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 21 Jun 2005 @ 20:38, by rcarratu. Organizational Development
A geodemocracy is unique because it is based upon a natural geometry, the geometry of Nature, Synergetics, discovered in Nature rather than made up by people who thought the world was flat.
The geometric design of the Geodemocracy concept not only sidesteps the usual problems of hierarchic government/organization but has characteristics not deductible by the parts considered separately.
That is... a geodemocracy is not corruptible.
This is a very weird idea for people who have grown up with the idea that 'a single bad apple spoils the barrel' and other such sad cliches. In all other organizations, one idiot hassler can spoil the whole experience and the results of the experience simply by hassling everyone. A charismatic powermonger can con everyone and get agreement to be put in a position of power where he or she can spoil everything, ruin the effort of a whole group. Jeeze, I've seen that many times, dozens at least.
A Geodemocracy prevents such a 'hassler' or 'powermonger' from influencing anything in the organization, and since there are no 'power positions', they cannot work themselves into a position to mess up anything. They are equal by position, and that position cannot become a thorn in the side of the democracy.
One of the CIA's most basic control strategies for breaking up groups is to infiltrate two or more agents into the organization and the agents help work each other up into positions of power, where they then start separating people into subgroups which oppose each other, eventually destroying the unity of the organization through internal disagreement. I've seen that done also.
There are no positions of power beyond each individual in the Geodemocracy, so this also has no effect at all. And there is no way any outside group, or even government, could shut down a large geodemocracy, even if it has no function as a government but is just an organization to do good among humanity and the environment. A Geodemocracy would likely do things the governments should do but don't, and being a benefit to any government pretty much makes that organization liked by that government.
The geometry of a Geodemocracy would judo almost anything that might corrupt it, the way steel is not damaged by wax, even hot wax. The characteristics of the materials themselves prevent corruption, and the interaction causes no harm. Human Nature is every way humans can be, but the geometry does not allow interaction with the aspects of human nature which easily messes up all the other forms of government or organization. More >
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19 Jun 2005 @ 19:55, by vaxen. Religion
The HU
from The Whirling Dervishes : Being an account of the Sufi order known as the Mevlevis and its founder the poet and mystic Mevlana Jalalúddin Rumi
by Shems Friedlander
"When the Sheik arrives at his post, he bows, sits on the post, and kisses the floor. All the turners sit, and their cloaks are put on them by those who did not turn in the fourth selam. They have returned to their tombs but in an altered state. The Sheik recites the Fathia, the first sura of the Koran, and all the dervishes kiss the floor and rise. The Sheik then sounds a prayer to Mevlana and Shams Tabriz and begins the sound "HU". The dervishes join in sounding the "HU" which is all the names of God in one." More >
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18 Jun 2005 @ 06:30, by raypows. Farming
Australian Farmers Call for Strict Liability for GMO Pollution
GM WATCH daily
June 15, 2005
------
Enough of the GM bulldust!
The Network of Concerned Farmers (NCF) today released a comprehensive presentation titled "Beyond the Bulldust of Genetically Modified Crops - the Case for Strict Liability" in both DVD and video format. The presentation details the specific GM benefit, alternatives, risks and the risk management needed to manage this controversial crop.
"We have given specific referenced detail why agronomically and economically GM canola will fail to benefit Australian farmers," said Mrs Newman, the author of the presentation and national spokesperson for the NCF. "We have also explained how and why GM crops are being rammed down the throats of farmers and reluctant consumers."
The Network of Concerned Farmers (NCF), an alliance of conventional and organic farmers throughout Australia are pushing for fair risk management as they wish to maintain the right to market an uncontaminated consumer preferred non-GM product. These farmers are insisting on a strict liabilityregime to ensure farmers are compensated by the GM companies for any economic loss associated with GM crops.
Despite the West Australian moratorium banning the commercial release of genetically modified crops, there has recently been Federal GM wheat trials planted in Corrigin, WA. Farmers themselves are the main investors in this technology through a company called Council of Grain Growers Organisation
(COGGO) who have funded the development of a GM salt tolerant wheat.
"Our wheat customers do not want GM wheat or any trace of it and yet it is possible that pollen could remain viable for up to half an hour on the wind. These trails need wind buffers in order to prevent pollen travelling duringflowering time."
"If the GM companies were liable for economic loss, they would be far more careful."
"Greed, ignorance and arrogance is no excuse to deny fair risk management. There are good reasons why consumers are rejecting GM products but if farmers do not have a choice, consumers will not either," explained Mrs Newman.
The launch was held at Parliament House in Perth and farmers have commenced distributing the presentation to key politicians and others involved in the GM debate with an aim to influence both State and Federal legislation to adopt a strict liability regime.
Contact:
Julie Newman - West Australia 08 98711562 or 08 98711644 More >
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17 Jun 2005 @ 13:34, by scotty. Philosophy
"Our young daughter had adopted a
stray cat. To my distress, he began
to use the back of our new sofa as a
scratching post. "Don't worry," my
husband reassured me. "All he needs
is a little discipline. I'll have
him trained in no time."
I watched for several days as my
husband patiently "trained" our
new pet. Whenever the cat scratched,
my husband deposited him outdoors to
teach him a lesson.
The cat learned quickly. For the
next 16 years, whenever he wanted
to go outside, he scratched the
back of the sofa."
(Reprinted from The Written Wisdom) More >
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 16 Jun 2005 @ 17:35, by jazzolog. Environment, Ecology
In this living world
the body I give up and burn
would be wretched
if I thought of myself as
anything but firewood.
---Ryonen
Teach me, like you, to drink
creation whole
And casting out myself,
become a soul.
---Richard Wilbur
Truth is not far away. It is nearer than near. There is no need to attain it, since not one of your steps leads away from it.
---Dogen
Tuesday's storm rolls in.
Photo for The Athens Messenger by John Halley.
I've recently given up all attempts to understand the weather. I didn't say predict it. Somehow I still believe we can do that. I said understand it. Maybe you can---and do---but my mind is hopeless at it. The Old Farmer's Almanac this year has an exhaustive article about How The Oceans Affect Our Climate. Pages 88 - 102...with lots of pictures and charts and diagrams. And arrows. All about La Nina and El Nino...and how to tell them apart, and which is happening when, and what they do to us. I read it all, over and over. I couldn't understand a word of it. I look at the swirling ocean, and know there's a tide coming in and going out. I look at the whirling clouds, and know there's wind blowing this way and that. That's about it for me. More >
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 15 Jun 2005 @ 20:11, by jerryvest. Spirituality
In this web log, I am introducing some thoughts and observations about my meditation practice as a living experience. I also am including some quotations from Openness Mind by Tarthang Tulku. Professor Tulku has been a leader in the field of human development and while serving as a teacher in the profession of Social Work, I have extensively drawn on his books and practices for my integrative health courses and workshops. [link]
I am beginning to appreciate and become even more aware of these teachings and the meaning of Open Mind now that I am experiencing arthritic pain in my body-mind during this past year. While turning 70 years of age, I’ve learned that I have some serious arthritis problems in my L4&5 vertebrae, left shoulder joints and some other places. As we all know, pain in the body is also experienced in our mind and takes precedence over all other feelings, blurs our perceptions, affects our relations, and often prevents us from being as open, flexible, strong and balanced as we’ve been during our earlier life.
I’ve also recently learned that I have a cancer lesion in my prostate gland and will undergo surgery shortly. I realize that most men, 75% or more over 65, will have prostate cancer. But, this isn’t something we’ve planned for so it came as a shock to me. I am choosing to have this removed because the other alternatives don’t look so good either. I’ve even thought and meditated on the idea of just observing this cancer for awhile and wait and see how it changes.
This brings me to the point of this discussion – Openness Mind and meditation as introduced by Tarthang Tulku. The following excerpts may serve to assist others experiencing pain and surgery while learning to maintain an open mind. In this book, Tarthang introduces us to meditation as an experience of living that can aid us in developing our whole being.
“How we live, what is happening in our lives, how we are affected by our experience—this is the ground of reality, and the source of spiritual awareness.”(TT)
I remind myself that I am not my body, I am not my mind, I am not this pain. I observe my breathing and let everything inside and out become as one, with total acceptance.(JV)
“As our awareness develops, our entire frame of reference slowly becomes transformed. We see the interrelationships of thought and action, and consequently become more sensitive in our communication with others. Our observations penetrate to deeper levels—we discover how feelings are produced, and how thought functions. As our awareness deepens even further, we can even perceive the link between past, present, and future, and therefore learn to pattern our actions so that our lives are satisfied and fulfilled.”(TT)
I am beginning to see how I respond, even before I react, to circumstances or persons that do not appear to be serving my best interests. (JV)
When patience is strongly developed, awareness appears even from within our negativities, and from that awareness come our meditation. We see that everything that occurs is a manifestation of energy, which itself is a form of our awareness, and we realize that all experience, each of the twenty-four hours of the day, is a part of the enlightenment nature.(TT)
Openness mind to me means that I am open to all that I experience without judgment or label. Seems that I am learning to become more open minded and especially enjoy life fully when playing and being as one with my grandchildren and other free spirits. And the pain no longer becomes the center of my universe. Everything and my entire experience is now my meditation(JV)
The dream and the waking states aren't so very different from each other. When we realize that all existence is like a dream, the gap between sleeping and waking no longer exists. Experiences we gain from practices we do during our dream time can then be brought into our daytime experience....Thus we can use our dream experiences to develop a more flexible attitude.(TT)
I remember an axiom that hit home with me several years ago while attending an Arica workshop...."All is my own dream." I love this dream and am very happy that we are in this one together, my friends.(JV)
Note:
Tarthang Tulku, formally educated in the Buddhist tradition in Tibet, is a pioneer in introducing the benefits of meditation. As founder of the Nyingma Institute, he is well known for his innovative programs in Human Development. His writings include Gesture of Balance; Skillful Means, Gentle Ways to Successful Work, Time, Space, and Knowledge; Kum Nye, and Love of Knowledge.[link]
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 15 Jun 2005 @ 11:06, by bapty. Ideas, Creativity
Truth and Utopia by John Bapty Oates
Relevant website www.humantruth.org More >
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 13 Jun 2005 @ 22:58, by ming. Technology
This is a snapshot that Michael Heileman took from his iChat program during the Reboot conference.
If you didn't know, Apple has this protocol called Bonjour, which used to be called Rendezvous. That was a better name, but somebody else sued them for the rights to it. Anyway, what it does is, quite automatically, to notice who's close by on the same local network. So, this is not this person's buddy list across the net. Here it is the people who're present in the same room. Which he might or might not know.
You open up your laptop computer and, bing, right away you see this. And you could of course send these people messages and chat with them, if you had the need. The point is that it is super-easy and automatic. You don't have to go and ask anybody for their username or anything.
This has so far been a Mac-only trick. But Bonjour has just become open source and will become available for any other platform too. There's no particular reason for it to be Mac only. David Weinberger was sitting typing away on his IBM Thinkpad, so he didn't show. It was about 1/2 each of Mac and Windows in that particular location. Windows has never been cool, and amongst famous techie bloggers, a Mac Powerbook is by far the platform of choice. Anyway, that's not the point. Would be better if this worked, no matter what you were running.
Bonjour/Rendezvous is also what enabled instant collaboration through a program called SubEthaEdit. It works over Bonjour. So, you open it up, and instantly you can see who's working on documents in your local area. And if they let you, you can join in in editing the documents. Which looks absolutely magical for collaborative note taking. Each person gets a different color, and all changes are being shown in real time. And it actually works. You can add to other people's notes, take turns, make corrections, etc. Some people are good at taking quotes down verbatim, others are really good at organizing the whole document. And it is basically done when the speech is done, and can be uploaded to a website, for even more people to look at.
I stayed at a Hotel in Vienna for BlogTalk last year. Nobody had said anything about the connection in the hotel, but there was a plug, and as a good techie I scanned the ethernet traffic and guessed at what settings to use and got online in no time. And lo-and-behold, a few other people showed up on rendezvous who had done the same, and I could instantly ask them when the program started, which I somehow had missed too. Plus help somebody who hadn't guessed what IP number to use for the router.
Anyway, nothing new for the folks who're using this all the time, but a little technical magic to share with the people who don't. More >
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 13 Jun 2005 @ 22:52, by raypows. Environment, Ecology
Bottom line. Water is the most valuable natural resource (beside air). Whoever controls water rights controls the people. Petroleum use is an issue but I don't see it as the primary resource. It is a distraction, slight of hand to styeer public attention away from the birthright of clean and abundant water supplies.
500 Anti-Coca-Cola Demonstrators Arrested in India
PLACHIMADA, India, June 9, 2005 (ENS) - Hundreds of community residents and supporters marched to the Coca-Cola factory gates in Plachimada, Kerala on Wednesday to demand that the plant be permanently shut down.
The protesters were met by a large cordon of police officers, and about 500 people were arrested. Police beat a woman protester, who was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, eyewitnesses said. All protesters were released by the end of the day.
The protests, organized by the Coca-Cola Virudha Samara Samiti (Anti Coca-Cola Struggle Committee) and the Plachimada Solidarity Committee, comes two days after the local village council, under pressure from the Kerala High Court, conditionally renewed Coca-Cola's license for three months.
The Coca-Cola bottling plant in Plachimada, Kerala was the scene of a demonstration Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Coca-Cola India) The Coca-Cola bottling plant in Plachimada has remained closed since March 2004 because the local village council has refused to renew Coca-Cola's license to operate, citing the company for causing severe water shortages to the community.
On June 5, the local village council renewed Coca-Cola's license for three months and with 13 conditions.
This move follows the April 8 decision of Kerala High Court which permitted Coca-Cola to extract up to 500,000 liters of water per day from the common groundwater resource at its Plachimada facility.
The High Court decided that Coca-Cola could extract the groundwater since there is no law regulating groundwater extraction for such purpose in India. "In the absence of such a law, it makes it difficult to protect natural resources from such predatory behavior by private companies," said indigenous people's rights activist C.R. Bijoy.
"This issue is about much more than the extraction of water by Coca-Cola itself," said Bijoy. "The issue is about who has the fundamental decision making power over the use of natural resources, and it is about the survival of the people."
Plachimada women walking to obtain water for their families. (Photo courtesy India Resource Center) But the company today rejected the three-month conditional licence issued by the Plachimada village council, describing it as a violation of the High Court order.
The "Hindu" newspaper reports that in a letter to the council on Wednesday, the company said that, "the grant of licence for a period of three months is arbitrary and in violation of High Court order of April 7, 2005 and as further clarified on June 1, 2005." The company said the council's limited permit and 13 conditions were issued "in total disregard of the Rule of Law and also the judicial determination."
The Anti Coca-Cola Struggle Committee and the Plachimada Solidarity
Committee have vowed not to allow the company to re-open its plant in Plachimada.
"The people of Kerala will not allow the factory to reopen," said R.
Ajayan, convener of the Plachimada Solidarity Committee. "Coca-Cola must respect the wish of the community, and the community does not want the plant to restart."
The community in Plachimada has been experiencing severe water shortages after Coca-Cola started operations in the area, and the remaining groundwater as well as soil has been polluted as a result of Coca-Cola's bottling operations, the protesters say.
The company was distributing its solid waste to farmers in the area as fertilizer, until it was found to contain high levels of lead and cadmium, the protesters said.
Coca-Cola India denies this charge and says the waste distribution has been stopped and all unused bio-solids have been recovered from the farmers. The bio-solids are stored at the Plachimada plant "pending agreement with the local authorities on their disposal," the company said.
Protests against Coca-Cola are not limited to Plachimada. Here, more than 1,500 people marched against Coca-Cola in Mehdiganj, near Varanasi, November 24, 2004. (Photo by Amit Srivastava courtesy India Resource Center) "Allegations that The Coca-Cola Company is exploiting groundwater in India are without any scientific basis and are also not supported either by the government authorities who regulate our water use in India, academics, or the local communities in which our plants are located," the company says.
"We believe the allegations are motivated more by an anti-globalization agenda, rather than by those with genuine environmental concerns," the company says on its website.
The India Resource Center, which supports the Plachimada Solidarity Committee, makes no secret of the fact that it is against globalization. "India Resource Center is a project of Global Resistance," the organization says. "Global Resistance works to strengthen the movement against corporate globalization by supporting and linking local, grassroots struggles against globalization around the world. Our goal is to ensure that those most impacted by globalization are engaged in and at the forefront of the movement against corporate globalization."
The company says that its water use in Plachimada does not deprive the community of water. "Within approximately five kilometers of the Kerala plant, for example, there are about 200 open shallow wells. Coca-Cola uses only two open shallow wells within the plant. In the same area there are nearly 150 bore wells. There are only six bore wells within our plant and the Coca-Cola plant uses no more than three bore wells at any one time."
But the community of Plachimada has been engaged in a three year battle to hold the Coca-Cola company accountable, and local and international support for the campaign continues to grow rapidly, organizers say.
In addition to seeking the permanent closure of the plant, the protesters are demanding that "the Coca-Cola company accept the authority and jurisdiction of the village council, and stop challenging the village council."
The Supreme Court of India is set to hear an appeal from the village council shortly, and the Coca-Cola company has not decided whether it will reopen the plant, according to media reports.
The organizers of Wednesday's protest have indicated that they will increase the pressure on the company locally to ensure that it cannot re-open. More >
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12 Jun 2005 @ 23:44, by swanny. Ideas, Creativity
Howdy and Happy Sunday
those its almost by
Working on a new CD
The Circle of Love
heres some rough draft tunes
Link = [link]
my old Cd is available
at
Link = [link]
enjoy
ed jonas More >
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