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 6 Jul 2007 @ 23:16, by quinty. Legal, Justice
(The portrait to your right is of Richard Wright, as a “crossword puzzle.” It was painted by my father, Luis Quintanilla. For more portraits of writers as “how they see themselves,” go to “www.lqart.org/portsfold/writports.html”)
Well now it’s here. It’s happened.
A rightwing Supreme Court. More >
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4 Jul 2007 @ 23:59, by ming. Personal Development
Via Frank Patrick:"If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way."
-- Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970) Yeah. But what is instinct?
If you break it down into perceptions, most people ultimately make big decisions not based on logic, but based on that it feels right. Very often a physical feeling around your stomach area. The "gut feeling", you know.
There are always more perceptions involved. Maybe it *looks* a certain way to you, in your mind's eye, and it *sounds* about right in your mind's ear. And, yes, some kind of feeling that seals the deal, that "this is right!"
Most people will be likely to deny this, and will insist that they make their decisions based on a careful study and analysis of available facts, which they logically add up into a decision. Oh, nothing wrong with careful analysis and logical reasoning, but even if you're very good at that, like if you're a scientist, you end up deciding whether it is right or not, and that decision is based on some kind of feeling you have, however much you deny it. Some people merely make up the reasoning after they've had that feeling, in order to defend the "logic" of it. Others will try to go through some kind of routine before, to show that they seriously worked on the decision process. But it still ends up being some kind of feeling of it being "right" or "wrong".
However, there are several kinds of what we could call instincts.
In my experience, everybody has a built in sensor for their personal right or wrong, which almost instantly will give the answer, based on some kind of subconscious processing of all available facts, or based on something more esoteric, and this mechanism will tend towards never being wrong. That's what we maybe could call intuition.
But at the same time, most people are easy to fool, in a long list of different ways. You can be led to believe that something is something else than what it is. You can be led to see something as normal, even though it isn't. Stage magic, hypnosis, advertising, politics - there are many places you'll find such tricks used. People will manipulate you into choosing a certain reality, because it looks, feels or sounds right, even though it isn't. I suppose that's playing into instincts too. But it isn't intuition.
Recognizing the difference between those different kinds of instincts can be hard. A lot of people probably know no such difference. If it feels right, it is right, whether it is the call of your destiny, or a commercial on TV.
Anyway, the question is how we maybe might train ourselves into being fooled less, by information or by perceptions. How can evidence and instinct get more into sync? I think that starts with what Alfred Korzybski called "Consciousness of Abstraction". That you're aware of the existence of the various layers and filters through which you deal with "reality", and that you have an idea of their pros and cons, strenghts and weaknesses. If you try to deny that any of those layers exist, you'll make stupid mistakes. The more conscious you are of your processes of abstracting reality into ideas, and of concretizing ideas into reality, the less likely you are to be fooled. More >
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 4 Jul 2007 @ 10:50, by jazzolog. Legal, Justice
Habit, laziness, and fear conspire to keep us comfortably within the familiar.
---Poet Jane Hirshfield, whose BA from Princeton was received in its first graduating class to include women
For eight straight years George Bush hasn't displayed the slightest interest in anything we care about.
And now that he's after a job that he can't get appointed to, he's like Columbus discovering America. He's found child care. He's found education.
Poor George. He can't help it - he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
---Texas Governor Ann Richards, who was defeated for re-election mysteriously by George Bush's son, also named George Bush
We went from being a party of confidence and fiscal restraint and individual liberty to being the party that encouraged intervention in Terry Schiavo's case, the disastrous experience in Iraq, Katrina, and an $8.5 trillion debt. It was hogs feeding at the trough from Jack Abramoff to Karl Rove. I'm just sad and angry.
---Author Christopher Buckley, the son of National Review founder and supreme conservative William F. Buckley, Jr.
Before a television set was in every home, American families used to sit out on the front porch after dinner every evening. They'd call greetings to neighbors and watch the world go by. After that, they might set up a card table in the living room and play a game. Sometimes a game might be saved when somebody had to go to bed, and brought out to be continued the next night. Canasta games might go on for a week.
Among the board games there was Monopoly. I always had mixed feelings about that game. There was an edge to it that seemed to encourage the person who was winning to gloat and ridicule and inflict emotional pain on the others. Losing in Monopoly felt like drowning. And so I probably shouldn't have been surprised when one afternoon in 1965 as we were playing the game, my friend from Tyler, Texas, Tony Andretta, reached around to his desk, opened a drawer, took out a loaded six-shooter, and placed it on the table.
I use Tony's real name because, while it is highly unlikely he still is alive, I would love someone who knew him to discover this article and let me know whatever happened to him. We both were in our first teaching jobs at a school in The Bronx. He taught science and I, hired to teach English, ended up chairing the social studies department. He was a bit older than I was and had fought, he said, in Korea. He'd received a wound to his stomach, which for some reason never could heal and he had to change the dressing all the time. It didn't seem to slow him down much though, and he actively pursued a life of women, brawling, smoking and booze.
We were unlikely friends I guess, but somehow our differences made us curious. He came from an oil family and so this teaching stuff was just for the heck of it. Maybe there was temporary friction with his father, something like that. He'd been married a few times and always seemed on the verge of doing it again. About the gun, he told me later that's how they do things in Texas. He said he always had a gun in his glove compartment, because in Texas if a trooper pulls you over you come out shooting. One time we pretended to be federal inspectors in a Woolworth's pet department, concerned about the condition of the creatures in there. Under threat of being shut down, the manager gave us some lizards Tony wanted for his terrarium.
After a couple of years, we went our separate ways and lost track of each other. Tony lived loud and big, and could back it up. He was the first Texas male I'd ever met. In my experience, Texas women tend to be quite different from the men. Not the loud and big part, but in how liberal and democratic they like to be. I wish a couple of them still were around to comment on the Scooter Libby business.
The Bushes may run a lot of Texas but Texans know they aren't really from there. In fact, Ann Richards in that same famous 1988 speech before the Democratic Convention said, "I am delighted to be here with you this evening because after listening to George Bush all these years, I figured you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like." [link] But the George Bushes of the world keep trying to be the real deal, faking bravado at the Alamo until finally a Mexican soldier's bullet takes them down. More >
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 3 Jul 2007 @ 05:04, by freo7. Activism
The blue spheres of transformation are now locking into position for your July 7 .... you need not distract nor concern yourselves with the mechanics of this and its function ....
as we said in previous transmissions ... this is the awaited ignition point for transitional shift .... recalibration ... or as we term it ... harmonic shift ... it is the precursor to your quickening and global mass awakening ....
there is a frequency fence (filter) in your unseen ... vibrating just beyond your fields of perception ... this filter encompasses your earth .... and filters out harmonic vibrations (UV light) that are necessary and conducive to your spiritual growth and development as was intentionally divine in design ...
the filter was placed here by certain benign elements approx 500,000 years ago in your linear past which we do not wish to enter into at this moment .... however consider that your ozone layer is a later by product manifest of this filter ... as we have always maintained in past transmissions ... earth did not come with an ozone layer ... nor did it come with polar/ice caps ... and nor did it come with a broken spine and a lob-sided tilt ... the tilt is manifest in your solar system as well as galaxy and universe .... it is a reflection of the universal rift ... which is now moving back into alignment ... this will be instrumental in healing on many levels below and above ....
your universe and others are warming .. heating ... increasing in vibration ... global warming is not limited to just earth ... it is happening across the spectrum .... you can be as green as you like ... however your global warming will still continue ... we assure you ... if you were to eradicate all your vehicles today completely and industrial pollution ... global warming will still occur now and ever ...
your ozone layer begun to accelerate in dissipation after harmonic convergence 87 ... and now it will step-up in acceleration as the spheres of transformation lock-in onto the frequency filter ... earth's iris is opening up ... and expanding .... allowing more light (UV DNA encoded) to enter ... like the iris of a camera ... this is a reflection of humanity .... as you awaken ... open your eyes ... realize (real-eyes) ... soon ... all veils will be removed .... all will be revealed for what it is ...
the blue spheres of transformation are designed to lock-on and remove this frequency filter (fence) ... as we have said ... we are taking care in resonance with your vibrational intent of the unseen and beyond ... all you need do is remain grounded ... in peace ... harmony and love .... let your every breathe and intent be with this .... in body .. mind .. soul .. and spirit ... for this is how you assist and help those in the unseen ... as well your humanity ... all you need do is be in our hearts .... and us in yours .... as well as each others ...
understand there will come some those after 777 whom will attempt to negate or resist the spheres of transformation .... as they are intent on keeping the frequency filter in place .... as they do not wish for you to awaken and make the shift when the universal alignment wave comes into position in your 2012/2013 ... know that they operate from a place of fear ... for they do not know any other way .... and from this fear of loss ... they will act out of desperation ...
retaliation ... vendetta ... revenge ... resistance ... hatred .... will not resolve this fear ... but only further feed it .... understand that fear can not encompass and embrace all things ... for only love can do this ...
look outside your window ... look at nature ... look into the eyes of the child .... there is a shift occurring ... a consciousness shift ... an expanding .... growing .... for only in embracement of each others divinity do you grow and expand ... resistance of each others divinity will only cause you to shrink .... the shift is simply a higher / greater frequency ... many term it a higher density or even dimensional ....
it matters not the technical semantics ... but only to know the shift is occurring .... the alignment is happening with or without your co-operation ... only know that anything that is not in resonance with the coming shift ... will disintegrate ... fall ... and fade away .... nothing will be spared from this transition ... whether you surf with the wave or against the wave is your divine choice ... know that surfing with the wave will bring you to the shores of the true divine and real human spirit ... the other will drown you in the under current ... you can choose to resist and fight it ... the choice is yours ... for we have infinite nowness and eternity ... and we know you are already home .... but the journey you must remember to make ...
this awakening .... shift ... transition .. transformation is not limited to only earth ... but for the whole complete universe ... everything within it and those above and beyond it ... for all breeds and walks of life ... human and non-human alike ... do not be arrogant as to think this is only about you and your earth ... suffice to say at this moment ... the universal alignment and shift is occurring ... with or without you .... it is happening and will happen to you ... your choosing in the matter is how you will deal with it ... resistance is futile ... but it is easier to try than to prove it can't be done ...
the Karamatra crystal morphogenetic code is now ready and positioned in your ethereal spheres .... there is no exact moment ... but any given moment in your 777 (indication here is given for some sort gamma ray burst?) ... the biosphere will be rebooted and the new code inserted ... this new code/template will recalibrate and restructure ... to allow you/earth to resonate with the new incoming divine vibrations ... in essence allowing you higher bandwidth ... much like your internet broadband (dial-up modem to broadband) ... in preparation for the coming cosmic alignment ...
*For previous transmission on Karamatra crystal pleases go here: [link] *Then please click =>the MORE LINK for the => rest of this transmission => More >
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30 Jun 2007 @ 23:36, by swanny. Science
June 30, 2007
Saturday
Afternoon
Earth
Synthetic life soon....
Word is out that scientist are only a short way away from
creating synthetic life forms,
well thanks I think but
I was somewhat afraid of this but at the same time
I don't think they or we have the ability to create anything much more complex
that a simple thing and thats what worries me. trying to mimic the process of
creation and evolution without the wisdom and experience and even ability to
compute the enormous amount of variables seems a bit of a fools errand.
and even if we could .... should we? and why
we don't even seem to do a very good job with the obligations and stewardship
of a fairly simple task of not destroying the planet and each other so why think we could handle something even more difficult and onerous. Do these egg heads really want the credit for unleashing potential hell on earth or ?. Im told the way they decide such things is to guage whether the benefit would exceed the damage. it just a bit of an unknown though. would this be or is this beneficial or detrimentary. and how could you know at this stage and if we don't really know do we really want to get into experimenting on ourselves and the planet again can't we just take a break for a few thousand years and tidy up the mess we made to this point.
so id say nix to it.... no more experiments on us and the planet..... been there done that..... Moratorium this till some future occurence. Im tired of trying to pick up sciences messes... theres so darn irresponsible and short sighted sometimes.
ed More >
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 29 Jun 2007 @ 22:39, by jhs. Systems Thinking
In order to shed some light on the plethora of options to win or lose in the rat-race (or life if you want), I mapped the various combinations of the be-do-have onto the Zousel graph of polarities (see Polar Dynamics 1). The result is pictured in the graph.
Example:
+Do & -Be (doing and not-being -> faking):
if you're doing a job as a dentist but you aren't a dentist, you're a fake, an impostor
More Expansions:
doing and being -> growth (more have)
not-doing and being -> unemployed
doing and not-being -> impostor
not-doing and not-being -> bum
having and doing -> winning
having and not-doing -> idle
not-having and doing -> losing
not-having and not-doing -> ruined
being and having -> wealthy
being and not-having -> daydreaming
not-being and having -> overwhelmed
not-being and not-having -> in despair
Result of Skipping 1 State
Assuming to:
be without having - debtor
do without being - impostor
have without doing - dependent
Conditions of Skipping 2 States
Assuming to:
be without doing - unemployed
do without having - slave
have without being - thief
Conclusions:
The WINNING states are characterized by POSITIVE attitudes along the direction of the BE-DO-HAVE triangle (counter-clockwise). ALL other combinations are failing. (Note: a stagnant condition is a losing condition because of the law of entropy, in other words, to maintain a stable condition there is always a supporting energy needed).
In addition to my last entry, one could specify that just 'Positive Thinking' while ignoring the above dependencies WILL result in a failure.
Likewise, following the rules above will result in success, regardless of 'Positive Thinking' or not. It is obvious that in order to kick-start the success cycle, the assumption of the POSSIBILITY of success must be present. In this sense, and only in this sense, 'Positive Thinking' will result in a positive outcome.
For example, 'dreaming of a red Porsche' (+H&-D-->disaster) doesn't help, but hyping up a 'you can do it!' attitude DOES help (+Be & +Do-->growth/success).
Special attention is due to the results of enslavery (+Do & -Have) and being a debtor (+Be & -Have) - the former arrives directly from the latter!!!). More >
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28 Jun 2007 @ 22:28, by ming. Personal Development
Wikipedia:The Dunning-Kruger effect is the phenomenon whereby people who have little knowledge systematically think that they know more than others who have much more knowledge.
The phenomenon was demonstrated in a series of experiments performed by Justin Kruger and David Dunning, then both of Cornell University. Their results were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in December 1999.
Kruger and Dunning noted a number of previous studies which tend to suggest that in skills as diverse as reading comprehension, operating a motor vehicle, and playing chess or tennis, that "ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge" (as Charles Darwin put it). They hypothesized that with a typical skill which humans may possess in greater or lesser degree,
1. incompetent individuals tend to overestimate their own level of skill,
2. incompetent individuals fail to recognize genuine skill in others,
3. incompetent individuals fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy,
4. if they can be trained to substantially improve their own skill level, these individuals can recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack I guess I feel a little better about feeling ignorant and incompentent sometimes.
Oh, and here's a quote from a very wise man: "I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I'm not absolutely sure of anything..." -- Richard Feynman More >
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28 Jun 2007 @ 17:25, by anandavala. Liberty, Sovereignty
Before joining the conversation, please read and accept this Invitation to a Conversation.
Commonsense, Fascist Regimes and the Ego
Whilst talking about
commonsense realism and truly overcoming it, are two
very different things it is still very useful to talk about something when there is
extreme misunderstanding about it.
To give an example - talking about the dangers of smoking and actually
quitting are two very different things however if a person believed that smoking
was totally natural and normal and there was no reason to quit then first they
need to overcome that illusion before they have any chance of actually quitting
and becoming healthy. Talk can be a vital preliminary to actually doing.
So I'll clarify commonsense realism a little more by talking about
commonsense in general. Commonsense is just a blanket term for whatever
unquestioned belief system is dominant at the present time.
At various times it has been commonsense to keep slaves or to beat children
or to oppress women or to carry a sword or to wear high heels or to smoke
cigarettes. Commonsense is a collective trance that changes over time according
to its own dynamic.
Furthermore, civilisation is a communal understanding and commonsense is the
foundation of that understanding. It is a subtle dogma that maintains a regime.
See
The Gaian-Ego Hypothesis and
Collective Meditation to Counter the Collective Ego.
Every regime has its dogma which is a set of beliefs that are protected from
reason by a culture of denial. The nature of a regime is determined by the
nature of its commonsense. More >
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27 Jun 2007 @ 16:42, by skookum. Environment, Ecology
Not exactly the Red Road...but...
[link]
this pic is pretty close to what I saw More >
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 26 Jun 2007 @ 23:56, by quinty. Violence, War
My Google web crawler brought up this piece I wrote two years ago, which appeared on Bemusings on July 14, 2005. For whatever it’s worth, here’s a glmpse at the past, and through the past at the present, since nothing appears to have changed in two years. Except the mounting dead and destruction. And the opposition to the war, which has only increased over time. And will continue to increase.
How many American soldiers were dead by July 2005? Nearly 1800.
Today's statistic is 3565. ( [link] for that source.)
When it comes to Iraqis there is no way of measuring. The number, though, is enormous.
Buddy’s Bemusings then: [link]
Buddy’s Bemusings today: [link]
BACK TO JULY, 2005............... More >
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