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 11 Aug 2006 @ 05:13, by mre. Peace
Our Unity-and-Diversity Global Assembly Dialog will begin in September. By now readers of these pages will know the outline of the Global Assembly process. We will start with two or three networks, each with some 150 to 750 email addresses. The online dialog will alternate between “unity” and “diversity” rounds where in the unity rounds, all the participants together will write and rate each other's messages to select one message representing all the participants, and in the diversity rounds each network will in like fashion select its own message in parallel. The intent is to bring in more and more networks until we are truly representative of humanity, all the while debating best practices for growth and action. More >
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10 Aug 2006 @ 16:09, by swanny. Environment, Ecology
August 10, 2006
Canada
THE CHRIP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD
Ah, that is a deep, powerful and comforting memory, about my dear departed parakeet "Grassy".
You see, some six months before he passed on, I was having some troubles with the new owner of my apartment building in around the end of 2005. It was regarding my lease and pets. I feared he was going to evict my beloved companion birds or have them confiscated by trickery.
So after much heartache and despair, I secreted them some ninty miles north, to my parents place for safe keeping and there they stayed , we apart for some 2 to 3 months. I quite missed them but also I guess it was a good and needed break for me after some 5 years of constant company. I got a lot more done. Well, eventually, after the 3 month break, things quieted down and sorted themselves out and I arranged for some friends to bring them back down to me. I guess they had been well behaved under my parents keeping and care and my neice also had looked in on them too.
Well they arrived safely back to me in my friends with his girlfriends truck and as we were getting them out of the truck, Grassy, sweet grassy heard my voice after 3 months absence and let out such a cheerful sound or chirp of absolute glee and joy that even my friends were astounded.
And over and over would he chrip at the top of his lungs that I thought ? well not sure what I thought. I hadn't thought that they, animals nor birds no less were capable of "missing" some one and now the full realization dawns on me how amazing that scenario really was.
Here this bird I had never dared to touch out of respect, touched me in such a deep and profound way, with a cry as to recognize and "miss" me. A spontaneous cry of joy, of heart unbroken and with absolutely no pretense. A companions cry of love. Wow... well it was wow for me.
I hadn't realized how close we had bonded in those 5 years together. How treating a fellow creature as a person of equal rights and status formed such a deep strong yet not physical bond.
I can hear that cry now and I think it not only warms a heart but somehow brings something good to the entire world or perhaps universe akin to setting the female Angel free this year. Something innocent, spontaneous and unpretencious and unjaded happened. Something pure and true. A true ? expression?
Well anyway tis a deep marvelous mysterious and unfathomable universe aye?
Oh grassy my dear friend where ever you are, thankyou
thankyou.
Thankyou for the sheer agony and pain of your loss and this.
It could not have meant so much without it.
I guess we did finally touch then, on some distant, deep and perhaps sacred level, where few have gone before.
My my, that such a small, seemingly insignificant creature can wield such a might. Amazing simply amazing
thankyou
Sadly it is a sound I will probably never have the honor to hear again but perhaps it was eonough to have heard, once upon a time, the chrip heard round the world.
Did you hear it?
A. G. Jonas More >
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9 Aug 2006 @ 15:56, by andrasnm. Religion
This paper isn’t merely about history or religion alone. Much of the information discussed in this paper as historical fact cannot be proven or refuted. Philosophers and Religious Historians have argued about these same issues since Jesus’ time. Beginning with the publication of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, interested parties have formed two opposing camps of opinion. One camp says that Brown’s novel jut might have some historical basis or at least may be plausible. The other camp says it is impossible that Jesus could have had a wife and a child, let alone have chosen Mary Magdalene for that purpose.
Individuals who do not subscribe to either camp wonder what this dichotomy is all about. What difference does this debate matter? Would the true message and teachings of Jesus be any less meaningful if he actually had been the father of a little girl? The author of this paper belongs to this third, neutral camp. It really does not matter if Jesus was a father or a lifelong bachelor.
What matters to religious thought is whether or not we understand and follow Jesus’ message today or have we given up on the message for so long we can talk about the messenger? Which is more important to the public? This author generally does not subscribe to preaching or teaching any philosophy or creed unless he is approached and asked to do so. Most of the subjects in this paper are esoteric and near the occult. They are only stated because the author thinks the whole controversy of the Da Vinci is in danger of being hijacked by some political motive.
This author’s spiritual philosophy is older than the tenets of either Christianity or Judaism. Many of the sources of these ideas and knowledge were lost at the time of the first destruction of the Library of Alexandria. This knowledge was taught by the ancients in the mystery schools and was often handed down through generations to maintain the secrecy and avoid corrupting the Truth. Naturally, during the long period of the Dark Ages, any non-conforming ideas were considered heresy and were punishable by burning.
This author would like to ask the reader to research and question everything in this paper, but to read with an open mind. He asks that nothing be taken at face value. Question what you read here and accept it if it makes perfect sense, but only after serious contemplation.
This author does not wish to belittle, or any way hinder the importance of The Da Vinci Code. Rightfully, that book has proven to be one of the most important literary works of the decade. The Da Vinci Code raises religious consciousness and encourages people to think, to ask questions and to seek answers. There is nothing more any serious author could wish to accomplish via his work. More >
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7 Aug 2006 @ 16:30, by armos. Economics, Financing, Banking
On August, 2, 2006 has started the project of creation of Power of the Sunlight as " patrimonial place " of the Absolut-Versions of the New Civilization which can be named the Absolut-Civilization, the Civilization of Spirit, the Civilization of Harmony - Freedom - Efficiency, the Civilization of the Open Society, the Open Civilization. To members NCN, probably, it will be interesting to observe of how this process is carried out, as we to ourselves see civilization prospects that we are going to do that by 2015 results of our initiative were felt on all Planet. This article} contains the most general structure of our approach to start civilization process More >
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 6 Aug 2006 @ 02:09, by freo7. Altered States
"When GOD speaks YOU write it down and put it here! The world doesn't know YOUR VERSION if you don't tell them!"
[link]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~see a good example here~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The Changeover" Chronicled by Mark Stearn.
(4th August, 2006.)
(10 AM.)
I am experiencing many vibrational earths moving in sway with the overall tide. The crystal cities of the planet are reaching their heartbeams into the safe places where there is no discordance and anchoring the overall flow of all that is at this time. What it means is that there is a tremendous crossover to the New Earth happening as I write this. Many souls are in transition that are transported directly to the new planet. Earth's flora and fauna are far more aware now of the New Earth's presence and indeed they love and live from this expanded space. More >
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5 Aug 2006 @ 01:17, by divinityr. Spirituality
The reason I chose Divinity Rose: Because Divinity rose within me. I had spent my entire life becoming and preparing for my mission here on this planet. ( More on this later. ) Last spring, I realized the time was upon us all to slow down on becoming and BE. Our moment is here to shine as we are and rise together. The time is here to do what we came here to do. More >
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 4 Aug 2006 @ 22:56, by bkodish. Religion
First millennium manuscript, stuck open to Psalm 83, found in Irish mud. All the other pages were stuck shut.
Odd.
Check the story at CNN.com Medieval Book of Psalms Unearthed
Update: Apparently, the book was actually stuck open on Psalm 84, numbered 83 in the Latin version. Some people feel relieved More >
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4 Aug 2006 @ 15:20, by shreepal. Economics, Financing, Banking
Capitalism is bad because this society intentionally inflates human beings’ desires in a calculated manner by resorting to advertisements etc. and ensures provision of means to satisfy them. This is nothing but gearing the society to the ideal of sensual enjoyment. Enjoying sensual pleasure is not the end-destination of life on its evolutionary path. In pursuit of its avowed objective of inflating desires and satisfying them, Capitalism resorts to the economic mechanism of earning profit – generating capital -, buying human work – the priceless exertion of life on matter -, selling product of that work at a premium and again earning profit – a vicious circle. To ensure the safe and smooth play of this mechanism, Capitalism evolves capitalist democracy and market culture. In turn, it gives birth to economic exploitation, dazzling wealth and abject poverty, societal injustice and repression. There is no way to escape these inevitable and unfortunate socio-economic byproducts in Capitalism. Capitalism brings about degeneration in human beings and their culture and Mankind is bound to reject Capitalism sooner or later.
Socialism, and its refined form – Communism - , is also a bad social system. This society in order to create abundance of material comforts for its citizens resorts to social engineering wherein chains are put on its citizens’ mind’s creativity. Socialism is comparatively better than Capitalism on the count that it ensures the provision of means to meet the essential needs and legitimate desires of its citizens. But the evil part of this system is that in order to ensure economic justice it creates the dictatorship of a few people – who are almost always merely ordinary human beings in all respects and controlled by their petty desires and animal instincts – over the vast number of common people. And, this dictatorship encompasses every sphere of human activity - the most agonizing part among them being the human mind and its creativity. In order to eliminate any chance of opposition that may eventually turn into challenge to the social system, this system as of necessity can not and does not permit human mind’s free thinking lest it may have remote semblance of incongruity with the established norms. It is slavery of thoughts and mind.
There is need of a social system better than Capitalism and Socialism that may allow the freedom of thought and mind to its citizens but at the same time impose on them the discipline of the light of higher consciousness. The discipline of higher light cannot be imposed on the society by enacting laws. Such a discipline is possible only when there is a majority of those people who have accomplished the higher light in their consciousness. If there are no people in that society who have experienced higher light of consciousness and the discipline is sought to be imposed by laws and rules, then such society would be reduced to that of religious priests, fathers and mullahs. The society and the state of religious priests, fathers and mullahs is not better than Socialism; it is worse than even Capitalism.
Further reading links:
Peaceful democratic revolution More >
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 3 Aug 2006 @ 20:16, by i2i. Economics, Financing, Banking
The above topic is an expansion on Koravya's comment about the International Banking System (from the following post) open to all who are interested in following through on that issue.
More >
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3 Aug 2006 @ 18:54, by spells. Violence, War
WSWS : News & Analysis : Middle East
US-Israeli onslaught on Lebanon intensifies
By Mike Head
3 August 2006
Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author
Backed by the Bush administration, Israel has poured thousands more troops into Lebanon and escalated its aerial bombardment in its bid to crush all resistance and take control of the south of the country. With the US blocking all calls for an immediate ceasefire—to give the Israeli military more time to complete the job—Israeli leaders have openly declared that the offensive will continue for weeks.
Aided by the lack of any opposition from the UN and the European Union, the objectives set by the US and Israel from the outset of the war are being pursued methodically and with barbaric devastation. Hezbollah’s capture of two Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers has been used as a pretext to attempt to kill or drive out the population of south Lebanon and bring the entire country under its political sway.
Up to 20,000 IDF troops have invaded Lebanon on multiple fronts, backed by tanks, military bulldozers and ferocious air power. There is no indication that the offensive will necessarily stop at the Litani River, the northern border of Israel’s self-proclaimed “security zone”. IDF infantry have already crossed the river in several places, going beyond the territory that Israel occupied for 18 years from 1982 to 2000.
Throughout southern Lebanon, south Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley, the IDF is pursuing a scorched earth policy, reducing towns and villages to rubble, leaving the remaining residents—those too old or weak to escape—without water and food. Far from “surgical incursions” to dismantle Hezbollah command posts, as claimed by Israel, the operation is systematically blowing up and bulldozing houses, apartment buildings, community facilities and essential services to make whole areas uninhabitable.
Following the end of the 48-hour cessation of air strikes, Israeli war planes carried out a wave of bombings throughout Lebanon on Wednesday. Air strikes resumed in the battered outskirts of Beirut in the early hours of today. Residents heard the impact of large explosions about every five minutes starting at 2.30 a.m. as missiles hit Dahieh, a Shiite Muslim suburb that has been repeatedly shelled by Israel since fighting began three weeks ago.
Yesterday IDF commandos provocatively landed near the eastern city of Baalbeck, 100 kilometres into Lebanon and close to the Syrian border. Seizing a Hezbollah-run hospital, they captured several alleged Hezbollah militants under the cover of an Israeli bombardment that killed at least 19 civilians, including five children. Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, the IDF chief of staff, told reporters at a briefing that the raid was intended to show that Israel could strike anywhere in Lebanon.
There is open speculation in the US media that the ground war will not be limited to the south but could lead to a wider military operation if Israel decides to push toward Beirut. Brigadier General Shuki Shahar, the deputy chief of the military’s Northern Command, was quoted saying: “The farther north we can push them, the fewer Israeli citizens they can put under threat with these rockets.”
Further south, in Tyre, the mass burial planned for 90 victims of the Qana massacre and other atrocities had to be postponed because of the intensity of the Israeli missile barrage. Tens of thousands of people are streaming out of the ancient Mediterranean city. In recent days, its population had swollen to 100,000 because of the influx of refugees from villages inland. By Tuesday, only about 15,000 remained.
It is now obvious that the slaughter of innocents at Qana was part of a wider plan to terrorise and force people to flee. With the official Lebanese civilian death toll already nearing 1,000 and the number of displaced people one million—a quarter of the country’s population—Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday boasted that this was a mark of success in the war. “All the population, which is the power base of the Hezbollah in Lebanon, was displaced,” he declared.
In other words, the strategy—agreed with Washington from the start—is the systematic de-population of south Lebanon, where the three-week onslaught has only increased popular support for Hezbollah as a national resistance movement. With IDF troops meeting further fierce opposition and Hezbollah firing more rockets into Israel on Wednesday than on any previous day of the 22-day-old war, Olmert declared that the army would not stop fighting or withdraw until a “robust” international force moved into southern Lebanon on Israel’s terms.
His government is confident that this could take weeks or more because of the insistence of the US, joined by Britain and Germany, that no truce be permitted until Israel has conquered the area. A cabinet minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, said on army radio he expected the offensive to take up to two weeks. Israeli generals are publicly predicting an even longer war. Brigadier General Alon Friedman of Israel’s Northern Command said seizing control of south Lebanon could take a week, and securing it “could take from three to eight weeks, depending on the size of the area.”
Israel is intent on retaining a free hand to carry out military operations throughout Lebanon even after a peace-keeping force is put in place. Writing in Haaretz today, Israeli military analyst Ze’ev Schiff commented: “Meanwhile, there is a delicate situation emerging over the mandate of the future multinational force... The danger is that sanctions will apply to both sides. This may make it very difficult for Israel to defend itself, even if it argues self-defence.”
Whatever tactical differences exist with France over the timing and composition of the planned international “stabilisation force,” there is no disagreement over its basic function, which will be to obliterate all opposition to Lebanon being reduced to a protectorate, completely subservient to US and Israeli interests.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon was not on the agenda, and downplayed differences with France on the urgency of ending the fighting. “An immediate ceasefire is something that at this point doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Neither side is headed that way,” he told a press briefing.
The truth is that Washington is urging the Israelis to get on with the slaughter as quickly as possible, as Schiff alluded to in his Haaretz comment yesterday. A fervent advocate of the war, he complained that the Olmert government had not yet provided the US with the “military cards” it needed to ensure the permanent eradication of Hezbollah.
“US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is the figure leading the strategy of changing the situation in Lebanon, not Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or Defense Minister Amir Peretz. She has so far managed to withstand international pressure in favor of a ceasefire,” he wrote.
The Lebanese government has continued to denounce Israel’s war crimes. Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh called Tuesday for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of an international tribunal to try the Israeli officials. Speaking of Qana, Justice Minister Charles Rizk said: “Israel committed a hideous crime against children, women and elderly and [there should be] an international and independent committee to probe the crime.”
In Beirut, Lebanon’s High Relief Committee (HRC) said it had counted 828 people killed and 3,200 wounded so far. “These are identified bodies, and the toll does not count the people still believed to be under the rubble,” an HRC spokesman said. The number of displaced has reached 913,760. Economic losses caused by the destruction of the country’s infrastructure are now estimated at $4 billion.
Such is the “new Middle East” promised by the White House. The barbaric war on Lebanon, alongside the worsening bloodletting in US-occupied Iraq, are the product of a neo-colonial policy directed at suppressing all resistance to American dominance of the region’s massive oil and gas reserves and US imperialism’s wider goal of achieving unchallenged global hegemony.
See Also:
Slaughter in Lebanon enters fourth week
What way forward in the struggle against war?
[2 August 2006]
Following Qana massacre
Israel escalates Lebanon offensive with US backing
[1 August 2006]
The Qana massacre: Slaughter of innocents in Lebanon
[31 July 2006]
Rice leaves bloody footprints in Lebanon
[26 July 2006]
The real aims of the US-backed Israeli war against Lebanon
[21 July 2006] More >
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