|
|
 19 Apr 2004 @ 12:25, by ming. Ideas, Creativity
Via Local Thoughts, a little creative exercise:1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open the book on page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
The nearest book I grabbed blindly from the shelf was the Webster's College Dictionary. Now, I'm not sure if in this case I should pick literally the 5th sentence or the 5th word defined. But, magically, they're talking about the same thing. 5th sentence is part of the definition of "affluence":a flowing to or toward some point; afflux. And the 5th word defined is "afflux", which means:1. something that flows to or toward a point, e.g. "an afflux of blood to the head". 2. the act of flowing to or toward some point. So, afflux or affluence is when something flows towards a point. If you want an affluence of something, you need to make it flow towards a point. That's sort of simple and basic, but a very useful thing to pay attention to. If I want an affluence of money, money needs to be flowing towards a point, such as my bank account. More >
|
|
|
|
 19 Apr 2004 @ 01:50, by spells. Government, Public Sector
Kerry on “Meet the Press:” Democratic candidate reiterates support for Iraq war
By Patrick Martin
19 April 2004
In an hour-long appearance Sunday on the NBC News program “Meet the Press,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Senator John Kerry, reiterated his support for the US war in Iraq, while suggesting that it would take the election of a new president for Washington to succeed in mobilizing additional foreign troops and resources to reinforce its grip on the conquered country.
Kerry underscored his solidarity with the Bush administration’s policy of crushing the mass uprising that has brought together Sunni Muslims in the west-central area of Iraq and Shiites in Baghdad and the south in a common struggle against the occupation forces. Saying the US should send in more troops if necessary to defeat the insurgency and prevent a failure of the Iraq occupation, the Democratic candidate declared, “Number one, we cannot fail.”
“Meet the Press” interviewer Tim Russert asked Kerry about an op-ed column he wrote for the Washington Post last week, in which he stated: “Our country has committed to help the Iraqis build a stable, peaceful and pluralistic society. No matter who is elected president in November, we will persevere in that mission.” Kerry replied by repeating his unconditional endorsement of the American occupation, leading Russert to respond, “That sounds exactly like George Bush.”
The program began with Russert asking Kerry, “Do you believe the war in Iraq was a mistake?” Kerry replied, “I think the way the president went to war is a mistake.” This set the tone for the entire interview, as Russert asked no further questions about the decision to go to war and focused entirely on Kerry’s prescriptions for fighting the war more effectively.
Kerry made repeated criticisms of Bush’s conduct of the war. He said, “This administration misled America,” and declared that Bush “broke faith with his own promises to the country.” He added, “Iraq had nothing to do with Al Qaeda.” But Russert did not ask how a war based on such lies could be legitimate, and Kerry did volunteer an opinion.
Instead, Kerry again voiced a theme first raised in a speech last week in New York City: that the criteria for a successful completion of the US intervention in Iraq would be the creation of a stable regime, not the establishment of a democracy. Following Kerry’s pronouncement that “we cannot fail” in Iraq, the following exchange took place:
Russert: How do you define failure?
Kerry: Well, I think failure is the lack of a stable Iraq. I think a failed state in Iraq is failure.
Russert: An Islamic regime similar to Iran would be acceptable?
Kerry: You could even go further than what I just said and suggest that if we are stuck for a long period of time in a quagmire where young Americans are dying without a sense of that being able to be achieved, I think most Americans will decide that’s failure.
Russert: Could you accept a Shiite theocracy running Iraq similar to what we have in Iran?
Kerry: I think that what is important is to have a pluralistic representation. It doesn’t have to be, at least in the early days, the kind of democracy this administration has talked about, though that’s our goal and we should remain there. But what is critical is a stable Iraq.
In other words, a President Kerry would scrap the messianic and increasingly ludicrous rhetoric of the Bush administration about democratizing Iraq and the entire Middle East, and get down to business: creating the stable conditions required for American capitalism to extract super profits from Iraq’s oil resources, under some form of clerical/military dictatorship propped up by American troops.
In the course of the interview, Kerry also declared that if he is elected, there could well be 100,000 or more American troops in Iraq a year from now. Kerry went on to say, “Tim, let me be very clear to you: We are united around our troops. We support our troops. They’re extraordinarily courageous. We have the best military we’ve ever had in the history of our country, and they deserve a strategy that’s going to minimize the risk to them. But I am united, along with everybody else, in knowing that we have to have a success in not having a failed Iraq. That we are united in.”
This declaration of unity is Kerry’s assurance to the American ruling elite that whatever criticisms he may make of the Bush administration’s tactics in the war—particularly its dismissal of the views of nominal allies like France and Germany, and its contempt for institutions like the United Nations—he is committed to maintaining US control of Iraq. With its strategic position in the center of the Middle East, and its vast oil reserves, a US-dominated Iraq has become a vital interest of American imperialism, and will not be given up lightly.
Reassuring the ruling class has been Kerry’s main focus all week. At a public forum at City College in New York, he seized on a question from a vocal critic of the war to underscore his support of the US occupation. Retired mathematics professor Walter Daum denounced the war in Iraq as imperialist, and warned that a President Kerry would quickly become as hated as Bush if he continued Bush’s policies in Iraq.
Kerry did not try to interrupt his antagonist—evidently welcoming the opportunity to distance himself from antiwar sentiment. He then replied, “I have consistently been critical of how we got where we are. But we are where we are, sir, and it would be unwise beyond belief for the United States of America to leave a failed Iraq in its wake.”
Later he gave a speech to a fundraising event that netted nearly $3.5 million from Wall Street fat cats and other corporate executives in which he flatly declared his opposition to “redistribution of the wealth,” and pledged a Kerry administration to fiscal responsibility and deficit reduction.
On “Meet the Press,” Kerry gave other assurances of the right-wing foreign policy his administration would pursue. Asked about the Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Abdel-aziz Rantisi, he responded, “I believe Israel has every right in the world to respond to any act of terror against it. Hamas is a terrorist, brutal organization.” He also gave uncritical support to Bush’s decision last week to reverse four decades of American foreign policy by officially supporting Israeli retention of West Bank land illegally occupied by Israeli settlers.
Finally, Kerry made what amounts to a repudiation of the antiwar stance which first brought him to public attention during the Vietnam War. Russert played a tape of Kerry’s first appearance on “Meet the Press,” in April 1971, when the Democratic candidate was a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The young former Navy lieutenant showed considerable personal courage by going on national television to admit his own involvement in actions—search-and-destroy missions, the burning of villages and other atrocities—which violated the Geneva Conventions.
More importantly, the antiwar veteran compared the leaders of the US government to Lt. William Calley, who was tried and convicted of mass murder in the My Lai massacre: “All of this is contrary to the Geneva Conventions and all of this ordered as a matter of written established policy by the government of the United States from the top down. And I believe that the men who designed these, the men who designed the free-fire zone, the men who ordered us, the men who signed off the air raid strike areas, I think these men, by the letter of the law, the same letter of the law that tried Lieutenant Calley, are war criminals.”
Thirty-three years later, as a senator who is auditioning for the position of war-criminal-in-chief, Kerry was called upon to make a public act of contrition. Under prompting from Russert, Kerry declared that “atrocities” was “a bad word ... an inappropriate word.” As for calling presidents Johnson and Nixon and their top generals war criminals, he told Russert: “It was, I think, a reflection of the kind of times we found ourselves in and I don’t like it when I hear it today.”
At the same time, Kerry tried to have it both ways. “There were breaches of the Geneva Conventions,” in Vietnam, he said. “There were policies in place that were not acceptable according to the laws of warfare, and everybody knows that.” He concluded: “I’m proud that I took the position that I took to oppose it. I think we saved lives, and I’m proud that I stood up at a time when it was important to stand up, but I’m not going to quibble, you know, 35 years later that I might not have phrased things more artfully at times.”
The issue, of course, is not artfulness, but truth. The young Lieutenant Kerry of 1971 gained national attention because he provided at least a glimpse of the brutal reality of imperialist war. The Senator Kerry of 2004 seeks to trade on his antiwar reputation to delude voters opposed to the current imperialist war in Iraq—a war, which, as the events in Fallujah are making clear, rivals Vietnam in its barbaric and wanton disregard for human life.
See Also:
Bush's press conference: evasions, lies and a promise of more bloodletting
[15 April 2004]
Socialist Equality Party US presidential candidate: "A vote for Kerry is a vote for war"
[14 April 2004]
The Democrats and "Bush's war"
[9 April 2004] More >
|
|
|
|
 17 Apr 2004 @ 08:59, by skookum. Recreation, Fun
Indian Grinding Rock
It was in the late summer of last year(2002) when we took our family to see Indian Grinding Rock in the foothills of Northern California. More >
|
|
|
|
 16 Apr 2004 @ 22:23, by skookum. Ideas, Creativity
Eye's UnHoly Altar
What memories have you disturbed from their slumber,
My gentle, wild courtier?
Will you in rescue find the hiding places that elude you?
The fleeting glimpses of touches, breaths and sighs,
Turning into heat rushed faces and pounding hearts.
Distractions of the empty ordinary days,
To startle the spirit into knowing so much more
I am blind before to its sirens entreaty.
In the quiet imaginings entwined arms are filled with you and my breathing
Whisperings haunting the ticking clocks silence.
The world contracts the eternal rushes into hushed prisms
The light turns, spins, retreats into thousands of glittering facets
And there, in my eye's holy altar you smile and beguile,
In trembling impatience I turn away, afraid.
Contained and solitary is my hurried life,
My spirit in its secret place awaits a light that fills the darkness.
Hoarded ancient keys have unlocked unwilling doorways
And entered, bringing my barren soul awakenings.
Once within the sirocco cyclones across acrid lies
Drying deception's folly to hot dust
Arid whispers in rough yearnings scrape the crumbling wall
Stone tumbling in desiccated pebbles
Until you in drenching waters rush across the wasteland
Filling lost edges, corners and depths
Bringing lush beginnings with succulent fruits
Soaking beneath and above and inside and around.
Dripping until all is saturated, joined, filled.
©January 7,2002 Marissa A Spencer More >
|
|
|
|
 16 Apr 2004 @ 19:37, by b. Communities
We wondered together about the universe. We would ride motorcycles then eat pizza and drink beer. We searched the sky for ufo's long before there were computers we could use to search for pictures. More >
|
|
|
|
 15 Apr 2004 @ 02:21, by jazzolog. Government, Public Sector
Cold geese calling in the sky.
Leaves tumbling over the empty hills.
Day is dwindling on the dark village road.
Alone, I carry my empty bowl home.
---Ryokan
Vast solitude
My thinning body
transparent autumn.
---Soen Nakagawa
Worldly acquisitions of wealth and the need of clinging to them, as well as the pursuit of the Eight Worldly Aims, I regard with as much loathing and disgust as a man who is suffering from billiousness regardeth the sight of rich food. Nay, I regard them as if they were the murderers of my father; therefore it is that I am assuming this beggarly and penurious mode of life.
---Milarepa
The picture is of Maureen Dowd receiving a Pulitzer for Commentary in 1999. Sometimes her columns in the New York Times are so insightful, precise, and brilliantly written that the reader actually is moved to take some responsibility for citizenship in this shaky republic. And in an age of Virtual Reality and It's All About Me, such an accomplishment is heroic.
I mean, I know a guy who recently spent $70,000 on a unique red Hummer. It gets 8 miles to the gallon. He spent $200 on gasoline just going to pick it up. He parks it where surveillance cameras provide an image of it at all times to his office---and remote screens at home. If anyone else drives it or fools around with it, computer codes let him know this has happened. He tells people he always wanted one, he had the extra money, so he bought it. Simple as that. I mean, there's a war on, so why not celebrate the advantages? I will not reveal what this man does for a living...unless you ask me privately.
But I digress: back to Ms. Dowd. To most conservatives she is among the most loathsome of individuals, and I must confess sometimes her work turns me off too. But not lately! She has been mightily up in arms about President Bush and his administration...and rarely more so than in her column this morning. More >
|
|
|
|
14 Apr 2004 @ 15:02, by sharie. Spirituality
Have you noticed Angels are becoming the subject of more and more books and movies, television shows, and songs?
These are often *true* stories of personal encounters with angels, and the numbers are growing exponentially, by the hundreds and thousands.
If you're unaware of what's been written about angels,
the many books, movies and television programs, if you're unaware of the music composed for and about (and sometimes *by*) angels... then I recommend that you open up to the truth that the gates of heaven are opening to you.
Angels have been manifesting in the earthly realm,
the courts of heaven have been filling with human beings who have entered unto the gates with praise to find heaven is not in some other place or time, Heaven is Here and Now.
Heaven is becoming the reality of life
for so many people.
I am asked to refer you to this verse:
Rev 21:1 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
Yes, there is a new heaven and a new earth,
for they are not what we thought,
and so the heaven we come to know is earthly,
and the earth we come to know is heavenly.
I am experiencing heaven first-hand so I know this is true.
The last line of Revelations 21:1, however, I could not comprehend.
Can I accept a world without the sea?
I love the sea, and without the sea, earth would not seem so heavenly...
but just now, as I read this verse,
I was given a vision and asked to share it with you,
so that those of you who have ears to hear and eyes to see will understand it too.
The sea will be no more.
This is because as we become beings of light,
with a brilliance of light,
and a lightness of being,
we manifest a world of light.
As more of us manifest the world of light,
we manifest heaven as our realm of existence,
which many of us already experience.
This is complete with angels, miracles,
love, abundance, peace, joy, creative powers,
beauty, and everything heavenly.
The waters too will "lighten"
the seas will become "lighter",
less heavy
and instead more heavenly.
This is why the sea will be no more.
We will be in a new realm,
a new heaven,
where we are light
and float in an atmosphere of light water.
Some of you have already experienced this,
some of you have seen it in visions,
and know this is what is to come.
The sea will be no more,
because the sea will lighten to become our new world of light,
our new world of lightness,
our new world of perfect heaven,
where food is abundant,
water is precipitous and instantaneous.
Heaven is here and now.
Believe it, embrace it.
Heaven on earth embraces heavenly air and earthly waters to render a new heaven and a new earth.
*Serendipity* (they have explained) *is* as we had intuitively felt, the spontaneous manifestation of our desires, and is brought on by the power of the spirit of life, the spirit of light, the heaven of eternal truth, the light of life that is the essence of our being.
As we move our heart and mind and all of our life into the kingdom of heaven, as we commit our heart and mind to truth, as peace, love, and joy precedes our every thought, guiding our words and actions, we feel, see, experience heaven.
Our collective consciousness embraces the physical realm and spiritual realm as ONE life, and our earthly experience becomes heavenly.
Rather than thinking of the spiritual life as being "after death" while earthly life is that of the "living"
we choose to embrace Christ Consciousness as the brilliant intelligence of everything in existence,
as the brilliant omniscience of the unified field
the intelligence of all life,
human life, plant life, and mineral life
(yes, minerals are INTELLIGENT...
if it weren't for the brilliant life force in iron,
magnesium, and other minerals, you would be dead,
so kindly give credit where credit is due)
Heaven is Here and Now
Share the love and joy, the truth and peace that flows from your soul, release all else as the illusion that it is.
Embrace heaven on earth as your eternal life.
|
|
|
|
 14 Apr 2004 @ 10:13, by ming. Philosophy
Via Quotes of the Day:
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
- Philip K. Dick
Yeah, that's a good way of putting it.
That would exclude, oh, how about governments and countries? If we don't believe in boundaries and in the power of certain groups of people to govern us, then there really isn't anything there. There are continents and land and people. But no borders and no power over us. No laws either. They aren't really real. People are real. What they do is real. Their thoughts and feelings and actions are real.
Goodbye to religions too. If you don't believe in them, there's really not much there. A lot of church buildings and some books. Good deeds are real.
Scientific laws and theories go away as well when we stop believing in them. Nature and life doesn't go away. The flowers keep blooming and the planets keep rotating around their stars. And there's a system to that, which keeps working. But it is the theoretical models of how we think that works that drop away.
There's a lot of things our theories say don't exist or can't exist. If we stop believing in those theories, those things will still be there. Extraterrestrials, other dimensions, paranormal perceptions, miraculous events. Except that they won't be miraculous or paranormal unless you have some kind of belief about how unlikely they're supposed to be.
Dreams exist whether you believe in them or not. You'll be zipping around in fantastic realities every day, at least when you sleep.
Failure and success, loyalty and betrayal, mistakes, lies, obligations, promises, shoulds - none of it means much if one stops believing. What matters is what is there, and what you actually do. Good constructive actions last longer than destructive actions. They're more real. Good and bad feelings exist. The reasons for them do not.
Life exists. Consciousness exists. I exist. I'm probably more real the more I get over my beliefs about why and how. More >
|
|
|
|
 13 Apr 2004 @ 19:09, by spells. Spirituality
Hi Everyone,
I was asked about Reiki and therefore wrote for you an overview. I hope this answers your questions...
Reiki
Reiki is the Japanese word for Universal (Rei) Energy (ki). It is the essence of all life, pure and simple. It pervades everything and has the capacity/potential to balance, harmonize, raise vibration, open channels a.k.a. chakras and meridians, get to the cause of illness/disease and therefore “cure” anything.
We are all born with this energy and the energy is with us always, but we are not aware of how to align with it and therefore just need a reminder. That is what the "attunement/initiation" process is all about. The attunement is a ritual that opens up the chakras to the Reiki Symbols. The Universal Energy can then consciously flow through you for balancing, harmonizing, clearing and “healing”.
Employing Reiki signifies three very important points:
1. The use of intention. Reiki cannot be forced, pushed or controlled…it flows purely on intention. All one needs to do is intend the flow of The Reiki Energy for a specific task. When one is attuned to Reiki Level 1, that is all that is needed. Just quiet one’s mind and intend the energy to flow! There are specific hand positions that may be used, but as one becomes more adept at using this remarkable energy, theses are not mandatory. In fact, there is NO right or wrong…it is just a matter of setting intention.
2. Taking responsibility for one’s own progress. Even if an individual were to go for a Reiki Session with a practitioner, they are responsible for the progress of the session, NOT the practitioner. It is not always enough to allow the energy to flow. Awareness of the process and what is happening within the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies may be necessary. This is not to say that one must see or know all the levels of clearing or issues that emerge, but one must be ready to view and take responsibility for the cause of the discomfort or illness. Therefore, this brings us to the next point…
3. Reiki gets to the CAUSE of any illness, issue, discomfort or symptom. It is not a band aid. Finding the cause of any experience is absolutely necessary. Covering up symptoms just will not do. Getting to the cause can sometimes lead to what is known as a “healing crises”, where emotions and/or issues come to the surface to be released. Sometimes this proves to be uncomfortable, but the path to total healing is not always smooth. This can be compared to surgery. (although not the best analogy) In surgery, the problem is removed and the patient is cured (well somewhat) but until the person recovers from the surgery, this can be quite uncomfortable. Once the “recovery” period is over, the illness is gone and the patient feels good. Getting to the cause takes responsibility and perseverance, but the rewards are great. One is truly free of the issues etc that led to the malfunction.
4. A smaller point, I want to mention, is the use of thought-forms. Thought-forms have power and energy, this is a known fact. Reiki has 4 symbols/thought-forms, each with a specific purpose… 1)The Empowerment Symbol, which empowers the flow of energy and therefore, makes it stronger, 2) The Distance Symbol, which bridges time and distance, making it possible to send the energy anywhere and at anytime, no matter what the distance, 3) The Emotional/Mental Symbol, which bridges the emotional and mental bodies so that emotions can be crystallized, seen clearly and overcome and 3) The Attunement Symbol, which is used in the Reiki Initiation. Symbols are not used until one learns level 2.
Personally I have seen Reiki do many things from clearing up a sprained wrist, taking away migraine headaches, dissolving kidney stones and curing breast cancer. All but the sprained wrist took time, patience, seriousness and perseverance. Just for your reference, the sprained wrist took about 1 hour, the migraine headache about one hour, but to be rid of the headaches for good, took years, the kidney stones took 3 days of intensive sessions and the breast cancer took months of continued sessions and focus. This is not to say that all these illnesses could not have been dealt with more quickly, that is up to the individual. The point being made here is that this is a serious focus that requires one’s devotion to finding the cause.
Being attuned to Reiki and having it for your lifetime, I believe, is best and worthwhile. Once you are attuned, it is with you forever and cannot be lost, even if it is not used. This is not to say that going to a practitioner for sessions is not advised. Both are complete avenues for the use of Reiki. Sometimes when dealing with a chronic or serious condition, both in cooperation are recommended.
Included here will also be a link to a wonderful website that has plenty of information in an easy to read format. The symbols are also listed there for you to see. These symbols are for everyone, but unless you understand their importance, meaning and are attuned or aligned with them, they may not work at full potency for you.
My only objective here is to give you an overview of Reiki. I have practiced it for almost 10 years now and it truly changed my life as a tool for spiritual growth. Please always feel free to email me with questions or comments at: spellscaster9@yahoo.com . I would also gladly meet you online or via phone call to discuss Reiki and/or send you the energy. I have attuned people long distance also via the phone or the net.
I wish you all well on your journey.
Love Sandi
The web site is: [link] I suggest reading the manuals listed there and just viewing the entire site…it is full of all or most of the info you need, with a different point of view. More >
|
|
|
|
 12 Apr 2004 @ 13:06, by b. Spirituality
I have always been one to seek adventure. From an early age I had spiritual experiences. I read a lot of books. I worked out and ran a lot. So I was fit, still am. Religions interested me because of the then mysteries of God and Spirit. It was philosophies that fascinated me to see what is humanly possible. I loved a lot of women. I have traveled the world and speak many languages. I had/have an ability to predict. I gambled a lot to prove that. Many of my adventures have started after I read a book. So it was that after I read: Scientology, Fundamentals of Thought, I wanted to talk about it and I wanted to read another book by L Ron Hubbard. More >
|
|
<< Newer entries Page: 1 ... 201 202 203 204 205 ... 279 Older entries >> |
|
These are news items gathered or contributed by NCN members
|
Categories
Activism (97)
Altered States (32)
Alternative Money Systems (17)
Broadcasting, Media (20)
Business (19)
Children, Parenting (28)
Communication (63)
Communities (71)
Conspiracy (34)
Counseling, Psychology (23)
Crime, Policing (7)
Death & Dying (14)
Developing World (19)
Economics, Financing, Banking (51)
Education (34)
Energy Sources (19)
Engineering (1)
Entrepreneurs, Money Making (19)
Environment, Ecology (123)
Exercise, Fitness (1)
Extraterrestrials (27)
Farming (14)
Futurism (13)
Globalization (29)
Government, Public Sector (46)
History, Ancient World (38)
Housing, Building, Architecture (10)
Ideas, Creativity (318)
Internet (49)
Inventions (6)
Investigation, Intelligence (23)
Knowledge Management (21)
Legal, Justice (24)
Liberty, Sovereignty (14)
Medicine, Healthcare (46)
Music (30)
Natural Health & Healing (27)
Neighborhood (12)
Networking (19)
Nutrition, Cooking (7)
Old Age, Retirement (4)
Organizational Development (12)
Paranormal (12)
Peace (35)
Performing Arts (9)
Personal Development (80)
Philosophy (94)
Politics (120)
Poverty (4)
Preparedness, Self-Reliance (12)
Privacy, Security (1)
Publishing (3)
Recreation, Fun (59)
Relationships (19)
Religion (40)
Science (48)
Sexuality (16)
Shared Purpose (30)
Social System Design (47)
Space Exploration (23)
Spirituality (391)
Systems Thinking (31)
Technology (37)
Transportation (9)
Travel (22)
Violence, War (103)
Visual Arts, Graphics (63)
|
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
| 4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
| 11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
| 18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
| 25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
30 |
|
Members can post news items and comments in the member area.
Information and opinions are the responsibility of the posters and do not represent any official position of NCN. Please do your own verification and make up your own mind.
Syndication
|
|
