Teslations

Gogol Bordello - Supertheory of Supereverything

2012-02-12T14:08:00.000+10:00

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOWx5G76pkU#!

Open-mindedness

2012-02-12T14:03:00.000+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI

I WANNA BE AN UNFUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-02-11T15:32:00.000+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUkcb_1JVCk

Radio Power will Revolutionize the World (Jul, 1934)

2011-12-03T07:55:00.000+10:00

Radio Power will Revolutionize the World (Jul, 1934)

from: Modern Mechanix, July 1934

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/07/14/radio-power-will-revolutionize-the-world/

Studies in Pessimism by Arthur Schopenhauer

2011-11-29T07:52:00.003+10:00

Studies in Pessimism

- Arthur Schopenhauer

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/26586

IS THIS, OUR LIVES, IN LOGIC?

2011-11-29T07:30:00.000+10:00

IS THIS, OUR LIVES, IN LOGIC?

Is this the basis for the software of our minds?

1 SENSE, Observe...

2 QUESTION, Problem ?

3 IMAGINE future, final results of solutions to these questions or problems.

4 DECIDE on future action.

5 ACT on past decision.

6 REPEAT these steps again.

Please comment, add, evolve to this program.

It's Open Source Software but NEVER subject to copyright. :)

Inside Each Of Us Are Two Wolves

2011-11-07T22:12:00.001+10:00

Ten Zen Fundamentals

2011-11-07T21:46:00.001+10:00

Ten Zen Fundamentals
1. Identify your values.
2. Embrace your values.
3. Develop Inner Peace.
4. Prepare for Change.
5. Enhance knowledge of yourself.
6. Gain Confidence.
7. Appreciate life.
8. Increase consideration for others.
9. Simplify your life.
10. Cultivate a giving spirit.

EGG NOG - RECIPE

2011-10-25T17:11:00.000+10:00

EGG NOG - RECIPE

Ingredients:

6 eggs
3 cups of milk
1/2 cup cream
8 tbls sugar
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIduaM9gTlU

Yoda - Feel the Force (Yoda Remixed)

2011-10-25T00:32:00.002+10:00

Yoda - Feel the Force (Yoda Remixed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GITb6rzpTWM

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant - Robert Louis Stevenson

2011-10-23T14:45:00.001+10:00

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. - Robert Louis Stevenson

http://philosiblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/dont-judge-each-day-by-the-harvest-you-reap-but-by-the-seeds-that-you-plant/

The Corporation

2011-10-15T11:51:00.001+10:00

The Corporation

SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0A6IjrhcvE&feature=player_embedded

The Corporation is a 2003 Canadian documentary film written by Joel Bakan, and directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. The documentary is critical of the modern-day corporation, considering its legal status as a class of person and evaluating its behaviour towards society and the world at large as a psychiatrist might evaluate an ordinary person. This is explored through specific examples. The Corporation has been shown worldwide, on television, and via DVD, file sharing, and free download. Bakan wrote the book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, during the filming of the documentary.

The documentary shows the development of the contemporary business corporation, from a legal entity that originated as a government-chartered institution meant to effect specific public functions, to the rise of the modern commercial institution entitled to most of the legal rights of a person. One theme is its assessment as a "personality", as a result of an 1886 case in the United States Supreme Court in which a statement by Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite[nb 1] led to corporations as "persons" having the same rights as human beings, based on the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The film's assessment is effected via the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV; Robert Hare, a University of British Columbia psychology professor and a consultant to the FBI, compares the profile of the contemporary profitable business corporation to that of a clinically-diagnosed psychopath. The documentary concentrates mostly upon North American corporations, especially those of the United States.

The film is in vignettes examining and criticizing corporate business practices. It establishes parallels between the way corporations are systematically compelled to behave and the DSM-IV's symptoms of psychopathy, i.e. callous disregard for the feelings of other people, the incapacity to maintain human relationships, reckless disregard for the safety of others, deceitfulness (continual lying to deceive for profit), the incapacity to experience guilt, and the failure to conform to social norms and respect for the law.

Topics addressed include the Business Plot, where in 1933, the popular General Smedley Butler exposed a corporate plot against then U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt; the tragedy of the commons; Dwight D. Eisenhower's warning people to beware of the rising military-industrial complex; economic externalities; suppression of an investigative news story about Bovine Growth Hormone on a Fox News Channel affiliate television station; the invention of the soft drink Fanta by the Coca-Cola Company due to the trade embargo on Nazi Germany; the alleged role of IBM in the Nazi holocaust (see IBM and the Holocaust); the Cochabamba protests of 2000 brought on by the privatization of Bolivia's municipal water supply by the Bechtel Corporation; and in general themes of corporate social responsibility, the notion of limited liability, the corporation as a psychopath, and the corporation as a person.

SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0A6IjrhcvE&feature=player_embedded

Marriage and Philosophy - Socrates

2011-10-11T08:21:00.001+10:00

By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. - Socrates

Is a Police State a possibility?

2011-10-09T20:14:00.001+10:00

A Police State and control through surveillance, seems very possible. I'm sharing your concern as I thought the same, when I first heard of the protests.
Can we create a leaderless world or must we have a new world order of strict control of all or still a long way off? Is a leaderless society but a dream of us, the 99%.
With all of us being guides and followers as well as teachers and students but some always seem to lead more than others and forget the other side of relationship between both. We are not one or the other but both. Those labelled as stupid, foolish, rejected and quiet also teach me as well at times.
The world is stating it's frustration with the leaders. Thoughts have been very controlled in years gone by. One of our most powerful forces they know is that of our minds. These protests are challenging the power of the leaders. I can understand the fear being generated in those who lead the 99% but believe this rebellion today must have been predicted and prepared for long ago. Will it be perceived as a form of terrorism in some peoples eyes? This may be a continuation of the 9/11 plan in that more draconian laws may be passed a result of a staged or eventual (based on numbers alone) protest event which may result in more laws being passed to restrict more freedom. The opposite to what freedom fighters are actually fighting for. The 99% don't write the rules. I see a huge global battle resulting between masters and slaves once more.
Will peace be enforced by law, yet again or can we change or minds and thinking willingly instead. Not real peace, only suppressed anger among many might result. A question probably posed by many leaders is, how to get my slave to happily and willingly work for me?
History shows a continual master and slave structure even within many marriages and personal relationships! Will slavery ever end? Very interesting topic in interesting though disturbing, worrying times of change ahead. Glad we're all in this life together, not really knowing all it's mysteries and the unexpected solution, idea, revelation we discover through time.
The RIVER of LIFE is now the TORRENT of LIFE.
The river of life is flooding us. :)
Attempting to see our way into our dark unknown future is a desire many of us humans are all born with, so we create religion, belief, myth, prediction, planning for possible futures. Ooops, sorry to sidetrack. Time, past, now and future really fascinate me and so does electricity :):
A Police State controlled by electronics and computers?
Many of us are ruled by these 2 (addictions) already.
Could our world run without electricity?
Might make an interesting experiment for many.
To attempt to live without electricity.
I feel free when away but always come back
to my friend/enemy master/slave electricity :):
Lies, deception and illusion seem to be part of all lives.
Why can't we see clearly? Who deceives us and why?
Who Saves Who?
Big Brother or You?
or all of us united
not just the US?
After protest and war what comes next?
Police State or is there a better way?
Dream, imagine, question, plan then repeat the cycle :)
The Dali Lama advised us of the need to
change ourselves internally.
We need more of the following virtues in this world, he mentioned:
compassion
forgiveness
love
warm heartedness
open heart
social
aware
sensitive
humour
peace
calm
Mind, Dreams Thoughts, and ideas, all
Guide, Lead, Rule and Master our own Lives.
I hope we all make it together, somehow ?
Intention ?
):? = ? = ? = ? = ? = ? = ? = ? = ? = ? = ? = ?:)

The Philosophy of Ohms Law

2011-10-09T13:59:00.001+10:00

The World, as seen through Ohms Law.
Are the Forces of Life very similar to natural electrical forces?
I needed some good news, so I playfully wrote this to cheer me up.
I hope it does the same for you. Not to bee taken too seriously
It's a combination of science, philosophy, imagination, humour
Positive love, nature, people, LOLs music, art etc.
all make this world a place worth living in for many of us.
When amongst the _vampires_, leeches, parasites, viruses, crocodiles, mosquitoes, spiders, snakes and other _horrors_ on the negative side.
They exist and so do I, living between the two opposite forces.
Living together between these repulsive or attractive,
positive and negative forces or tensions.
Similar to the electrical forces of nature.
(E) FORCE - Voltage, Potential Difference, Tension, Pressure - Opposites (Volts)
(I) FLOW - Current - amount / time - Speed (Amps)
(Z) CONDUCTION, ACCEPTANCE, (Siemens, Mhos)
(R) OPPOSITION, RESISTANCE - opposition to the movement and flow, (Ohms)
(P) POWER = ENERGY, WORK (Watts)
*Ohms Law E = I x R*
FORCE, TENSION
E = I R, Force = Flow x Opposition
POWER , WORK
P = I E, Work = Flow x Force
P = I^2 R = Flow ^ 2 x Resistance
RESISTANCE, OPPOSITION, PROTEST
R = E / I = Force / Flow
FLOW
I = E / R = Force / Resistance
Positive potential is lacking (poor) of electrons
Negative potential is full (rich) of electrons
Positive Poor and Negative Rich forces
ELECTRONS = Money, Matter, Stuff, Space, Things
Star Wars, the movie, based on the universal FORCES of electricity and nature.
WARNING When building electrical circuits,
the current carrying capacity of the conductors must be sufficient.
Too high a current flow and and the needed force of voltage may destroy small, resistive conductors depending on the tensions and pressures encountered.
Tension and pressure must exist for movement to occur and power or energy to exist.
I = E / R , P = I E
May Current flow with you,
May Opposition be low and the
Force be attractive to you.
: ( :
P and E and Z of I from E- to E+.
(work and force and acceptance of flow which positive gets from negative excess)
Negatively charged atoms with excessive electrons GIVE electrons to the
Positively charged atoms who lack electrons.
Maybe we need to follow the lesson of the electron :)
SUMMARY
P=work
E=force
Z=acceptance
R=resistance
I=flow

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life

2011-10-07T00:30:00.001+10:00

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." -Steve Jobs

May You Always Feel Loved - Sandra Sturtz Hauss

2011-10-06T22:25:00.002+10:00

May you always feel loved.

May you find serenity and tranquility

in a world you may not always understand.

May the pain you have known

and the conflict you have experienced

give you the strength to walk through life

facing each new situation with courage and optimism.

Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there,

even when you feel most alone.

May a kind word,

a reassuring touch,

and a warm smile

be yours every day of your life,

and may you give these gifts

as well as receive them.

May the teachings of those you admire

become part of you,

so that you may call upon them.

Remember, those whose lives you have touched

and who have touched yours

are always a part of you,

even if the encounters were less than you would have wished.

It is the content of the encounter

that is more important than its form.

May you not become too concerned with material matters,

but instead place immeasurable value

on the goodness in your heart.

Find time in each day to see beauty and love

in the world around you.

Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard

you may be more than compensated for in another.

What you feel you lack in the present

may become one of your strengths in the future.

May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility.

Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.

May you find enough inner strength

to determine your own worth by yourself,

and not be dependent

on another's judgment of your accomplishments.

May you always feel loved.

by Sandra Sturtz Hauss

Cracked Pots

2011-10-04T07:45:00.001+10:00

Cracked Pots - Author Unknown

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.
"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
MORAL:
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there. There is a lot of good in us! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life! Or as I like to think of it-if it hadn't been for the crackpots in my life, it would have been pretty boring and not so interesting....

What we need is Star Peace and not Star Wars

2011-10-01T09:05:00.002+10:00

What we need is Star Peace and not Star Wars.
- Mikhail S. Gorbachev

Experience

2011-10-01T07:47:00.001+10:00

Experience
Old wise man says; "Experience is the comb mother nature gives you by the time you've become bald."

4 SIMPLE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE GREAT HAPPINESS AND TRUE FREEDOM

2011-09-30T22:45:00.001+10:00

4 SIMPLE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE GREAT HAPPINESS AND TRUE FREEDOM

Author: Lynn Zavaro
“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.” ~E.E. Cummings
I love to write. For years I wrote in journals and kept them stacked in piles on my shelves.
One rainy winter evening when I was 25, I walked into the Bourgeois Pig bookshop on Franklin Boulevard in Los Angeles and saw a book next to the cash register written by Natalie Goldberg called Wild Mind. I bought it and my life change forever.
Natalie’s book was about writing practice. A Zen monk practitioner, she brings the fundamentals of Zen to the creative writing process. There were some simple rules she suggested. Some of them are:
• Set a timer and write without stopping your pen—without crossing out or editing. Follow your mind without interruption and see where it leads you.
• Be specific. Not tree, but cypress. Not a street, but Utica Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Not a fruit, but a ripe slice of juicy pineapple.
• Go for the jugular—toward what might scare you. Meet your insides. Dive all the way in.
Writing in personal journals was my sacred time just for myself, to have permission to go wild, reach my depths, and be truly free.
As fate would have it, I ended up taking a workshop with Natalie in Taos, New Mexico and we become friends. At a time of major transition in my life she invited to move to New Mexico and immerse myself in a writing life with her.
Looking back at the many journals I collected, I see the writing met me for that moment in time, but that once it came out of me onto the paper, it was no longer a part of “me.”
It came through me but was not of me. It was an expression that had passed no longer fitting the current moment.
Although the writings still hold energy, the person who wrote them seems unfamiliar. That Lynn is gone, in the past, over.
If you write in journals and go back to re-read them are you surprised, perhaps interested, sometimes astonished by the person who wrote them?
Discovering who we are is an ever-evolving process, always changing, expanding, and growing.
We may think we have arrived, we think we can say that we know who we are now, and then in a snap of the fingers that moment is gone and something new arises—a new insight, a new awareness, a new interest or endeavor.
This is why we humans are a creative process. And why perceiving ourselves as a process can bring great happiness and true freedom.
Giving myself permission to just write without trying to be something, become something, make something out of it that defines me gives me incredible freedom.
Letting go of the need to be labeled by a “noun,” I become more interested in the “verb.” For example, I am not a writer. I write. Now, I am free.
Then, I have permission to revel in every moment my words move across the page for absolutely no reason except for the great happiness I receive from it.
Here are 4 simple rules to experience great happiness and true freedom:

1.BE INTERESTED IN WHO YOU ARE NOT
Part of being truly happy and free is being interested in the mystery of all that we are not.
Becoming clearer about who we are not allows us to de-layer, empty, and let go of the conditioning that doesn’t serve us. We come closer to touching our true essence, our absolute nature.
I’ve discovered pieces of who I am not at various stages of my life.
Like when I had spiritual experiences and labeled myself a “spiritual person,” only to discover I cared a great deal more about what it means to be my best as a human.
Or when I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted to feel like I had “arrived,” yet overlooked the benefits of lifelong learning.
Or when I published my first book, sent it out into the world, and realized the many years I committed to it were over. Almost the next day after my book release, I felt the call to explore something new and write my next book on an almost entirely different subject.
It’s about having a shift in perception and letting go of what we thought we were but no longer are.
Even though you may not have a direct answer when you contemplate who you are not, it’s still worthy. It may encourage you to keep being interested in the exploration of you, to investigate the mystery of yourself, to hear your greater call and listen.

2.DON'T TAKE THINGS TOO SERIOUSLY
Real happiness and freedom come when we remind ourselves to lighten up, to not take our reactions, feelings, desires, or thoughts that feel important so seriously.
Try this: Don’t believe me. Don’t believe anyone else. Don’t believe yourself.
Try not to hold onto your present experience for dear life, because it will change. I try to observe when I use my present experience to build myself up, or manipulate it to show me in a certain light, or try to make something more out of it than it is.
Every once in a while, laugh a little at yourself, at the funny workings of your mind, how silly they can become when you take things oh-too-seriously, and keep a sense of humor.

3.BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
On average, Americans have approximately 3–5 careers a lifetime. Why is this so?
Because we are constantly evolving, constantly changing, constantly learning more about ourselves. We wear a hat, try it on, get a degree, a promotion, commit years, weeks and hours and then realize there is something else we want that feels more in alignment with who we really are.
Somewhere, somehow we were taught that life shouldn’t change, that no one really changes, that we are the same person now that we were as an infant. And in some sense this is true.
We came into this world without any of the conditioning we developed in the years to follow. We were pure—brought into this world with a certain DNA that had a purpose and the trick is to discover it.
The more we are true to ourselves, the closer we are to happiness and freedom.

4.HAVE THE COURAGE TO LIVE FULLY
What if you lived life fully? Engaged your dreams fully? Didn’t cheat it and just went for it?
What if you kept finding your edge? Stopped playing it safe and stretched a step beyond your comfort zone?
What if it didn’t matter what will happen later because you know that it will change?
And this is where I get a little heavy, but only for a moment for this too will change. As humans we know our lives will eventually end. Whatever comes into being will go out of being. Nothing in life is permanent. What we think we have will go away.
So, with this in mind, dive in to this thing called life. Live freely and creatively. Reach for the stars and meet your dreams. Since everything is changing anyway, we truly have nothing to lose.

Source: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/4-simple-ways-to-experience-great-happiness-and-true-freedom/

Master of Self

2011-09-30T20:23:00.001+10:00

Master of Self

(Know)
Those who know others are intelligent;
those who know themselves are truly wise.

(Master)
Those who master others are strong;
those who master themselves have true power.
-Lao-Tzu

The Banker - Craig-James Moncur (video)

2011-09-29T00:06:00.002+10:00

The Banker - Craig-James Moncur
The Banker Aires His Views On The Right Of The Elite
To Control Everyones Lives. A Must Watch For Anyone Who Is Angry About The Current Finanacial Situation! This Is Whats Really Going On!
Performed By Mike Daviot Written,Directed and Produced By: Craig-James Moncur http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peX4dBEF0Vg

The Banker
Hello, my name is Montague William 3rd
And what I will tell you may well sound absurd
But the less who believe it the better for me
For you see I'm in Banking and big industry
For many a year we have controlled your lives
While you all just struggle and suffer in strife
We created the things that you don't really need
Your sports cars and Fashions and Plasma TV's
I remember it clearly how all this begun
Family secrets from Father to Son
Inherited knowledge that gives me the edge
While you peasants, people lie sleeping at night in your beds
We control the money that controls your lives
Whilst you worship false idols and wouldn't think twice
Of selling your souls for a place in the sun
These things that won't matter when your time is done
But as long as they're there to control the masses
I just sit back and consider my assets
Safe in the knowledge that I have it all
While you common people are losing your jobs
You see I just hold you in utter contempt
But the smile on my face well it makes me exempt
For I have the weapon of global TV
Which gives us connection and invites empathy
You would really believe that we look out for you
While we Bankers and Brokers are only a few
But if you saw that then you'd take back the power
Hence daily terrors to make you all cower
The Panics the crashes the wars and the illness
That keep you from finding your Spiritual Wholeness
We rig the game and we buy out both sides
To keep you enslaved in your pitiful lives
So go out and work as your body clock fades
And when it's all over a few years from the grave
You'll look back on all this and just then you'll see
That your life was nothing, a mere fantasy
There are very few things that we don't now control
To have Lawyers and Police Force was always a goal
Doing our bidding as you march on the street
But they never realise they're only just sheep
For real power resides in the hands of a few
You voted for parties what more could you do
But what you don't know is they're one and the same
Old Gordon has passed good old David the reigns
And you'll follow the leader who was put there by you
But your blood it runs red while our blood runs blue
But you simply don't see its all part of the game
Another distraction like money and fame
Get ready for wars in the name of the free
Vaccinations for illness that will never be
The assault on your children's impressionable minds
And a micro chipped world, you'll put up no fight
Information suppression will keep you in toe
Depopulation of peasants was always our goal
But eugenics was not what we hoped it would be
Oh yes it was us that funded Nazis!
But as long as we own all the media too
What's really happening does not concern you
So just go on watching your plasma TV
And the world will be run by the ones you can't see.

Written By Craig-James Moncur
16/10/2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peX4dBEF0Vg

2011-09-27T07:10:00.000+10:00

Change or change your attitude

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." Maya Angelou

2011-09-27T07:08:00.000+10:00

Serenity Prayer - Reinhold Niebuhr

The Serenity Prayer - Reinhold Niebuhr

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

2011-09-27T07:05:00.000+10:00

"I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.'' ~ William Ernest Henley

Captain of my soul :)

2011-09-25T08:22:00.000+10:00

What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others. - Kung-fu-tse (Confucius)

2011-09-24T16:14:00.000+10:00

Consciousness

Consciousness illumines the world. Light without consciousness is invisible electromagnetic radiation

2011-09-22T08:01:00.000+10:00

Moments of Significance

The more significance you give the moment, the more the moment has the opportunity to be significant.

2011-09-21T07:48:00.000+10:00

Meditation - Sivananda

Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity - Sivananda

2011-09-21T07:47:00.000+10:00

Sri Chinmoy

There comes a time in the seeker's life when he discovers that he is at once the lover and the beloved. The aspiring soul which he embodies is the lover in him. And the transcendental Self which he reveals from within is his Beloved. - Sri Chinmoy

Beta Test

2011-09-15T08:18:00.003+10:00

Possibilities

2011-09-14T18:45:00.001+10:00

In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the experts there are few.
- Shunryu Suzuki

Be grateful. Express it.

2011-09-13T22:33:00.002+10:00

Be grateful. Express it.
We don’t do this often enough, not for the joys and not for the sorrows that allow us to appreciate them. Be grateful that you are you. No matter how good nor how bad you feel – or ever have, or ever will – you are completely and utterly and uniquely you out of all the infinite possibilities in the universe. Some would have you believe that there is no inherent meaning to life, or they would have you believe that theirs is the only one worth adhering to, but you are a conscious, self-aware entity and no matter how hard they might be– the choices are all yours. Forget the ideals they put on pedestals, just out of reach, so they can watch you vainly try and scale them. Forget sidestepping your life; it can’t be done no matter how much they’d have you believe it. Every day you start at zero and you go up or down from there based on the choices you make. Own your damage. Your scars are yours and no one else’s, but they’re your reminders, not badges of honor to be put on parade. The fire in your eyes is yours. Don’t let it go out. Be grateful. Express it.
Lilly Calandrello - 20110913

WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE

2011-09-12T23:35:00.001+10:00

WANTED
DEAD OR ALIVE

MISS UNDERSTANDING

CRIMES: WAR, MURDER, DIVORCE AND MUCH MORE
REWARD: LIFE, HAPPINESS

How-To: Roast Coffee with a Popcorn Popper

2011-09-07T07:52:00.001+10:00

How-To: Roast Coffee with a Popcorn Popper
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/09/how-to_roast_coffee_with_a_pop.html

Feelings

2011-09-06T19:07:00.001+10:00

Feelings
Ever wonder why feelings don't die so fast?
Feelings don't die easily because we keep feeding them with memories.
+Ruhani Rabin

Remember: In life - sometimes people are nothing..

2011-09-06T19:06:00.001+10:00

Remember: In life - sometimes people are nothing ..you make them something.. and when they become something...they make you feel that you are nothing. +Ruhani Rabin

Darkness prepare for light

2011-09-06T18:33:00.001+10:00

Have you realised that beautiful pictures are developed from negatives in a dark room...?
So if you see darkness in your life be re-assured that a beautiful picture is being prepared

Code

2011-09-02T23:47:00.001+10:00

99669999996669999996699666699666999966699666699
99699999999699999999699666699669966996699666699
99669999999999999996699666699699666699699666699
99666699999999999966666999966699666699699666699
99666666999999996666666699666699666699699666699
99666666669999666666666699666669966996699666699
99666666666996666666666699666666999966669999996
1.) press ctrl+f
2.) then type 9
3.) click Highlight all.... :)

Expressing what we are

2011-09-01T22:21:00.001+10:00

"We find greatest joy, not in getting, but in expressing what we are. People do not really live for honors or for pay; their gladness is not the taking and holding, but in doing, the striving, the building, the living. It is a higher joy to teach than to be taught. It is good to get justice, but better to do it; fun to have things but more to make them. The happy person is the one who lives the life of love, not for the honors it may bring, but for the life itself." R. J. Baughan

Surfing Life's Waves : - ( - :

2011-09-01T22:19:00.001+10:00

"No one's life is full of lows. You would not be able to identify "low" unless you had first experienced high. Therefore a life of perpetual lows is a choice. You're choosing to not experience the highs. Be grateful and understanding of the ebbs and flows of life while also holding oneself accountable for how you respond to it. Live your life!" - Safi A. Thomas

What a marvelous cooperative arrangement

2011-09-01T19:53:00.001+10:00

Human beings grew up in forests; we have a natural affinity for them. How lovely a tree is, straining toward the sky. Its leaves harvest sunlight to photosynthesize, so trees compete by shadowing their neighbors. If you look closely you can often see two trees pushing and shoving with languid grace. Trees are great and beautiful machines, powered by sunlight, taking in water from the ground and carbon dioxide from the air, converting these materials into food for their use and ours. The plant uses the carbohydrates it makes as an energy source to go about its planty business. And we animals, who are ultimately parasites on the plants, steal the carbohydrates so we can go about our business. In eating the plants we combine the carbohydrates with oxygen dissolved in our blood because of our penchant for breathing air, and so extract the energy that makes us go. In the process ew exhale carbon dioxide, which the plants then recycle to make more carbohydrates. What a marvelous cooperative arrangement—plants and animals each inhaling the other’s exhalations, a kind of planet-wide mutual mouth-to-stoma resuscitation, the entire elegant cycle powered by a star 150 million kilometers away. - Carl Sagan - Cosmos

There is someone in my head and it's not me.

2011-08-31T09:07:00.001+10:00

There is someone in my head and it's not me.

The best and most beautiful things in the world

2011-08-30T09:42:00.002+10:00

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart - Helen Keller

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

2011-08-27T10:47:00.001+10:00

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The World's Complexities

2011-08-26T22:32:00.000+10:00

"If you approach the world's complexities, both its glories and its horrors, with an attitude of humble curiosity, acknowledging that however deeply you have seen, you have only just scratched the surface, you will find worlds within worlds, beauties you could not heretofore imagine, and your own mundane preoccupations will shrink to proper size." Daniel Dennett

A Deity Goes into Retirement - Tibetans Face Uncertainty in Post-Dalai Lama Era

2011-08-26T19:36:00.001+10:00

A Deity Goes into Retirement

Tibetans Face Uncertainty in Post-Dalai Lama Era
By Erich Follath in Dharamsala, India 08/25/2011

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,782329,00.html

Part 1: Tibetans Face Uncertainty in Post-Dalai Lama Era
Part 2: Intrigues in the Exile Community
Part 3: A Tibetan with No Experience of Tibet
Part 4: 'I Believe in Miracles'
Part 5: Shadow of a Scandal
Part 6: 'I Will Not Stop Praying for the Party'

Part1: Tibetans Face Uncertainty in Post-Dalai Lama Era

The Dalai Lama has officially retired from politics, claiming he wants to live as a "simple monk." It's a watershed moment for Tibet, amid fears of Chinese meddling and controversy over the new generation of leaders. Meanwhile the Chinese authorities continue to brutally crack down on protests by Tibetan monks.

He certainly doesn't want to end up like the Queen. "With all due respect, and she's a very nice lady in person, but having to recite bad speeches written by someone else? It's not for me," says the 14th Dalai Lama, known among the faithful as "Ocean of Wisdom" and "Buddha of Compassion." He dabs at beads of sweat on his forehead, careful not to endanger a fly that has landed there. "I would feel like a puppet."

For this reason, a political compromise was inconceivable for the man many worship as a "god-king." That was despite the entreaties of his Tibetan followers, no matter how much they begged him to at least remain the ceremonial leader of the government-in-exile, which he established more than 50 years ago in the Indian town of Dharamsala after the Chinese Communists had forced him to flee from the Tibetan capital Lhasa. The Dalai Lama no longer wants to hold any political responsibility.

"It has nothing to do with resignation, or health reasons, only with insight," he said in a recent interview with SPIEGEL in the French city of Toulouse, where he was giving lectures on Buddhism, before traveling to Germany this week as the guest of the Hessian state government in the western city of Wiesbaden. "I have taken a close look at all forms of government. A democratic parliament with an elected prime minister is the only modern and functioning one. Monarchy: yesterday. Theocracy: from the day before yesterday. I believe in the separation of church and state. But what sort of a hypocrite would I be if I didn't draw any conclusions from this realization?"

For centuries, the Dalai Lama was, in the opinion of the overwhelming majority of Tibetans, both the secular and spiritual leader of his people. The current holder of the office already introduced democratic structures while in exile, but they were reforms from the top down, and he always had the last word. Now he has resigned from his secular duties, including his right to dismiss ministers and shape the course of negotiations with Beijing. He also intends to significantly reduce his spiritual duties and address the search for a successor -- "male or female," as he says.

"I just want to be Tenzin Gyatso, a simple monk," he says. He signed the constitutional amendment that makes this transition possible "with relish," he adds. "The government in Beijing has described me as an obstacle to all compromises. Now this stumbling block no longer exists, and it will have to show its cards and reveal whether it intends to grant Tibetans true autonomy, and whether it is serious about installing its own Dalai Lama in the future."

And then, as is so often the case, a chortling, infectious laugh erupts from the Dalai Lama like a force of nature. "And besides, here's a suggestion for the Communist Party leaders: How about joining me in stepping down?"

The curtain has fallen. A theocracy is coming to an end, and it is doing so peacefully and without bloodshed. A god is going into retirement.

Huge Moral Authority

What a long road for Tibet, for an institution, for the 14th Dalai Lama, who, as his followers believe, was first born in 1391 and, most recently, in the cycle of rebirths, in 1935. And what a long road for this Tenzin Gyatso, a farmer's son who, at the age of two, was chosen as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama by a search team of monks because of his special characteristics, who resided in the Potala Palace in Lhasa when he was only five, was named the political leader of his people at 15, negotiated with and long admired Mao, until he recognized that the Great Chairman was only trying to use him. A man who, after his dramatic 1959 journey across Himalayan passes, preached nonviolence, offered the Chinese rulers of his homeland the renunciation of claims to an independent Tibetan nation in return for cultural autonomy, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

For the Chinese, the Dalai Lama is still public enemy number one. Communist Party politicians berate him as a "wolf with the face of a man" and a "demon." In the Western world, however, the 14th Dalai Lama is seen as a role model. According to an opinion poll, he enjoys greater moral authority in Germany than the German pope. Many see him as the alternative to the "classical" politician, as someone who embodies what he says and who practices what he preaches, and even manages to reflect on himself in a self-deprecating way: a blend of Gandhi and Groucho Marx who is particularly beloved among celebrities like actors Richard Gere and Uma Thurman, French first lady Carla Bruni and Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner.

Buddhism has become the fashionable religion, from Los Angeles to London, just as the monk Padmasambhava predicted more than 1,200 years ago: "When the iron bird flies, when horses run on wheels, the king will come to the land of the red man." The Germans are particularly enamored of Tibetan Buddhism, with their dozens of Tibetan centers and tens of thousands of Dalai Lama disciples, who see the Asian faith as the most appealing world religion, and one that generally does not look down on people of other faiths. It preaches peacefulness instead of inquisition, persuasion through meditation instead of missionary evangelism and the hope of attaining Nirvana instead of the threat of jihad, and it treats guilt and sin as concepts from a different, more punishing religious tradition and man as the sole creator of his own fate. What could possibly be wrong with that?

Because of this global support, many pay close attention to the turmoil in Tibet, which they consider the land of their dreams, their Shangri-La. But many people are unaware that as recently as the early 20th century, there were brutal power struggles between the monasteries in Tibet, that torture (including the particularly notorious method of gouging out victims' eyes) was the rule, and that reforms were only begun under the predecessor of the current Dalai Lama. Many are also unaware that it is only the current Dalai Lama who has sharply criticized feudalism and called for an accounting with that aspect of Tibet's past.

In fact, the 14th Dalai Lama has often been all too willing to allow himself to be co-opted as a sort of lowest common denominator among all those searching for meaning. Now he wants to put an end to his role as an object of projection for dreams of all kinds. He also wants to stop being a "wish-fulfilling jewel," another of his epithets, for all of his supporters. Instead, he is leaving Tibet and his global fan club to their own devices.

But how can this work? Can someone simply shed his religious and political power like an old coat he no longer needs? Doesn't this make Tibet like a Vatican without a pope, a place robbed of its unique identity?

These are not only religious questions. The struggle over the legacy of the Dalai Lama has to do with more than the reorientation of a government-in-exile. It involves questions of power and influence in one of the world's most important and contested regions. It has to do with military bases in Tibet, new transportation routes for consumer goods, the world's highest railway line, giant deposits of minerals, including zinc, copper and lithium, and the reservoir of water contained in the Himalayas.

Part 2: Intrigues in the Exile Community

At the center of this drama on the roof of the world are the rulers in Beijing, who hold sway over the majority of the roughly 6 million Tibetans and subject them to political, cultural and religious suppression in an "autonomous region" repeatedly shaken by unrest. The authorities in India, China's main competitor for dominance in Asia, which borders occupied Tibet and grants asylum to its refugees, also play an important role. And so do politicians in the West, who see the question of a successor to the Dalai Lama as leverage that could enable them to gain influence.

The Tibetan capital Lhasa is now a city of nightclubs, brothels and artificial palm trees, with ethnic Chinese making up more and more of the population. The Dalai Lama was once forced to flee the city like a thief in the night. Now his ancestral seat, the Potala Palace, is turning into a garishly decorated Disneyland.

Meanwhile his Indian exile about 1,400 kilometers (875 miles) to the south, Dharamsala, also known as "Little Lhasa," is a place where latter-day hippies rub elbows with monks in trendy cafés like "Shambhala."

The story of what is happening in the two cities is filled with intrigues and surprising twists and turns. It is a story where Shakespeare meets Siddhartha, and "The Name of the Rose" blends with "Hamlet" and the "Da Vinci Code" to form a narrative which could easily be filmed by Hollywood, if it weren't for one drawback: It seems a little too unbelievable.

The Chinese Communist Party, with its official commitment to atheism, is now seriously claiming the right to be in charge of Buddhist reincarnations and to enthrone a new Dalai Lama. Meanwhile, officials in the Tibetan exile community are watching each other carefully and hatching intrigues -- a situation not unlike that at the Vatican, with its jealously competing cardinals.

Lobsang Sangay, 43, is the Dalai Lama's political successor. A lawyer with a doctorate from Harvard University, Sangay, as a former leading member of the uncompromising Tibetan Youth Congress, was long regarded as a terrorist by the Chinese. There are also whispers and warnings about him in the exile community.

The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa could play an important role in choosing the Dalai Lama's spiritual successor. The Karmapa, a much-loved but controversial figure, is a 26-year-old monk and the third-ranking member of the hierarchy of Tibetan spiritual leaders. But following the suspicious discovery of a large amount of cash in his monastery, some police investigators in India speculate that he could be a spy for the Chinese, a "sleeper" planted in the nest of Tibetan exiles by forces on the other side of the Himalayas.

Some things are happening very openly in Dharamsala, the home of the exile government in India, where there are democratic elections, a reshuffling of power is taking place and objective police investigations are being conducted. In the People's Republic of China, on the other hand, true tragedies are unfolding, largely hidden from the eyes of critical observers.

In mid-March, a roughly 20-year-old monk called Phuntsok protested loudly against Chinese oppression near the Tibetan Kirti monastery in China's Sichuan Province holding a picture of the Dalai Lama in his hand. Then he poured gasoline on his body and set himself on fire. He died from the burn wounds, but according to Tibetan exiles, Chinese officials also beat him while he was dying.

An angry crowd that had quickly gathered at the site of the self-immolation blocked the path of security forces. Then a special unit that was brought in brutally forced its way through the wall of people and surrounded the monastery, which was known for being "defiant." Tibetan exiles quote eyewitnesses who reported that the monks were regularly targeted by officials, being subjected to torture and brainwashing. Two Tibetans allegedly died, 300 monks were taken away and the rest were ordered to exercise humiliating "self-criticism" and disparage the Dalai Lama. Kirti was literally starved to death.

Another monk, 29-year-old Tsewang Norbu, set himself on fire in Dawu in Sichuan Province last week, shouting "freedom for Tibet" as he was dying.

"Our hands are tied," says Professor Samdhong Rinpoche in a tone of despair, sitting in his modest office in Dharamsala. Rinpoche, 71, is the previous prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

The cleric's only explanation for the particularly brutal approach that China's rulers are taking at the moment is the nervousness that has taken hold in Beijing in light of the revolutions in North Africa. "They fear a 'Jasmine Revolution' in China, which is why they are lashing out at minorities, civil rights activists and religious people," he says.

He is already looking forward to his future job at a university. "You know, I think I'm quite a decent teacher," says Rinpoche, keeping a straight face. "But I fear I was always something of a failure as a politician."

Nothing has been achieved in his government's relationship with the People's Republic, says Rinpoche. "We have made more and more compromises, while Beijing has remained inflexible and has rudely insulted our leadership." And yet, he is quick to add, his words should not be misinterpreted as criticism of the Dalai Lama. "There is no alternative to the peaceful middle way of His Holiness."

But who are the two men who, in the wake of the Dalai Lama's decision to retire, will soon wield so much influence? How could a Harvard-educated scholar and a young monk change Tibet's fate, and how will they be able to make their views heard in the shadow of the Dalai Lama and under the watchful and hostile gaze of the powerful Chinese Communist Party?

Part 3: A Tibetan with No Experience of Tibet

In the eyes of many of his fellow Tibetans, the new Kalon Tripa, the official title of the prime minister of the government-in-exile, already has two strikes against him. First, Lobsang Sangay has no religious education. And second, he only knows the country which he is fighting for from second-hand accounts. He is a Tibetan with no direct experience of Tibet.

This is probably the reason that there was some tension between him and his rivals near the end of the election campaign. "But I did capture 55 percent of the votes in the end," Sangay, who is married with one daughter, says proudly. He rejects the criticism that someone in his position should wear a robe instead of tailored suits, calling it a cliché. His father was a monk whose monastery was completely destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. His uncle, says Sangay, went underground and was presumably arrested or killed, and then disappeared without a trace. "One can be devout without spending one's life behind monastery walls," he adds.

His parents fled to India in 1959, the year of the failed popular uprising. They married there and their son was born in India. They did everything they could to make sure that he had access to a good education, even selling a cow, one of their most valuable possessions, so that Sangay could attend an advanced school.

A gifted student, he seized the opportunity and earned a degree in English literature from the University of Delhi. He won a scholarship to Harvard, where he eventually earned a doctorate in law, writing his dissertation on the history of the Tibetan government-in-exile. He has been at Harvard for 16 years and has consistently worked on behalf of the Tibetan cause. In 2008, he testified as an East Asia expert before a US Senate committee, and on two occasions he arranged for secret meetings between the Dalai Lama and academics and artists from the People's Republic.

In 1992, he became the youngest member of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) in Dharamsala. Despite its respect for the Dalai Lama, the TYC has always called for a tougher approach to China, and has demanded Tibetan independence instead of merely "true" autonomy. Some of its members dreamed -- and probably still dream -- of armed resistance against the Chinese occupiers.

During the 2008 popular uprising in Lhasa and other regions in the Chinese-controlled territory, many Tibetans died at the hands of brutal police officers and plainclothes security forces. But the violence was not one-sided. Tibetans, apparently encouraged by fellow Tibetans in exile, destroyed Chinese businesses. And the recent self-immolations of Tibetan monks in China are also not without precedent. As an act of protest, a member of the TYC set himself on fire in India a few years ago. And the TYC leadership is currently staging a hunger strike in New Delhi in protest against the siege of the Kirti monastery.

Violence against others, as well as violence against one's own body, is forbidden in Buddhism, and the Dalai Lama condemned the acts of protest. Sangay agrees with him, but he also expresses "great understanding for the courage of my fellow Tibetans, who are understandably outraged and distraught," and says that he respects their actions. He is performing a careful balancing act, as he tries to reconcile the highly contradictory positions in his community.

"I also welcome the intervention of the United Nations in Ivory Coast and Libya," says the new premier, "and I call upon the world to intervene in our cause, as well."

Is Sangay seriously calling for an armed international campaign on behalf of Tibet, within the internationally recognized borders of the People's Republic of China?

"No, no, not military," he adds. He is careful not to portray himself as an unrealistic dreamer. "But Tibet should become the subject of serious negotiations at a level that would involve presidents and prime ministers," he says. "The whole world is morally and politically obligated to get involved." He believes that the revolutions in the Arab world could become a model in China. "Wherever there is repression, there is always resistance. But I do not advise my fellow Tibetans who are oppressed in the People's Republic to use violence."

Sangay believes that the Chinese cannot resist the tide of history forever, a tide that is increasingly being shaped by the free will of the people. "I am democratically legitimized, but the leadership in Lhasa is not. The authorities in Beijing will have to talk to us sooner or later," he says self-confidently. He expects especially strong support from Germany and points out that Chancellor Angela Merkel is a committed champion of freedom. "She knows what it means to live under communist tyrants."

Naturally the premier-in-exile, who was sworn in at the parliament-in-exile two weeks ago, pays close attention to the political maneuvering of the communists.

The Communist Party, which has always equated Tibetan Buddhism with "feudalistic practices," has long attempted to exploit religion in a bid to silence Dharamsala. Tibet's god-kings have traditionally participated in the search for their spiritual deputies. In 1995, the Dalai Lama designated (or recognized, depending on one's worldview), a young boy as the reincarnation of the deceased Panchen Lama, and hence the new second-highest ranking member of the religious hierarchy. Through middlemen, the abbot of the Shigatse monastery in communist-controlled Tibet had secretly sent photos of various candidates to Dharamsala.

China's political leaders were outraged. Their agents abducted the boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was six at the time, and brought him to Beijing. Since then, the authorities have refused to provide any details about the boy, even though foreign delegations have repeatedly requested information about his whereabouts and wellbeing. Human rights groups have called him the "youngest political prisoner in the world." When asked about his fate, officials in Beijing say tersely that he is doing well, that his parents are anxious to give him a "normal life," and that it was necessary to protect him from the "Dalai Lama clique."

"We don't even know if he is still alive," says Sangay. "He would be 22 now."

Part 4: 'I Believe in Miracles'

But the Communist Party also took things a step further and selected its own Panchen Lama ("Precious Teacher"). He is from the same district as his rival, and he is the son of two faithful party members. To give the process the appearance of religious legitimacy, the Chinese resorted to old Tibetan rituals, using a traditional golden urn in their staged ceremony to validate the reincarnation. Of course, the overwhelming majority of Tibetans never accepted the Communist Party's enlightened one, whose name is Gyaltsen Norbu, even berating him during public appearances.

Now the party has openly declared its right to determine the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama, insisting that the reincarnation must be ratified by the Communist Party. Sangay chuckles at the very idea. "It's as if Fidel Castro were to appoint the next pope. On the one hand, China's Communist Party persecutes anyone who so much as displays a photo of the Dalai Lama on its territory, and on the other hand it is extremely concerned about the continuity of Tibetan Buddhism. I would say that the Communists have a credibility problem when it comes to reincarnation."

Sangay believes that he will be able to move from Dharamsala in India to Lhasa in Tibet one day. "I could have become rich as a lawyer in the United States. As Kalon Tripa, I earn about €350 ($505) a month," he says. "But I believe in miracles." The fall of the Berlin Wall was such a miracle, says Sangay, as was Nelson Mandela's success in South Africa. Besides, he adds, who would have thought it possible, only three decades ago, that the Soviet Union would collapse and the United States would have a black president one day?

The question remains as to whether the elected Tibetan leader has a concrete idea of the chosen one, the potential spiritual successor of the Dalai Lama. Could Sangay imagine a system of dual leadership for Tibet one day, with him as its political leader and the young Karmapa as its spiritual head?

"I know the Karmapa and have a high opinion of him. He is highly respected and can play an important role," he says carefully, but adds that he is not authorized to say anything more than that. Sangay expressed himself more clearly when he spoke with Newsweek in 2009, saying: "The Chinese hard-liner strategy has always been, when the present Dalai Lama passes away, the Tibetan movement will fizzle out, or disintegrate. So the issue is, is there anyone who can replace him? What will happen to the Tibetan movement after he passes away?" And then he answered his own question: "(The Karmapa) has grown up to be a very attractive lama to the general public, but also, importantly, to the young. They can connect with him. He's of the same age. They know the hardships he went through to escape."

But what if this new, terrible suspicion cannot be set aside, namely that the Karmapa's escape was nothing but a pre-arranged game with the communist archenemy? What if, following Beijing's choice of the second-in-command in Tibetan Buddhism, the third-highest ranking member of the religious hierarchy also turns out to be unacceptable?

A Rare Interview with the Gyalwang Karmapa

The Karmapa lives in the hottest part of Dharamsala, 600 meters (2,000 feet) lower down and half an hour's drive from McLeod Ganj, the elevated part of town where the Dalai Lama has his official residence. He resides in the Gyuto, a whitewashed monastery with little golden towers, which also houses the Tantric University -- as a subtenant of the Dalai Lama.

Ogyen Trinley Dorje, a.k.a., the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, has given only a handful of interviews in his entire life, and he hasn't given a single interview since the damaging accusations were made against him. Calling him well-protected is an understatement. The circles of his caretakers surround him like the leaves of a water lily. His daily schedule is managed by a staff of 12 people, with titles like public relations director, human resources manager, manager of reincarnation issues, and each of them has a deputy. Very few are granted the chance to penetrate to the center of the flower, the Karmapa himself.

After lengthy negotiations with the Karmapa's team of advisers, SPIEGEL finally managed to arrange a meeting, but only under somewhat conspiratorial circumstances: It was characterized as an "audience," the last item on the Karmapa's agenda that day, following prayers and audiences with a handful of privileged pilgrims from around the world.

Historically speaking, the Dalai Lamas and the Karmapa Lamas are members of different schools. The Karmapa's Kagyu school, also known as the "black hats," were long more powerful than their rivals, the Dalai Lama's Gelugpa or "yellow hats." But when faced with the common threat posed by the Maoists, the Tibetans, without abandoning their theological differences, joined forces under the undisputed spiritual leadership of the current Dalai Lama.

The 14th Dalai Lama and the 17th Karmapa have some things in common, including a magical, centuries-old life history that requires a considerable leap of faith on the part of their followers, or, as the Dalai Lama puts it, "about as much of a leap of faith as the story of the virgin birth" in Christianity. According to the tenets of Tibetan Buddhism, both men demonstrated significant signs of their uniqueness in their earliest youth, signs that could only be interpreted as a nod from above. In this sense, both men emerged as reincarnations of a very special sort.

The story of the current Karmapa ("man of Buddha activity") goes like this: As predicted by his predecessor, he was born in 1985 in a nomadic tent "northeast of the snow," to sounds resembling a conch shell horn. He baffled his mother by identifying himself to her as the Karmapa, saying: "If you wish to sacrifice something to the Karmapa, you can give it to me." In 1992, he unerringly led his parents to a search team of monks equipped with the secret notes and clues provided by the deceased 16th Karmapa. When the seven-year-old boy was also able to identify ritual objects, the searchers were in agreement. "Apo Gaga," as he was called, "the one who makes us laugh," had to be the true holy one.

He was taken to the main monastery of the Kagyu order in Tsurphu near Lhasa, where he was enthroned in a magnificent ceremony -- and recognized, not only by the Dalai Lama, but by the leaders in Beijing. It seems safe to assume that this was all part of a political calculation. But why was the government of the People's Republic so accommodating when it came to the Karmapa?

At 14, he decided to flee Tibet to embark on a search for the best Buddhist teacher, as he would later recount. On a December evening in 1999, he jumped out of a window at his monastery and into a waiting SUV. Traveling on horseback and on foot, he crossed icy mountains, avoided military checkpoints and eventually made the risky crossing over the border into Nepal. He arrived in Dharamsala on Jan. 5, 2000. The Karmapa has never revealed the identities of those who helped him escape. Beijing must have felt humiliated. The boy's parents and a few friends were allegedly interrogated for hours and briefly detained.

In Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama took the inquisitive boy under his wing, and he soon became a favored pupil. Speculation ran rampant after the young Karmapa was permitted to sit in the Dalai Lama's chair during his absence. He was the "only plan B that the Tibetans have," wrote the German magazine Geo, while Time was convinced that he was the "world's next top lama."

But that was before the embarrassing scandal that has now engulfed him.

Part 5: Shadow of a Scandal

In January, the Indian police stopped a car on a highway near Dharamsala and seized the equivalent of €150,000 in cash. The men in the vehicle claimed that it was from the Karmapa's monastery and was to be used to purchase a piece of land. Soon afterwards the Indian investigators, who had become suspicious, searched the premises at the Gyuto Monastery. They found additional cash, in various currencies, worth more than €1 million -- a sixth of it in renminbi, the official currency of the People's Republic of China. The police chief in Dharamsala claims that Chinese telephone cards were also found at the monastery, and calls them "substantial proof that points to a connection to China."

The press in New Delhi pounced on the story. The weekly news magazine India Today devoted a cover story to the question of whether the Karmapa might be a spy for Beijing, while a headline in the respected daily newspaper The Tribune read: "Monk or Chinese Plant?"

Tibet is one of the most sensitive issues between the two major Asian powers, which sometimes play the game of "Chindia," joining forces against the West on economic issues, and yet eye each other with suspicion in other respects. India feels increasingly provoked by China, which has adopted an extremely self-confident stance when it comes to foreign policy. "They are building new airports and new rail lines near our border. Beijing is zeroing in on us from all sides," laments Prem Kumar Dhumal, the chief minister of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where Dharamsala is located. In this climate, some would say that the idea of a "planted" spiritual troublemaker with long-term ambitions is not as far-fetched as it might sound.

The Karmapa laughs off questions about the lingering shadow of the scandal. He receives his guests in a standing position in his simple guest room on the second floor of the monastery, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, like an alert boxer before the first round. He occasionally adjusts his monk's robe, which exposes his fleshy upper arms. He looks like a chubby-cheeked Raphael angel, except for his shaved head that resembles a large billiard ball.

"India, unlike China, is not a dictatorship but a functioning democracy," says the 17th Karmapa. On the wall behind him is the only piece of decoration in the room, a likeness of his "forefather," the first Karmapa. "And that's why I am confident that these accusations will be fairly examined. They will prove to have been unfounded, because it is clear that true believers from the People's Republic also find their way here as tourists and donate money." These pilgrims, he says, were the source of the "suspicious" currency.

For him, the Dalai Lama is the great teacher, a man he looks up to. They are often alone together for hours, discussing the relationship between religion and science. No one can replace the Dalai Lama, says the young man. And yes, he adds, he too has heard the rumor that he is predestined to become the "new Dalai Lama." But the traditions of his order would prevent him from holding the title in the first place. "Perhaps it is wishful thinking for some people, but for me it's unthinkable."

One of his advisers shoots him a stern look, and he immediately stops talking about current politics. He wrote an essay titled "108 Things You Can Do to Help the Environment," says the Karmapa. He loves ink drawings and likes to write poetry, and he practices Buddhist self-criticism. "Sometimes I watch video recordings of my speeches, especially those that I thought were successful. And then I realize that I said nothing significant at all, and I am ashamed."

He is a computer buff and is interested in world affairs, documentaries and films. He liked the animated action comedy "Kung Fu Panda," and he also enjoyed James Cameron's "Avatar." He readily admits that these are escapes into other worlds, and is quick to point out that he is much more interested in real life. But with the exception of a trip to the United States in 2008, the Indian government has not permitted the Karmapa, a man with the status of a stateless refugee, to leave the country. The authorities, probably fearing negative reactions from Beijing, cancelled a planned trip to Europe in 2010.

His day is completely planned in advance. It begins with the audiences, in which he blesses pilgrims from around the world. On this particular day, his visitors included wraithlike French schoolteachers, Taiwanese theology students and American acting students, who brought gifts ranging from plastic Buddhas to white shawls to the ubiquitous envelopes filled with money. His meeting with SPIEGEL will be followed by a session with his Korean language teacher. After that, he will have his religious studies to attend to (copies of both the Koran and Bible are in the library), followed by discussions of the Buddhist concept of emptiness. "In my job," he says, "I can't lose sight of the big picture."

The Karmapa spends his spare time playing with Tashi, his sister's white lap dog, and his idea of freedom is listening to inner voices. "The people around me mean well, and I know that I must submit to my destiny," he says. Then, with an almost defiant glance at the adviser, he adds: "But sometimes I do feel locked up and try not to be sad about it."

At least, he says, he is allowed to speak with his parents in China on the phone. Isn't this astonishing, given that his relatives were supposedly so harshly interrogated by the Communist Party after his escape? Does he see this as a concession to humanity or as a potential means of applying pressure to him -- and who listens in on the conversations?

The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa cannot answer these questions. He knows that he has a role to play, as a god in reserve, a messiah in training and the new face of Tibetan Buddhism -- and as a man whose life is determined by others. And yet he is also someone who learned to send subtle messages at an early age. They include his way of steering clear of difficult questions with a smile, and of using aphorisms and religious allegories to avoid being specific. It isn't difficult to see at least a hint of his mentor's charisma in the young Karmapa -- and, when it comes to crucial issues, his mentor's seriousness.

The Karmapa's political future is still unclear. "I have no ambition to be a leader of great importance," he says at the end of the audience. "But if circumstances make me into a force for change, I will become a force for change."

Part 6: 'I Will Not Stop Praying for the Party'

It is a scorching summer day in Dharamsala in the northern Indian foothills of the Himalayas.

The 14th Dalai Lama, a.k.a. the monk Tenzin Gyatso, got up at his usual time of 3:30 a.m., put on his plastic flip-flops and spent some time reading ancient Buddhist scripture printed on palm leaves. Then he ran on his treadmill for a while, checking his progress on the machine's computer while listening to the news on the BBC. After that he ate what he calls a cosmopolitan breakfast -- "as becomes a man between all times and worlds" -- consisting of Tibetan barley porridge, mixed with packaged American hazelnut muesli and fresh milk from cows that graze in India's Himalayan foothills.

He read the papers at 6 a.m., the Guardian and the Indian Express, and met with his advisers. At 8 a.m., he began his routine program for the day: preparing for trips abroad, audiences with groups of pilgrims in the garden, and an open-air "pep talk" with the local congregation. "Why are the Chinese often so much more enterprising than we Tibetans?" he asks his followers. "Learn from them! Make an effort!"

It's all in a day's work for the 14th Dalai Lama. He will continue to travel, and he will probably still meet "privately" with political leaders like US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but he will not be as active as he once was and will spend more of his time in meditation. Perhaps, in meditating, he will attempt to reconcile two aspects of his life that seem so contradictory: his Harvard-supported studies on the scientific relationships between Buddhism and brain research, on the one hand, and on the other his seemingly obscure belief in a living state oracle, the Nechung Oracle, who utters pieces of wisdom while in a trance. Most of all, however, the Dalai Lama will likely be putting his house in order and organizing his legacy.

His advisers informed him that the Communist Party in Beijing characterized his retirement as a "malicious trick." "I will not stop praying for the party," the Dalai Lama says in response. And he tells SPIEGEL that he sees progress being made in China, despite the current wave of repression: "Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has advocated more transparency several times, and he has even said that democracy is a necessary development. I am pinning my hopes on the reasonable forces."

The 14th Dalai Lama will undoubtedly pore over the old religious texts once again, the scriptures that grant him, should his people be faced with an emergency situation, the right of "madey tulku," or choosing a "reincarnated" successor while he is still alive. He intends to set the course of his spiritual succession at an important conference in Dharamsala in September.

"The Communist Party should concern itself with the reincarnation of Mao or Deng Xiaoping," he says. "I find it touching that the politicians in Beijing are concerned about my reincarnation, and yet it doesn't make any sense, given that the Communist Party calls me a 'demon.' Do they want to have a demon forever? No, I can assure you, and Beijing, that I will decide on my successor entirely on my own." Although there are several potential options, he says, "as long as I am in exile, we will only search for the successor in exile, as well."

Perhaps the all-important moment of inspiration will come to him while he is trimming his rose bushes or pursuing one of his other hobbies, taking apart and reassembling old cameras, or perhaps while running on his treadmill in the early morning hours.

He will continue to strongly discourage his Western followers from rushing at Buddhism and expecting it to offer instant salvation, as a sort of lifestyle religion. And he will continue to repeat his standard admonition: "Try a religion from your own cultural environment first, like Christianity." And he will also continue to promote world peace and interfaith dialogue, using the same universal, sometimes overly vague, esoteric language.

And, once again, his fans will stylize the Tibetan king without a country into their postmodern angel, as they have always done. They will turn him into a symbol that he never wanted to be: the last common denominator between believers and skeptics in the East and West, between the impotent and the overly powerful, a spiritual consolation for a world fragmented between the winners and losers of globalization. But they will also continue to worship him in his native Tibet and hang on his every word, as if he had the power to bring freedom, and they will wonder if there can be a life after the Dalai Lama.

That is the crux of gods: They can go into retirement, but they cannot abolish themselves -- if only because the incorrigible faithful would never allow it.

Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan

Why The Copyright Industry Isn’t a Legitimate Stakeholder in Copyright

2011-08-24T09:30:00.000+10:00

Why The Copyright Industry Isn’t a Legitimate Stakeholder in Copyright
Rick Falkvinge April 30, 2011

When the copyright monopoly and its future development is discussed, parties called “stakeholders” are frequently invited to discuss its wording and principles. Yet, current lawmakers have forgotten the reason the monopoly exists in the first place.

All through the history of copyright, its motivation has been very clear. In the United States Constitution, it is worded “to promote the progress of science and the useful arts”. But the purpose of the monopoly is to maximize the available culture. Nothing more and nothing less.

Some people, and corporations in particular, claim that the purpose of the copyright monopoly is for a certain profession to make money. That was never the case, and frankly, the idea is revolting to any democracy and functioning market. Bricklayers don’t have laws guaranteeing they make money, marketers don’t, plumbers don’t, and nobody else does, either.

However, the means of achieving the maximization of the available culture has been to give some creators a monopoly on the opportunity — not the right, but the opportunity — to make money off of a creative work. This has been the means to maximize culture for the public at large, and never the end in itself.

This also means that the only legitimate stakeholder in copyright legislation is the public. The monopoly is indeed a balance, but not the “balance” between corporate profits and human rights that the copyright industry likes to paint and pretend. In fact, the copyright industry is not part of the balance at all.

The copyright monopoly legislation is a balance between the public’s interest of having access to culture, and the same public’s interest of having new culture created.

That’s it. Those are the two values that go into determining the wording of the copyright monopoly.

The copyright industry always demands to be regarded as a stakeholder in this monopoly. But to give them that status would be to royally confuse the means of the copyright monopoly with its end.

If they were a stakeholder, they would never agree to anything that went against their interests. But the copyright industry is not a stakeholder. They are merely a beneficiary of the copyright monopoly. Just because you benefit from something, you don’t get to affect its future.

Actually, it goes even further: particularly if you benefit from something, you don’t get to affect its future.

Let’s take an analogy. Blackwater Security benefits from United States foreign policy. Does that mean that Blackwater is a stakeholder in the US foreign policy, and should get a seat at the drafting table? Of course it doesn't. The notion would be horrifying, with quite predictable outcomes. Yet, we accept this horrendous construction in the case of the copyright monopoly, with just the outcomes predicted.

Using a similar analogy from Europe, there are many regiment towns that would disappear if the regiment was closed. That doesn't mean that town get to influence the national defense policy. The issue that some thousands of people would be unemployed in the case of closing the regiment would have to be solved by job market policy — but not by giving the regiment town a seat when drafting the national defense policy, and for all intents and purposes, give them a veto against killing their own current jobs.

Imagine if Blackwater Security had a veto against ending a particular war. Next, imagine if the copyright industry had a veto of giving the public more access to public culture.

So in the same way, it’s totally insane to give the copyright industry the same kind of veto against reductions in legislation that benefit them.

The copyright industry is not a legitimate stakeholder in the legislation of the copyright monopoly.

http://torrentfreak.com/why-the-copyright-industry-isnt-a-legitimate-stakeholder-in-copyright-110430/

The Killer Shrews - 1959

2011-08-18T13:39:00.000+10:00

The Killer Shrews - 1959

A genetic scientist creates a horrific new breed of shrew.

Category: Sci-Fi / Horror
Director: Ray Kellogg
Producer: Ken Curtis
Production Company: Hollywood Pictures Corporation
Audio/Visual: sound, b&w
Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Google Searching

2011-08-14T01:07:00.003+10:00

Google’s Advanced Search Syntax

http://www.google.com/search?
as_q=test (query string)
&hl=en (language)
&num=10 (number of results [10,20,30,50,100])
&btnG=Google+Search
&as_epq= (complete phrase)
&as_oq= (at least one)
&as_eq= (excluding)
&lr= (language results. [lang_countrycode])
&as_ft=i (filetype include or exclude. [i,e])
&as_filetype= (filetype extension)
&as_qdr=all (date [all,M3,m6,y])
&as_nlo= (number range, low)
&as_nhi= (number range, high)
&as_occt=any (terms occur [any,title,body,url,links])
&as_dt=i (restrict by domain [i,e])
&as_sitesearch= (restrict by [site])
&as_rights= (usage rights [cc_publicdomain, cc_attribute, cc_sharealike, cc_noncommercial, cc_nonderived]
&safe=images (safesearch [safe=on,images=off])
&as_rq= (similar pages)
&as_lq= (pages that link)
&gl=us (country)

Unofficial Google Advanced Search

http://jwebnet.net/advancedgooglesearch.html

Google Search syntax dissected

http://sudarmuthu.com/blog/google-search-syntax-dissected

Bullies

2011-08-13T16:09:00.000+10:00

It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
- J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets)

“Bullies are always cowards at heart and may be credited with a pretty safe instinct in scenting their prey.” ~ Anna Julia Cooper

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

"Mentally, Bullies are not so bad... but they always seem to have really bad breath so we must find moral reasons to keep them out of our faces... or at least away from our noses. Just joking...shower them with love (and toothpaste)!"
~LoveSet Free

Desiderata (Latin:desired things) - Max Ehrmann

2011-08-13T15:58:00.002+10:00

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiderata

If - Rudyard Kipling

2011-08-13T15:39:00.002+10:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

Comparing Population and GDP of China, USA, Great Britain, Australia

2011-07-25T22:32:00.000+10:00

- IMF Population graph

- IMF Current account balance (% of GDP)

The Ambulance in the Valley - Joseph Malins

2011-07-20T23:08:00.000+10:00

'Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke, and full many a peasant.

The people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally.
Some said "Put a fence 'round the edge of the cliff,"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

The lament of the crowd was profound and was loud,
As their tears overflowed with their pity;
But the cry for the ambulance carried the day
As it spread through the neighboring city.

A collection was made, to accumulate aid,
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave dollars and cents--not to furnish a fence--
But an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is all right if you're careful," they said;
"And, if folks ever slip and are dropping,
It isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
As the shock down below--when they're stopping."

So for years (we have heard), as these mishaps occurred
Quick forth would the rescuers sally,
To pick up the victims who fell from the cliff,
With the ambulance down in the valley.

Said one, in a plea, "It's a marvel to me
That you'd give so much greater attention
To repairing results than to curing the cause;
You had much better aim at prevention.

For the mischief, of course, should be stopped at its source;
Come, neighbors and friends, let us rally.
It is far better sense to rely on a fence
Than an ambulance down in the valley."

"He is wrong in his head," the majority said,
"He would end all our earnest endeavor.
He's a man who would shirk this responsible work,
But we will support it forever.

Aren't we picking up all, jut as fast as they fall,
And giving them care liberally?
A superfluous fence is of no consequence
If the ambulance works in the valley."

But a sensible few, who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer;
They believe that prevention is better than cure,
And their party will soon be much stronger.

Encourage them then, with your purse, voice and pen,
And while other philanthropists dally,
They will scorn all pretense and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

Better guide well the young, than reclaim them when old,
For the voice of true wisdom is calling,
"To rescue the fallen is good, but 'tis best
To prevent other people from falling."

Better close up the source of temptation and crime
Than deliver from dungeon or galley
Better put a strong fence 'round the top of the cliff
Than an ambulance down in the valley.

ELECTRICITY and our dependance upon it

2010-05-03T17:22:00.002+10:00

NO ELECTRICITY around here, everywhere this morning. Roads where blocked due to dropped railway crossing barricades, non-working traffic lights, sirens blazing. I was then called to work (via battery power) to start our diesel generator. This led me to think of how much we all depend on electricity and the electricians who help us maintain our connection! Are we all addicted, dependent on electricity? I think so. How do we email, phone, drive cars, ride cars, watch TV, light our night, cook our food, transfer/withdraw money, access ATM's, make phone calls ? These all depend on mains power to run or charge batteries! Most of us are DEPENDANT ON ELECTRICITY, Electricians, Technicians etc. help us maintain our connections. When main electrical power was interrupted here, today I noticed more people were outside, not inside using computers, TV, cooking, vacuuming etc. Do we truly control electricity as our servant or are we all dependent on electricity and it's flow, to help us all connect ?

When One Door Closes

2009-08-08T08:30:00.001+10:00

When one door closes, another door opens but we often look so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open before us. Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy. You can't build on it, it's only for wallowing in. Life would be infinitly happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen. Look not mournfully into the past, it comes not back again. Wisely improve the present, it is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a manly heart. When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test courage and willingness to change. At such a moment there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or saying we are not ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny. (My Dad's final words of wisdom which he typed but never got to post me as he was killed on his pushbike at 80 years of age. Hope he is Resting Peacefully)

Rest In Peace Mum and Dad (A Matter of Life and Death)

2008-03-02T10:52:00.018+10:00

DEATH I'm enclosed in an iron maiden, wishing I was somewhere back in time as I'm missing,

- Mum RIP - 11th December 2008 of lung cancer - Dad RIP - 1st March 2008 died on his bicycle, hit by a car.

LIFE Thankfully Dad got to see our children just before he left us. HOPE Hopefully we remaining, RIP (Rest In Present) May we be united again. I miss both of our daughters very much .............

God - Everything and Nothing

2007-11-30T17:59:00.000+10:00

GOD's division or parts or ALL

HIDDEN , life, energy, air, wind, electricity, electrons etc.
CHAOS, lack of control ol, order, sense, meaning, purpose etc.
INFINITY, ETERNITY, lack of limits or resistance such as beginning and end etc.
SPACE, water, ocean, abyss. lack of form (formless) etc. , What appears as space or nothing, everything appear as visible parts of everything (god) due to HIDDEN shadows which appear BEFORE light. If god is split into only SPACE due to the HIDDEN ?

ps. Simple is best or maybe worst depending on your view point etc.. hope this helps someone who is not obsessed over on one particular aspect of the above simple summary towards understanding if you are seeking truth for pure intentions but i cant control or attempt to bring order or control as part of god is chaos. The only way i could but never would/should is attempting to divide god into pieces only. Best wishes from a possible fellow life hacker (playful, relaxed, enjoyable exploration of discovery) like anything can be used for selfish purposes also. I wonder where scientists, inventors have discovered truth , god or parts thereof ? Hidden (Energy), Chaos, Infinity, Space sound like words which most of us misunderstand as being being PARTS of the whole when they are ALL together the WHOLE. Do ALL words have more than one meaning? (Words are symbols).

Real Eyes

2007-11-30T09:02:00.000+10:00

"Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies"

- Machine Head

Love & Hate

2007-11-30T08:59:00.000+10:00

LOVE LOVE ? HATE HATE ? HATE LOVE ? LOVE HATE ?

With Every Goodbye

2007-11-30T08:40:00.000+10:00

After a while you learn the subtle difference

between holding a hand and chaining a soul... And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning and company doesn’t mean security... And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises...

And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, with the grace of a man or woman… not the grief of a child, and learn to build all your roads on to-day because tomorrow’s ground in too uncertain for plans, and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while, you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. You plant your own garden and decorate your own soul. Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers…

And you learn that you really can endure… That you really are strong and you really do have worth.. And you learn… and you learn... With every goodbye…You learn...

HAPPINESS - 9 TIPS

2007-08-18T09:53:00.000+10:00

Find a purpose in life.
Practice compassion.
Look for the good in all situations.
Seek inner peace.
Let go of abusive people.
Smile.
Get fit. Look after yourself.
Simplify your life.
Be accepting of yourself and others.

PS.Thanks Dad for posting me these tips

SYMBOLISM of ELECTRICITY and LIFE

2007-07-13T10:13:00.004+10:00

An attempt to help those whose don't understand electricity by relating it to universal symbols, feelings, emotions, energy, water flow, relationships, life, psychology etc.

RESONANCE - When two opposite reactances XL and XC are equal (XL=XC), Zero Impedance, Minimum Resistance. Frequency dependent.
- Love, Acceptance, Tolerance, Movement, See-Saws. Pendulum (Time simulation)

RESISTANCE - (R) Resistance to flow of electrons
- Friction, Opposition, Resistance to those with Potential Energy waiting for a path through which the energy can flow, Water Taps, Accelerators in cars. etc.
-The Antagonist (resistance) that OPPOSES the protagonist(voltage).
Forms:
RESISTANCE - (R)
INDUCTIVE REACTANCE - (XL)
CAPACITIVE REACTANCE - (XC)

CAPACITANCE - Opposes DC, Allows AC to pass.
- Resists/Blocks direct, constant forces
- Allows changing, cycling, rotating forces to pass.

INDUCTANCE - Opposes AC, Allows DC to pass.
- Resists/Blocks change
- Allows constant,direct force. eg.advertising

VOLTAGE - (E) Potential difference.
- Difference in level, rank, position, need, wants or desires

DC = Direct Current - one direction (moving from HI to LO potential or visa-versa )
Eg. - Battery + and -, Must be at DIFFERENT levels + and -.
If two 10000 batteries same potentials are connected + to +. The difference is 0 so no energy results. This may be why difference is necessary in life to produce usable energy. Consumer need etc...

AC = Alternating Current - oscillating, > 0Hz, cycling back and forth, round and round etc.

CURRENT - (I) Number of electrons passing per time period.
- Traffic, Flow

The process of EXCESS electrons BEING SUPPLIED to that which NEEDS the excess electrons.

(The RICH giving EXCESS to those that NEED the excess of the rich)

ENERGY - (P) Watt. P=EI (Voltage x Current), Potential x Flow.
- Freedom of Potential Energy to Flow or be released to move.

E = I x R
Voltage = Flow x Resistance

P = I x E

Power = Flow(Movement) x Potential Energy = Movement x Potential

Potential with no ACTION brings no Results, Power or usable energy.
Movement or Action must occur for Energy to produce Power.

Potential Energy is in everything which has mass
(every physical thing has mass, only no-thing has no mass)
as demonstrated by Albert Einstein and experiments performed.
(E = mc^2)
e = m x (c x c)
energy = mass x (speed x speed)

Does ACTION (movement) of ANYTHING create/use ENERGY ?

(This a collection I'm building on. Please share more if possible)

MATURITY and REALITY ?

2007-07-13T09:21:00.000+10:00

For too many maturity means a narrowing into a dull or resigned acceptance of a limited representative self and a disavowal or oblivion of the real self. True love forces no one for love cannot compel and loves service therefore is a thing of perfect freedom. Are we just a collection of mirrors, reflecting what others expect of us? Must we grow if we are to mature? May the Internet continue to be a medium on which peoples true thoughts may be continued to be expressed. Questions answered and questions asked. The recycling or circulation of information. Keep it alive and keep it flowing. Don't let anyone try and make information a limited captivated resource. Information is power or energy which must be shared for that is the force of the universe which leads to maturity. How can a person mature without information from various angles or reflections?. One day when all physical things and programmed thinking are done by machines,what will be left in a person ? Thoughts in our heads ? Imagination, Belief, Perception, FILTRATION of REALITY (limited inputs) EYES - Visual only (electromagnetic between infra red and ultra violet of the RF spectrum). EARS - Audible only (3-20kHz), ((Infra sonics) 0-3 KHz and over 20 KHz (ultra sonics)are missing from our perception

NOSE - Not as good as a dogs nose.

TASTE - Varying perceptions.

FEELING - Small objects cannot be felt, Extreme hold/cold feel same/similar.

All of which are limited by physical distance (space). How can reality ever be known from inside itself? Similar to my stomach attempting to percieve myself and it's function from inside myself.

Eternal questions / answers for eternal maturation or is this a dream never able to be fullfilled as I can never percieve reality (everything) if I am part of reality (everything) ??? My thoughts 2000

What is Truth ?

2007-07-13T09:17:00.000+10:00

T R U T H

Keep your mind open. Do not believe or disbelieve. Always remain alert and search until you come to the point of "knowingness", of calm certainly. That's what truth is. It is not a question of belief or disbelief. It is a question of knowing.Truth is like love. It is an experience in one's inner self. Truth, like love, must be discovered. Nobody can give it to you in a tidy package. Truth is a living experience. Be ever vigil and rigorous and courageous in seeking to know your own mind. +?

Going with the flow

2007-07-13T09:04:00.000+10:00

Throughout our lives we have a tendency to become obsessed by the relentless pursuit of material things, houses, cars, clothes, furniture, boats, toys and trinkets. The more we HAVE, the more we want. The more we WANT, the more we get . . The more we GET, the more we WEIGH OURSELVES DOWN. The end result to all this acquisition is that if and when the crunch comes, we suddenly find ourselves buried under a mountain of possessions, most of which we have little or no use for. A wise old man once said, "that if we own any more than 100 items in our lives, it is too much." Ascertain what you really need to survive in this world and get rid of the rest. Advertise them, have a garage sale, give them to friends or charity. The more fluid you become, the easier you will be able to move through life. To circumnavigate the problems. And to be free. Hard habit to break however, for a lifelong collector since birth.

WHO AM I ? (Thoughts on thoughts)

2007-07-13T08:36:00.000+10:00

WHO AM I ? (A transcript of the process of thoughts observing thoughts)

I can only think one thought at one time very intently but finding it hard to think about anything other than that on which I am focusing my attention on intently with.

(Focused ATTENTION) ME @ 1 Hard to DECIDE upon WHICH thought or distraction on which I MUST FOCUS THIS ATTENTION towards. Where to go in my mind ? I feel very indecisive so I just DO and think about that upon which I am focusing attention to. The thought switching part of my mind has been very superbly modified in a rather extremely beneficial way and with only minimal effort to decide when the switch to Time, Priority, Attention to other things outside that which I am doing NOW which is writing these words very attentively.

Ever stop to think and forget to start again ?
The ancestor of every action is a thought !
Achievement is a habit – Cultivate it

Bye for now at 9.33pm Having a small break at 9.34pm because I spent 1 minute trying to decide what to do next and so I am having another to help me to decide what to do next. It seems like I maybe becoming more obsessive as I feel I am obsessing over deciding or switching in which attention node on which to focus my attention so I am now writing them down on a piece of paper so I may one day go back to multi-tasking operation versus single-tasking but with more attentive care as I seem to be thinking further and deeper down to the core of the onion skin layers and seem to be entering the core or source of all thoughts. I love UNDERSTANDING more about THINKING, ATTENTION, FOCUS, MAGNIFICATION or zooming all areas of thought and really observing my thought process. I seem to be in a very meditative mode now. I seem to be experimenting with my thinking and am really enjoying following observing my thought and writing process. I seem to be observing my thoughts like someone who is observing and playing a video game. I understand now for I AM the one who is controlling the body of my other self. I AM MY HIGHER POWER of my body for I AM THOUGHT and thought is unseen, spiritual and not physical. From where does thought come? I am feeling very excited about this discovery. I must continue on this process of analyzing, observing my own thoughts. Do I decide upon which thought to think or is this an external process control by another higher power above this which is inside my higher power. Does my Higher Power have a Higher Power? Who is the HIGHEST Power of Higher Powers? I must now really stop writing to myself as my wrist is getting sore from writing letters to myself here on earth or right where I AM ? Bye For Now. Best Wishes to Me for Being Me.

I LOVE BEING ABLE TO BE MYSELF without having higher powers controlling my higher power or sometimes I do feel lonely as I have no one real or outside myself to focus on when I am writing thoughts about thoughts down on a piece of paper in this manner. OUCH ! I must rest. Goodbye again.

It feels like I am writing to a LONG lost best friend of myself which will be with me forever until my physical body wears out and changes when after I discover all I can about while it exists for thought with no external influences is very tiring. Goodbye at 9:48 pm.

9:50pm I am obsessed with thinking and observing it by writing down my discoveries much in the manner of my true destiny which is to experiment and to discover new things such as this. I love making new discoveries of myself. Getting to KNOW myself. I have discovered a new HOBBY which I can practice at ALL TIMES as I can always observe myself and to be aware of this effect. I think if I can possibly describe this amazing revelation when I go back to rehab please and then to truly know that I do not have to get stoned to be able to be stoned naturally is my most deepest desire. Please may my desire and utmost wish please my higher power always. REMIND me please to always be the OBSERVER of MY THOUGHTS to enable me and my Higher Power (God) please as it is helping me to be able to contact as close as possible the Highest Power possible.

To get closest to my highest power or the core, I must contact or know a higher power than myself which is contained inside of my highest power which is my self. Please understand this please with all my heart and soul and thought.

The absolute FOCUSED, AMPLIFIED POWER possible which is my own thought. Please self may it be directed to that which is most important now is deciding upon WHAT TO FOCUS the very illuminated, focused ATTENTION ?

DECISIONS ?

10:08PM Still trying to phone a friend but still engaged. I may go onto the internet now to make decisions even harder to decide. WIDE ANGLE ZOOMED OUT attention is what I NEED to focus on to be able to survive on this planet which is very hard to do now. I must TALK OUTWARDS to somwone else to focus mt attention on other than my own thoughts. What do I call this process?

I'm eatinga chewie to focus this attention out as I am getting FEARFUL of going TOO FAR into the SOURCE. I am afraid of gtting too close to the SOURCE. From where is this FEAR ARISING ? From the world around MY SELF NOW. Only now but the future is creating FEAR in the future and the past is filled with regret and guilt at times for not deciding to think about something outside my body. I must focus outwards to function. I cannot focus too much attention inwards as my outer world will get me.

BOO HOO very frightening this world in which myself is now by choice of me thinking about if is a fear of losing my physical self. But, if I am not afraid of losing my physical self will I be free?

I am not sure as I have never truly lived without fear driving because FEAR IS WHAT KEEPS MY PHYSICAL BODY ALIVE.

Fear of LOSS / DEATH / DESTRUCTION / PAIN I feal is what is making me a slave to my physical self !

.... STILL TO BE COMPLETED ....

Definition of HACK and LIFE

2006-07-05T09:50:00.001+10:00

DEFINITION OF HACK vi. To interact with a computer in a playful and exploratory rather than goal-directed way. This is what I do on my computer and in real life most of the time. Life for me is something to explore in a playful manner. Now that I know the definition, I can define my computer use and my life both as hacking.
HACK - To Play and Explore. This is how I also LIVE LIFE. To interact with LIFE in a PLAYFUL and EXPLORATORY way rather than a goal-directed way. To discover, explore, create and experience what can be. Lot's of inventions, discoveries and hacks were discovered this way. We where born this way as a child, this is how I lived. Then we feel the need for control and power and so get distracted. Living in our own Inner, Imaginary, Symbolic worlds and not seeing what can be experienced.
How do you see the world ?

Micro-$oft is Mega-Hard !!

2006-07-04T14:34:00.000+10:00

I'm now using LINUX permanently !!... No more $$ for hidden secrets for what should be shared. Thank you all. It's now over a year and the linux love is growing still:) So much to discover and explore. The veil is being lifted :)

Simple IR Remote Control Testers

2006-05-26T19:04:00.000+10:00

Digital, Web-cam, Video or Still Cameras - Infrared is visible to cameras. Allowing you to 'see' the infrared light emitted from the remote controls LED's. AM radio - De-tune the AM radio off station a bit. You will 'hear' the sound of the remote control through the radio. Optical Mouse - Use an optical mouse that dims when not in use. - Illuminate the mouse LED's by shining a remote into it. (Don't let other light shine in whilst doing this as this also lights the LED in the mouse) Oscilloscope - Use a glass signal diode (geranium - cats whisker style) to sense the infrared light emitted by the remote control. Do you know of any other SIMPLE remote control testers ?

Universality is essential to the Web

2006-05-13T23:18:00.000+10:00

"Universality is essential to the Web, It loses its power if there are certain types of things to which you can't link." - Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the web)

This Blog created 29 April 2006

2006-04-29T22:00:00.000+10:00