Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sunday School Video

HAPPY RAMADAN TO ALL OF YOU MUSLIMS OUT THERE!!!

You too can become a Taoist Mao Shan master • The Register

O.K., I was looking for my Sunday school story, and I ran across this little story and I just couldn't resist...

You too can become a Taoist Mao Shan master • The Register

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Love allows your beloved the freedom to be unlike you.
Attachment asks for conformity to your needs and desires.
Love imposes no demands.
Attachment expresses an overwhelming demand – "Make me feel whole."
Love expands beyond the limits of two people.
Attachment tries to exclude everything but two people.
- Deepak Chopra in The Path to Love

Thursday, July 28, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Impeccability of the word can lead you to personal freedom, to huge success and abundance; it can take away all fear and transform it into joy and love. You can attain the kingdom of heaven from this one agreement: Be impeccable with your word.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Sunday School Story

In this Sunday School Story, I present Shelly Lubben, a former prostitute and porn star who is now a crusader who spreads the word of Jesus Christ among the men and women of the porn industry, and helps them to leave the porn industry. Since there's nothing I can add about Shelly that's not already out there on the web, and since I'm a terrible writer anyway, here is a biography of her from Wikipedia:

Shelley Lubben (born May 18, 1968) is an American former pornographic actress who performed under the stage name of Roxy. After she left the sex industry, Lubben became a born-again Christian and anti-pornography activist. She is the Executive Director of the Pink Cross Foundation, which reaches out to women and men in pornography and speaks in public forums, sharing about the hazardous working conditions in the porn industry, which include her personal experiences contracting genital herpes and HPV, which led to early cervical cancer.


Personal background

Lubben was born on May 18, 1968 in Pasadena, California. In an interview with Howard Stern and Deseret News, Lubben stated that she was sexually abused at the age of nine, worked as a prostitute from age 18 to 26 to support herself and her child.
[edit]Professional background

Sex industry

She entered the adult film industry when she was 24 years old, where she said she contracted herpes and HPV, which led to cervical cancer. During her life in the sex industry, she battled alcohol and drug addictions.
An overview of Lubben's life has been featured in the documentaries Traffic Control and Out of the Darkness, the latter of which has been selected to be the opening film for the John Paul II Film Festival 2011.
During her pornographic career which lasted from 1993-1994 Lubben says she appeared in "about 30" hardcore movies. Lubben has stated that the sex acts that girls perform on film sets are physically harmful (including anal and uterus hemorrhaging), and psychologically traumatizing.

In February 2011, Lubben became the subject of a documentary entitled, The Devil and Shelley Lubben, created by Lubben critic and porn industry advocate Michael Whiteacre. According to Mark Kernes of adult industry trade journal, AVN, the film disputes Lubben's experiences in pornography and the trauma she says can be traced to those experiences.

Pink Cross Foundation

In 2005, Lubben initiated an aggressive online marketing campaign, utilizing social networking Web sites in order to reach out to the sex industry. In 2008, Lubben established a is a faith-based organization called the Pink Cross Foundation. The group concentrates on outreach to and evangelism of those in the porn industry, especially performers, and offers support to those wishing to leave the industry. The organization solicits donations online and offers an online support forum for individuals that are addicted to drugs, sex, and pornography. When Lubben identifies interested individuals, she sends care packages filled with religious literature, Bibles, Christian music, local grocery and department store gift cards, and other spiritual and practical supports. A secondary focus of Pink Cross is outreach to individuals seeking recovery from pornography addiction. Pink Cross attends pornography conventions to educate fans about how porn is not glamorous and also reaching out to porn stars and letting them know they have options.

Legislative activities

The organization also lobbies against pornography and the adult entertainment industry. Lubben supported California legislator Charles Calderon on his efforts to tax the pornographic industry by speaking to lawmakers about her experiences. Lubben indicated that the scenes on the set of a hardcore porn film often involve a woman and several men who are doing "degrading acts" to the woman. Lubben describes the scene of a hardcore porn film as devoid of intimacy, and describes it as "all mechanical and beastly." She further writes that "women are vomiting off the set, and most of the actors are doing drugs and alcohol."In June 2010, she spoke to U.S. House and Senate members and their staffs in Washington DC about the damage she claims was done to her body from her time in the porn industry. She continues to be outspoken regarding what she calls illegal and hazardous working conditions in the industry, with sexually transmitted diseases being a workplace safety issue and public health concern.

Media appearances

Shelley Lubben has been a guest on numerous TV and radio shows where she often shares her story and talks about the negative effects of pornography. Some of the programs and documentaries she has appeared or been featured in include:

Howard Stern Show – Shelley was a guest on November 8, 2010 to talk about her book and how God has healed her life and marriage
ABC News Nightline – Is There Life After Porn for the Stars?
Briefing at U.S. Capitol Sponsored by the Coalition for the War on Illegal Pornography – June 15, 2010
Out of the Darkness – Documentary by Anteroom Pictures which features Shelley's journey from a life in the pornography industry to a life in Christ.
The 700 Club – Shelley Lubben: A Porn Star's Deliverance
The Joni Lamb Show (various appearances)
Laura Ingraham Radio Show
Fox 11 News LA – Porn Industry Health Clinic Shut Down
AP News – Performer's HIV Test Prompts Porn Shutdown
Traffic Control: The People's War On Internet Porn

Recording background

In January 2011, Lubben released a Rap/Hip Hop album with the proceeds going to the Pink Cross Foundation to help women and men recover from porn. The first single, called Killer Fantasy, features the message of a porn star speaking to the porn fan about the truth behind the adult industry.

Published works

Lubben, Shelley. Truth Behind the Fantasy of Porn: The Greatest Illusion on Earth, CreateSpace, 2010. ISBN 978-1453860076

Here's some video clips from You Tube about her life in the Sex Industry:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

If anyone wants to know more about Shelly Lubben and her work, you can click HERE to go to her official web site, or you can click HERE to go to the Pink Cross Foundation. Both links I will put in the side bar.

Now while Shelly Has her supporters, she also has her detractors. In the above Wikipedia bio about Shelly, there's a film mentioned called THE DEVIL AND SHELLY LUBBEN. I'll put a link to that website in the sidebar also.

And, here's some clips of her interview with Michael Whiteacre, the creator of "The Devil and Shelly Lubben", and one of her fiercest critics:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I am perfect just the way I am. I don't need to compete with anybody. I don't need to compare myself with anybody. I don't need to live up to an image of perfection. I just need to be me.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Saturday, July 23, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Self-judgments are not the truth. Everything I believe about myself is because I learned it. Every judgment is just an opinion, a point of view, and that point of view wasn't there when I was born.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Friday, July 22, 2011

YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!

THE VIDEO BELOW SAYS IT ALL...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I am impeccable with my word. I never use the word against myself. I use the word in the direction of truth and love for myself. The result is an extraordinarily.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I refuse to gossip. I never use the word to gossip about myself or to spread emotional poison by gossiping about other people.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Sunday School Video

Usually when I post a Sunday School Video, the video is about religion, about people TALKING about God's work. But today, I posted this video because I think that this woman, Somaly Mam, is DOING God's work.




Uploaded by somalymamfoundation on Sep 17, 2010

Narrated by actress and humanitarian Lucy Liu, "The Road to Traffik" reveals the shocking world of sex trafficking that Somaly Mam, a former Cambodia sex slave, is heroically waging a crusade to expose and end. The filmmakers accompany photographer Norman Jean Roy on his painful journey to document the brutal rape and suffering that thousands of children face daily in the brothels of Cambodia and Southeast Asia.

To learn more about human trafficking, SMF, and how you can get involved, click here: http://bit.ly/somalymamfoundation

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:
Lucy Liu Norman Jean Roy Cambodia trafficking Somaly Mam Somaly Mam Foundation SMF anti-trafficking human trafficking sex trafficking human rights slavery freedom survivor empowerment

License:
Standard YouTube License

QUOTE OF THE DAY

You may call God love, you may call God goodness.
But the best name for God is compassion.
- Meister Eckhart

Saturday, July 16, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I am aware of the power of my word. The word is a force I cannot see. But I can see the manifestation of that force, the expression of the word, which is my own life.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Friday, July 15, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

You are the force that is life. You are alive because of the power of God, which is the power of life. You are the force that is life, but because you are able to think at the level of the mind, you forget what you really are
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Thursday, July 14, 2011

MY WEEKEND STARTS TODAY!!!

I just got back from the Art Walk in Downtown L.A., and I had a blast! For those of you that don't know what the Art walk is, just look at the video and links I posted down below:



Dowotownartwalk.org

Downtown Art Walk Facebook Page

met some wonderful people, saw some wild and crazy things, ate a very tasty, yet overpriced peice of pizza, and checked out a few good music performances. But by far, the best performance I heard tonight was from Danni El.


Danni El and her partner Christopher Bear were out there playing powerful, soulful music that I could feel in the most inner core of my being. Especially the first song she sang. I wish I had a flipcam or something to record them with that I could upload to You Tube or something, but you'll have to settle for this video of them in action:



I promise you, That video is just a SMALL taste of what they can do.

Anyway, the art walk was great, and I'm gonna go next time, come hell or high water.


So I wonder, What the F**k am I gonna do Tomorrow!?

Down, But not out

Yep. God knows I can relate to this article.


Down but not out: Voices of the long-term unemployed

By Zachary Roth | The Lookout

You can read all the stats you want on America's long-term jobless crisis. More than 6.3 million
Americans have been out of work for more than half a year. The average jobless stint now lasts longer than nine months. We could go on.
But no facts or figures bring home the grim human dimension of this epidemic better than an account we received from an unemployed Iraq War veteran. "I have led men in combat, but my last job was a temporary cashier position in the women's department at Nordstrom's," he wrote. "I don't get many interviews, but when I do, I get a lot of handshakes and a 'Thank you for your service, but you're not what we're looking for.'"
Nor can they top this description from a reader of what it's like to go for months searching fruitlessly for work: "You start to hear a voice in your head that tells you, 'Perhaps you're just not good enough.'"
When we asked readers recently to share their personal stories of being out of work for an extended period, we expected to get a lot of responses. But we didn't foresee the flood that ensued. "I imagine that you will have to hire more staff to wade through all the emails you get in response to this article," one reader wrote. It turned out she was right: That's exactly what we did.
The thousands of anecdotes you sent us offer a heart-rending glimpse inside the reality of long-term joblessness during the Great Recession and its aftermath. They convey sadness, anxiety, anger, shame, and despair, but sometimes also humor, generosity, and a quintessentially American determination to roll with the punches. And they offer a portrait of out-of-work people who are smart, articulate, motivated, and resilient--a useful corrective to some of the negative stereotypes that too often shape perceptions of this huge group of Americans.
We want to thank all the thousands of readers who took the time to share their personal stories. For reasons of space, we can only publish here a fraction of the number we'd like to. So we've set up a separate website, "Down But Not Out," to showcase many more in full. [ Click here for readers' own tales of long-term joblessness at "Down But Not Out.""]
Meanwhile, here at the The Lookout, we've picked out portions of a smaller number of the most compelling responses, and organized them around some of the major themes that readers highlighted--from accounts of how they lost their job in the first place, to the emotional toll that being without work for so long can take, to the rare and unexpected silver linings that some respondents discovered.
How it all Began: "When the economy imploded in 2009, nobody was building anything"
Many readers described how they first became jobless, with tales that often seemed ripped from the bleak headlines of the last few years--taking in everything from the mortgage meltdown to the housing bust to government budget cuts.
• George C. from Brea, Calif., told us he worked for a bank that had a division that made sub-prime loans. After the housing bust hit, "the federal government ordered the company to cease & desist from all sub-prime operations, because they didn't like banks that were also sub-prime mortgage companies, so that division of the company was shut down," George wrote. Ultimately, the other divisions of the bank were sold, "at which time there was no more work for me to do."
• "I was a steel building detailer with just over 14 years of experience," Tom W. from New Haven, Ind., told us. "When the economy imploded in 2009, nobody was building anything. With no work, my employer was forced to lay off everyone."
• Shannon B., a teacher and school administrator from Phelan, Calif., wrote that she lost her job in February 2009. "When the budget slashes hit, my position was the first to go."
• Jerry, from southern California, told us he had worked in the electrical distribution industry for more than 25 years. "I lost my job in August of 2008 when the housing bubble and second Great Depression were hitting hard. The branch I worked in closed, since the industry relies heavily on new construction."
• "I never saw being let go coming," wrote Elizabeth M., who worked at an educational center. "I simply showed up less and less on the work schedule. Then, after 2 weeks of not appearing at all, I received a voice mail via my cell phone that informed me they were actually letting me go. (Whatever happened to telling someone to their face?)"
The Emotional Toll: "I hide my emotions, but deep down I feel I am dying off"
Your tales of losing long-held jobs--often with minimal advance notice or human consideration--were bracing. But more compelling still were the numerous accounts of how long-term joblessness has affected you personally and psychologically.
• Perhaps no testimony was bleaker than a note we received from Peter K., who said he used to be a middle manager making over $100,000 a year. His life now? "Stay up too late at night and sleep too long in the morning. Drink way too much … stare at the computer screen, stare out the window, stare at your image in the mirror, stare at the ceiling fan … Social life--none. I'm no fun. Sex--none. Women would sooner hear you have Hepatitis then learn you're unemployed … Depressed--big time. Think suicide every day."
• Scott V. told us that when his money began to run out and he didn't know how he was going to feed his children, he had the same thought. "To be extremely honest I thought of taking the easy way out, which probably many people have. I read an internet article a couple of weeks ago about some 22 (?) year old ending her life because she had no job and too many bills that she couldn't handle. Of course I didn't do that, because I consider myself a strong person and I have a lot to live for."
• "Most of the time you can barely get out of bed because you worry so much about your future," wrote Todd L. of Houston, Tex. "I feel so behind, especially when talking to my peers. Several of them have already moved on from their first job to their second one. Many are in long-term relationships, something I know I can never have without a job and financial stability. I feel so ... behind. I have grown much more envious of others lately."
• Stefan K., from South Bend, Ind., told us he'd been out of work for going on two years. "After a few months pass by, you start to take it personally," he wrote. "You start to hear a voice in your head that tells you, 'Perhaps you're just not good enough.' You know it's not true, but it feels true. You then began to feel ashamed when people, who know of your situation, keep asking if you've found a job yet."
• Paul K. described how both he and his fiancée--who is also contending with a long-term bout of joblessness--have seen their relationship suffer as a result of their shared plight. "It's very depressing and has caused many arguments and led to a very unhappy life for us for the last 2-3 years," he wrote. "We now sleep late because we have no money to do anything. Gas costs too much so most days we stay home and just watch TV. It's making me anxious, depressed, and my confidence is all but gone. I pray for a miracle at this point."
• The pain of long-term unemployment doesn't only affect layoff casualties--it's also assailed many first-time entrants into the job market. Jill B. of Jonesboro, Ark. got a master's degree last year, but it didn't help her. "The hardest part of this experience has been having to come home, tail tucked, as a failure," she wrote. "Out of necessity, I am now living with my parents again in a rural, Arkansas town. For financial reasons, I had to leave the thriving job market of Austin, Texas to come back to a place where there are no jobs at all."
• "I hide my emotions, but deep down I feel I am dying off," wrote Jeremy L., from Waupaca, Wisc. "I smile less. Friends don't call me anymore to do things because I can't afford to. I feel like a hermit living under a rock. I feel worthless. I feel like I'm pulling my girlfriend and daughter into a hole with me. Our once loving relationship has turned bitter and sour."
The Financial Strain: "I am scared to death of what lies ahead"
Of course, there's no way to overstate the financial impact of being without a steady income for an extended period. The notes and comments you submitted show the remarkable lengths that some of you have gone just to keep your heads above water.
• A 62-year-old Ohio man, W.M., told us he'd been forced to take contract work in South Carolina and Indiana. "I am the new migrant worker," he wrote. "I get home to see my family when I can. I have about 1/3 less salary and no benefits but I can pay my way."
• Some readers said they were selling their possessions to support themselves. "I have also sold my clothing, many of our belongings, and baby items on Craigslist and in consignment shops," M.N. wrote. "I add oatmeal to many of my dishes to extend the idea of 'beef', as well as buying generics. We've [gotten rid of] all memberships to gyms and cable TV. We are trying to live a more simple life."
• Some have been relying on family or friends. "I am in default for last year's property taxes, and now stand to lose my home of 23 years," wrote Vicki J. of Garland, Tex. "Had it not have been for a friend of mine helping me, I wouldn't have even had electricity or food for the past three months."
• Others are seeking a fresh start. "We can't afford the house payments anymore, but our house lost about 50% of its value, so we can't sell," wrote Shannon B. "We simply cannot live on my husband's salary. We are filing for bankruptcy."
• Judy J. from Catawba, N.C., described paying for groceries with WIC checks--a form of government assistance--and worrying about delaying people behind her in line. "A few times I offered to let someone cut because 'this is going to take a while,'" she wrote. "[B]ut they say, 'No, it's okay. I'm on WIC, too, so I understand.'"
• Karen P. from Maryland told us she had to move back in with her mother at the age of 40, and that her jobless benefits will run out in January. "I am scared to death of what lies ahead," she added. "I have no idea if I will find a job or not."
• And in a harrowing detail that evokes the hardships of an earlier time, M.C. wrote: "My family is eating stir-fried dandelions out of yards to keep from starving."
Trials of the Job Search: "We can't hire any more old people"
Landing a new job in this economy is tough no matter who you are. But when you've already been out of work for so long, it can be even harder.
• We asked whether employers were wary of hiring readers when they found out how long they'd been jobless -- a form of discrimination that appears to have been on the rise lately. "Very much so," replied Susan W. "As if it were my fault I was unemployed, regardless of the fact that I had put out hundreds of resumes and applications."
• Many readers described a daunting level of competition for openings. "In my area, Elkhart County, Ind.., unemployment had gotten so bad that 1200 people applied for 10 openings at one company," wrote Jason G. (Incidentally, if Elkhart rings a bell, that might be because it's where President Obama launched his effort to get the economy moving again almost two and a half years ago.)
• "I applied at one place that literally handed out raffle tickets and the winning 100 tickets were the only ones that got to apply," wrote M.O. "Of course my number wasn't one of them."
• An enormous number of older readers said they think their age is part of the problem for employers. Paula S., from Acworth, Georgia, who said she was "sixty-something," described "two eye-opening experiences of blatant age discrimination . . . . One twenty-something supervisor asked me if I had ever thought about coloring my hair . . . . Another manager told his assistant with the door open when I showed up to complete an application and interview: 'We can't hire any more old people.' "
• Britt S. said he'd tried to transition into another career after getting laid of from his newspaper job. But, "if an employer has a choice between a 27-year-old with a degree and 3 or 4 years of experience and a 57-year-old with the same degree and no experience, who is most likely to get the job?" he asked.
• Even Dan H., a skilled telecommunications technician in Scottsdale, Ariz., who's not exactly long in the tooth, told us he thought his age worked against him. "I do believe that being 37 was a factor in being passed over for jobs," he wrote. "[T]echnology is a young man's game. Potential employers thought I may be rusty with my skills … Trained to an expert level, but no one can afford to hire me."
Tips for Jobseekers: "Any job is a good job"
Many readers who had ultimately landed a job were eager to share what worked for them.
• "Network, network, network. I can't say it enough," wrote E.S., from San Diego, Calif. "LinkedIn is awesome, but enlist your Facebook contacts, or join a networking group. I know it's horrible to ask your friends to keep their eyes out, but in the end that's how I got hired. When you know someone who knows someone, who can vouch for you, you have a much better chance of getting a job with the company you want/in the field you want."
• Kurt G., from Seattle, Wash., thinks the face-to-face meeting is the key. "It doesn't matter what skills you have, and it doesn't matter what skills the employers say they want," he wrote. "What matters is having the skills that get you through the interview process. Focus like a laser on the interview process. If you're successful there, you'll get an offer, and after that, it's up to the employer to retrain you."
• Susan W. suggested making a nuisance of yourself. "I selected three companies I really wanted to work for, applied and kept going back and going back until they either told me to leave me alone or hired me," she told us. "Two told me to leave them alone, the third hired me."
• Chris C. of Modesto, Calif., had a different strategy: moving into a field traditionally dominated by women -- a trend that's said to be increasingly common for male workers on the job market. "I researched the employment situation where I am living and decided to retrain in something it appeared people would want," he wrote. "After I received my nursing license it took me 3 months to find a full-time job."
• And Cindy S. advised job-seekers not to be too picky. "Don't be afraid to downgrade your expectations," she wrote. "Right now, any job is a good job. When the economy recovers, it will be time to stretch out and seek a job for which you are qualified and paid well for, but right now, income is income."
Solutions to the Crisis: "The vast majority of us are on our own."
A lot of readers had thoughts about how to fix the long-term jobless crisis--or at least how to make things easier for its victims.
• Many respondents lamented the problem of having to compete with cheaper foreign labor. "Make it more difficult to offshore work, or to hire foreign workers at a discount," wrote Kurt G., in a typical comment.
• Yvonne P., from Spring Hill, Tenn. suggested that the government give a "small tax incentive to businesses who hire people who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. Call it, 'Americans Back To Work Tax Break.'" Not a bad idea.
• "There aren't enough resources for retraining, especially of college-educated people," wrote E.S. "The vast majority of us are on our own."
• And Todd L. asked for a little more heart from employers. "I want companies and those who represent them to realize that job applicants and the long-term unemployed are not just resumes in a system," he wrote. "We're real people too. Please treat us like one."
The Unexpected Upside: "We have made some memories that are priceless"
As is no doubt clear by now, the picture that most readers painted of long-term unemployment was overwhelmingly bleak. But that doesn't mean there weren't some respondents who had the strength of mind to also take note of the positives.
• Stephanie B. of Memphis, Tenn., told us she works three part-time jobs and is left on a tighter budget than when she was on jobless benefits. And yet, she wrote: "The one thing that has come out of this experience that I am thankful for and hope I won't ever forget, is the closeness we feel as a family. We can sit down to a checker tournament and play for hours. We can pull out the paper and crayons and create artwork we never had time to do before. There's no more running around nonstop all week long. Most days feel like Saturday when school's out. We entertain ourselves and each other on very little, and I think we have made some memories that are priceless."
• Dan H., who rallied to the challenge of unemployment by working with his wife to start a new business, told us: "If you cannot get a job, make one I guess. In the last year, in order, we've moved for a 'better life' across country, had a child (when we conceived all was good), lost job, had car repo'd, borrowed money from family to get wheels, went on public assistance, cried a river over my manly short comings, was inspired by my wife and am now an entrepreneur. Scary how quick life changes."
• Todd L., too, was able to look on the bright side. "I am blessed to have my family," he wrote. "They support me financially and emotionally … I have become more religious. I pray everyday, asking God for a job and a girlfriend. Does it help? Somewhat. It is better than no religion at all. Most of the time it just makes me feel better. God has given me time and comfort. But I am still waiting for a miracle--a job and a girlfriend."
• And Scott V., who's now working after being jobless for more than two years, told others not to give up. "It does suck, but you can make it," he wrote. "I have been humbled by losing my job almost 3 years ago. Having ZERO dollars in my bank account and very little cash in my wallet. Without the support of my family and the love of my life, to help me get by, I would not have made it this far. I do thank God for all his good graces he has bestowed upon me, which I know I don't deserve. So whoever is reading this, DO NOT sit around waiting for something to happen, make it happen."
Galen Bernard contributed to this report.

This Just In...

Well Well Well, it looks like CNN has actually done some journalism. WOW!!! I knew they had it in them!

CNN exposes ‘terror expert’ as a fraud | Raw Replay

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I don't take anything personally. Nothing others say or do is about me. This awareness gives me immunity in my interaction with other people. I am immune to their opinions and their emotional poison.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

THE MARTIAL ARTS HISTORY MUSEUM

Click here to check it out!




Asian Martial Arts Museum Hits Hard in Burbank
Michael Matsuda, president of the Martial Arts History Museum talks to Colleen Williams on Nonstop News LA. The museum is the first of it?s kind in the world, teaching kids about Asian art, history and tradition as they pertain to Asian martial arts, with exhibits and seminars on everything from Samurai swords to sushi!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I don't concern myself with other people's opinions. I know that the opinions that come from other people have nothing to do with me. This really frees me! Whatever people think of me is really about the image they have of me, and that image isn't me.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Monday, July 11, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I don't make assumptions. Assumptions are nothing more than lies that I'm telling myself. Not making assumptions gives me immunity in the interaction that I have with myself, with my own voice of knowledge.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Don't mess with a Momma's Boy...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I always do my best. Doing my best means taking action. When I want to change my life, it's action that makes the difference. With repetition and practice, I can master anything.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Saturday, July 9, 2011

YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!

In this edition of "YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!" we have here a story about a woman facing arrest for putting a vegetable garden in her front yard. After reading this, I have to ask: Where the hell are those so-called small government supporting Tea-Baggers when you need them? And does president Obama know about this?

Michigan woman faces jail for growing vegetables in her front yard | Food Freedom

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I am skeptical, but I listen. Humans speak with symbols, and symbols aren't the truth. But when I listen, I understand the meaning of the symbols that people use, I understand their story, and the communication becomes more clear
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Friday, July 8, 2011

This Just In...

Good luck with that one, Michelle.

Bachmann pledges to ban ‘all forms of pornography’ | The Raw Story

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I listen to others without judgment. All people have the right to believe whatever they want to believe they have the right to say whatever they want to say. Instead of judging what other people say, I listen and show my respect.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Thursday, July 7, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I don't believe everything I hear. Whenever I hear a message, I ask: Is it truth, or is it fiction? Doubt takes me behind the words, and helps me to discern the truth
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Danni El Playing this July 23rd!



Google+ vs. Facebook: Should Human Rights Factor in Your Choice of Social Network? | Save the Internet

Google+ vs. Facebook: Should Human Rights Factor in Your Choice of Social Network? | Save the Internet

By Tim Karr, July 6, 2011

Question: What would billionaire Mark Zuckerberg lose by refusing Chinese demands that he censor Facebook? What would he and his company gain from being more principled?
This came up after reading Christopher Luna's analysis of Google+ as an alternative to Facebook, Zuckerberg's social networking colossus that boasts 750 million users globally.
Google+, which launched in beta last week, has been Topic One among the “digerati,” who've spent much of the week kicking the tires of Facebook's new competitor and reporting back to followers and friends.
But Luna, a masters student at Harvard Divinity School, looked at the competing services through a different lens.
He wrote that he’s come to trust Google more because of its refusal to buckle to Chinese censors:
Google is currently in a power war with China, and Google has made the correct choice in its difficult decision between compromising with a totalitarian government that would exert every pressure possible, legal and illegal, to use the information that we trust to Google to continue its campaign against freedom and dissidence.
Facebook, Cisco and Microsoft have shown themselves to be much more willing to comply with Chinese gatekeepers in order to gain access to the nation’s vast marketplace of users.
For Luna, Google's stance on behalf of free speech and human rights should be the deciding factor for social media users.
"The choice here isn't just about business. It's about whether a capitalist economy can show that the bottom line is not the only thing in the world that matters," he writes. "It's about whether a corporation can exist and thrive while standing by principles that support the value of human beings."
In 2011, networked technology has become a megaphone for freedom movements from Tunisia and Yemen to Burma and Vietnam. Yet at the same time new media companies have provided repressive regimes with the means to turn technology against their citizenry -- to spy on communications, censor content and, even, track down dissidents for arrest.
And while I agree with Luna that Google has a better record than Facebook on several open Internet and human rights issues, both are in the business of selling us, their users, to advertisers. For some people, that basic fact -- including their need to gather as much data as possible about us whether we are aware of it or not -- compromises their products too much. (Wouldn't it be great if those 750 million people used Diaspora's open social network instead?)
In a more perfect world tech companies that stand up for freedom and justice should naturally be more successful economically. This isn't the way our globalized markets have functioned over the centuries, but perhaps we've reached a point in our newly connected world where principles can lead to profits.
For this to succeed, though, consumers will need to become more engaged in corporate behavior both at home and abroad, and to vote with their wallets (and clicks) for the company that takes the high road.
For Luna, the choice is obvious: "I'd like to see Google win this war [with Facebook], and I know who's side I'm on here. I kind of think that leaving Facebook is one way that we can participate…"

Does anyone think America should Intervene?

Amnesty International Report Reveals Atrocities Against Civilians in Syrian Town Near Lebanese Border During Brutal May Security Sweep | Amnesty International USA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I don't believe my own story. Not believing myself is a huge advantage, because most of what I learned is not the truth. I use the power of doubt to challenge every message that I deliver to myself.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

What the Fuck!?

Fox News uses backyard grilling to ‘debunk’ climate change | Raw Replay

NOW THAT'S SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE EVERYDAY...

Lovers' suitcase escape bid foiled at Mexican prison - World news - Americas - msnbc.com

CHETUMAL, Mexico — A woman was caught trying to sneak her common-law husband out of a Mexican prison in a suitcase following a conjugal visit, police said.
A spokesman for police in the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo said staff at the prison in Chetumal noticed that the woman seemed nervous and was pulling a black, wheeled suitcase that looked bulky.
Spokesman Gerardo Campos said Monday that prison guards checked the bag of 19-year-old Maria del Mar Arjona and found inmate Juan Ramirez Tijerina curled up inside in the fetal position.
Ramirez is serving a 20-year sentence for a 2007 conviction for illegal weapons possession.
Arjona was arrested and charges are pending.

I wish I had a bad Boss to deal with... or ANY Boss for that matter

Your Career: Dealing with a bad boss - Business - Personal finance - Careers - msnbc.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I don't believe anybody else's story. I know that whatever people say is nothing but a story that's distorted by their beliefs. I also know when their words come from truth, and I know because I can feel it.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Monday, July 4, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson [Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial

I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A SAFE AND JOYFUL INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

Celebrating our Independence...

US celebrates July 4th with parades, barbecues - Yahoo! News


NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. marked the 235th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with parades, fireworks, barbecues — plus presidential campaigning, a White House birthday and competitive eating.
Thousands were showing up near the Washington Monument to eagerly await the annual fireworks show on the National Mall, while others were throwing on Hawaiian shirts and shorts to ski the still-snowy slopes at resorts from California to Colorado.
In Boston, the annual Boston Pops concert was a must. In Akron, Ohio, the Rib, White & Blue Food Festival was enticing. And then, there were Nevada's casinos, which promised a pyrotechnics extravaganza that could be a gambler's best bet.
On New York's Coney Island, the annual Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog-eating contest brought out the biggest names in competitive eating for a clash that was short in timespan but high in calories.
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., wolfed down 62 hot dogs and buns during the 10-minute contest, winning his fifth straight title. Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas chowed her way to victory in the first-ever women-only contest, eating 40 hot dogs, one shy of her 2009 total.
For 28-year-old New Yorker Matthew Penberg, the holiday is a day off from his job as a bus boy.
"I get to take a break and go to the beach," he said. "And today is the day people, Americans, demanded their rights. I don't think we're there yet. I think we should have a right to a job, but a lot of people have to look for it."
At the mountaintop home to Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Va., officials continued a nearly five-decade-old tradition of swearing in new U.S. citizens. Seventy-seven people took their oaths during a naturalization ceremony at Monticello.
The holiday is celebrated as the nation's birthday, but it also was Malia Obama's 13th birthday. The president's eldest daughter had to share her parents with hundreds of others as Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama invited troops and their families to attend a special barbecue and USO concert on the South Lawn.
Some of the Republicans hoping to replace Obama in the White House spent part of the day campaigning in states where presidential politics are as much a part of the holiday as fireworks and barbecues
U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, of Minnesota, marched in a parade in Clear Lake, Iowa. In New Hampshire, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman both marched in the Amherst parade. Businessman and GOP hopeful Herman Cain skipped the parades but threw out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game in Manchester, N.H.
"Aside from the politicking and the handshaking and the enthusiasm that our campaign is determined to generate in this state, we're going to reflect on what it means to be an American," Huntsman told reporters. "To share inalienable rights, to share our Constitutional privileges."
In New York, where fireworks are banned on city streets, residents were waiting for a massive display over the Hudson River set to music.
Resident Karina Suriano, 23, wore patriotic colors and bright red feather earrings as she sold beach supplies in Brooklyn. For her, the holiday is a cash cow.
"It means money to me," she said with a grin.
She sold a water gun to the mother of 8-year-old Dejairah Mooreland. What does the holiday signify to her?
"Indepencendy!" the little girl exclaimed, not quite getting the holiday's name right. "Freedom! America!"

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!!



We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson [Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial]

As we celebrate our nation's history, let take a few moment to remember and give thanks the brave men and women who gave their all fighting for our country. As a nation, we can never reimburse a lost life, but we can show them that we appreciate the sacrifices they made which helped make this country great. Especially, those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

And also, let us not forget our nation's bloody legacy, or the many indigenous cultures forever lost that make up the foundations of this nation.





HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Who's the real Jesus Christ?

Many Republicans and people on the right claim that they love Jesus, yet they're constantly doing exactly the opposite of what biblical Jesus would do. I doubt very highly that biblical Jesus would take money from programs that help women and children to give tax breaks to millionaires and corporations. That's Republican Jesus- he doesn't want money going to the poor, he hates all the people Republicans hate, and he has no problem with war and the death penalty.

The attached articles below will help explain how right-wingers who claim to be Christian generally don't act like it.

Republican Jesus; http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/01/10/republican-jesus/

Republican Jesus’ Ten Commandments; http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/01/17/republican-jesus-ten-commandments/

Is the Right Wing Pro-“Life”? Not really. More Like Pro-Control; http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/05/25/is-the-right-wing-pro-%e2%80%9clife%e2%80%9d-not-really-more-like-pro-control/

The March of Christian Dominionism 1: What Is Christian Dominionism?; http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/06/22/christian-dominionism/

The March of Christian Dominionism 2: Where Did It Come From and How Does It Work?; http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/06/24/the-cult-of-christian-dominionism-or-it%e2%80%99s-not-a-cult-my-beloved-leader-and-all-of-his-followers-tell-me-so%e2%80%9d/

The March of Christian Dominionism 3: How Christian Dominionists Combat Reality; http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/06/29/the-march-of-christian-dominionism-3-how-christian-dominionists-combat-reality/

YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!

Man Gets Drunk, Steals Car, Kills Grandmother on Her Way to Church

Experiment

ALL YOUR TEXT

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The truth doesn't need me to believe it, The truth is, and it survives---believe it or not. Lies need me to believe them. If I don't believe lies, they don't survive my skepticism, and they simply disappear.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Saturday, July 2, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The truth is silent. The truth doesn't come with words. It's something that I just know; it's something that I can feel without words, and it's called silent knowledge.
~Don Miguel Ruiz

Friday, July 1, 2011

YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!

What a world we live in...

Click on the words below to read the rest of the story.

Man Rapes “Dead” Woman

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I listen to the intent behind words. When I open myself to the truth and really listen, I understand the intent of a message; I feel the truth behind the words. The words lose their value, and the only thing that remains is the truth.
~Don Miguel Ruiz