Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Fun With Food
Check out the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra. They give new meaning to the expression playing with your food.
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The Blue Marble
This is still the most moving photograph I have ever seen. It was taken on December 7, 1972 as the Apollo 17 crew left Earth’s orbit for the moon. It is the first photo ever in which the earth is in full view.
Do you remember the first time you saw this?
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
We have always been here
Andrew Cohen, founder of EnlightenNext magazine, is a spiritual teacher and acclaimed author widely recognized as a defining voice in the emerging field of evolutionary spirituality. In this recent article, Awakening to Evolution, Cohen further probes the questions, why is there something and nothing? and what part do we play in this miraculous unfolding?
"I’m convinced that the momentous enlightening leap that needs to be taken .... is the delicate and all-important transition from the mere intellectual and philosophical recognition that our cosmos and culture are evolving to the direct, felt, living experience of the energy and intelligence that is driving the entire process, vibrating in one’s very own heart and mind."
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Monday, March 23, 2009
Redefining enlightenment for our time
The Evolution of Enlightenment
The Guru and the Pandit
Ken Wilber and Andrew Cohen in Dialogue
Andrew Cohen -- "The goal now, as audacious as it sounds, is not merely to transcend the world but to transform the world, to become an agent of the evolutionary impulse itself .... awakening to the truth of who we are, and then daring to allow ourselves to experience the urgency to make it manifest in this world with all of our being."
"I think .... that the traditional definition of enlightenment may not actually be able to meet the needs of the evolving world in the time in which we are living."
Ken Wilber -- ".... the only way you can permanently and fully realize emptiness is if you transform, evolve, or develop your vehicle in the world of form."
"So we have to have a radical embrace of the world of samsara as the vehicle and expression of nirvana itself."
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The Guru and the Pandit
Ken Wilber and Andrew Cohen in Dialogue
Andrew Cohen -- "The goal now, as audacious as it sounds, is not merely to transcend the world but to transform the world, to become an agent of the evolutionary impulse itself .... awakening to the truth of who we are, and then daring to allow ourselves to experience the urgency to make it manifest in this world with all of our being."
"I think .... that the traditional definition of enlightenment may not actually be able to meet the needs of the evolving world in the time in which we are living."
Ken Wilber -- ".... the only way you can permanently and fully realize emptiness is if you transform, evolve, or develop your vehicle in the world of form."
"So we have to have a radical embrace of the world of samsara as the vehicle and expression of nirvana itself."
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Scientists probe meditation secrets
This just in (well, a year ago) from BBC News:
"Scientists are beginning to uncover evidence that meditation has a tangible effect on the brain."
Who knew???
"Scientists are beginning to uncover evidence that meditation has a tangible effect on the brain."
Who knew???
Saturday, March 21, 2009
In case you aren't confused enough about what's true...
What Ever Happened to Truth
by Carter Phipps, Executive Editor of EnlightenNext Magazine
"Truth, like beauty, has been knocked off its mythical pedestal as eternal objective fact and has tumbled headlong into the eye of the beholder."
Look For the Truth No Matter Where It Takes You
F. David Peat on David Bohm, Krishnamurti and Himself by Simeon Alev
"Maybe science is being tempered by things like intuition, by compassion, by other sets of values that have not been present before."
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Freedom's just around the corner for you
But with truth so far off, what good does it do?
- Bob Dylan
Begin with the Unknown
- Krishnamurti
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by Carter Phipps, Executive Editor of EnlightenNext Magazine
"Truth, like beauty, has been knocked off its mythical pedestal as eternal objective fact and has tumbled headlong into the eye of the beholder."
Look For the Truth No Matter Where It Takes You
F. David Peat on David Bohm, Krishnamurti and Himself by Simeon Alev
"Maybe science is being tempered by things like intuition, by compassion, by other sets of values that have not been present before."
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Freedom's just around the corner for you
But with truth so far off, what good does it do?
- Bob Dylan
Begin with the Unknown
- Krishnamurti
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
New Element Discovered
An Interesting Discovery.
Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (symbol=Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.
Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected by its retarded (even completely absent under some conditions) ability to react. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.
Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2 to 6 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium' s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.
When catalyzed with large injections of fiscal elements, Governmentium becomes Administratium (symbol=Ad), an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium, since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.
Well I try my best to be just like I am
But everybody wants you to be just like them
Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (symbol=Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.
Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected by its retarded (even completely absent under some conditions) ability to react. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.
Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2 to 6 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium' s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.
When catalyzed with large injections of fiscal elements, Governmentium becomes Administratium (symbol=Ad), an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium, since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.
Well I try my best to be just like I am
But everybody wants you to be just like them
You Decide
Reinventing Capitalism by Howard Bloom - "By re-inventing capitalism and injecting our own souls into the machine, you and I can raise the bar of human possibility."
A couple of snippets from the article:
"The Western system is not at all what we've been taught to believe. This is not a mindless consumer culture destroying the planet in an orgy of greed. It is the most creative and potentially idealistic bio-engine this planet has ever seen. But if we fail to open our eyes and spot this reality fast, everything we believe in may easily disappear."
"Imagine what it would be like if your superiors asked you to do what artists and psychics do - find your hidden selves in the hidden hungers of those you serve. There is an implicit code by which we in the Western system live - a code that demands that we uplift each other . . . and that we do it globally. "
A couple of snippets from the article:
"The Western system is not at all what we've been taught to believe. This is not a mindless consumer culture destroying the planet in an orgy of greed. It is the most creative and potentially idealistic bio-engine this planet has ever seen. But if we fail to open our eyes and spot this reality fast, everything we believe in may easily disappear."
"Imagine what it would be like if your superiors asked you to do what artists and psychics do - find your hidden selves in the hidden hungers of those you serve. There is an implicit code by which we in the Western system live - a code that demands that we uplift each other . . . and that we do it globally. "
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Cat Haiku
in deep sleep hear sound
somewhere cat vomits hairball
will find in morning
grace personified
leap - splat! against closed window
I meant to do that
somewhere cat vomits hairball
will find in morning
grace personified
leap - splat! against closed window
I meant to do that
I Blog, Therefore I Am
Rene Descartes was sitting in a bar late one evening when the bartender came over to announce Last Call. He asked Descartes, "Would you like another drink, sir?"
Descartes paused for a moment, then replied, "I think not".
and POOF, he disappeared.
Descartes paused for a moment, then replied, "I think not".
and POOF, he disappeared.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
There's something happening here...
but what it is ain't exactly clear...
here are some links to discussions of what that might be:
Signs of the Times
"bits and bytes of the digital flotsam that refer to changing patterns and conditions ... with reference to 2012 - assumptions of a psychic apocalypse"
Repossessing Virtue
"As the global economic crisis began to unfold this past fall, we wanted to respond immediately, in our way. We began to conduct an online conversation parallel to but distinct from our culture's more sustained focus on economic scenarios. For in each of our lives, whoever we are, very personal scenarios are unfolding that confront us with core questions of what matters to us and what sustains us. We made a list of our guests across the years who we thought might speak to this in fresh and compelling ways."
This series is accessible as an audio program or as a transcript (goto Program Details and click Transcript).
On a lighter note, here is a 2008 Darwin Award nominee:
Thou Shalt Not Steel
Confirmed True by Darwin
(8 March 2008, Czech Republic) Steel is valuable, especially the high-grade alloy used in steel cable. Scrap metal dealers do not ask questions. They pay in cash. And a good supply of steel cable can be found in elevator shafts.
This particular gold mine was a towering shaft inside an empty granary near Zatec, forty miles northwest of Prague. The cable was tightly fastened, and the far end of it disappeared into the shadowy distance above.
After substantial wear and tear on a hacksaw, our man finally cut through the strong steel cable. At that instant the counterbalance, no longer held in check, started to move silently downward, accelerating until it reached the bottom of the shaft.
Result: one proud winner of a "terminal velocity" Darwin Award.
R.I.P.
The surest way to becoming an old dog is to stop learning new tricks
here are some links to discussions of what that might be:
Signs of the Times
"bits and bytes of the digital flotsam that refer to changing patterns and conditions ... with reference to 2012 - assumptions of a psychic apocalypse"
Repossessing Virtue
"As the global economic crisis began to unfold this past fall, we wanted to respond immediately, in our way. We began to conduct an online conversation parallel to but distinct from our culture's more sustained focus on economic scenarios. For in each of our lives, whoever we are, very personal scenarios are unfolding that confront us with core questions of what matters to us and what sustains us. We made a list of our guests across the years who we thought might speak to this in fresh and compelling ways."
This series is accessible as an audio program or as a transcript (goto Program Details and click Transcript).
On a lighter note, here is a 2008 Darwin Award nominee:
Thou Shalt Not Steel
Confirmed True by Darwin
(8 March 2008, Czech Republic) Steel is valuable, especially the high-grade alloy used in steel cable. Scrap metal dealers do not ask questions. They pay in cash. And a good supply of steel cable can be found in elevator shafts.
This particular gold mine was a towering shaft inside an empty granary near Zatec, forty miles northwest of Prague. The cable was tightly fastened, and the far end of it disappeared into the shadowy distance above.
After substantial wear and tear on a hacksaw, our man finally cut through the strong steel cable. At that instant the counterbalance, no longer held in check, started to move silently downward, accelerating until it reached the bottom of the shaft.
Result: one proud winner of a "terminal velocity" Darwin Award.
R.I.P.
The surest way to becoming an old dog is to stop learning new tricks
Some stuff I have found interesting recently...
Awakening to the Blob - review of Mediated: How the Media Shapes Your World and The Way You Live In It by Thomas deZengotita - the interview at the end is very provocative - http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j29/mediated.asp?ifr=hp-ftr
Answer Cancer - ebook by Stephen Parkhill - he asserts that cancer is caused by a subconscious self-mutilation program that activates sometime between conception and 4 yrs of age. http://orchidwomen.com/rk/Answer%20Cancer.pdf
Creation as an Unfolding Reality - a discussion of evolution and (not versus) creation http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/darwin/kristasjournal.shtml
Two columnists with the San Francisco Chronicle - Jon Carroll - http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/carroll/ - warm, fuzzy - sometimes it's a cat column! and Mark Morford - http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/morford/archive - edgy, satirical & sarcastic - a fun read.
The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner - "Bringing Discipline and Focus Into Your Life" - this is an actual book that you can hold in your hands and curl up with on the couch. How quaint is that? Marvelous insights into how we learn (and how we set ourselves up for failure). Haven't finished it yet. You can read some of it on Amazon.com - bring up the book, go to Search Inside & push "Surprise Me" as many times as you can.
Vesey's Seed Catalogue - yes, it's time!! I no longer order from Vesey's but love to cruise the catalogues to get ideas of what to look for at the local garden centres...
The living-room looks like a greenhouse - geraniums are huge, fuchsia on the window ledge are sprouting profusely after their cold/dark winter dormancy and canna lilies are just starting to grow. They, along with a large parlor palm, will all go outside when it's warm enough. In the yard daylilies are sprouting and sedum "Autumn Joy" are peeking up. Everything else is still way buried under the snow. The ice on Tatamagouche Bay remains completely frozen, but within a few weeks it will be quite different.
Gonna go make sure the birds and squirrels have enough to eat.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle
Answer Cancer - ebook by Stephen Parkhill - he asserts that cancer is caused by a subconscious self-mutilation program that activates sometime between conception and 4 yrs of age. http://orchidwomen.com/rk/Answer%20Cancer.pdf
Creation as an Unfolding Reality - a discussion of evolution and (not versus) creation http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/darwin/kristasjournal.shtml
Two columnists with the San Francisco Chronicle - Jon Carroll - http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/carroll/ - warm, fuzzy - sometimes it's a cat column! and Mark Morford - http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/morford/archive - edgy, satirical & sarcastic - a fun read.
The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner - "Bringing Discipline and Focus Into Your Life" - this is an actual book that you can hold in your hands and curl up with on the couch. How quaint is that? Marvelous insights into how we learn (and how we set ourselves up for failure). Haven't finished it yet. You can read some of it on Amazon.com - bring up the book, go to Search Inside & push "Surprise Me" as many times as you can.
Vesey's Seed Catalogue - yes, it's time!! I no longer order from Vesey's but love to cruise the catalogues to get ideas of what to look for at the local garden centres...
The living-room looks like a greenhouse - geraniums are huge, fuchsia on the window ledge are sprouting profusely after their cold/dark winter dormancy and canna lilies are just starting to grow. They, along with a large parlor palm, will all go outside when it's warm enough. In the yard daylilies are sprouting and sedum "Autumn Joy" are peeking up. Everything else is still way buried under the snow. The ice on Tatamagouche Bay remains completely frozen, but within a few weeks it will be quite different.
Gonna go make sure the birds and squirrels have enough to eat.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle
Testing, testing
First post ever - let's try a picture...kayak waiting for spring thaw
Well that looks okay. Let's try a link to another blog - Doug Green, a garden writer/blogger
http://blog.douggreensgarden.com/
Wow, looks like a link...
Okay, gonna "publish" this and see if I can find it again.
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