I agree to respect myself for what I am. With self-respect, the self-judgment ends, and the self-rejection ends, too. With self-respect, my self-love grows stronger every day.
~don Miguel Ruiz
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!
9/11 coloring book sparks controversy for demonizing Muslims | Raw Replay:
Posted on 08.30.11
By Eric W. Dolan
Categories: Featured, Say What?
A 9/11 coloring book has emerged on the brink of the tenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center. It is entitled “We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids’ Book of Freedom,” and was published by Missouri-based Really Big Coloring Books.
The color book begins with Osama bin Laden plotting to attack the United States and ends with bin Laden being shot by a Navy SEAL. A spokesperson for the publisher said that seeing bin Laden get shot “provides closure” for children.
Dawud Walid, Michigan representative for the Council on American Islamic Relations, called the book disgusting because it portrays all Muslims as terrorists.
“This publisher is doing a disservice to innocent young minds by showing this type of nonsense. In every single reference to Muslims has to do with radical, extremists, and depictions of people being terrorists,” he said.
“Little kids who pick up this book can have their perceptions colored by those images… it instills bias in young minds,” Walid told ABC News.
One page of the coloring book states: “Children, the truth is, these terrorist acts were done by freedom-hating Islamic Muslim extremists. These crazy people hate the American way of life because we are FREE and our society is FREE.”
The publisher said the book is a factual tool to teach children about the terrorists attacks.
“The truth is the truth,” Wayne Bell, the head of the publishing company, said. “It’s unfortunate that they were all Muslim and that’s the part people want to erase.”
Really Big Coloring Books has published a number of other politically and religiously themed coloring books, including the “The Tea Party Coloring Book for Kids” and “President Obama ‘An Activity & Work Book.’”
Posted on 08.30.11
By Eric W. Dolan
Categories: Featured, Say What?
A 9/11 coloring book has emerged on the brink of the tenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center. It is entitled “We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids’ Book of Freedom,” and was published by Missouri-based Really Big Coloring Books.
The color book begins with Osama bin Laden plotting to attack the United States and ends with bin Laden being shot by a Navy SEAL. A spokesperson for the publisher said that seeing bin Laden get shot “provides closure” for children.
Dawud Walid, Michigan representative for the Council on American Islamic Relations, called the book disgusting because it portrays all Muslims as terrorists.
“This publisher is doing a disservice to innocent young minds by showing this type of nonsense. In every single reference to Muslims has to do with radical, extremists, and depictions of people being terrorists,” he said.
“Little kids who pick up this book can have their perceptions colored by those images… it instills bias in young minds,” Walid told ABC News.
One page of the coloring book states: “Children, the truth is, these terrorist acts were done by freedom-hating Islamic Muslim extremists. These crazy people hate the American way of life because we are FREE and our society is FREE.”
The publisher said the book is a factual tool to teach children about the terrorists attacks.
“The truth is the truth,” Wayne Bell, the head of the publishing company, said. “It’s unfortunate that they were all Muslim and that’s the part people want to erase.”
Really Big Coloring Books has published a number of other politically and religiously themed coloring books, including the “The Tea Party Coloring Book for Kids” and “President Obama ‘An Activity & Work Book.’”
Fox anchor confounded by a children's host. Go figure.
THIS IS FUNNY.
Fox Business host accuses Bill Nye of ‘confusing viewers’ with science | Raw Replay:
Posted on 08.30.11
By David Edwards
Categories: Featured, Science/Tech
Bill Nye “The Science Guy” found himself in the tough position Monday of explaining science to
Fox Business guest host Charles Payne.
Payne began the Freedom Watch segment by pressing Nye to prove that Hurricane Irene was caused by global warming.
“I don’t think the word proof is what you are looking for,” Nye told Payne. “Evidence or result of? Yeah.”
“Here’s the thing though, Bill,” Payne said. “Ever since Katrina, we heard that the hurricane season is going to be more devastating and it was apocalyptic and the end of the world. And the reality is we haven’t seen that. So, how can Newsweek say this is a new normal? Is this irresponsible or is there any science behind that?”
“Well, there’s a lot more science behind it than saying it’s not,” Nye flatly stated. “But that aside, that’s only six years. In geologic times or in terms of climate events, that’s not very long.”
“The world is getting warmer, everybody. The world is getting warmer… Do we not agree the world is getting warmer?”
“I have no idea,” Payne admitted. “Someone told me it’s one degree in the last hundred years and I’ll take their word for it.”
The Fox Business host then changed the subject to Al Gore’s suggestion that climate change deniers need to be confronted just as racists were confronted during the civil rights movement.
“[Gore is] very passionate about it,” Nye explained. “As the world has become smaller — this is to say that as communication has become better and better, and we get to know each other better, we all travel all over the world. It’s routine to get on a plane and go to Asia and come back. As we get to know each other, we realize we are all one species; we are all the same human. But in tribal times, the importance of your tribe was so great that you were afraid of other tribes.”
“If someone from New England has sex with someone from Papua, New Guinea, you get a human. You don’t get anything else. So, racism is scientifically not especially compelling. If you learn the science of it, you let go of it. And when you learn the science of climate change, in my opinion, you will find it quite compelling and you will want to do something about it rather than pretend it doesn’t happen.”
“We brought you on because we knew you could connect the dots,” Payne interrupted. “Although the route you’ve taken is still confusing some of the viewers.”
'via Blog this'
Fox Business host accuses Bill Nye of ‘confusing viewers’ with science | Raw Replay:
Posted on 08.30.11
By David Edwards
Categories: Featured, Science/Tech
Bill Nye “The Science Guy” found himself in the tough position Monday of explaining science to
Fox Business guest host Charles Payne.
Payne began the Freedom Watch segment by pressing Nye to prove that Hurricane Irene was caused by global warming.
“I don’t think the word proof is what you are looking for,” Nye told Payne. “Evidence or result of? Yeah.”
“Here’s the thing though, Bill,” Payne said. “Ever since Katrina, we heard that the hurricane season is going to be more devastating and it was apocalyptic and the end of the world. And the reality is we haven’t seen that. So, how can Newsweek say this is a new normal? Is this irresponsible or is there any science behind that?”
“Well, there’s a lot more science behind it than saying it’s not,” Nye flatly stated. “But that aside, that’s only six years. In geologic times or in terms of climate events, that’s not very long.”
“The world is getting warmer, everybody. The world is getting warmer… Do we not agree the world is getting warmer?”
“I have no idea,” Payne admitted. “Someone told me it’s one degree in the last hundred years and I’ll take their word for it.”
The Fox Business host then changed the subject to Al Gore’s suggestion that climate change deniers need to be confronted just as racists were confronted during the civil rights movement.
“[Gore is] very passionate about it,” Nye explained. “As the world has become smaller — this is to say that as communication has become better and better, and we get to know each other better, we all travel all over the world. It’s routine to get on a plane and go to Asia and come back. As we get to know each other, we realize we are all one species; we are all the same human. But in tribal times, the importance of your tribe was so great that you were afraid of other tribes.”
“If someone from New England has sex with someone from Papua, New Guinea, you get a human. You don’t get anything else. So, racism is scientifically not especially compelling. If you learn the science of it, you let go of it. And when you learn the science of climate change, in my opinion, you will find it quite compelling and you will want to do something about it rather than pretend it doesn’t happen.”
“We brought you on because we knew you could connect the dots,” Payne interrupted. “Although the route you’ve taken is still confusing some of the viewers.”
'via Blog this'
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I choose to write my story with love. Love is the material that comes directly from my integrity, from what I really am. In my story, what is real is my love
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Monday, August 29, 2011
Anthony de Mello - Awareness pt. 3 and 4
Video Description taken from You Tube:
Uploaded by mothnrust on Nov 25, 2008
Anthony de Mello - Awareness pt. 3 and 4
on the proper kind of selfishness, and,
on wanting happiness. see all videos in order at http://awareness.tk
Download all 56 chapters as mp3 files at http://awareness.tk
"All I did was sit on the riverbank handing out river water. After I'm gone, I trust you will notice the river." Tony
Category:
Education
Tags:
Anthony de Mello Awareness
License:
Standard YouTube License
DEAR DIARY...
So, how was my weekend?
Well, it was AWESOME!!! I'm not one for beating around the bush, so I'm gonna keep this simple. On Saturday, I went all over L.A. I went to Hollywood Blvd. and did what I had to do, and from there, I went down to Venice Beach. I walked the boardwalk, met some oh, let's just say "interesting" people, and ate a little bit before heading back home. All in all, I had a fun day... but it was NOTHING compared to how my Sunday went.
I'm not gonna bore you any details about what I did on Sunday Morning. That evening though, I went out to Room 5 to listen to 5 of the best musicians I ever heard in my life! The show was put on by the beautiful, and very talented RACHEL LYNN SEBASTIAN, who was as great a hostess as she was a performer. Now actually, there were 6 performers that night, but I had to leave a little early to catch my last bus home, so I didn't get to hear the last guy CAZZ perform. And I'm still kicking myself for not hanging around, but I wasn't about to be stuck 23 miles from my home all night... not even for this event.
Now I DO have to give a shout out to the Beautiful and Talented DANNI EL, the lady I went out to see perform. This is one of her last shows for a while, and I feel priviledged to have FINALLY made it out to one of her shows. It was a total HONOR to be there with her and the other performers, and I hope she returns to the stage soon.
WELL, THAT WAS MY WEEKEND... I WONDER WHAT MONDAY - FRIDAY HAS IN STORE FOR ME...
Well, it was AWESOME!!! I'm not one for beating around the bush, so I'm gonna keep this simple. On Saturday, I went all over L.A. I went to Hollywood Blvd. and did what I had to do, and from there, I went down to Venice Beach. I walked the boardwalk, met some oh, let's just say "interesting" people, and ate a little bit before heading back home. All in all, I had a fun day... but it was NOTHING compared to how my Sunday went.
I'm not gonna bore you any details about what I did on Sunday Morning. That evening though, I went out to Room 5 to listen to 5 of the best musicians I ever heard in my life! The show was put on by the beautiful, and very talented RACHEL LYNN SEBASTIAN, who was as great a hostess as she was a performer. Now actually, there were 6 performers that night, but I had to leave a little early to catch my last bus home, so I didn't get to hear the last guy CAZZ perform. And I'm still kicking myself for not hanging around, but I wasn't about to be stuck 23 miles from my home all night... not even for this event.
Now I DO have to give a shout out to the Beautiful and Talented DANNI EL, the lady I went out to see perform. This is one of her last shows for a while, and I feel priviledged to have FINALLY made it out to one of her shows. It was a total HONOR to be there with her and the other performers, and I hope she returns to the stage soon.
WELL, THAT WAS MY WEEKEND... I WONDER WHAT MONDAY - FRIDAY HAS IN STORE FOR ME...
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday School Video
I was wondering what it would be like if atheists acted the way that "Christians" on fox news acted. And apparently, so did Darkmatter2525.
Video description taken from You Tube:
Uploaded by DarkMatter2525 on Jul 1, 2010
I doubt many religious people could stomach a taste of their own medicine. I've known people who got fired when it was discovered that they were an atheist. Atheists are one of the last groups that it is still okay to discriminate against (not only okay, but encouraged). A major reason for this is because religion cannot hold up to our criticisms; therefore, censoring us becomes the only viable solution. The truth offends. Everyone who did audio in this animation is VERY much worth your subscription. In order of appearance: BionicDance (the teacher), KingHeathen (the door-to-door atheist), LovingDoubt (angry happy holidays customer), and ProfMTH (marriage activist).
]
http://www.youtube.com/user/bionicdance
http://www.youtube.com/user/kingheathen
http://www.youtube.com/user/lovingdoubt
http://www.youtube.com/user/profmth
Category:
Comedy
Tags:
profmth bionicdance lovingdoubt kingheathen religious persecution atheism christianity jesus christ american values gay rights one man woman texas board of education prayer in school billboards the 10 commandments courtrooms churches catholic schools god we trust pledge allegiance
License:
Standard YouTube License
Video description taken from You Tube:
Uploaded by DarkMatter2525 on Jul 1, 2010
I doubt many religious people could stomach a taste of their own medicine. I've known people who got fired when it was discovered that they were an atheist. Atheists are one of the last groups that it is still okay to discriminate against (not only okay, but encouraged). A major reason for this is because religion cannot hold up to our criticisms; therefore, censoring us becomes the only viable solution. The truth offends. Everyone who did audio in this animation is VERY much worth your subscription. In order of appearance: BionicDance (the teacher), KingHeathen (the door-to-door atheist), LovingDoubt (angry happy holidays customer), and ProfMTH (marriage activist).
]
http://www.youtube.com/user/bionicdance
http://www.youtube.com/user/kingheathen
http://www.youtube.com/user/lovingdoubt
http://www.youtube.com/user/profmth
Category:
Comedy
Tags:
profmth bionicdance lovingdoubt kingheathen religious persecution atheism christianity jesus christ american values gay rights one man woman texas board of education prayer in school billboards the 10 commandments courtrooms churches catholic schools god we trust pledge allegiance
License:
Standard YouTube License
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Lies blind our faith and lead us nowhere. When lies blind our faith, we fall into the illusion that we are separate from God, and we lose our power of creation. Real faith is having faith in life, faith in ourselves, faith for no reason. From this point of power, we can create whatever we want to create
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Saturday, August 27, 2011
IT'S ON TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!!!!!!
Big Joe Hurt | Rachel Lynn | Greg Scott | Danni El | Cazz
Time
Sunday, August 28 · 7:30pm - 10:30pm
Location
Room 5 Music
143 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
Created By
Rachel Lynn Sebastian, Kelvin Parker, Cazz BrindisShow all (6)
More Info
Boy | Girl | Boy | Girl
A Special Showcase of L.A.'s Finest Entertainers...UNPLUGGED.
MC:
Kelvin Parker
MUSIC LINEUP:
8pm - Big Joe Hurt
8:30pm - Rachel Lynn Sebastian
9pm - Greg Scott
9:30pm - All Five Artists Perform
9:45pm - Danni El
10:15pm - Cazz
Accompanists:
For Rachel Lynn: Tom McNally on Steel Guitar
For Cazz: Brian Simpson on Drums
VENUE INFORMATION:
Room 5 -
143 North La Brea Avenue
Los, Angeles, CA 90036-2911
(323) 938-2504
http://www.room5lounge.com/directions.htm
ROOM 5 Lounge is the venue for an eclectic mix of new music from hot area artists in an upscale, cozy atmosphere.
Boasting a full bar and menu and opening at 8 every night, Room 5 offers an entire night of possibilities.
Take the stairs up to Room 5.
PARKING:
Street Parking available on La Brea or $5 for Valet Service.
TICKETS:
Tickets will be $8 at the door. There are no advance ticket sales. Early arrival suggested as there are limited tables.
ONE LOVE. ONE VOICE.
See you soon ;)
Time
Sunday, August 28 · 7:30pm - 10:30pm
Location
Room 5 Music
143 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
Created By
Rachel Lynn Sebastian, Kelvin Parker, Cazz BrindisShow all (6)
More Info
Boy | Girl | Boy | Girl
A Special Showcase of L.A.'s Finest Entertainers...UNPLUGGED.
MC:
Kelvin Parker
MUSIC LINEUP:
8pm - Big Joe Hurt
8:30pm - Rachel Lynn Sebastian
9pm - Greg Scott
9:30pm - All Five Artists Perform
9:45pm - Danni El
10:15pm - Cazz
Accompanists:
For Rachel Lynn: Tom McNally on Steel Guitar
For Cazz: Brian Simpson on Drums
VENUE INFORMATION:
Room 5 -
143 North La Brea Avenue
Los, Angeles, CA 90036-2911
(323) 938-2504
http://www.room5lounge.com/directions.htm
ROOM 5 Lounge is the venue for an eclectic mix of new music from hot area artists in an upscale, cozy atmosphere.
Boasting a full bar and menu and opening at 8 every night, Room 5 offers an entire night of possibilities.
Take the stairs up to Room 5.
PARKING:
Street Parking available on La Brea or $5 for Valet Service.
TICKETS:
Tickets will be $8 at the door. There are no advance ticket sales. Early arrival suggested as there are limited tables.
ONE LOVE. ONE VOICE.
See you soon ;)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Faith is the force that gives life to every word, to every belief that we store in our mind. If we agree with a concept, our faith is there, and we keep it in our memory. Faith is the mortar that holds our beliefs together and gives sense and direction to the entire dream.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Friday, August 26, 2011
My Friday...
So, how did my friday go? It went O.k., I suppose. I bought my friend Janet lunch, and for the first time, I went to the PLAZA EL SEGUNDO and the MANHATTAN VILLAGE MALL. And, I possibly found the place where I'm going to get my flip cam... at FRY's Electronics! Yeah, I'm DEFINETELY going back into that store, to see what's up.
Tomorrow, I plan to go out to Hollywood, and possibly to the Farmer's Market. I haven't been there in a while. Then, if and ONLY if I have time, maybe I'll check out Venice Beach.
Tomorrow, I plan to go out to Hollywood, and possibly to the Farmer's Market. I haven't been there in a while. Then, if and ONLY if I have time, maybe I'll check out Venice Beach.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The best moments of your life are when you are being your authentic self. When you are in your creation and doing what you love to do, you become what you really are again. You are not thinking in that moment; you are expressing. Your emotions are coming out, and you feel great.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Thursday, August 25, 2011
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I create my story according to the truth, instead of lies. When I refuse to believe in lies, everything in my life changes, just like magic. As I recover the power of my faith, my will is free again, and what I can do with that has no limits
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
WARRIORSHIP PART 2
This is another great article by ninjutsu practiciner Jack Hoban about warriorship. In this particular article, he talks about the "Warrior's Creed" (which I posted a link to on the sidebar). I myself have adopted this creed into my daily life, and I do my best to live up to, although I admit, it's not easy sometimes. But then, nothing worth doing is ever easy. Click HERE to go to his website.
Living According To "Nature"
By: Jack Hoban
As a former Marine Officer with many years in the martial arts, I recently recognized that there had been something missing in the training at least for me. The instruction I had received has never quite spoken to the reason why I jumped on the warrior path to begin with. Let me explain: Before joining the Marines, I had fantasized about being the Warrior Knight who would save the mothers, sisters, and daughters of America from the godless communists. I evolved, however, from wanting to be that Warrior/Protector into fancying myself as the Killer/Commando who would "kill them all, and let God sort 'em out." Granted, it was my own fault, letting myself get sucked into that, but it had a lot to do with the training and the warrior wannabes who influenced me during my time in the Corps. Now that I look back, of course, I realize that there were a bunch of warriors in the Corps. But they weren't the loud ones the "tough guys" that impress and intimidate a young Marine. And those "tough guys" I came to understand, were a lot tougher "talkin'" than they were "walkin'."
So I got out of the Marines and decided to follow the warrior path on my own terms, holding down a "day job." I have met some great and not-so-great martial arts teachers. Some of them spoke like the "tough guys" I had met in the Marines with even less to back it up. And some have talked like warriors, and were probably real warriors, yet I felt a disconnect between their words and actions. You see, they talked about being protectors and defenders, but their training was all about how to take the other guy out, or at best, it was about self defense. Now there is nothing wrong, under the right circumstances, with taking out a bad guy. And I believe self defense to be more than a right it is a responsibility and obligation. But what happened to my dream about being the Warrior defender of the innocent, the weak, the mothers, sisters and daughters? I began to feel that I needed to think of my training in new and expanded terms. Part of the process required me to clarify my personal warrior philosophy so that I could make sure that my physical training was aligned with and supported my value system.
Last year I wrote an article entitled "The Ninja Life Value." Hatsumi Sensei's admonition that the purpose of Ninpo is to "live," inspired me to write that article. This "Life Value" was the first of the values that I clarified, particularly after studying the Life Value Theory of my University professor and long-time mentor, Robert L. Humphrey. In order for human beings to live a happy life, according to both Hatsumi and Humphrey, they must live according to their nature. For me, therefore, the philosophy of Ninpo seems to have two basic tenets: (1) Hold Life as the most important, superseding value; and (2) Strive to live according to the laws of Nature. On the surface, this seems simple enough. However, in reality, in order to truly understand, and live in confluence with, that philosophy may take a lifetime of study and training. For example, the first tenet: Life is man's most important and superseding value, might seem self-evident. It is not. We humans are killing people all the time. We also kill ourselves with poor diets, alcohol, drugs, tobacco and stress. So the Life Value needs to be activated somehow, or we can make a mistake and start the fighting and killing and self-abusing. One way to activate it is by practicing the art of defending others and noticing the spiritual benefits that accompany the increases in technical skill. More about that in a minute.
The next piece of the "life puzzle," was supplied to me by Professor Humphrey. Humphrey was a Marine Officer on Iwo Jima, a semi-professional boxer, and is warrior/philosopher extraordinaire. He helped me to understand that the Life Value is a dual value self and others. "Others" has a slight edge over "self." Now this, too, seems self-evident. Mothers will protect their children with their lives, a Marine will smother a grenade with his body to protect his buddies, etc. You can probably think of someone for whom you would risk, and if necessary, give your life. Yet, we also say, "self-preservation is the first law of nature." Obviously, that can't be right. But its close. Therein lies the confusion. On the outside we seem like self preservers, but when it becomes a matter of life and death, we humans value the ethic: "women and children first," over the ethic: "every man for himself." Think about this for a second. Both courses of actions can be right, depending on the circumstances. But what do we call the guy who saves himself? We call him a survivor. What do we call the guy who makes sure all the women and children are in the lifeboat before thinking to save himself. We call him a hero, don't we?
The next tenet: Live according to the laws of Nature, also requires deep consideration. What "nature" is referred to? "Mother" Nature or "Human" Nature? Are these the same, or somehow different? If they are not the same, are they contradictory or complimentary? Mother Nature seems to favor "the survival of the fittest." We humans seem to honor, most, those of us who "protect the weak," like the Mother Theresas of the world. We place great value on "protecting the weak." But the Life Value is a dual value self and others. Again, others has a slight edge over self. Actually, it can be argued, therefore, that the Life Value is both man's superseding value and part of his "human nature." The point, as Humphrey makes clear in his book "Values For A New Millennium," is that, we humans seem to place slightly more value on "species-preservation" than on "self-preservation." It is our nature as human beings, particularly the best of us humans, to do so.
As part of a balanced martial arts curriculum, therefore, we martial arts teachers should consider teaching the students how to protect others. In order to be true to our nature, this training may even be slightly more important than teaching self-defense. Some of us have done some bodyguard work, etc., yet, martial arts training typically concentrates mostly on defending oneself. I have found, however, that training to protect others can make a tremendous difference in the psychological and spiritual attitudes of the students. Most prefer viewing themselves as a warrior/protector than as some kind of "tough guy" or martial arts "bad-ass." After all, martial arts is for the purpose of preserving and protecting life.
When studying the techniques of Ninjutsu, it is important to recognize the fact that the philosophy of Ninpo is the source of the movement system and must be considered inseparable from it. For me, that means being true to the two tenets, above. If you begin practicing to defend others, however, you may have some difficulties in the beginning, particularly technical ones. The problem lies in the fact that your training, to this point, may have been mostly focused on defending yourself. When defending another, you will find that, even though the techniques may be familiar, the angles and distancing are all unfamiliar. On reflection, of course, that makes sense. You are used to being the one attacked. You are used to having the energy directed at you. All that becomes changed when the attacker is focused on another person, as you will see quickly, even if practicing basic techniques from the kihon happo against an assailant who is attacking another person. There are legal and moral ramifications to becoming involved in defending others, as well. If you were to happen onto the scene of an altercation, you may not truly be able to differentiate the "good guys from the "bad guys." You might find yourself involved in a domestic dispute where both people end up turning on you, the good samaritan. In any case, when a martial artist becomes involved in a physical confrontation of any kind, he or she always runs the risk of being seen as being in the wrong. Such is the current nature of our society and legal system, at least in America. Part of being an aware Ninja is taking the political situation into account. Therefore, one should be very circumspect about revealing martial arts skills unless it is a matter of life and death or grievous bodily harm. There is a guideline that may help one remain true to the human proclivity to protect life, yet, protect oneself from being seen as breaking the law. Remember: The object is not to fight the bad guy; the focus is on defending the victim. It is a subtle difference but an important one. As a defender of Life, the warrior has a moral obligation, commensurate with his skill level, to protect everyone he can. He defends the good guys; but anyone would do that if they could. The warrior protects the bad guys too, if possible and if he is skilled enough. He may only protect them long enough for the police to get there, for the jury to try them, and for the judge to sentence them. Maybe even just long enough for the hangman to hang them. But the warrior has an obligation to try to protect all life. And this sensibility may serve to keep him from incurring legal problems. Remember, warriors are not vigilantes.
When studying techniques to defend others, one should practice with the feeling of defending life rather than "beating up a bad guy." This more enlightened psychological state of mind will help the you artist create a more effective "life protecting" technique in a spontaneous situation. It also "feels" better. The best thing about being a "protector/defender" is that feeling. Consider adopting this warrior's motto: "Wherever I go, everyone is a little safer because I am there; anyone in need has a friend." Living according to this creed can lead one to a higher physical skill level and a higher spiritual level as well. This warrior thing becomes heady stuff. I remember when I was first involved in the martial arts and still in the Marines. I would walk into a dangerous place, say a bar in a tough port overseas, and my first reaction would be to look around and try to figure out how I would fight every person in that bar. I would tick them off, one by one: "I'll knock this guy out with a punch; then I'll kick that other guy over there; then I'll grab that beer bottle and knock out that weasly looking punk," etc. etc. I'll bet many people who are reading this have done the same thing. Be truthful you have, haven't you? Professor Humphrey, however, suggested that this kind of attitude, while natural, was really not warrior-like. He thought I should try experimenting with a different approach. He suggested that wherever I go, especially in dangerous situations, I should adopt this motto: "Everybody in this place is a little safer because I am here; anyone in need has a friend." I call it the warrior's motto. And I have to tell you, it feels a whole lot better inside. Try it if you don't believe me.
The best thing about being a warrior for me is the feeling I get. Wherever I am: in the park, on the subway, in a store, wherever I am, everyone is just a little bit safer because I'm there. They may not know it, although I believe that at some subconscious level they might. But I know it. And it makes me feel great. I want you to have that feeling; I think its the best feeling there is. So, keep going, keep training. Train in accordance with your nature.
Living According To "Nature"
By: Jack Hoban
As a former Marine Officer with many years in the martial arts, I recently recognized that there had been something missing in the training at least for me. The instruction I had received has never quite spoken to the reason why I jumped on the warrior path to begin with. Let me explain: Before joining the Marines, I had fantasized about being the Warrior Knight who would save the mothers, sisters, and daughters of America from the godless communists. I evolved, however, from wanting to be that Warrior/Protector into fancying myself as the Killer/Commando who would "kill them all, and let God sort 'em out." Granted, it was my own fault, letting myself get sucked into that, but it had a lot to do with the training and the warrior wannabes who influenced me during my time in the Corps. Now that I look back, of course, I realize that there were a bunch of warriors in the Corps. But they weren't the loud ones the "tough guys" that impress and intimidate a young Marine. And those "tough guys" I came to understand, were a lot tougher "talkin'" than they were "walkin'."
So I got out of the Marines and decided to follow the warrior path on my own terms, holding down a "day job." I have met some great and not-so-great martial arts teachers. Some of them spoke like the "tough guys" I had met in the Marines with even less to back it up. And some have talked like warriors, and were probably real warriors, yet I felt a disconnect between their words and actions. You see, they talked about being protectors and defenders, but their training was all about how to take the other guy out, or at best, it was about self defense. Now there is nothing wrong, under the right circumstances, with taking out a bad guy. And I believe self defense to be more than a right it is a responsibility and obligation. But what happened to my dream about being the Warrior defender of the innocent, the weak, the mothers, sisters and daughters? I began to feel that I needed to think of my training in new and expanded terms. Part of the process required me to clarify my personal warrior philosophy so that I could make sure that my physical training was aligned with and supported my value system.
Last year I wrote an article entitled "The Ninja Life Value." Hatsumi Sensei's admonition that the purpose of Ninpo is to "live," inspired me to write that article. This "Life Value" was the first of the values that I clarified, particularly after studying the Life Value Theory of my University professor and long-time mentor, Robert L. Humphrey. In order for human beings to live a happy life, according to both Hatsumi and Humphrey, they must live according to their nature. For me, therefore, the philosophy of Ninpo seems to have two basic tenets: (1) Hold Life as the most important, superseding value; and (2) Strive to live according to the laws of Nature. On the surface, this seems simple enough. However, in reality, in order to truly understand, and live in confluence with, that philosophy may take a lifetime of study and training. For example, the first tenet: Life is man's most important and superseding value, might seem self-evident. It is not. We humans are killing people all the time. We also kill ourselves with poor diets, alcohol, drugs, tobacco and stress. So the Life Value needs to be activated somehow, or we can make a mistake and start the fighting and killing and self-abusing. One way to activate it is by practicing the art of defending others and noticing the spiritual benefits that accompany the increases in technical skill. More about that in a minute.
The next piece of the "life puzzle," was supplied to me by Professor Humphrey. Humphrey was a Marine Officer on Iwo Jima, a semi-professional boxer, and is warrior/philosopher extraordinaire. He helped me to understand that the Life Value is a dual value self and others. "Others" has a slight edge over "self." Now this, too, seems self-evident. Mothers will protect their children with their lives, a Marine will smother a grenade with his body to protect his buddies, etc. You can probably think of someone for whom you would risk, and if necessary, give your life. Yet, we also say, "self-preservation is the first law of nature." Obviously, that can't be right. But its close. Therein lies the confusion. On the outside we seem like self preservers, but when it becomes a matter of life and death, we humans value the ethic: "women and children first," over the ethic: "every man for himself." Think about this for a second. Both courses of actions can be right, depending on the circumstances. But what do we call the guy who saves himself? We call him a survivor. What do we call the guy who makes sure all the women and children are in the lifeboat before thinking to save himself. We call him a hero, don't we?
The next tenet: Live according to the laws of Nature, also requires deep consideration. What "nature" is referred to? "Mother" Nature or "Human" Nature? Are these the same, or somehow different? If they are not the same, are they contradictory or complimentary? Mother Nature seems to favor "the survival of the fittest." We humans seem to honor, most, those of us who "protect the weak," like the Mother Theresas of the world. We place great value on "protecting the weak." But the Life Value is a dual value self and others. Again, others has a slight edge over self. Actually, it can be argued, therefore, that the Life Value is both man's superseding value and part of his "human nature." The point, as Humphrey makes clear in his book "Values For A New Millennium," is that, we humans seem to place slightly more value on "species-preservation" than on "self-preservation." It is our nature as human beings, particularly the best of us humans, to do so.
As part of a balanced martial arts curriculum, therefore, we martial arts teachers should consider teaching the students how to protect others. In order to be true to our nature, this training may even be slightly more important than teaching self-defense. Some of us have done some bodyguard work, etc., yet, martial arts training typically concentrates mostly on defending oneself. I have found, however, that training to protect others can make a tremendous difference in the psychological and spiritual attitudes of the students. Most prefer viewing themselves as a warrior/protector than as some kind of "tough guy" or martial arts "bad-ass." After all, martial arts is for the purpose of preserving and protecting life.
When studying the techniques of Ninjutsu, it is important to recognize the fact that the philosophy of Ninpo is the source of the movement system and must be considered inseparable from it. For me, that means being true to the two tenets, above. If you begin practicing to defend others, however, you may have some difficulties in the beginning, particularly technical ones. The problem lies in the fact that your training, to this point, may have been mostly focused on defending yourself. When defending another, you will find that, even though the techniques may be familiar, the angles and distancing are all unfamiliar. On reflection, of course, that makes sense. You are used to being the one attacked. You are used to having the energy directed at you. All that becomes changed when the attacker is focused on another person, as you will see quickly, even if practicing basic techniques from the kihon happo against an assailant who is attacking another person. There are legal and moral ramifications to becoming involved in defending others, as well. If you were to happen onto the scene of an altercation, you may not truly be able to differentiate the "good guys from the "bad guys." You might find yourself involved in a domestic dispute where both people end up turning on you, the good samaritan. In any case, when a martial artist becomes involved in a physical confrontation of any kind, he or she always runs the risk of being seen as being in the wrong. Such is the current nature of our society and legal system, at least in America. Part of being an aware Ninja is taking the political situation into account. Therefore, one should be very circumspect about revealing martial arts skills unless it is a matter of life and death or grievous bodily harm. There is a guideline that may help one remain true to the human proclivity to protect life, yet, protect oneself from being seen as breaking the law. Remember: The object is not to fight the bad guy; the focus is on defending the victim. It is a subtle difference but an important one. As a defender of Life, the warrior has a moral obligation, commensurate with his skill level, to protect everyone he can. He defends the good guys; but anyone would do that if they could. The warrior protects the bad guys too, if possible and if he is skilled enough. He may only protect them long enough for the police to get there, for the jury to try them, and for the judge to sentence them. Maybe even just long enough for the hangman to hang them. But the warrior has an obligation to try to protect all life. And this sensibility may serve to keep him from incurring legal problems. Remember, warriors are not vigilantes.
When studying techniques to defend others, one should practice with the feeling of defending life rather than "beating up a bad guy." This more enlightened psychological state of mind will help the you artist create a more effective "life protecting" technique in a spontaneous situation. It also "feels" better. The best thing about being a "protector/defender" is that feeling. Consider adopting this warrior's motto: "Wherever I go, everyone is a little safer because I am there; anyone in need has a friend." Living according to this creed can lead one to a higher physical skill level and a higher spiritual level as well. This warrior thing becomes heady stuff. I remember when I was first involved in the martial arts and still in the Marines. I would walk into a dangerous place, say a bar in a tough port overseas, and my first reaction would be to look around and try to figure out how I would fight every person in that bar. I would tick them off, one by one: "I'll knock this guy out with a punch; then I'll kick that other guy over there; then I'll grab that beer bottle and knock out that weasly looking punk," etc. etc. I'll bet many people who are reading this have done the same thing. Be truthful you have, haven't you? Professor Humphrey, however, suggested that this kind of attitude, while natural, was really not warrior-like. He thought I should try experimenting with a different approach. He suggested that wherever I go, especially in dangerous situations, I should adopt this motto: "Everybody in this place is a little safer because I am here; anyone in need has a friend." I call it the warrior's motto. And I have to tell you, it feels a whole lot better inside. Try it if you don't believe me.
The best thing about being a warrior for me is the feeling I get. Wherever I am: in the park, on the subway, in a store, wherever I am, everyone is just a little bit safer because I'm there. They may not know it, although I believe that at some subconscious level they might. But I know it. And it makes me feel great. I want you to have that feeling; I think its the best feeling there is. So, keep going, keep training. Train in accordance with your nature.
YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!
To anyone who thinks that this is a good idea, I have a question. How would you feel if the police were spying on YOU?
CIA aided New York police in spying on Muslims: report | The Raw Story:
'via Blog this'
CIA aided New York police in spying on Muslims: report | The Raw Story:
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
QUOTE OF THE DAY
When I am absorbed in what I'm doing, the voice of knowledge hardly speaks. When there is inaction, my mind has to have action, and that is an open invitation for the voice of knowledge to talk to me.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Monday, August 22, 2011
Anthony de Mello - Awareness pt. 2 will i be of help to you?
This is part 2 of Anthony de Mello's series on Awarness. Click HERE for the first part of this series, which I posted last week. If you want to watch the whole series, I also put a link to the website http://awareness.tk, which contains the whole series, in the sidebar.
Video description taken from You Tube
Uploaded by mothnrust on Nov 24, 2008
Anthony de Mello - Awareness pt.2 will i be of help to you? see all videos in order at http://awareness.tk
Category:
Education
Tags:
Anthony de mello awareness
License:
Standard YouTube License
Video description taken from You Tube
Uploaded by mothnrust on Nov 24, 2008
Anthony de Mello - Awareness pt.2 will i be of help to you? see all videos in order at http://awareness.tk
Category:
Education
Tags:
Anthony de mello awareness
License:
Standard YouTube License
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The word is pure magic. The power of our comes directly from God, and faith is the force that directs this power. Everything in our virtual reality is created with the word. We use the word for the creation of our story, to make sense out of everything we experience.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Sunday School Video
Funny, I never thought of the Psalm 23 that way before...
Video Description taken from You Tube
Uploaded by Thunderf00t on Mar 5, 2011
Its bugged me for ever that Christians are proud of the 'fact' that the 'Lord is my shepherd'. (Psalm 23)
It's one of the earliest things taught to children is that farm animals get eaten, and sheep are no exception. If the lord is their shepherd, he's not being nice to them just out of love or care, but because of their deadweight at market.
Yup, and would you believe that psalm 23, -The Lord is my Shepherd, is one of the most quoted, and most read Bible verses. It's jaw droppingly, well funny I suppose that billions of christians have read this verse, and as far as I can tell none have them have put this verse together with what they learned when they were 5, that there is no happy ending for the sheep.
If the verse is meant to confer the concept that their god will care for them, then a better metaphor would be 'The Lord is my Nanny'. Irrespective it embodies the concept that someone else will care for you, and there is no encouragement for self-improvement or development. In summary its a statement of pedomorphic desire and intent as a mainstay of the Christian religion.
Ironically this would of course count as bad parenting anywhere. No good parent should encourage their children to remain children in perpetuity. The sole goal of the parents should be for their children to supersede their ability!
Category:
Entertainment
Tags:
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd bible god jesus stupid funny thunderf00t atheism atheist christian christianity religion richard dawkins abuse of children faith schools say the dumbest things
License:
Standard YouTube License
Video Description taken from You Tube
Uploaded by Thunderf00t on Mar 5, 2011
Its bugged me for ever that Christians are proud of the 'fact' that the 'Lord is my shepherd'. (Psalm 23)
It's one of the earliest things taught to children is that farm animals get eaten, and sheep are no exception. If the lord is their shepherd, he's not being nice to them just out of love or care, but because of their deadweight at market.
Yup, and would you believe that psalm 23, -The Lord is my Shepherd, is one of the most quoted, and most read Bible verses. It's jaw droppingly, well funny I suppose that billions of christians have read this verse, and as far as I can tell none have them have put this verse together with what they learned when they were 5, that there is no happy ending for the sheep.
If the verse is meant to confer the concept that their god will care for them, then a better metaphor would be 'The Lord is my Nanny'. Irrespective it embodies the concept that someone else will care for you, and there is no encouragement for self-improvement or development. In summary its a statement of pedomorphic desire and intent as a mainstay of the Christian religion.
Ironically this would of course count as bad parenting anywhere. No good parent should encourage their children to remain children in perpetuity. The sole goal of the parents should be for their children to supersede their ability!
Category:
Entertainment
Tags:
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd bible god jesus stupid funny thunderf00t atheism atheist christian christianity religion richard dawkins abuse of children faith schools say the dumbest things
License:
Standard YouTube License
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Emotional pain is a symptom of being abused. Every time we lie to ourselves, judge ourselves, or reject ourselves,our emotional reaction isn't pleasant.The pain is letting us know that we have to do something to stop the abuse
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Saturday, August 20, 2011
WARRIORSHIP
When I was looking for links for the "Cult of the Warrior" section of the sidebar, I came across this great article on warriorship written by Jack Hoban, one of the foremost authorities on Ninjutsu in the United states. For more information about Jack Hoban, check out his website HERE.
Warriorship As A Lifestyle
by Jack Hoban
In the mid-1980’s I wrote book called "Ninpo: Living And Thinking As A Warrior." Some of you have read it and have written some very nice things to me about the book. I appreciate the gestures; but if you recall the introduction to that book, I made some pretty clear qualifications about what I had written. I said, in essence, that my philosophy was "a process." What I meant was that it was evolving and that I might change my mind about some things in the future.
And this has, of course, turned out to be true.
Perhaps I should not say that I have changed my mind as much as that some of my emphases have changed. I have different priorities now and I have done a heck of a lot more research on things that I believe are germane to the warrior lifestyle. Therefore, I offer this essay as an "update" to my Philosophy of Warriorship, and, again, make the qualification that I reserve the right to change my mind (or emphasis) as I continue down the path.
A major "change" in the philosophy, I think, can best be summed up as an evolution from the sense of Warriorship as an ideal to the sense of Warriorship in practice. This has been a difficult and careful transition in my life, because it is so easy to confuse pragmatism and practicality. Perhaps I had better clarify those terms, because for me the distinction is very important. Let's begin by saying that the idealized life of the Warrior—defending the weak and innocent against the evil forces of darkness and anti-market forces is a bit over-romanticized (and over-simplified, for that matter). It is also a bit impractical. I mean, how do you make a living and feed your kids doing that?
So what do you do? There certainly are warrior-type things out there to be done. Many are very hard to do and some just can’t be done—yet, anyway. Almost none of them are financially lucrative. One of the most common questions I get is from sincere young folks asking me about career paths that are consistent with the warrior path. Being a warrior is not really a job, per se. It is a lifestyle: a perspective on approaching your job, your relationships with others (most especially your family), and the rest of your life in general. It is not an easy lifestyle in this pragmatic world. There is a real danger, therefore, for the person who calls himself a warrior, to talk the good game, but live a very un-warrior-like existence when outside the dojo or seminar setting. We all know them and have, at times, been them.
This pragmatic approach, however, is a bit like the "Sunday Christian" who goes to church, sings in the choir and bows his head to pray with a pious smile on the Sabbath—but lies, cheats and steals all through the rest of the week. I don’t mean to pick on Christians, they certainly don’t hold a monopoly on pragmatism or hypocrisy, but I use the analogy to make a point. There is a huge disconnect, sometimes, between what we "feel" is the right way to live and what we "know" we need to do to get by in this society. Phrases like "if I don’t do it, someone else will," "screw them before they screw you," "that’s the way of the world," "everyone else is doing it," "if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em," etc. are all too common in this society. No one can really blame you if you go along. With the way things are you probably will get by if you "go along." There is at least one huge problem with that, however, and that problem is inside you. You will probably end up with a bad feeling about your life. You might suppress it, you might hide it, but you just won’t feel good—inside. That’s the problem with pragmatism.
I heard a funny story. A man is standing in front of his house in a bathrobe one night as his house is burning down furiously. A neighbor runs up and yells, "How can you just stand there and let your house burn down?" The man turns to his neighbor incredulously and says, "I’m not letting it burn down; its burning down on its own." A practical man realizes that there are just some bad things that you can’t do anything about. (A pragmatist, by the way, would probably just throw gas on the fire—I mean, why not? Its gonna burn down anyway?).
I find myself becoming a practical man in a world that will never be the way I want it to be. But I refuse to throw gas on the fire. I (like many of you who are reading this, I bet) live a kind of dual-existence. I do my best to live the life-affirming values of the warrior, but it seems that (paradoxically?) I fail miserably almost everyday because I have to make a "living." And almost everything you can do to make a living these days seems to violate the warrior values.
That’s a pretty strong statement, I know, but I believe it to be true. There are no good jobs out there for warriors. Not even the Marines. I know; I was one. No, the best you can hope for is any job that feeds the family, but one that you can at least approach with the ethos of the warrior. And even that isn't easy.
It would be convenient if we could just blame it all on the fact that corporations are greedy, or that people are weak, or that our problems are due to some flaw of human nature. (By the way, if you don’t think that we are having problems, read no further and continue throwing gas on that fire). But that doesn't really solve the problem or make us happy. But, it is absolutely not in our nature to be this miserable; and we are miserable, even when we are happy. So what is the solution?
At the risk of throwing another buzzword into the communal dialogue, I have to say that it is not our nature that is flawed, but our behavior that is unsustainable. I will talk a bit more about this buzzword "unsustainable" in a moment, but the basic meaning is that our lifestyle (our frenetic pace, our destruction of natural human connections like the extended family, our hoggish use of natural resources, our insatiable desire to reproduce ourselves, etc) cannot be maintained at the present pace. In other words, we live as if there is no tomorrow.
But there is a tomorrow. And our kids have to live there. And an "unsustainable" lifestyle is, ultimately, in conflict with our deepest life values. Why? Because an unsustainable lifestyle, by definition, has to end sometime. The ramifications of that, if you think about it, are frightening. And that’s what is making us unhappy (and, finally) very, very nervous about things like, ecology, pollution, population, terrorist weapons of mass destruction, etc. We are starting to see that the house really is burning and that we have very few choices: either sit there and watch it burn, or throw our share of the gas on it. Actually, the choices are fewer than that. We are all throwing some gas on the fire. It’s just that some of us are conscious of it and some are not.
I first heard the word "sustainable" in this context about 6 years ago when a friend gave me a book called Steady-State Economics, by Herman Daly. It is a difficult book to read and has some flawed arguments in it, but it set me up to be conscious of the need for sustainability in all our affairs. If you are unclear about what "sustainability" means in human affairs, let me bring it real close to home, here, with a pop quiz: What was the very first English phrase that Hatsumi Sensei learned when he came to America almost 20 years ago? That’s right: "Keep going."
Why, ask yourself, is that the most important thing in the martial arts, according to Sensei, at least. Easy, because all of those people who have been involved in the Bujinkan martial arts over the years who did not follow a "sustainable" training regimen are—gone! They are just not around. Where did they go? The other day I was going through my file cabinet and I came across a huge folder. I looked inside and I found hundreds of signed training releases. I mean hundreds. But if you go to training on a Monday or Wednesday night in my dojo, do you know how many people are there typically? About 12, including me. What happened? I don’t know in all cases, of course. But there has been a consistent pattern over the years that I want to share with you. I cannot count how many times a person or little gaggle of persons has come to training and gushed that this is what they wanted to do their whole life. They would swear eternal allegiance to Hatsumi Sensei, Takamatsu Sensei, Splinter and me. Then, depending on their energy, they would come religiously, fanatically, for a week, month, or year (usually not longer) and then—they would just disappear. At first it would hurt my feelings, I would wonder what I did wrong, etc. But I have come to understand that it was not necessarily me. However they had set up their life, their training regimen just was not sustainable.
OK, do you have what I mean by sustainable? The point here, however, is that I think we need to extrapolate this important concept out to our society as a whole. Is our use of natural resources and fossil fuels sustainable? Is our population growth (doubling, now, every 36 years or so) sustainable? Can we sustain an attack of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical, or biological? We all ought to think about these things.
All right, let me back up. What does this really have to do with our martial art? Well, our particular art comes from a very unique group of people called Ninja. According to my discussions with Hatsumi Sensei, Ninja lived a sustainable lifestyle. That is, if you lived as close to nature as the Ninja did, you could probably live off the land literally forever. I imagine it to be an existence not unlike our Native American cultures—a lifestyle lived in accordance with (rather than in spite of) nature, although we will probably never know for sure.
There are few societies, anywhere in the world, that still live in accordance with nature. Most of us on the planet are involved in lifestyles that require exploitation of natural resources at a pace at which they simply cannot regenerate themselves. As an interim step, we have turned more and more to technology to make our excessive use of resources more efficient. We haven't tried to figure out how to live within natural limits; we've just tried to stretch the limits. We have accelerated the emissions of "greenhouse gases" and other pollutants. We have continued the destruction of our forests, lakes and oceans. And we have continued the cultivation of and construction on land to the point that the limits must break soon, although no one can really say for sure when the breaking point will come. My research leads me to believe that we are living a "ponzi" scheme. We are borrowing from future resources. Eventually we are going to run out—of land, of natural resources, of options if something goes wrong. And most of all, we can’t help it.
But we better get aware of it.
I have made some subtle suggestions on reading material, check the Living Values Virtual Bookstore if you want to know more. It will be obvious which books I mean. And there are plenty of others. I am not really an expert on "Armageddon" reading material, but I have read enough to know that some serious thinking is going on about this "sustainability issue," or, if you prefer, our need, as a human race to be able to "keep going."
One of my observations is that if the Ninja (or aborigines or Native American peoples, etc.) lived a sustainable lifestyle, could there be a lesson in their life philosophies for us? That is why I have stayed interested in this art for so long. I mean the techniques are cool and all that, but what was it about the life ways of these Ninja that we can use today, to improve our lives, perhaps make our lifestyles more sustainable?
We can’t (won’t) go back to living totally as aborigines. First of all, there are already too many of us in many places on the planet. It probably just isn't possible, desirable, or even necessary. But we have to recognize that we can’t go forward as we have. We live in a time unique in human history. We have been going down this path for thousands of years with no limits in plain sight. But suddenly the limits are obvious; the piper is finally going to have to get paid. We can't put off thinking about this for much longer. The changes have to start now. Many people are frightened and depressed by or just oblivious to these facts. And it does seem like a daunting task to change the direction of a whole civilization.
But we are smart, we humans. We can probably figure out a new way to live: A way that draws upon the ethos of the sustainable cultures like the Ninja, but that incorporates the opportunities provided by modern technology. The first step is to start thinking about it; be conscious of it. That is the point of this provocative and imperfect introduction to this subject.
Some people at this point might say: "Hey, you’re right, we gotta do something! But what?" Well the next step, as I said, is to think. There are probably a thousand ways to live life in accordance with both human nature and mother nature. The warrior lifestyle may be one of them. I also would like to quote Daniel Quinn (who wrote the book "Ishmael," also in the Living Values Virtual Bookstore). He says: "The world will not be saved by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all." So there’s your hint. Keep going! Or as my long-time mentor Dr. Bob Humphrey used to say: "Keep punching!"
Once again, for more information about Jack Hoban, check out his website HERE.
Warriorship As A Lifestyle
by Jack Hoban
In the mid-1980’s I wrote book called "Ninpo: Living And Thinking As A Warrior." Some of you have read it and have written some very nice things to me about the book. I appreciate the gestures; but if you recall the introduction to that book, I made some pretty clear qualifications about what I had written. I said, in essence, that my philosophy was "a process." What I meant was that it was evolving and that I might change my mind about some things in the future.
And this has, of course, turned out to be true.
Perhaps I should not say that I have changed my mind as much as that some of my emphases have changed. I have different priorities now and I have done a heck of a lot more research on things that I believe are germane to the warrior lifestyle. Therefore, I offer this essay as an "update" to my Philosophy of Warriorship, and, again, make the qualification that I reserve the right to change my mind (or emphasis) as I continue down the path.
A major "change" in the philosophy, I think, can best be summed up as an evolution from the sense of Warriorship as an ideal to the sense of Warriorship in practice. This has been a difficult and careful transition in my life, because it is so easy to confuse pragmatism and practicality. Perhaps I had better clarify those terms, because for me the distinction is very important. Let's begin by saying that the idealized life of the Warrior—defending the weak and innocent against the evil forces of darkness and anti-market forces is a bit over-romanticized (and over-simplified, for that matter). It is also a bit impractical. I mean, how do you make a living and feed your kids doing that?
So what do you do? There certainly are warrior-type things out there to be done. Many are very hard to do and some just can’t be done—yet, anyway. Almost none of them are financially lucrative. One of the most common questions I get is from sincere young folks asking me about career paths that are consistent with the warrior path. Being a warrior is not really a job, per se. It is a lifestyle: a perspective on approaching your job, your relationships with others (most especially your family), and the rest of your life in general. It is not an easy lifestyle in this pragmatic world. There is a real danger, therefore, for the person who calls himself a warrior, to talk the good game, but live a very un-warrior-like existence when outside the dojo or seminar setting. We all know them and have, at times, been them.
This pragmatic approach, however, is a bit like the "Sunday Christian" who goes to church, sings in the choir and bows his head to pray with a pious smile on the Sabbath—but lies, cheats and steals all through the rest of the week. I don’t mean to pick on Christians, they certainly don’t hold a monopoly on pragmatism or hypocrisy, but I use the analogy to make a point. There is a huge disconnect, sometimes, between what we "feel" is the right way to live and what we "know" we need to do to get by in this society. Phrases like "if I don’t do it, someone else will," "screw them before they screw you," "that’s the way of the world," "everyone else is doing it," "if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em," etc. are all too common in this society. No one can really blame you if you go along. With the way things are you probably will get by if you "go along." There is at least one huge problem with that, however, and that problem is inside you. You will probably end up with a bad feeling about your life. You might suppress it, you might hide it, but you just won’t feel good—inside. That’s the problem with pragmatism.
I heard a funny story. A man is standing in front of his house in a bathrobe one night as his house is burning down furiously. A neighbor runs up and yells, "How can you just stand there and let your house burn down?" The man turns to his neighbor incredulously and says, "I’m not letting it burn down; its burning down on its own." A practical man realizes that there are just some bad things that you can’t do anything about. (A pragmatist, by the way, would probably just throw gas on the fire—I mean, why not? Its gonna burn down anyway?).
I find myself becoming a practical man in a world that will never be the way I want it to be. But I refuse to throw gas on the fire. I (like many of you who are reading this, I bet) live a kind of dual-existence. I do my best to live the life-affirming values of the warrior, but it seems that (paradoxically?) I fail miserably almost everyday because I have to make a "living." And almost everything you can do to make a living these days seems to violate the warrior values.
That’s a pretty strong statement, I know, but I believe it to be true. There are no good jobs out there for warriors. Not even the Marines. I know; I was one. No, the best you can hope for is any job that feeds the family, but one that you can at least approach with the ethos of the warrior. And even that isn't easy.
It would be convenient if we could just blame it all on the fact that corporations are greedy, or that people are weak, or that our problems are due to some flaw of human nature. (By the way, if you don’t think that we are having problems, read no further and continue throwing gas on that fire). But that doesn't really solve the problem or make us happy. But, it is absolutely not in our nature to be this miserable; and we are miserable, even when we are happy. So what is the solution?
At the risk of throwing another buzzword into the communal dialogue, I have to say that it is not our nature that is flawed, but our behavior that is unsustainable. I will talk a bit more about this buzzword "unsustainable" in a moment, but the basic meaning is that our lifestyle (our frenetic pace, our destruction of natural human connections like the extended family, our hoggish use of natural resources, our insatiable desire to reproduce ourselves, etc) cannot be maintained at the present pace. In other words, we live as if there is no tomorrow.
But there is a tomorrow. And our kids have to live there. And an "unsustainable" lifestyle is, ultimately, in conflict with our deepest life values. Why? Because an unsustainable lifestyle, by definition, has to end sometime. The ramifications of that, if you think about it, are frightening. And that’s what is making us unhappy (and, finally) very, very nervous about things like, ecology, pollution, population, terrorist weapons of mass destruction, etc. We are starting to see that the house really is burning and that we have very few choices: either sit there and watch it burn, or throw our share of the gas on it. Actually, the choices are fewer than that. We are all throwing some gas on the fire. It’s just that some of us are conscious of it and some are not.
I first heard the word "sustainable" in this context about 6 years ago when a friend gave me a book called Steady-State Economics, by Herman Daly. It is a difficult book to read and has some flawed arguments in it, but it set me up to be conscious of the need for sustainability in all our affairs. If you are unclear about what "sustainability" means in human affairs, let me bring it real close to home, here, with a pop quiz: What was the very first English phrase that Hatsumi Sensei learned when he came to America almost 20 years ago? That’s right: "Keep going."
Why, ask yourself, is that the most important thing in the martial arts, according to Sensei, at least. Easy, because all of those people who have been involved in the Bujinkan martial arts over the years who did not follow a "sustainable" training regimen are—gone! They are just not around. Where did they go? The other day I was going through my file cabinet and I came across a huge folder. I looked inside and I found hundreds of signed training releases. I mean hundreds. But if you go to training on a Monday or Wednesday night in my dojo, do you know how many people are there typically? About 12, including me. What happened? I don’t know in all cases, of course. But there has been a consistent pattern over the years that I want to share with you. I cannot count how many times a person or little gaggle of persons has come to training and gushed that this is what they wanted to do their whole life. They would swear eternal allegiance to Hatsumi Sensei, Takamatsu Sensei, Splinter and me. Then, depending on their energy, they would come religiously, fanatically, for a week, month, or year (usually not longer) and then—they would just disappear. At first it would hurt my feelings, I would wonder what I did wrong, etc. But I have come to understand that it was not necessarily me. However they had set up their life, their training regimen just was not sustainable.
OK, do you have what I mean by sustainable? The point here, however, is that I think we need to extrapolate this important concept out to our society as a whole. Is our use of natural resources and fossil fuels sustainable? Is our population growth (doubling, now, every 36 years or so) sustainable? Can we sustain an attack of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical, or biological? We all ought to think about these things.
All right, let me back up. What does this really have to do with our martial art? Well, our particular art comes from a very unique group of people called Ninja. According to my discussions with Hatsumi Sensei, Ninja lived a sustainable lifestyle. That is, if you lived as close to nature as the Ninja did, you could probably live off the land literally forever. I imagine it to be an existence not unlike our Native American cultures—a lifestyle lived in accordance with (rather than in spite of) nature, although we will probably never know for sure.
There are few societies, anywhere in the world, that still live in accordance with nature. Most of us on the planet are involved in lifestyles that require exploitation of natural resources at a pace at which they simply cannot regenerate themselves. As an interim step, we have turned more and more to technology to make our excessive use of resources more efficient. We haven't tried to figure out how to live within natural limits; we've just tried to stretch the limits. We have accelerated the emissions of "greenhouse gases" and other pollutants. We have continued the destruction of our forests, lakes and oceans. And we have continued the cultivation of and construction on land to the point that the limits must break soon, although no one can really say for sure when the breaking point will come. My research leads me to believe that we are living a "ponzi" scheme. We are borrowing from future resources. Eventually we are going to run out—of land, of natural resources, of options if something goes wrong. And most of all, we can’t help it.
But we better get aware of it.
I have made some subtle suggestions on reading material, check the Living Values Virtual Bookstore if you want to know more. It will be obvious which books I mean. And there are plenty of others. I am not really an expert on "Armageddon" reading material, but I have read enough to know that some serious thinking is going on about this "sustainability issue," or, if you prefer, our need, as a human race to be able to "keep going."
One of my observations is that if the Ninja (or aborigines or Native American peoples, etc.) lived a sustainable lifestyle, could there be a lesson in their life philosophies for us? That is why I have stayed interested in this art for so long. I mean the techniques are cool and all that, but what was it about the life ways of these Ninja that we can use today, to improve our lives, perhaps make our lifestyles more sustainable?
We can’t (won’t) go back to living totally as aborigines. First of all, there are already too many of us in many places on the planet. It probably just isn't possible, desirable, or even necessary. But we have to recognize that we can’t go forward as we have. We live in a time unique in human history. We have been going down this path for thousands of years with no limits in plain sight. But suddenly the limits are obvious; the piper is finally going to have to get paid. We can't put off thinking about this for much longer. The changes have to start now. Many people are frightened and depressed by or just oblivious to these facts. And it does seem like a daunting task to change the direction of a whole civilization.
But we are smart, we humans. We can probably figure out a new way to live: A way that draws upon the ethos of the sustainable cultures like the Ninja, but that incorporates the opportunities provided by modern technology. The first step is to start thinking about it; be conscious of it. That is the point of this provocative and imperfect introduction to this subject.
Some people at this point might say: "Hey, you’re right, we gotta do something! But what?" Well the next step, as I said, is to think. There are probably a thousand ways to live life in accordance with both human nature and mother nature. The warrior lifestyle may be one of them. I also would like to quote Daniel Quinn (who wrote the book "Ishmael," also in the Living Values Virtual Bookstore). He says: "The world will not be saved by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all." So there’s your hint. Keep going! Or as my long-time mentor Dr. Bob Humphrey used to say: "Keep punching!"
Once again, for more information about Jack Hoban, check out his website HERE.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Don't believe yourself. Don't believe the storyteller, the voice of knowledge in your head, especially when the voice is going against you. Listen to yourself, listen to your story, but don't believe it because the story you are writing is mostly fiction. It isn't real.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Friday, August 19, 2011
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
~don Miguel Ruiz
Thursday, August 18, 2011
DEAR DIARY...
Well, I just got back from my Martial Arts Class... it was the first time in a few weeks. We went over Knife disarms and some coordination drills with the stick. I was reminded of the importance of footwork. My teacher often said, "If you truly understand your footwork, you eliminate fear." And now, after I finish this post, I'm gonna make my dinner and get some practice in. But now, I'm writing this post, watching the pirate episode of Globe Trekker, while talking on the phone. IS THAT MULTITASKING OR WHAT?
And now, I'm thinking about Tomorrow. I'm gonna go out to Venice, and see a woman about some Buddhist chanting...
And now, I'm thinking about Tomorrow. I'm gonna go out to Venice, and see a woman about some Buddhist chanting...
YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!
In this installment of YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!, I'm posting this video that I found on Facebook.
Video comments taken from You Tube
Uploaded by morningmayan on Aug 18, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnqFUaf4qOY
Here it comes folks! Free speech - not anymore.
NYPD forms new units to monitor Facebook and Twitter
http://consumerist.com/2011/08/nypd-forms-new-unit-to-monitor-facebook-and-tw...
Category:
Education
Tags:
facebook witchunt london riots protests free speech social networks shut down
License:
Standard YouTube License
Video comments taken from You Tube
Uploaded by morningmayan on Aug 18, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnqFUaf4qOY
Here it comes folks! Free speech - not anymore.
NYPD forms new units to monitor Facebook and Twitter
http://consumerist.com/2011/08/nypd-forms-new-unit-to-monitor-facebook-and-tw...
Category:
Education
Tags:
facebook witchunt london riots protests free speech social networks shut down
License:
Standard YouTube License
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
~don Miguel Ruiz
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
DANNI EL PERFORMING THIS AUGUST 28!!!
Big Joe Hurt | Rachel Lynn | Greg Scott | Danni El | Cazz
Time
Sunday, August 28 · 7:30pm - 10:30pm
Location
Room 5 Music
143 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
Created By
Rachel Lynn Sebastian, Kelvin Parker, Cazz BrindisShow all (6)
More Info
Boy | Girl | Boy | Girl
A Special Showcase of L.A.'s Finest Entertainers...UNPLUGGED.
MC:
Kelvin Parker
MUSIC LINEUP:
8pm - Big Joe Hurt
8:30pm - Rachel Lynn Sebastian
9pm - Greg Scott
9:30pm - All Five Artists Perform
9:45pm - Danni El
10:15pm - Cazz
Accompanists:
Tom McNally
VENUE INFORMATION:
Room 5 -
143 North La Brea Avenue
Los, Angeles, CA 90036-2911
(323) 938-2504
http://www.room5lounge.com/directions.htm
ROOM 5 Lounge is the venue for an eclectic mix of new music from hot area artists in an upscale, cozy atmosphere.
Boasting a full bar and menu and opening at 8 every night, Room 5 offers an entire night of possibilities.
Take the stairs up to Room 5.
PARKING:
Street Parking available on La Brea or $5 for Valet Service.
TICKETS:
Tickets will be $8 at the door. There are no advance ticket sales. Early arrival suggested as there are limited tables.
RSVP:
PLEASE RSVP here so we can let Room 5 know how many to expect for the evening as we expect it to be a full-house! Simply click on the 'I'm Attending' Link on the top of this page and you're set!
INDUSTRY GUEST LIST:
ALL INDUSTRY...you are invited to come and we would feel privileged to comp your entry. Please PM Rachel Lynn for Guest List Privileges. We are sorry there are no other guest lists.
ONE LOVE. ONE VOICE.
See you soon ;)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The truth doesn't need me to believe it.The truth simply 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
~don Miguel Ruiz
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Maenpo Peupeuhan Adung Rais (a brief History)
I chatted with a great teacher of this style of Pencak Silat on Facebook today. His name is Mujammed Rafijen, and I would love to chat with again and talk about silat...
Video Description taken from You Tube:
Uploaded by jinwumen on Jul 2, 2008
a short description of Maenpo Peupeuhan Adung Rais, Bandung, West Java, Indonesian. From a Gan Salim & Gan Obed's era, Adung Rais's time, and his students, Mohammad Rafijen Rais, Pak Yaya and Pak Enceng. It also describes a brief description about practice's steps and applications.
Category:
Sports
Tags:
Maenpo Peupeuhan Adung Rais Gan Salim Obed Rafijen Bandung Sunda West Java Sabandar Cikalong Kari Madi Traditional Oha
License:
Standard YouTube License
Video Description taken from You Tube:
Uploaded by jinwumen on Jul 2, 2008
a short description of Maenpo Peupeuhan Adung Rais, Bandung, West Java, Indonesian. From a Gan Salim & Gan Obed's era, Adung Rais's time, and his students, Mohammad Rafijen Rais, Pak Yaya and Pak Enceng. It also describes a brief description about practice's steps and applications.
Category:
Sports
Tags:
Maenpo Peupeuhan Adung Rais Gan Salim Obed Rafijen Bandung Sunda West Java Sabandar Cikalong Kari Madi Traditional Oha
License:
Standard YouTube License
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
~don Miguel Ruiz
Monday, August 15, 2011
DEAR DIARY...
If you read my last Dear Diary post, you might be wondering...
HOW DID MY SUNDAY TURN OUT!?
Well, it was fantastic! I relaxed at the beach, ate a nice filipino lunch, and bought a nice young lady some strawberries. It was a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
Now, it's Monday morning, and I can't wait to see what this new week has in store for me!
YEAH BABY YEAH!!!
HOW DID MY SUNDAY TURN OUT!?
Well, it was fantastic! I relaxed at the beach, ate a nice filipino lunch, and bought a nice young lady some strawberries. It was a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
Now, it's Monday morning, and I can't wait to see what this new week has in store for me!
YEAH BABY YEAH!!!
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Forgive yourself. The supreme act of forgiveness is when you can forgive yourself for all the wounds you've created in your own life. Forgiveness is an act of self-love. When you forgive yourself, self-acceptance begins and self-love grows.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Anthony de Mello - Awareness pt.1 on waking up
I found this excellent series on spirituality from Anthony de Mello on You Tube, and I decided to post them here periodically, maybe once or twice a week.
Video Description taken from You Tube:
Uploaded by mothnrust on Nov 22, 2008
Anthony de Mello - Awareness pt.1 on waking up
see all videos in order at http://awareness.tk
Download all 56 chapters as mp3 files at http://awareness.tk
"All I did was sit on the riverbank handing out river water. After I'm gone, I trust you will notice the river." Tony
Category:
Education
Tags:
anthony de mello awareness waking up
License:
Standard YouTube License
I also put a link to the web site containing all 56 chapters in the sidebar, under Religion and Spirituality. Look for the word, "AWARENESS".
Video Description taken from You Tube:
Uploaded by mothnrust on Nov 22, 2008
Anthony de Mello - Awareness pt.1 on waking up
see all videos in order at http://awareness.tk
Download all 56 chapters as mp3 files at http://awareness.tk
"All I did was sit on the riverbank handing out river water. After I'm gone, I trust you will notice the river." Tony
Category:
Education
Tags:
anthony de mello awareness waking up
License:
Standard YouTube License
I also put a link to the web site containing all 56 chapters in the sidebar, under Religion and Spirituality. Look for the word, "AWARENESS".
Sunday School Story
I don't believe this story is true, especially after reading this article. But the article below does bring up a couple of questions, like:
What makes a virgin more "pure" than other people?
Shouldn't it be better for one who wants to be a holy person have a "pure soul" than a "pure body"?
Oh well, I'm just thinking out loud.
Click on the link below to read what I'm talking about.
Raped Buddhist nun's lost virginity might mean she no longer can serve | Deseret News
What makes a virgin more "pure" than other people?
Shouldn't it be better for one who wants to be a holy person have a "pure soul" than a "pure body"?
Oh well, I'm just thinking out loud.
Click on the link below to read what I'm talking about.
Raped Buddhist nun's lost virginity might mean she no longer can serve | Deseret News
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Dear Diary... I'M HAVING A HELL OF A WEEKEND!!!
Yeah, that's right. I'm having one of the best weekends ever. And it started last Thursday night...
My thursday morning kinda sucked, though. I lost a pedal on my bike and I had to take it to the shop to get it and a couple of other parts of it fixed, the bank system was down so I couldn't check on my money a very important thing, especially if you're unemployed... but I decided to go to downtown L.A. anyway and try to forget my troubles at the ArtWalk. I saw some pretty great art over there, and I also saw some not so good art, saw some good street musicians, and I saw this great traditional mexican music and dance performance. But, I just couldn't get over this crappy feeling I had. But then, just when I was about to go home, I ran into this woman:
Her name is Danni El, and her street performance is the reason I go to the ArtWalk every month. Although she wasn't performing there that night... more on that later. One smile and hug from her, and my crappy feeling was gone, and replaced with a feeling that I can only describe as... pure happiness. We greeted, and I walked with her up the street with her friend (I didn't catch her name) we danced with some Krishna worshippers until a bike cop made us move on, and we followed them until we got to 5th and spring. But I had to go, so I bid farewell to her and told her I would go to see her at her job the next day, and she gave me another one of those beautiful, love-filled hugs, and left to follow the krishna worshippers and give free hugs.And although I hung out with her for only a magickal few minutes, I felt that feeling for the rest of the night. I felt the love when I saw some asshole peeing on a tree in public, and when a fight almost broke out when I was passing by (and I mean ALMOST. When they saw me pass by, the fighting and arguing stopped. I think they felt the LOVE.) I felt the love when I got to the Blue Line Station and gave some homeless woman a dollar and bought her a train ticket, and I felt the love all the way on my 12 mile trip back home.
And, in case you don't know, This is what Danni El does:
O.K., SO WHAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY?
My Friday was great! In the morning, I went and got some fresh fruit at the Farmer's Market in Downtown Long Beach, and then a beautiful woman took me out to lunch. And in the evening, I saw Danni El again at the VARDO CAFE in Venice Beach, where she works. We talked for the better part of an hour about a lot of different subjects, the details of which I'm not going into here. She has another performance August 28, and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully, I'll make it this time. Hanging out with Danni was a perfect ending to a day that was perfect on many levels. The only downer was when I saw my friend Janet, and I found out she was robbed on the way to work. Thank god she wasn't hurt.
NOW FOR SATURDAY...
My Saturday's going damn good! I bought my friend Janet lunch, I got my bike out of the shop, and, drumroll please...
I FOUND OUT MY NEICE HAD A BABY BOY!!!!
Oh yeah. My weekend's turning out to be fucking sweet... I wonder what tomorrow will bring?
My thursday morning kinda sucked, though. I lost a pedal on my bike and I had to take it to the shop to get it and a couple of other parts of it fixed, the bank system was down so I couldn't check on my money a very important thing, especially if you're unemployed... but I decided to go to downtown L.A. anyway and try to forget my troubles at the ArtWalk. I saw some pretty great art over there, and I also saw some not so good art, saw some good street musicians, and I saw this great traditional mexican music and dance performance. But, I just couldn't get over this crappy feeling I had. But then, just when I was about to go home, I ran into this woman:
Her name is Danni El, and her street performance is the reason I go to the ArtWalk every month. Although she wasn't performing there that night... more on that later. One smile and hug from her, and my crappy feeling was gone, and replaced with a feeling that I can only describe as... pure happiness. We greeted, and I walked with her up the street with her friend (I didn't catch her name) we danced with some Krishna worshippers until a bike cop made us move on, and we followed them until we got to 5th and spring. But I had to go, so I bid farewell to her and told her I would go to see her at her job the next day, and she gave me another one of those beautiful, love-filled hugs, and left to follow the krishna worshippers and give free hugs.And although I hung out with her for only a magickal few minutes, I felt that feeling for the rest of the night. I felt the love when I saw some asshole peeing on a tree in public, and when a fight almost broke out when I was passing by (and I mean ALMOST. When they saw me pass by, the fighting and arguing stopped. I think they felt the LOVE.) I felt the love when I got to the Blue Line Station and gave some homeless woman a dollar and bought her a train ticket, and I felt the love all the way on my 12 mile trip back home.
And, in case you don't know, This is what Danni El does:
O.K., SO WHAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY?
My Friday was great! In the morning, I went and got some fresh fruit at the Farmer's Market in Downtown Long Beach, and then a beautiful woman took me out to lunch. And in the evening, I saw Danni El again at the VARDO CAFE in Venice Beach, where she works. We talked for the better part of an hour about a lot of different subjects, the details of which I'm not going into here. She has another performance August 28, and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully, I'll make it this time. Hanging out with Danni was a perfect ending to a day that was perfect on many levels. The only downer was when I saw my friend Janet, and I found out she was robbed on the way to work. Thank god she wasn't hurt.
NOW FOR SATURDAY...
My Saturday's going damn good! I bought my friend Janet lunch, I got my bike out of the shop, and, drumroll please...
I FOUND OUT MY NEICE HAD A BABY BOY!!!!
Oh yeah. My weekend's turning out to be fucking sweet... I wonder what tomorrow will bring?
A Beautiful Story to start off your Saturday Morning
I found this story on Yahoo, and I just had to post it here.
Video: Soldier surprises wife after she delivers first pitch - Big League Stew - MLB Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Video: Soldier surprises wife after she delivers first pitch - Big League Stew - MLB Blog - Yahoo! Sports
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Miracles happen when you forgive. You are born with the capacity to forgive, but you learn the opposite behavior. You learn not to forgive, you practice not to forgive, and you master not to forgive. When you learn to let go of your pride and ask for forgiveness, miracles start to happen in your life.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Friday, August 12, 2011
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Love is responsible for its actions. Everything you think, everything you do, has a consequence, and you are going to experience the consequences of your actions in one way or another. All human beings are completely responsible for their actions, even if they don't want to be.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Thursday, August 11, 2011
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Love is compassionate and respectful. Love is compassionate and respectful, but doesn't feel sorry for anyone. If someone falls, compassion helps you to say, "Stand up. You can do it. Compassion comes from respect, and is the result of knowing that others are strong enough and intelligent enough to make their own choices
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A Final Thought for the day...
There are nine requisites for contented living:
HEALTH enough to make work a pleasure;
WEALTH enough to support your needs;
STRENGTH enough to battle with difficulties and forsake them;
GRACE enough to confess your sins and overcome them;
PATIENCE enough to toil until some good is accomplished;
CHARITY enough to see some good in your neighbor;
LOVE enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others;
FAITH enough to make real the things of God;
HOPE enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
HEALTH enough to make work a pleasure;
WEALTH enough to support your needs;
STRENGTH enough to battle with difficulties and forsake them;
GRACE enough to confess your sins and overcome them;
PATIENCE enough to toil until some good is accomplished;
CHARITY enough to see some good in your neighbor;
LOVE enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others;
FAITH enough to make real the things of God;
HOPE enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
L.A. Downtown Art Walk this Thursday!
I plan to go to the Art Walk Tomorrow Afternoon. This is the 3rd time for me. I hope I see Danni el and Christopher Bear performing there. I put below a preview of the art walk written by the promoters of the event.
Art Walk Preview for 8.11.11: Candles Lit, Food Trucks Moved, Galleries Go On (viewfromaloft)
Art Walk Preview for 8.11.11: Candles Lit, Food Trucks Moved, Galleries Go On (viewfromaloft)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Love is kind and just. When you are in love, a smile is always on your face. you feel good about yourself and because you are happy, you are kind. love is also just; when you make a mistake, you pay only once for that mistake.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Love is unconditional. In love, there are no conditions; you love for no reason, with no justification. You are free to be what you are, and you allow others to be what they are.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Monday, August 8, 2011
A Letter from MICHAEL MOORE
I got this letter in a e-mail newsletter from Michael Moore's website atwww.michaelmoore.com, and I decided to post it here.
30 Years Ago Today: The Day the Middle Class Died ...a letter from Michael Moore
Friday, August 5th, 2011
Friends,
From time to time, someone under 30 will ask me, "When did this all begin, America's downward slide?" They say they've heard of a time when working people could raise a family and send the kids to college on just one parent's income (and that college in states like California and New York was almost free). That anyone who wanted a decent paying job could get one. That people only worked five days a week, eight hours a day, got the whole weekend off and had a paid vacation every summer. That many jobs were union jobs, from baggers at the grocery store to the guy painting your house, and this meant that no matter how "lowly" your job was you had guarantees of a pension, occasional raises, health insurance and someone to stick up for you if you were unfairly treated.
Young people have heard of this mythical time -- but it was no myth, it was real. And when they ask, "When did this all end?", I say, "It ended on this day: August 5th, 1981."
Beginning on this date, 30 years ago, Big Business and the Right Wing decided to "go for it" -- to see if they could actually destroy the middle class so that they could become richer themselves.
And they've succeeded.
On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who'd defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days.
It was a bold and brash move. No one had ever tried it. What made it even bolder was that PATCO was one of only three unions that had endorsed Reagan for president! It sent a shock wave through workers across the country. If he would do this to the people who were with him, what would he do to us?
Reagan had been backed by Wall Street in his run for the White House and they, along with right-wing Christians, wanted to restructure America and turn back the tide that President Franklin D. Roosevelt started -- a tide that was intended to make life better for the average working person. The rich hated paying better wages and providing benefits. They hated paying taxes even more. And they despised unions. The right-wing Christians hated anything that sounded like socialism or holding out a helping hand to minorities or women.
Reagan promised to end all that. So when the air traffic controllers went on strike, he seized the moment. In getting rid of every single last one of them and outlawing their union, he sent a clear and strong message: The days of everyone having a comfortable middle class life were over. America, from now on, would be run this way:
* The super-rich will make more, much much more, and the rest of you will scramble for the crumbs that are left.
* Everyone must work! Mom, Dad, the teenagers in the house! Dad, you work a second job! Kids, here's your latch-key! Your parents might be home in time to put you to bed.
* 50 million of you must go without health insurance! And health insurance companies: you go ahead and decide who you want to help -- or not.
* Unions are evil! You will not belong to a union! You do not need an advocate! Shut up and get back to work! No, you can't leave now, we're not done. Your kids can make their own dinner.
* You want to go to college? No problem -- just sign here and be in hock to a bank for the next 20 years!
* What's "a raise"? Get back to work and shut up!
And so it went. But Reagan could not have pulled this off by himself in 1981. He had some big help:
The AFL-CIO.
The biggest organization of unions in America told its members to cross the picket lines of the air traffic controllers and go to work. And that's just what these union members did. Union pilots, flight attendants, delivery truck drivers, baggage handlers -- they all crossed the line and helped to break the strike. And union members of all stripes crossed the picket lines and continued to fly.
Reagan and Wall Street could not believe their eyes! Hundreds of thousands of working people and union members endorsing the firing of fellow union members. It was Christmas in August for Corporate America.
And that was the beginning of the end. Reagan and the Republicans knew they could get away with anything -- and they did. They slashed taxes on the rich. They made it harder for you to start a union at your workplace. They eliminated safety regulations on the job. They ignored the monopoly laws and allowed thousands of companies to merge or be bought out and closed down. Corporations froze wages and threatened to move overseas if the workers didn't accept lower pay and less benefits. And when the workers agreed to work for less, they moved the jobs overseas anyway.
And at every step along the way, the majority of Americans went along with this. There was little opposition or fight-back. The "masses" did not rise up and protect their jobs, their homes, their schools (which used to be the best in the world). They just accepted their fate and took the beating.
I have often wondered what would have happened had we all just stopped flying, period, back in 1981. What if all the unions had said to Reagan, "Give those controllers their jobs back or we're shutting the country down!"? You know what would have happened. The corporate elite and their boy Reagan would have buckled.
But we didn't do it. And so, bit by bit, piece by piece, in the ensuing 30 years, those in power have destroyed the middle class of our country and, in turn, have wrecked the future for our young people. Wages have remained stagnant for 30 years. Take a look at the statistics and you can see that every decline we're now suffering with had its beginning in 1981 (here's a little scene to illustrate that from my last movie).
It all began on this day, 30 years ago. One of the darkest days in American history. And we let it happen to us. Yes, they had the money, and the media and the cops. But we had 200 million of us. Ever wonder what it would look like if 200 million got truly upset and wanted their country, their life, their job, their weekend, their time with their kids back?
Have we all just given up? What are we waiting for? Forget about the 20% who support the Tea Party -- we are the other 80%! This decline will only end when we demand it. And not through an online petition or a tweet. We are going to have to turn the TV and the computer and the video games off and get out in the streets (like they've done in Wisconsin). Some of you need to run for local office next year. We need to demand that the Democrats either get a spine and stop taking corporate money -- or step aside.
When is enough, enough? The middle class dream will not just magically reappear. Wall Street's plan is clear: America is to be a nation of Haves and Have Nothings. Is that OK for you?
Why not use today to pause and think about the little steps you can take to turn this around in your neighborhood, at your workplace, in your school? Is there any better day to start than today?
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
P.S. Here are a few places you can connect with to get the ball rolling:
Showdown in America
Democracy Convention
Occupy Wall Street
October 2011
How to Join a Union, from the AFL-CIO (They've learned their lesson and have a good president now) or UE
Change to Win
MoveOn
High School Newspaper (Just because you're under 18 doesn't mean you can't do anything!)
30 Years Ago Today: The Day the Middle Class Died ...a letter from Michael Moore
Friday, August 5th, 2011
Friends,
From time to time, someone under 30 will ask me, "When did this all begin, America's downward slide?" They say they've heard of a time when working people could raise a family and send the kids to college on just one parent's income (and that college in states like California and New York was almost free). That anyone who wanted a decent paying job could get one. That people only worked five days a week, eight hours a day, got the whole weekend off and had a paid vacation every summer. That many jobs were union jobs, from baggers at the grocery store to the guy painting your house, and this meant that no matter how "lowly" your job was you had guarantees of a pension, occasional raises, health insurance and someone to stick up for you if you were unfairly treated.
Young people have heard of this mythical time -- but it was no myth, it was real. And when they ask, "When did this all end?", I say, "It ended on this day: August 5th, 1981."
Beginning on this date, 30 years ago, Big Business and the Right Wing decided to "go for it" -- to see if they could actually destroy the middle class so that they could become richer themselves.
And they've succeeded.
On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who'd defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days.
It was a bold and brash move. No one had ever tried it. What made it even bolder was that PATCO was one of only three unions that had endorsed Reagan for president! It sent a shock wave through workers across the country. If he would do this to the people who were with him, what would he do to us?
Reagan had been backed by Wall Street in his run for the White House and they, along with right-wing Christians, wanted to restructure America and turn back the tide that President Franklin D. Roosevelt started -- a tide that was intended to make life better for the average working person. The rich hated paying better wages and providing benefits. They hated paying taxes even more. And they despised unions. The right-wing Christians hated anything that sounded like socialism or holding out a helping hand to minorities or women.
Reagan promised to end all that. So when the air traffic controllers went on strike, he seized the moment. In getting rid of every single last one of them and outlawing their union, he sent a clear and strong message: The days of everyone having a comfortable middle class life were over. America, from now on, would be run this way:
* The super-rich will make more, much much more, and the rest of you will scramble for the crumbs that are left.
* Everyone must work! Mom, Dad, the teenagers in the house! Dad, you work a second job! Kids, here's your latch-key! Your parents might be home in time to put you to bed.
* 50 million of you must go without health insurance! And health insurance companies: you go ahead and decide who you want to help -- or not.
* Unions are evil! You will not belong to a union! You do not need an advocate! Shut up and get back to work! No, you can't leave now, we're not done. Your kids can make their own dinner.
* You want to go to college? No problem -- just sign here and be in hock to a bank for the next 20 years!
* What's "a raise"? Get back to work and shut up!
And so it went. But Reagan could not have pulled this off by himself in 1981. He had some big help:
The AFL-CIO.
The biggest organization of unions in America told its members to cross the picket lines of the air traffic controllers and go to work. And that's just what these union members did. Union pilots, flight attendants, delivery truck drivers, baggage handlers -- they all crossed the line and helped to break the strike. And union members of all stripes crossed the picket lines and continued to fly.
Reagan and Wall Street could not believe their eyes! Hundreds of thousands of working people and union members endorsing the firing of fellow union members. It was Christmas in August for Corporate America.
And that was the beginning of the end. Reagan and the Republicans knew they could get away with anything -- and they did. They slashed taxes on the rich. They made it harder for you to start a union at your workplace. They eliminated safety regulations on the job. They ignored the monopoly laws and allowed thousands of companies to merge or be bought out and closed down. Corporations froze wages and threatened to move overseas if the workers didn't accept lower pay and less benefits. And when the workers agreed to work for less, they moved the jobs overseas anyway.
And at every step along the way, the majority of Americans went along with this. There was little opposition or fight-back. The "masses" did not rise up and protect their jobs, their homes, their schools (which used to be the best in the world). They just accepted their fate and took the beating.
I have often wondered what would have happened had we all just stopped flying, period, back in 1981. What if all the unions had said to Reagan, "Give those controllers their jobs back or we're shutting the country down!"? You know what would have happened. The corporate elite and their boy Reagan would have buckled.
But we didn't do it. And so, bit by bit, piece by piece, in the ensuing 30 years, those in power have destroyed the middle class of our country and, in turn, have wrecked the future for our young people. Wages have remained stagnant for 30 years. Take a look at the statistics and you can see that every decline we're now suffering with had its beginning in 1981 (here's a little scene to illustrate that from my last movie).
It all began on this day, 30 years ago. One of the darkest days in American history. And we let it happen to us. Yes, they had the money, and the media and the cops. But we had 200 million of us. Ever wonder what it would look like if 200 million got truly upset and wanted their country, their life, their job, their weekend, their time with their kids back?
Have we all just given up? What are we waiting for? Forget about the 20% who support the Tea Party -- we are the other 80%! This decline will only end when we demand it. And not through an online petition or a tweet. We are going to have to turn the TV and the computer and the video games off and get out in the streets (like they've done in Wisconsin). Some of you need to run for local office next year. We need to demand that the Democrats either get a spine and stop taking corporate money -- or step aside.
When is enough, enough? The middle class dream will not just magically reappear. Wall Street's plan is clear: America is to be a nation of Haves and Have Nothings. Is that OK for you?
Why not use today to pause and think about the little steps you can take to turn this around in your neighborhood, at your workplace, in your school? Is there any better day to start than today?
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
P.S. Here are a few places you can connect with to get the ball rolling:
Showdown in America
Democracy Convention
Occupy Wall Street
October 2011
How to Join a Union, from the AFL-CIO (They've learned their lesson and have a good president now) or UE
Change to Win
MoveOn
High School Newspaper (Just because you're under 18 doesn't mean you can't do anything!)
THE FUTURE OF FOOD
Somebody posted this great documentary on Facebook, so I decided to post it here. You will also find a link to it in the sidebar, in the health and fitness section.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Love has no obligations or expectations. When you love, whatever you do is because a pleasure; it's like a game, and you have fun with it. When you love, you don't expect something to happen; whatever happens is okay, and hardly anything disappoints you.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Another Quote...
“To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other.” - Carlos Castaneda
I was gonna wait, but...
I was gonna wait until later this week to post something about the martial arts, but I found this on the web and just had to post it. Click on the title below to go to the original article.
Judo master makes 10th degree black belt
Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, August 6, 2011
After 98 years, the phone call finally came.
Last week, Sensei Keiko Fukuda of San Francisco became the first woman to be promoted to judo's highest level: 10th degree black belt.
Only three people in the world, all men living in Japan, have ever reached that mark.
The martial arts promotion by USA Judo brought 98-year-old Fukuda to tears at the women's dojo where she still teaches in Noe Valley. (Fukuda was the subject of a Chronicle Datebook profile on July 25.)
She gave up marriage and left her homeland to dedicate her life to judo, fighting gender discrimination that kept her at lower belt levels decades longer than men less skilled than she.
"The time was right," said U.S. Judo Federation promotion board member Eiko Saito Shepherd.
A celebration is being planned for mid-October to coincide with Fukuda's annual International Kata Championship at San Francisco City College.
"All my life," Fukuda said, "this has been my dream."
Yes, the time was right. Although personally I think the time was right a few decades ago, but hey, better late than never.
Judo master makes 10th degree black belt
Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, August 6, 2011
After 98 years, the phone call finally came.
Last week, Sensei Keiko Fukuda of San Francisco became the first woman to be promoted to judo's highest level: 10th degree black belt.
Only three people in the world, all men living in Japan, have ever reached that mark.
The martial arts promotion by USA Judo brought 98-year-old Fukuda to tears at the women's dojo where she still teaches in Noe Valley. (Fukuda was the subject of a Chronicle Datebook profile on July 25.)
She gave up marriage and left her homeland to dedicate her life to judo, fighting gender discrimination that kept her at lower belt levels decades longer than men less skilled than she.
"The time was right," said U.S. Judo Federation promotion board member Eiko Saito Shepherd.
A celebration is being planned for mid-October to coincide with Fukuda's annual International Kata Championship at San Francisco City College.
"All my life," Fukuda said, "this has been my dream."
Yes, the time was right. Although personally I think the time was right a few decades ago, but hey, better late than never.
Sunday School Story
Yesterday, thousands gathered in Houston Texas for a day of prayer and fasting at a christian revival event organized by Texas Governor Rick Perry. Now personally, I think that if people believe that praying for God to come down and solve their problems for them is going to actually help them, then they can knock themselves out. But I thought it was unconstitutional for the government to endorse such events, but... well, whatever.
Anyway, here's some links to the website, and a video and news story promoting the event below:
Texas National Day of Prayer .org
Prayer day as Texas governor preps presidential bid - Yahoo! News
Now when I first posted this, I wasn't going to put in this part, but I think it would be irresponsible not to point out the fact that while this event has it's supporters, it also has it's detractors. below is my favorite video opposing this event from You Tube
And also, Check out this video:
THE TEXAS PRAYER MASSACRE
Anyway, here's some links to the website, and a video and news story promoting the event below:
Texas National Day of Prayer .org
Prayer day as Texas governor preps presidential bid - Yahoo! News
Now when I first posted this, I wasn't going to put in this part, but I think it would be irresponsible not to point out the fact that while this event has it's supporters, it also has it's detractors. below is my favorite video opposing this event from You Tube
And also, Check out this video:
THE TEXAS PRAYER MASSACRE
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Love is the medicine that accelerates healing. Love yourself, love your neighbor, love your enemies, but begin with self-love. You cannot love others until you love yourself. You cannot share what you do not have. If you do not love yourself, you cannot love anyone else either.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Does Iceland have the right idea? I wonder...
I found this article out on the web, and I thought this was a great way to show the world how to deal with the bankers (Robber Barons).
Daily Kos: Iceland's On-going Revolution
by Deena Stryker
An Italian radio program's story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion.
As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here's why:
Five years of a pure neo-liberal regime had made Iceland, (population 320 thousand, no army), one of the richest countries in the world. In 2003 all the country’s banks were privatized, and in an effort to attract foreign investors, they offered on-line banking whose minimal costs allowed them to offer relatively high rates of return. The accounts, called IceSave, attracted many English and Dutch small investors. But as investments grew, so did the banks’ foreign debt. In 2003 Iceland’s debt was equal to 200 times its GNP, but in 2007, it was 900 percent. The 2008 world financial crisis was the coup de grace. The three main Icelandic banks, Landbanki, Kapthing and Glitnir, went belly up and were nationalized, while the Kroner lost 85% of its value with respect to the Euro. At the end of the year Iceland declared bankruptcy.
Contrary to what could be expected, the crisis resulted in Icelanders recovering their sovereign rights, through a process of direct participatory democracy that eventually led to a new Constitution. But only after much pain.
Geir Haarde, the Prime Minister of a Social Democratic coalition government, negotiated a two million one hundred thousand dollar loan, to which the Nordic countries added another two and a half million. But the foreign financial community pressured Iceland to impose drastic measures. The FMI and the European Union wanted to take over its debt, claiming this was the only way for the country to pay back Holland and Great Britain, who had promised to reimburse their citizens.
Protests and riots continued, eventually forcing the government to resign. Elections were brought forward to April 2009, resulting in a left-wing coalition which condemned the neoliberal economic system, but immediately gave in to its demands that Iceland pay off a total of three and a half million Euros. This required each Icelandic citizen to pay 100 Euros a month (or about $130) for fifteen years, at 5.5% interest, to pay off a debt incurred by private parties vis a vis other private parties. It was the straw that broke the reindeer’s back.
What happened next was extraordinary. The belief that citizens had to pay for the mistakes of a financial monopoly, that an entire nation must be taxed to pay off private debts was shattered, transforming the relationship between citizens and their political institutions and eventually driving Iceland’s leaders to the side of their constituents. The Head of State, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, refused to ratify the law that would have made Iceland’s citizens responsible for its bankers’ debts, and accepted calls for a referendum.
Of course the international community only increased the pressure on Iceland. Great Britain and Holland threatened dire reprisals that would isolate the country. As Icelanders went to vote, foreign bankers threatened to block any aid from the IMF. The British government threatened to freeze Icelander savings and checking accounts. As Grimsson said: “We were told that if we refused the international community’s conditions, we would become the Cuba of the North. But if we had accepted, we would have become the Haiti of the North.” (How many times have I written that when Cubans see the dire state of their neighbor, Haiti, they count themselves lucky.)
In the March 2010 referendum, 93% voted against repayment of the debt. The IMF immediately froze its loan. But the revolution (though not televised in the United States), would not be intimidated. With the support of a furious citizenry, the government launched civil and penal investigations into those responsible for the financial crisis. Interpol put out an international arrest warrant for the ex-president of Kaupthing, Sigurdur Einarsson, as the other bankers implicated in the crash fled the country.
But Icelanders didn't stop there: they decided to draft a new constitution that would free the country from the exaggerated power of international finance and virtual money. (The one in use had been written when Iceland gained its independence from Denmark, in 1918, the only difference with the Danish constitution being that the word ‘president’ replaced the word ‘king’.)
To write the new constitution, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five citizens from among 522 adults not belonging to any political party but recommended by at least thirty citizens. This document was not the work of a handful of politicians, but was written on the internet. The constituent’s meetings are streamed on-line, and citizens can send their comments and suggestions, witnessing the document as it takes shape. The constitution that eventually emerges from this participatory democratic process will be submitted to parliament for approval after the next elections.
Some readers will remember that Iceland’s ninth century agrarian collapse was featured in Jared Diamond’s book by the same name. Today, that country is recovering from its financial collapse in ways just the opposite of those generally considered unavoidable, as confirmed yesterday by the new head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde to Fareed Zakaria. The people of Greece have been told that the privatization of their public sector is the only solution. And those of Italy, Spain and Portugal are facing the same threat.
They should look to Iceland. Refusing to bow to foreign interests, that small country stated loud and clear that the people are sovereign.
That’s why it is not in the news anymore.
Daily Kos: Iceland's On-going Revolution
by Deena Stryker
An Italian radio program's story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion.
As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here's why:
Five years of a pure neo-liberal regime had made Iceland, (population 320 thousand, no army), one of the richest countries in the world. In 2003 all the country’s banks were privatized, and in an effort to attract foreign investors, they offered on-line banking whose minimal costs allowed them to offer relatively high rates of return. The accounts, called IceSave, attracted many English and Dutch small investors. But as investments grew, so did the banks’ foreign debt. In 2003 Iceland’s debt was equal to 200 times its GNP, but in 2007, it was 900 percent. The 2008 world financial crisis was the coup de grace. The three main Icelandic banks, Landbanki, Kapthing and Glitnir, went belly up and were nationalized, while the Kroner lost 85% of its value with respect to the Euro. At the end of the year Iceland declared bankruptcy.
Contrary to what could be expected, the crisis resulted in Icelanders recovering their sovereign rights, through a process of direct participatory democracy that eventually led to a new Constitution. But only after much pain.
Geir Haarde, the Prime Minister of a Social Democratic coalition government, negotiated a two million one hundred thousand dollar loan, to which the Nordic countries added another two and a half million. But the foreign financial community pressured Iceland to impose drastic measures. The FMI and the European Union wanted to take over its debt, claiming this was the only way for the country to pay back Holland and Great Britain, who had promised to reimburse their citizens.
Protests and riots continued, eventually forcing the government to resign. Elections were brought forward to April 2009, resulting in a left-wing coalition which condemned the neoliberal economic system, but immediately gave in to its demands that Iceland pay off a total of three and a half million Euros. This required each Icelandic citizen to pay 100 Euros a month (or about $130) for fifteen years, at 5.5% interest, to pay off a debt incurred by private parties vis a vis other private parties. It was the straw that broke the reindeer’s back.
What happened next was extraordinary. The belief that citizens had to pay for the mistakes of a financial monopoly, that an entire nation must be taxed to pay off private debts was shattered, transforming the relationship between citizens and their political institutions and eventually driving Iceland’s leaders to the side of their constituents. The Head of State, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, refused to ratify the law that would have made Iceland’s citizens responsible for its bankers’ debts, and accepted calls for a referendum.
Of course the international community only increased the pressure on Iceland. Great Britain and Holland threatened dire reprisals that would isolate the country. As Icelanders went to vote, foreign bankers threatened to block any aid from the IMF. The British government threatened to freeze Icelander savings and checking accounts. As Grimsson said: “We were told that if we refused the international community’s conditions, we would become the Cuba of the North. But if we had accepted, we would have become the Haiti of the North.” (How many times have I written that when Cubans see the dire state of their neighbor, Haiti, they count themselves lucky.)
In the March 2010 referendum, 93% voted against repayment of the debt. The IMF immediately froze its loan. But the revolution (though not televised in the United States), would not be intimidated. With the support of a furious citizenry, the government launched civil and penal investigations into those responsible for the financial crisis. Interpol put out an international arrest warrant for the ex-president of Kaupthing, Sigurdur Einarsson, as the other bankers implicated in the crash fled the country.
But Icelanders didn't stop there: they decided to draft a new constitution that would free the country from the exaggerated power of international finance and virtual money. (The one in use had been written when Iceland gained its independence from Denmark, in 1918, the only difference with the Danish constitution being that the word ‘president’ replaced the word ‘king’.)
To write the new constitution, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five citizens from among 522 adults not belonging to any political party but recommended by at least thirty citizens. This document was not the work of a handful of politicians, but was written on the internet. The constituent’s meetings are streamed on-line, and citizens can send their comments and suggestions, witnessing the document as it takes shape. The constitution that eventually emerges from this participatory democratic process will be submitted to parliament for approval after the next elections.
Some readers will remember that Iceland’s ninth century agrarian collapse was featured in Jared Diamond’s book by the same name. Today, that country is recovering from its financial collapse in ways just the opposite of those generally considered unavoidable, as confirmed yesterday by the new head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde to Fareed Zakaria. The people of Greece have been told that the privatization of their public sector is the only solution. And those of Italy, Spain and Portugal are facing the same threat.
They should look to Iceland. Refusing to bow to foreign interests, that small country stated loud and clear that the people are sovereign.
That’s why it is not in the news anymore.
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
~Don Miguel Ruiz
Friday, August 5, 2011
Interesting Article...
I found this story on Facebook and decided to post it here. Click on the title below to go to the original story.
From the Bronx to Botswana: Making a climate change connection
By Jacqui Patterson
6:26 AM on 07/30/2011
People of color have learned the challenges of overcoming adversity and injustice all too well throughout history. Today, a new challenge faces communities of color everywhere, and that challenge lies at the intersection of a global environmental, health, and poverty crises. This challenge that we are talking about is climate change, which disproportionately affects communities of color no matter where they are located.
In United States, for example, the tornadoes and floods of 2011 and the hurricanes of 2005 have affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people of color.
Tragically, despite the fact that African-Americans produce low emissions in the United States compared to others, and therefore are least responsible for creating the climate crisis, because many African-Americans live in close proximity to coal fired power plants, they are disproportionately ingesting polluting emissions.
This results in health conditions such as asthma, lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. African-Americans also have a higher tendency to live in coastal areas, which are disproportionately impacted by climate change-related effects, including increasingly severe weather events like storms, floods, and sea level rise.
Like African-American communities in the United States, people in poverty and people living in Africa are also disproportionately impacted by climate change. While these communities experience some of the most severe impacts of climate change, many have little capacity to adapt to those impacts.
In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, approximately 4,000 children die from starvation daily. The worst droughts in over 60 years in East Africa have put huge swathes of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somaliland at the point of collapse, leaving more than 10 million people in urgent need of assistance. Experts estimate that in less than 10 years from now, in 2020, yields from rain-fed agriculture could decrease by half because of climate change.
Considering that over 40 percent of Africa's population lives in extreme poverty and, of that, 70 percent are located in rural areas and depend largely on agriculture for their livelihoods, the call for action is even more urgent. Meanwhile in the United States, African-Americans are already twice as likely to live in food deserts (where there is no grocery store within a five mile radius) and 1 in 4 African-Americans are food insecure, lacking sufficient food.
There is something that we can do about the multiple crises resulting from climate change. On July 26 at the NAACP 102nd Annual Convention, the NAACP, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and ActionAid co-hosted a film screening of When the Water Ends and If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise. These two films share the images and stories that highlight and illustrate the impact of climate change on communities of color in the US and countries in Africa.
The post-screening discussion highlighted ways the NAACP and others can work together on strategies to address climate change, such as reducing emissions, increasing clean energy, and providing necessary resources to communities to deal with climate change impacts such as extreme disasters.
Also, in November 2011, world leaders will meet in Durban, South Africa for a major summit on climate change, where major decisions will be made on issues disproportionately affecting people of color. It is critical we have a voice at the Durban Summit and beyond; we must ensure policies that deeply reduce pollution globally and in the United States which harms health and drives climate change, and that industries that create pollution are replaced with clean energy solutions. New funding to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change is also essential.
It is critical that affected community members have a say in how funding for climate change is governed, disbursed, and used so that resources for climate change are spent in a way that will truly meet the needs of impacted countries and communities. Examples of funding mechanisms include the Green Climate Fund, established in December 2010, which will finance programs in affected countries to address the impacts of climate change and reduce emissions. At the same time, domestic disaster relief funds would be better designed to assist residents in areas like the recently affected Missouri, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Our collective strength lies in our ability to stand up for our rights and to seek equality for all. Our voice is loud and powerful--particularly when we stand with our brothers and sisters across the globe dealing with similar struggles. We urge you to demand that your policymakers stand with people living in poverty and stand with communities of color everywhere and take meaningful steps to tackle climate change.
We cannot and will not rest, until we achieve justice. It is not just a problem for Africans or African-Americans -- it is a challenge of all humankind. Let us all remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr. -- "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." We are prepared to face it.
Jacqui Patterson is the Climate Justice Initiative Director for the NAACP. Augustine Njamnshi is the Executive Secretary of the Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme and coordinates the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance in the Central African Region.
From the Bronx to Botswana: Making a climate change connection
By Jacqui Patterson
6:26 AM on 07/30/2011
People of color have learned the challenges of overcoming adversity and injustice all too well throughout history. Today, a new challenge faces communities of color everywhere, and that challenge lies at the intersection of a global environmental, health, and poverty crises. This challenge that we are talking about is climate change, which disproportionately affects communities of color no matter where they are located.
In United States, for example, the tornadoes and floods of 2011 and the hurricanes of 2005 have affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people of color.
Tragically, despite the fact that African-Americans produce low emissions in the United States compared to others, and therefore are least responsible for creating the climate crisis, because many African-Americans live in close proximity to coal fired power plants, they are disproportionately ingesting polluting emissions.
This results in health conditions such as asthma, lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. African-Americans also have a higher tendency to live in coastal areas, which are disproportionately impacted by climate change-related effects, including increasingly severe weather events like storms, floods, and sea level rise.
Like African-American communities in the United States, people in poverty and people living in Africa are also disproportionately impacted by climate change. While these communities experience some of the most severe impacts of climate change, many have little capacity to adapt to those impacts.
In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, approximately 4,000 children die from starvation daily. The worst droughts in over 60 years in East Africa have put huge swathes of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somaliland at the point of collapse, leaving more than 10 million people in urgent need of assistance. Experts estimate that in less than 10 years from now, in 2020, yields from rain-fed agriculture could decrease by half because of climate change.
Considering that over 40 percent of Africa's population lives in extreme poverty and, of that, 70 percent are located in rural areas and depend largely on agriculture for their livelihoods, the call for action is even more urgent. Meanwhile in the United States, African-Americans are already twice as likely to live in food deserts (where there is no grocery store within a five mile radius) and 1 in 4 African-Americans are food insecure, lacking sufficient food.
There is something that we can do about the multiple crises resulting from climate change. On July 26 at the NAACP 102nd Annual Convention, the NAACP, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and ActionAid co-hosted a film screening of When the Water Ends and If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise. These two films share the images and stories that highlight and illustrate the impact of climate change on communities of color in the US and countries in Africa.
The post-screening discussion highlighted ways the NAACP and others can work together on strategies to address climate change, such as reducing emissions, increasing clean energy, and providing necessary resources to communities to deal with climate change impacts such as extreme disasters.
Also, in November 2011, world leaders will meet in Durban, South Africa for a major summit on climate change, where major decisions will be made on issues disproportionately affecting people of color. It is critical we have a voice at the Durban Summit and beyond; we must ensure policies that deeply reduce pollution globally and in the United States which harms health and drives climate change, and that industries that create pollution are replaced with clean energy solutions. New funding to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change is also essential.
It is critical that affected community members have a say in how funding for climate change is governed, disbursed, and used so that resources for climate change are spent in a way that will truly meet the needs of impacted countries and communities. Examples of funding mechanisms include the Green Climate Fund, established in December 2010, which will finance programs in affected countries to address the impacts of climate change and reduce emissions. At the same time, domestic disaster relief funds would be better designed to assist residents in areas like the recently affected Missouri, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Our collective strength lies in our ability to stand up for our rights and to seek equality for all. Our voice is loud and powerful--particularly when we stand with our brothers and sisters across the globe dealing with similar struggles. We urge you to demand that your policymakers stand with people living in poverty and stand with communities of color everywhere and take meaningful steps to tackle climate change.
We cannot and will not rest, until we achieve justice. It is not just a problem for Africans or African-Americans -- it is a challenge of all humankind. Let us all remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr. -- "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." We are prepared to face it.
Jacqui Patterson is the Climate Justice Initiative Director for the NAACP. Augustine Njamnshi is the Executive Secretary of the Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme and coordinates the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance in the Central African Region.
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
~don Miguel Ruiz
Thursday, August 4, 2011
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I was born to perceive the truth. The truth leads me to my authenticity, to happiness, to a life that is very easy.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I was born to perceive the truth. The truth leads me to my authenticity, to happiness, to a life that is very easy.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
From RAW REPLAY: Jon Stewart on the debt deal: ‘So, the Democrats got hosed’ | Raw Replay
Jon Stewart on the debt deal: ‘So, the Democrats got hosed’ | Raw Replay
: "Posted on 08.2.11
By Roxanne Cooper
Categories: Featured, Political Satire/Parody
Airing President Obama’s countless statements that any compromise would include increased tax revenues, Jon Stewart joined the chorus of those criticizing the debt ceiling deal reached by the House on Monday.
In tonight’s opening segment, Stewart also played a clip from Obama’s speech earlier today, in which the President said, “I want to thank the American people. It’s been your voices, your letters, your emails, your tweets, your phone calls that have compelled Washington to act in the finals days.”
The Daily Show host mock-responded by saying, “Let me just stop you right there. You’re not pinning this turd on us. The last time I checked, the buck …if it’s the buck … the buck stops with you. Not the Twitterverse.”
Stewart also chastised the Administration for not seeing the showdown coming, which was predicted at a press conference last December by National Journal’s Marc Ambinder.
Watch the whole segment below, first broadcast on Monday, August 1, 2011."
: "Posted on 08.2.11
By Roxanne Cooper
Categories: Featured, Political Satire/Parody
Airing President Obama’s countless statements that any compromise would include increased tax revenues, Jon Stewart joined the chorus of those criticizing the debt ceiling deal reached by the House on Monday.
In tonight’s opening segment, Stewart also played a clip from Obama’s speech earlier today, in which the President said, “I want to thank the American people. It’s been your voices, your letters, your emails, your tweets, your phone calls that have compelled Washington to act in the finals days.”
The Daily Show host mock-responded by saying, “Let me just stop you right there. You’re not pinning this turd on us. The last time I checked, the buck …if it’s the buck … the buck stops with you. Not the Twitterverse.”
Stewart also chastised the Administration for not seeing the showdown coming, which was predicted at a press conference last December by National Journal’s Marc Ambinder.
Watch the whole segment below, first broadcast on Monday, August 1, 2011."
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I refuse to believe in lies. Lies lead me to fear and limitations, to conflict and drama,to a life that is difficult.
~don Miguel Ruiz
~don Miguel Ruiz
Monday, August 1, 2011
This Just In...
I admire this woman... she's a lot better person than I am. Click the title below to go to the original article.
Iranian woman blinded by acid attack pardons assailant as he faces same fate | World news | The Guardian
A woman blinded with acid in Iran has pardoned her attacker, a man who was scheduled to lose his sight in an eye for an eye punishment on Sunday.
Majid Movahedi, 30, had been taken to Tehran's judiciary hospital to be blinded with acid after being rendered unconscious, but Ameneh Bahrami, his victim, spared him at the last minute, Iran's semi-official Isna news agency reported.
Iran's judiciary had given the green light to the administration for the retributive punishment, which would have been the first blinding of a convict in the country, but human rights groups across the world called on Bahrami, who had asked for eye for an eye justice in the court, to pardon him.
Bahrami, who had refused to marry Movahedi, was disfigured and blinded by him when he threw a jar of acid in her face while she was returning home from work in 2004.
"I feel very good. I'm happy that I pardoned him," Isna quoted her as saying. "For seven years I've been trying to pursue retribution and to prove that the punishment for an acid attack is retribution but today I decided to pardon him. This was my right but in future the next victim might not do the same."
On Sunday, Bahrami asked for financial compensation instead of blinding Movahedi, an option she had previously refused to consider.
Speaking to Isna, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, prosecutor general of Tehran, confirmed that Bahrami had pardoned Movahedi and described her move as a "courageous act".
Islam's Sharia law allows for qisas (retribution) but it also advises for clemency, especially before and during Ramadan, which starts on Monday in Iran. "Inflict the same life on him that he inflicted on me," she had told the court.
Bahrami said that international focus on the case was a factor she considered in pardoning Movahedi. "The second reason I decided to pardon him was because it seemed like the entire world was waiting to see what will happen," she said.
In a highly publicised dossier in November 2008, a criminal court in Tehran ordered retribution on Movahedi after he admitted throwing acid at Bahrami, and entitled her to blind him with acid.
"He was holding a red container in his hand. He looked into my eyes for a second and threw the contents of the red container into my face," she told the court in 2008.
In reaction to the news, Amnesty International, which had urged Bahrami to pardon Movahedi, called on Iran to review its penal code.
"Majid Movahedi committed a horrendous act which has ruined Ameneh Bahrami's life, and the state has a responsibility to bring him to justice and to ensure that Ameneh Bahrami receives recompense for the damage done to her," said Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa deputy director, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
"But deliberate blinding inflicted by a medical expert is a cruel punishment which amounts to torture, which is prohibited under international law.
"The Iranian authorities should review the penal code as a matter of urgency to ensure those who cause intentional serious physical harm, like acid attacks, receive an appropriate punishment – but that must never be a penalty which in itself constitutes torture," she added.
Bahrami, who has an electronics degree and worked in a medical engineering company before the attack, moved to Spain with the help of the Iranian government where she has undergone a series of unsuccessful operations.
She briefly recovered half the vision in her right eye in 2007 but an infection blinded her again.
Bahrami has recently published a book in Germany, Eye for an Eye, based on her personal life and her suffering since she was blinded.
Iranian woman blinded by acid attack pardons assailant as he faces same fate | World news | The Guardian
A woman blinded with acid in Iran has pardoned her attacker, a man who was scheduled to lose his sight in an eye for an eye punishment on Sunday.
Majid Movahedi, 30, had been taken to Tehran's judiciary hospital to be blinded with acid after being rendered unconscious, but Ameneh Bahrami, his victim, spared him at the last minute, Iran's semi-official Isna news agency reported.
Iran's judiciary had given the green light to the administration for the retributive punishment, which would have been the first blinding of a convict in the country, but human rights groups across the world called on Bahrami, who had asked for eye for an eye justice in the court, to pardon him.
Bahrami, who had refused to marry Movahedi, was disfigured and blinded by him when he threw a jar of acid in her face while she was returning home from work in 2004.
"I feel very good. I'm happy that I pardoned him," Isna quoted her as saying. "For seven years I've been trying to pursue retribution and to prove that the punishment for an acid attack is retribution but today I decided to pardon him. This was my right but in future the next victim might not do the same."
On Sunday, Bahrami asked for financial compensation instead of blinding Movahedi, an option she had previously refused to consider.
Speaking to Isna, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, prosecutor general of Tehran, confirmed that Bahrami had pardoned Movahedi and described her move as a "courageous act".
Islam's Sharia law allows for qisas (retribution) but it also advises for clemency, especially before and during Ramadan, which starts on Monday in Iran. "Inflict the same life on him that he inflicted on me," she had told the court.
Bahrami said that international focus on the case was a factor she considered in pardoning Movahedi. "The second reason I decided to pardon him was because it seemed like the entire world was waiting to see what will happen," she said.
In a highly publicised dossier in November 2008, a criminal court in Tehran ordered retribution on Movahedi after he admitted throwing acid at Bahrami, and entitled her to blind him with acid.
"He was holding a red container in his hand. He looked into my eyes for a second and threw the contents of the red container into my face," she told the court in 2008.
In reaction to the news, Amnesty International, which had urged Bahrami to pardon Movahedi, called on Iran to review its penal code.
"Majid Movahedi committed a horrendous act which has ruined Ameneh Bahrami's life, and the state has a responsibility to bring him to justice and to ensure that Ameneh Bahrami receives recompense for the damage done to her," said Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa deputy director, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
"But deliberate blinding inflicted by a medical expert is a cruel punishment which amounts to torture, which is prohibited under international law.
"The Iranian authorities should review the penal code as a matter of urgency to ensure those who cause intentional serious physical harm, like acid attacks, receive an appropriate punishment – but that must never be a penalty which in itself constitutes torture," she added.
Bahrami, who has an electronics degree and worked in a medical engineering company before the attack, moved to Spain with the help of the Iranian government where she has undergone a series of unsuccessful operations.
She briefly recovered half the vision in her right eye in 2007 but an infection blinded her again.
Bahrami has recently published a book in Germany, Eye for an Eye, based on her personal life and her suffering since she was blinded.
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