here in Colorado and I've decided that I like working with couples most of all. The healings show up immediately. Their friends notice, their children notice, even the family dogs are affected.
I'll be coming back to the Denver area in September to give a seminar...."Women, Power and Wisdom" Now back to California.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Hummer Dealerships
"When a customer comes in to buy the inefficient gas hogs they should be hit on the back of the head with a roll of quarters inside a sock. They should wake up in Iraq and told to get their own fuel."
Now that's funny!
Now that's funny!
"UN Panel Calls for Bush Administration to Close Guantanamo Bay Military Prison *The UN Committee Against Torture also urges an end to secret CIA prisons and an end to abusive treatment and interrogation techniques against detainees. In addition, the panel sharply criticized practices in regular prisons in the United States including widespread sexual abuse of inmates."
Our prisons are overcrowded. Buildings designed to house 100 prisoners are holding three times that. When you hear the word prisoner you may think..."Who cares? Rapists? Murderers? Child molesters? Gang bangers? Let them rot." I know. It's hard not to think that way. But there's the story of the seventeen year old boy who is a good student, a boy scout, and who has never been in any kind of trouble. One day a car side swiped him and he chased after it. He was angry and wanted to do the same back. He did and the other driver lost control of his car. His passenger was injured in the accident and lost her baby. The boy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. Big boy prison. How do you think he survived? A 19 year old college student bought some marajuana....a half pound of it for a big party his fraternity was having. He got to the dealers house just as the police were making a bust. He was sentenced to 10 years in the big boy prison. How about the 26 year old father and husband who got off work one night and went over to his old friends house, where he used to do drugs. He's been clean for three years but this night he joined the party and smoked some. He was still on probation for a drug offense.....he had two weeks left of his probation. Stupid? Yes. Criminal? I don't think so. But, he violated his probation so he is in the big boy prison, in a cage, designed to hold two men but now is holding four. He sleeps on the cement floor, with one eye open....four more years.
I remember when George Bush and Al Gore were debating. George was asked a question about the very high number of executions in Texas under his governship. He grinned. He smirked. He's proud of it. Funny how a pro-lifer can do such a flip. Pro-life doesn't end at birth. It's no wonder to me that the rest of the world is looking at us with more than a little skepticism. We think America, The United States is the BEST! Yet, we are one of the lowest rated developed nations for infant mortality, education, health care, and prison reform. Let's be honest. Who do we want to be? What do we want to stand for? Freedom? Can't do that now that we are all being recorded. Democracy? Well, the majority of Americans voted for something, someone else. Decency? Have you seen the attack ads for the next election? It's not close to decency. Honesty? Well, if you've been paying attention to what's going on in Washington, you know it's not that.
Be the change you want to see in our nation. Write your senators and representatives, write to your president. It's time for change.
Our prisons are overcrowded. Buildings designed to house 100 prisoners are holding three times that. When you hear the word prisoner you may think..."Who cares? Rapists? Murderers? Child molesters? Gang bangers? Let them rot." I know. It's hard not to think that way. But there's the story of the seventeen year old boy who is a good student, a boy scout, and who has never been in any kind of trouble. One day a car side swiped him and he chased after it. He was angry and wanted to do the same back. He did and the other driver lost control of his car. His passenger was injured in the accident and lost her baby. The boy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. Big boy prison. How do you think he survived? A 19 year old college student bought some marajuana....a half pound of it for a big party his fraternity was having. He got to the dealers house just as the police were making a bust. He was sentenced to 10 years in the big boy prison. How about the 26 year old father and husband who got off work one night and went over to his old friends house, where he used to do drugs. He's been clean for three years but this night he joined the party and smoked some. He was still on probation for a drug offense.....he had two weeks left of his probation. Stupid? Yes. Criminal? I don't think so. But, he violated his probation so he is in the big boy prison, in a cage, designed to hold two men but now is holding four. He sleeps on the cement floor, with one eye open....four more years.
I remember when George Bush and Al Gore were debating. George was asked a question about the very high number of executions in Texas under his governship. He grinned. He smirked. He's proud of it. Funny how a pro-lifer can do such a flip. Pro-life doesn't end at birth. It's no wonder to me that the rest of the world is looking at us with more than a little skepticism. We think America, The United States is the BEST! Yet, we are one of the lowest rated developed nations for infant mortality, education, health care, and prison reform. Let's be honest. Who do we want to be? What do we want to stand for? Freedom? Can't do that now that we are all being recorded. Democracy? Well, the majority of Americans voted for something, someone else. Decency? Have you seen the attack ads for the next election? It's not close to decency. Honesty? Well, if you've been paying attention to what's going on in Washington, you know it's not that.
Be the change you want to see in our nation. Write your senators and representatives, write to your president. It's time for change.
Doing some research....
I have been looking back over the books that have had the most profound influence on me over the years. I dug out a couple to bring with me on this trip. One I've mentioned before, on my old blog, "Living In The Light" by Shakti Gawain. On the back cover it says:
Living In The Light shows us a new way of life-becoming "a channel for the creative power of the universe." The key is in learning to listen to your intuition, and to act on it at all times, even at the risk of going against old patterns, expectations, and belief systems. The rewards are personal fulfillment, aliveness, and creativity, as well as complete transformation of the world around us.
I read this book in 1986 and it was quickly on the top of my favorites list. This and A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson.
Living In The Light shows us a new way of life-becoming "a channel for the creative power of the universe." The key is in learning to listen to your intuition, and to act on it at all times, even at the risk of going against old patterns, expectations, and belief systems. The rewards are personal fulfillment, aliveness, and creativity, as well as complete transformation of the world around us.
I read this book in 1986 and it was quickly on the top of my favorites list. This and A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson.
Wednesday Morning in Denver
I'm sitting in Barb and Dave's living room with their dog TBone. She's a beautiful collie/lab mix and sweet as can be. Their three little girls, Andra, Jesse and Leah are at school, Barb is at a job interview and Dave is working. The only sound in this house is the hum of the refrigerator and the drip in the kitchen sink. This house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac and the back yard is the size of a small park. On Mother's Day Barb got the gardening bug. She's never been much of a farmer girl but she has staked out a parcel of ground for tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, peppers and strawberries. They're coming along just fine.
I like it here. I like that there is so much space between homes and as many or more trees than cars and buildings. The air smells clean and piney. My air at home smells like ocean on most days but lately it just smells wet.
I'm liking Colorado very much. I got here Monday morning and was doing readings by 11:00. This is a combination trip, a little vacation time and a little work time.
I'm studying NLP and Time Line Therapy in my free hours...or I'm supposed to be. The view out this living room window keeps pulling me away but I'll knuckle down here any minute.
I like it here. I like that there is so much space between homes and as many or more trees than cars and buildings. The air smells clean and piney. My air at home smells like ocean on most days but lately it just smells wet.
I'm liking Colorado very much. I got here Monday morning and was doing readings by 11:00. This is a combination trip, a little vacation time and a little work time.
I'm studying NLP and Time Line Therapy in my free hours...or I'm supposed to be. The view out this living room window keeps pulling me away but I'll knuckle down here any minute.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Five Stages Of Grief
Denial and Isolation. At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer.
Anger. The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it.
Bargaining. Now the grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?"
Depression. The person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath.
Acceptance. This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.
These stages overlap and skip around. You may find yourself at the stage of bargaining and again at anger, then back to denial. The only way out of it, is through it.
Denial and Isolation. At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer.
Anger. The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it.
Bargaining. Now the grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?"
Depression. The person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath.
Acceptance. This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.
These stages overlap and skip around. You may find yourself at the stage of bargaining and again at anger, then back to denial. The only way out of it, is through it.
End Times, Dan Neil
If Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" has a single message, it's that global warming is bad--very, very bad. Floods, droughts, famine, disease...a miasma of End Times calamity caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Even at that, Gore is - at the risk of paraphrasing - a candy-assed optimist, according to James Howard Kunstler, author of, "The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century."
Whereas Gore and other prophets of climate change believe we still have the time and means to avert the worst consequences of anthropogenic global warming - hybrid cars, solar panels! - Kunstler argues with hellish persuasion that we are basically toast. Why? The entire edifice of American civilization- from our mega-scale methods of food production to our great repositories of national wealth, that is, the equity invested in our sprawling suburbs-is propped up, trembling as if balanced on matchsticks, on cheap oil. And there is no substitute for cheap oil.
But wait, I say, when I get him on the phone at this house in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. What about plug-in electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles, not a few of which are , here in California, being charged by DIYers' solar panels? What about wind power, biomass or wave power? Kunstler emits a well-practiced Harrumph.
"When confronted with these ideas, people generally go through...what was her name?...Kubler-Ross' stages of grief," Kunstler tells me. "You're still in the bargaining phase." Nothing, no deliverance of technology, he says, could possibly replace the cheap energy we get from oil, and even if it could we would have to surmount the "incredible passivity" of the American people narcotized by decades of abundant petroleum. Kunstler derides the belief that alternative energy will save us as Jiminy Cricket-like wishing upon a star.
When I ask him about the TerraPass program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (drivers pay a fee proportional to the size of their cars to offset their cars' carbon impmact), he goes bananas. "What do I think? I think it's [colorful intensifier here] stupid!" he fairly shouts. "There's not going to be a [ditto] Wharton School!"
So, that would be a nay, then?
Kunstler, 57, has emerged as the most dire and articulate proponent of a school of thought known as Peak Oil, the idea that the world has or will soon reach maximum oil production, after which oil becomes scarcer and more expensive to extract. There's nothing theoretical about it. Like global warming, Peak Oil--a bell-curve description of oil reserves first outlined by geophysicist M. King Hubbert--is widely accepted by serious people. Discoveries of new oil topped out in 1964. The world consumes about 27 billion barrels of oil a year. At current pace, the world's estimated 1 trillion barrels of oil reserves will be gone within a few decades, but as a practical matter, extracting every drop from sources like Canadian oil shale would be impossible, since the effort would consume more energy than it produces.
"After peak," writes Kunstler, "all bets are off about civilization's future."
As gas prices in Southern California hover near the $4-per gallon mark, Kunstler's book--recently released by Grove Press in paperback--seems a lot less fanciful than one would hope. What happens when gasoline reaches $10 or even $20 per gallon, as it almost certainly will, according to Kunstler? The social ecology of suburbia will collapse, and the nation's endless capillary networks of tract homes, with their lawyer foyers, pools and bonus rooms, will become vast ghettos inhabited by gas-less and immobile squatters. The food production system will likewise crumble, resulting in famine and death.
The collapse of industrial agriculture is just one of many ways that "peakniks"--adherents of Peak Oil--contend that these events will precipitate a die-off of humanity (though, in an unusually sanguine moment, Kunstler says he prefers the term "die down" because humanity will live on, despite its reduced circumstances). In the absence of any large-scale organizing feature--federal government itself being a manifestation of cheap oil--America will descend into neo-feudalism, where plowmen will be a lot more useful than IT directors. Put another way: It'll be Amish with guns.
I'm not convinced that the post-oil era will play out quite so apocalyptically. Yes, America wastes a lot of energy, which means it could conserve that energy before having to plow under the suburbs for farmland. Just for an example, the Department of Enery estimates that new full-spectrum LED lighting could reduce electrical consumption by about a third by 2025. With sufficient national will, America could convert to a nearly all-electric automotive fleet in a decade, putting our mobility onto a more sustainable, renewable footing.
But we've got some major infrastructural remodeling to do. Can we do it? Can we negotiate a soft landing? The first step, of course, is getting people to understand that, just like the once-derided case for global warming, Peak Oil is real, to see that train a'coming. Then to act decisively, resisting both a sense of futility and the urge toward anarchy.
It's a matter of hoping Al Gore is more right than Kunstler.
Even at that, Gore is - at the risk of paraphrasing - a candy-assed optimist, according to James Howard Kunstler, author of, "The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century."
Whereas Gore and other prophets of climate change believe we still have the time and means to avert the worst consequences of anthropogenic global warming - hybrid cars, solar panels! - Kunstler argues with hellish persuasion that we are basically toast. Why? The entire edifice of American civilization- from our mega-scale methods of food production to our great repositories of national wealth, that is, the equity invested in our sprawling suburbs-is propped up, trembling as if balanced on matchsticks, on cheap oil. And there is no substitute for cheap oil.
But wait, I say, when I get him on the phone at this house in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. What about plug-in electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles, not a few of which are , here in California, being charged by DIYers' solar panels? What about wind power, biomass or wave power? Kunstler emits a well-practiced Harrumph.
"When confronted with these ideas, people generally go through...what was her name?...Kubler-Ross' stages of grief," Kunstler tells me. "You're still in the bargaining phase." Nothing, no deliverance of technology, he says, could possibly replace the cheap energy we get from oil, and even if it could we would have to surmount the "incredible passivity" of the American people narcotized by decades of abundant petroleum. Kunstler derides the belief that alternative energy will save us as Jiminy Cricket-like wishing upon a star.
When I ask him about the TerraPass program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (drivers pay a fee proportional to the size of their cars to offset their cars' carbon impmact), he goes bananas. "What do I think? I think it's [colorful intensifier here] stupid!" he fairly shouts. "There's not going to be a [ditto] Wharton School!"
So, that would be a nay, then?
Kunstler, 57, has emerged as the most dire and articulate proponent of a school of thought known as Peak Oil, the idea that the world has or will soon reach maximum oil production, after which oil becomes scarcer and more expensive to extract. There's nothing theoretical about it. Like global warming, Peak Oil--a bell-curve description of oil reserves first outlined by geophysicist M. King Hubbert--is widely accepted by serious people. Discoveries of new oil topped out in 1964. The world consumes about 27 billion barrels of oil a year. At current pace, the world's estimated 1 trillion barrels of oil reserves will be gone within a few decades, but as a practical matter, extracting every drop from sources like Canadian oil shale would be impossible, since the effort would consume more energy than it produces.
"After peak," writes Kunstler, "all bets are off about civilization's future."
As gas prices in Southern California hover near the $4-per gallon mark, Kunstler's book--recently released by Grove Press in paperback--seems a lot less fanciful than one would hope. What happens when gasoline reaches $10 or even $20 per gallon, as it almost certainly will, according to Kunstler? The social ecology of suburbia will collapse, and the nation's endless capillary networks of tract homes, with their lawyer foyers, pools and bonus rooms, will become vast ghettos inhabited by gas-less and immobile squatters. The food production system will likewise crumble, resulting in famine and death.
The collapse of industrial agriculture is just one of many ways that "peakniks"--adherents of Peak Oil--contend that these events will precipitate a die-off of humanity (though, in an unusually sanguine moment, Kunstler says he prefers the term "die down" because humanity will live on, despite its reduced circumstances). In the absence of any large-scale organizing feature--federal government itself being a manifestation of cheap oil--America will descend into neo-feudalism, where plowmen will be a lot more useful than IT directors. Put another way: It'll be Amish with guns.
I'm not convinced that the post-oil era will play out quite so apocalyptically. Yes, America wastes a lot of energy, which means it could conserve that energy before having to plow under the suburbs for farmland. Just for an example, the Department of Enery estimates that new full-spectrum LED lighting could reduce electrical consumption by about a third by 2025. With sufficient national will, America could convert to a nearly all-electric automotive fleet in a decade, putting our mobility onto a more sustainable, renewable footing.
But we've got some major infrastructural remodeling to do. Can we do it? Can we negotiate a soft landing? The first step, of course, is getting people to understand that, just like the once-derided case for global warming, Peak Oil is real, to see that train a'coming. Then to act decisively, resisting both a sense of futility and the urge toward anarchy.
It's a matter of hoping Al Gore is more right than Kunstler.
Friday, May 19, 2006
The Point of Power is in the Present Moment
Right here and right now in our own minds. It does not matter how long we have had negative patterns, or an illness, or a rotten relationship, or lack of finances, or self-hatred, we can begin to make a change today. The thoughts we have held and the words we have repeatedly used have created our life and experiences up to this point. Yet, that is past thinking, we have already done that. What we are choosing to think and say, today, this moment, will create tomorrow and the next day, and the next week and the next month and the next year, etc. The point of power is always in the present moment. This is where we begin to make changes. What a liberating idea. We can begin to let the old nonsense go. Right now. The smallest beginning will make a difference. Louise Hay
Take a moment, take this moment to breathe deeply, to relax your grip on what you believe to be true, the inner chatter that runs your reality. Put your attention on this moment, this breath, this present peace. Create it here in the present with clear intention and you will create a change in your life, in your health, in your relationships and in your finances. You create the change in the present moment and that change will echo back to you. It is law It is the natural law of the Universe.
Take a moment, take this moment to breathe deeply, to relax your grip on what you believe to be true, the inner chatter that runs your reality. Put your attention on this moment, this breath, this present peace. Create it here in the present with clear intention and you will create a change in your life, in your health, in your relationships and in your finances. You create the change in the present moment and that change will echo back to you. It is law It is the natural law of the Universe.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Update on Sister Vicky...
Vicky was in the hospital this weekend for the last leg of her radiation treatment. For the past month she's been going into the hospital every morning for fifteen minutes of radiation therapy. It has drained her energy and caused lots of digestive and bladder issues. But, this last leg of the the process was intense. The doctor inserted two radiation tubes inside of her and she had to lay still for two days. We could only be in the room for a half an hour a day but she had those things inside of her. I hated it. But, she's amazing. Sharon brought her home tonight and Linda is staying with her until the morning. I'll go there tomorrow and Mom with spend tomorrow evening with her. She'll have constant help while she recovers from this phase. She only gets a few weeks for recovery when the chemo will start again. I think her last chemo treatment will be in July. Her numbers are down to 11. We hope that by Saturday she'll be able to resume Deep Meditation Massage with me. We'll see her through this. Thanks for your prayers.
I took a few vacation days to spend time with my friend Steven in his new mountain home in Idyllwild. It's the first time in two months that I've seen the sunshine. The air was magnificent and the view, spectacular. Steven, you may remember, lost his partner to cancer, a few days before Christmas. He put his Hermosa Beach House up for sale and within a few weeks the movers came and took his possessions to his new home. He seems happy and relaxed in his new environment, with his new schedule. He's writing a book which happens to be a call for healers and teachers to step up and start doing the doing of our teachings. Every morning he drinks a healthy protein, vitamins and green supplement drink then he writes until noon or so. He then goes to the gym to workout, has a veggie lunch. He was an inspiration for me.
He has plans to build an earth friendly home with all natural products (not wood) and with alternative energy sources. He's out to change the way we think about lots of things. He was telling me about a conference he went to that was all about building alternatives. He saw a dirt house. House made from dirt and a small amount of concrete. I can't wait to see he new creation.
His house warming party is June 24th. He'll have it catered, as usual, and we both hope his beach city friends make the trip to the mountains for the weekend. I'm trying to talk him into going for our Psych K training after that. http://psych-k.com/home.php.
He has plans to build an earth friendly home with all natural products (not wood) and with alternative energy sources. He's out to change the way we think about lots of things. He was telling me about a conference he went to that was all about building alternatives. He saw a dirt house. House made from dirt and a small amount of concrete. I can't wait to see he new creation.
His house warming party is June 24th. He'll have it catered, as usual, and we both hope his beach city friends make the trip to the mountains for the weekend. I'm trying to talk him into going for our Psych K training after that. http://psych-k.com/home.php.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Michael took a harbor cruise....
The pier, down the street from me, has lots of restaurants, gift shops, bars and music, and cruises. Shanon took Michael out on one of the ships to catch a close-up look at the sea lions. The weather was mild for March but now that it's May, it's all grey. Cold and grey. Anyway, here's the love of my life. Shanon has a new one in the oven. She's due in December. >smiles<
$70 Billion tax cut for the rich?
And the United States is paying over $25 billion for interest on loans from China, Saudi Arabia, Germany? This is just stupid. Most people will get a savings of $9.00. But, those making a million or more will get more than $40,000.00 in tax savings. It ain't right.
I can't wait to see what Jon Stewart does with this one.
I can't wait to see what Jon Stewart does with this one.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Stephen Colbert is my hero...
White House Correspondents' Dinner, 2006.
Thank you ladies and gentlemen.
Before I begin, I've been asked to make an announcement. Whoever parked 14 black bullet proof S.U.V.'S out front, could you please move them? They are blocking in 14 other black bulletproof S.U.V.'S and they need to get out.
Wow, wow, what an honor. The White House Correspondents' Dinner. To just sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what, I'm a pretty sound sleeper, that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face.
Is Dick really not here tonight? The one guy who could have helped.
By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly on into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail.
MC Smith , ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Mr. President and first lady, my name is Stephen Colbert and it's my privilege tonight to celebrate our president. He's no different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the "fact-inista". We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say I did look it up, and it's not true. That's because you looked it up in a book. Next time look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works.
Every night on my show, the Colbert report, I speak straight from the gut, ok? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the no fact zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term. I'm a simple man with a simple mind, with a simple set of beliefs that I live by. Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there. I feel that it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and I strongly believe it has 50 states. And I cannot wait to see how "the Washington Post" spins that one tomorrow. I believe in democracy. I believe democracy is our greatest export. At least until China figures out a way to stamp it out in plastic for three cents a unit. In fact, ambassador, welcome, your great country makes our happy meals possible. I said it's a celebration. I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.
I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical. And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be it Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter. Most of all I believe in this president. Now, I know there's some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.
So, Mr. President, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash. Folks, my point is that I don't believe this is a low point in this presidency. I believe it is just a lull, before a comeback. I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." The president is Rocky and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world. It's the 10th round. He's bloodied, his corner man, Mick, who in this case would be the Vice President, and he's yelling cut me, dick, cut me, and every time he falls, he says stay down! Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky he gets back up and in the end he -- actually loses in the first movie. Ok. It doesn't matter. The point is the heart-warming story of a man who was repeatedly punched in the face. So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven’t. I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world. Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite powered car. And I just like the guy. He's a good joe. Obviously loves his wife, calls her his better half. And polls show America agrees. She's a true lady and a wonderful woman. But I just have one beef, ma'am. I'm sorry, but this reading initiative. I've never been a fan of books. I don't trust them. They're all fact, no heart. I mean, they're elitist telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen. What's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was built in 1914. If I want to say it was built in 1941, that's my right as an American. I'm with the president, let history decide what did or did not happen. The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man's beliefs never will. And as excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News.Fox News gives you both sides of every story, the President's side and the Vice President's side.But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on N.S.A. wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason, they're superdepressing.And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished. Over the last five years you people were so good over tax cuts, W.M.D. intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew. But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The President makes decisions, he's the decider. The Press Secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know, fiction.Because really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.Now, it's not all bad guys out there. Some heroes, Buckley, Kim Schieffer. By the way, Mr. President, thank you for agreeing to be to my show. I was just as shocked as everyone here is I promise you. How is Tuesday for you? I've got Frank Rich, but we can bump him. And I mean bump him. I know a guy. Say the word.See who we've got here tonight. General Mowsly, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace. They still support Rumsfeld. You guys aren't retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld. Look, by the way, I've got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble, don't let them retire. C'mon, we've got a stop loss program, let's use it on these guys. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle. C'mon.
Jesse Jackson is here. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants at the pace that he wants.
It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is.
Justice Scalia's here. May I be the first to say welcome, sir. You look fantastic. How are you?John McCain is here. John McCain John McCain. What a maverick. Somebody find out what fork he used on his salad, because I guarantee you wasn't a salad fork. He could have used a spoon. There's no predicting him. So wonderful to see you coming back into the republican fold. I have a summerhouse in South Carolina, look me up when you go to speak at Bob Jones University. So glad you've seen the light.
Mayor Nagin is here from New Orleans, the chocolate city. Yeah, give it up. Mayor Nagin, I would like to welcome you to Washington, D.C., The chocolate city with a marshmallow center. And a graham cracker crust of corruption. It's a mallomar is what I'm describing, a seasonal cookie.
Joe Wilson is here, the most famous husband since Desi Arnez. And of course he brought along his lovely wife Valerie Plame. Oh, my god! Oh, what have I said. I am sorry, Mr. President, I meant to say he brought along his lovely wife, Joe Wilson’s wife.
Pat Fitzgerald is not here tonight? Dodged a bullet. And we can't forget man of the hour, new Press Secretary, Tony Snow. Secret service name, Snow Job. What a hero, took the second toughest job in government, next to, of course, the ambassador to Iraq. Got some big shoes to fill, Tony. Scott McClellan could say nothing like nobody else. McClellan, eager to retire. Really felt like he needed to spend more time with Andrew Card's children.
Mr. President, I wish you hadn't made the decision to quickly, sir. I was vying for the job. I think I would have made a fabulous press secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns. In fact, sir, I brought along an audition tape and with your indulgence, I'd like to at least give it a shot. So, ladies and gentlemen, my press conference.
(then it goes into his press conference video)
Thank you ladies and gentlemen.
Before I begin, I've been asked to make an announcement. Whoever parked 14 black bullet proof S.U.V.'S out front, could you please move them? They are blocking in 14 other black bulletproof S.U.V.'S and they need to get out.
Wow, wow, what an honor. The White House Correspondents' Dinner. To just sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what, I'm a pretty sound sleeper, that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face.
Is Dick really not here tonight? The one guy who could have helped.
By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly on into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail.
MC Smith , ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Mr. President and first lady, my name is Stephen Colbert and it's my privilege tonight to celebrate our president. He's no different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the "fact-inista". We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say I did look it up, and it's not true. That's because you looked it up in a book. Next time look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works.
Every night on my show, the Colbert report, I speak straight from the gut, ok? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the no fact zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term. I'm a simple man with a simple mind, with a simple set of beliefs that I live by. Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there. I feel that it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and I strongly believe it has 50 states. And I cannot wait to see how "the Washington Post" spins that one tomorrow. I believe in democracy. I believe democracy is our greatest export. At least until China figures out a way to stamp it out in plastic for three cents a unit. In fact, ambassador, welcome, your great country makes our happy meals possible. I said it's a celebration. I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.
I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical. And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be it Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter. Most of all I believe in this president. Now, I know there's some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.
So, Mr. President, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash. Folks, my point is that I don't believe this is a low point in this presidency. I believe it is just a lull, before a comeback. I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." The president is Rocky and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world. It's the 10th round. He's bloodied, his corner man, Mick, who in this case would be the Vice President, and he's yelling cut me, dick, cut me, and every time he falls, he says stay down! Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky he gets back up and in the end he -- actually loses in the first movie. Ok. It doesn't matter. The point is the heart-warming story of a man who was repeatedly punched in the face. So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven’t. I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world. Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite powered car. And I just like the guy. He's a good joe. Obviously loves his wife, calls her his better half. And polls show America agrees. She's a true lady and a wonderful woman. But I just have one beef, ma'am. I'm sorry, but this reading initiative. I've never been a fan of books. I don't trust them. They're all fact, no heart. I mean, they're elitist telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen. What's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was built in 1914. If I want to say it was built in 1941, that's my right as an American. I'm with the president, let history decide what did or did not happen. The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man's beliefs never will. And as excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News.Fox News gives you both sides of every story, the President's side and the Vice President's side.But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on N.S.A. wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason, they're superdepressing.And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished. Over the last five years you people were so good over tax cuts, W.M.D. intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew. But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The President makes decisions, he's the decider. The Press Secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know, fiction.Because really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.Now, it's not all bad guys out there. Some heroes, Buckley, Kim Schieffer. By the way, Mr. President, thank you for agreeing to be to my show. I was just as shocked as everyone here is I promise you. How is Tuesday for you? I've got Frank Rich, but we can bump him. And I mean bump him. I know a guy. Say the word.See who we've got here tonight. General Mowsly, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace. They still support Rumsfeld. You guys aren't retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld. Look, by the way, I've got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble, don't let them retire. C'mon, we've got a stop loss program, let's use it on these guys. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle. C'mon.
Jesse Jackson is here. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants at the pace that he wants.
It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is.
Justice Scalia's here. May I be the first to say welcome, sir. You look fantastic. How are you?John McCain is here. John McCain John McCain. What a maverick. Somebody find out what fork he used on his salad, because I guarantee you wasn't a salad fork. He could have used a spoon. There's no predicting him. So wonderful to see you coming back into the republican fold. I have a summerhouse in South Carolina, look me up when you go to speak at Bob Jones University. So glad you've seen the light.
Mayor Nagin is here from New Orleans, the chocolate city. Yeah, give it up. Mayor Nagin, I would like to welcome you to Washington, D.C., The chocolate city with a marshmallow center. And a graham cracker crust of corruption. It's a mallomar is what I'm describing, a seasonal cookie.
Joe Wilson is here, the most famous husband since Desi Arnez. And of course he brought along his lovely wife Valerie Plame. Oh, my god! Oh, what have I said. I am sorry, Mr. President, I meant to say he brought along his lovely wife, Joe Wilson’s wife.
Pat Fitzgerald is not here tonight? Dodged a bullet. And we can't forget man of the hour, new Press Secretary, Tony Snow. Secret service name, Snow Job. What a hero, took the second toughest job in government, next to, of course, the ambassador to Iraq. Got some big shoes to fill, Tony. Scott McClellan could say nothing like nobody else. McClellan, eager to retire. Really felt like he needed to spend more time with Andrew Card's children.
Mr. President, I wish you hadn't made the decision to quickly, sir. I was vying for the job. I think I would have made a fabulous press secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns. In fact, sir, I brought along an audition tape and with your indulgence, I'd like to at least give it a shot. So, ladies and gentlemen, my press conference.
(then it goes into his press conference video)
Moussaoui
Moussaoui, Moussaoui
You're still not sorry
You will live life alone
In a room made of stone
You get nothing more from US
But a ride in a black and white bus
We give you no tears
We have no more fears
No one will care
that you'll have no fresh air
We have shown you mercy
Yet only your rage we see
Your mother will cry
As we did when they died
Moussaoui Moussaoui
You're still not sorry
That's the best I can do in the five minutes I have between clients. Maybe I'll work on it later
You're still not sorry
You will live life alone
In a room made of stone
You get nothing more from US
But a ride in a black and white bus
We give you no tears
We have no more fears
No one will care
that you'll have no fresh air
We have shown you mercy
Yet only your rage we see
Your mother will cry
As we did when they died
Moussaoui Moussaoui
You're still not sorry
That's the best I can do in the five minutes I have between clients. Maybe I'll work on it later
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Being a doula....
Doula is a Greek word meaning 'servant'. It dates back to the day when servants helped their employers give birth when doctors weren't available. Today, in America, it means more than that. A doula is an advocate for parents during their months of pregnancy, birth and postpartum adjustments. A doula helps inform parents and assist them in making decisions about their many choices for labor and delivery, nursing and bottle feeding and they are trained to be birthing coaches. It is one of the services I will be providing young families this summer. The advantage I have over other doulas is my training in hypnosis and my life long experience in massage. Hypno-birthing, pre and post natal massage and infant massage are an added service. I've been a birthing coach and loved the experience. It seems like a natural addition to my many services. This was my daughters idea. She's going to be having a baby in December. I guess I'll be spending a lot more time in Phoenix.
Monday, May 01, 2006
May Day
My maternal grandfather was an illegal immigrant. He came to The United States with his parents in 1912. Throughout his life he was intimidated by the idea that he could be 'found out'. Even after he married the red-haired, blue-eyed, Daughter Of The Revolution, he still kept a low profile. Not that anyone could have guessed his origin. He spoke impeccable English and had white skin but still he feared the government would send him back to England if he was found out.
My paternal grandfather came to El Paso, Texas via Mexico, legally. He came with his wife and a baby girl in 1918. He came with enough money to buy a dairy farm and prosper in a community that spoke more Spanish than English. For twelve years their family happily grew but The Great Depression took away all of what they had except each other. I think the loss of his dairy farm broke his heart. He moved his family to Los Angeles to work in the factories but shortly after that he died from a heart attack. My grandmother's well manicured hands became bloody and sore for the long hours she spent sewing garments in downtown LA. She never remarried because she was busy raising her six children, four boys and two girls, to be good citizens. Her sons served in WWII and in Korea. Her youngest was a fireman for 25 years.
Illegal immigration is an issue that doesn't have a simple answer. We will never have a secure border. We can't build a fence tall enough or long enough to keep people away. People from England, Australia, Greece, India, Mexico, Brazil and everywhere else are staying here illegally. I don't know what the answer is but I do know we can't continue to support the system as it is today.
I received two emails forwarded around the net claiming that illegal immigrants are responsible for lowering property values, crime rates, gangs, illiteracy and high healthcare costs. Personnally, I believe the problems we see with drugs, violent crime, gangs, illiteracy, and healthcare costs have more to do with the disease of addiction than with the issue of illegal immigration. The disease of addiction to money, power, food, drugs, television, cigarettes, spending, alcohol, sex, even the addictive-compulsive, obsessive meshing to religious doctrine, (any of them.) These are the diseases that keep us sick. These diseases manifest into heart disease, diabetes, strokes, and domestic violence. Mental illness from alcohol and drugs taxes our system to the point of choking it. How many car accidents are caused by someone under the influence of a drug or alcohol? Have you ever seen the show "Cops"? Drugs and alcohol are involved in the majority I've seen. The rest are men looking for prostitutes.
The white collar crimes are all about greed and power. The sins of our government and corporate leaders seem to be about that addiction. Have you seen the numbers? The wealth, in billions, the oil companies are reporting from last year alone? The ten thousand dollar shower curtains and the one hundred-thousand dollar vacations? It's all about addictions as far as I can tell.
Some of the extreme religious nuts (addicts) are doing things that boggle ones mind, including brutal torture and allowing their sick children to die because Jesus will save them. Hello? Or how about the religious fanatics who claim 9/11 was judgement and punishment from God for our sins. No, not the crazy Muslim fanatics (addicts)....the crazy Christian fanatics (addicts) in America. Pat Robertson said Katrina was God's rath for the sins of New Orleans. He's not the lone minister of hate either. I read an article recently about a church in the midwest whose minister teaches his congregation not to pray for our American soldiers because America needs to be punished for allowing fags to live here. I swear. Give me a hard working, family- loving immigrant, legal or not, over that kind of craziness.
How many illiterate Americans are there? I'm going to go look that up right now....I'll be back later.
Later...........
The Typical Adult Non-Reader
According to the National Education Association, the breakdown for the total population of adults non-literate in English is as follows:
41% are English speaking whites
22% are English speaking African Americans
22% are Spanish speaking
15% are non-English speaking people
In terms of age the NEA reports that:
40% of these adults are 29-39
28% are 40-59
32% are 60 or older
In terms of geographic distribution the NEA reports that:
51% live in small towns and suburbs
41% live in urban areas
8% live in rural areas
Interesting. I wonder if the person who wrote the email blaming illegal immigrants for illiteracy ever volunteered to teach someone to read.
My paternal grandfather came to El Paso, Texas via Mexico, legally. He came with his wife and a baby girl in 1918. He came with enough money to buy a dairy farm and prosper in a community that spoke more Spanish than English. For twelve years their family happily grew but The Great Depression took away all of what they had except each other. I think the loss of his dairy farm broke his heart. He moved his family to Los Angeles to work in the factories but shortly after that he died from a heart attack. My grandmother's well manicured hands became bloody and sore for the long hours she spent sewing garments in downtown LA. She never remarried because she was busy raising her six children, four boys and two girls, to be good citizens. Her sons served in WWII and in Korea. Her youngest was a fireman for 25 years.
Illegal immigration is an issue that doesn't have a simple answer. We will never have a secure border. We can't build a fence tall enough or long enough to keep people away. People from England, Australia, Greece, India, Mexico, Brazil and everywhere else are staying here illegally. I don't know what the answer is but I do know we can't continue to support the system as it is today.
I received two emails forwarded around the net claiming that illegal immigrants are responsible for lowering property values, crime rates, gangs, illiteracy and high healthcare costs. Personnally, I believe the problems we see with drugs, violent crime, gangs, illiteracy, and healthcare costs have more to do with the disease of addiction than with the issue of illegal immigration. The disease of addiction to money, power, food, drugs, television, cigarettes, spending, alcohol, sex, even the addictive-compulsive, obsessive meshing to religious doctrine, (any of them.) These are the diseases that keep us sick. These diseases manifest into heart disease, diabetes, strokes, and domestic violence. Mental illness from alcohol and drugs taxes our system to the point of choking it. How many car accidents are caused by someone under the influence of a drug or alcohol? Have you ever seen the show "Cops"? Drugs and alcohol are involved in the majority I've seen. The rest are men looking for prostitutes.
The white collar crimes are all about greed and power. The sins of our government and corporate leaders seem to be about that addiction. Have you seen the numbers? The wealth, in billions, the oil companies are reporting from last year alone? The ten thousand dollar shower curtains and the one hundred-thousand dollar vacations? It's all about addictions as far as I can tell.
Some of the extreme religious nuts (addicts) are doing things that boggle ones mind, including brutal torture and allowing their sick children to die because Jesus will save them. Hello? Or how about the religious fanatics who claim 9/11 was judgement and punishment from God for our sins. No, not the crazy Muslim fanatics (addicts)....the crazy Christian fanatics (addicts) in America. Pat Robertson said Katrina was God's rath for the sins of New Orleans. He's not the lone minister of hate either. I read an article recently about a church in the midwest whose minister teaches his congregation not to pray for our American soldiers because America needs to be punished for allowing fags to live here. I swear. Give me a hard working, family- loving immigrant, legal or not, over that kind of craziness.
How many illiterate Americans are there? I'm going to go look that up right now....I'll be back later.
Later...........
The Typical Adult Non-Reader
According to the National Education Association, the breakdown for the total population of adults non-literate in English is as follows:
41% are English speaking whites
22% are English speaking African Americans
22% are Spanish speaking
15% are non-English speaking people
In terms of age the NEA reports that:
40% of these adults are 29-39
28% are 40-59
32% are 60 or older
In terms of geographic distribution the NEA reports that:
51% live in small towns and suburbs
41% live in urban areas
8% live in rural areas
Interesting. I wonder if the person who wrote the email blaming illegal immigrants for illiteracy ever volunteered to teach someone to read.
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