Seeking and Finding Wholeness

I woke up many days ago and started to wonder, what would life be like if simple concepts that we take as laws never existed. One of these concepts was “ownership”.

The current human system of living is based on the concept of “ownership”.

Let’s just take a moment to examine what ownership can lead to:

Ownership of things ->

The concept of property ->

Exchange, barter and money ->

Concentrated abundance and lack ->

Wealth & security vs. lack & insecurity, rich and poor ->

Working hard, innovation, competition to own property ->

Greed, hording, over abundance ->

Living for money, in seek for security and living for money, in seek of power ->

Security & power = “more ownership” ->

Unfairness, un-equality, abuse, war, crime, injustice, lies, greed, selfishness & the control and “ownership” of the ultimate property, “people”.

In summary, the invention of the concept of “ownership” lead to the creation of the idea of “rich” and “poor”, amongst many other generally negative ideas (war, taking over property of others, greed, control).

In order for a few to become wealthy, rich, secure, powerful and owners of the most property, the concentration of property must be with the wealthy, it follows that many others must “lack” in “monetary wealth”, security, power, and ownership.

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Many native people lived in communities that shared things. They did not understand, respect or seek “profit”.

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Jesus once said:

…I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24)

The saying was a response to a young rich man who had asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life.

Jesus replied that he should 1- keep the commandments, 2- sell all his possessions, 3- give the money to the poor, 4- and then follow Jesus. The young man was unwilling to do this. Jesus then spoke this response, leaving his disciples astonished.

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I found about this cool website today. It is worth sharing with you..

The Green Routes website is an easy-to-use tool to help you find one-of-a-kind places to eat, play, shop, sleep, and learn. Use the map to find a destination, or add filters by clicking the categories above. You can also search or highlight selected routes for traveling. Enjoy!

(click to visit Green Routes)

You can explore “Journeys with first nations” and find out how you can visit a ton of “first nation” locations to learn about their food, culture, sustainable projects and history, make new friends plus much more. Here are some of the places you can tour:

Anishinaabe Culture Center and Gallery, Becker County Historical Society, Becker’s Resort, Cass Lake Chamber of Commerce and Hwy 2 Welcome Center, Cass Lake Museum and Lyle’s Logging Camp, Chippewa National Forest – Blackduck Ranger District, Dennis Banks Native Products, Eagle View Organics Farm, First Week Boutique, Forestedge Winery, Great River Pizzeria, Historic Holmes Theater, Historic Winnibigoshish General Store and Resort, Ice Cracking Lodge & Resort, Lake Country Scenic Byway, Lakes Area Farmers Market, Lakes Processing, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Fitness Center, Leech Lake Tribal College, Maplelag, Minwanjige Café, Mississippi Headwaters Hostel, Muskrat Coffee Company, Native Harvest/White Earth Land Recoverey Project, New Horizons Resort & Lodge, Northern Adventures Guide Service, Northern Lights Casino Gift Shop, Palace Casino Gift Shop, Sahkahtay Indigenous Preservation Society, Spirit of the Forest Enrichment Center, Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, White Earth Public Transit, White Earth Tribal and Community College Extension, York’s Log Cabin

Visit now: journeys.greenroutes.org

You want to explore more?   Nation-wide? .. Visit places such as:

Buffalo Lake Farm & Flea Market, Fairfax Farmers Market, Fieldstone Vineyards, Great Plains Designs, Hector Farmers’ Market, Jeffers Petroglyphs, Moonstone Farm, Morgan Creek Vineyards, Olivia Farmers Market, Putting Green, Renville County Historical Society, Renville Farmers Market, Tatanka Bluffs B&B and thousands of other eco local-tourism options!

Simple!

Find these and more here: www.greenroutes.org

Don’t buy into polluting, blind, commercialized, hyped-up, profit-centered tourism!

Find a local location worthy of your time and money, make new friends, vacation consciously, align your travel plans with your morals and values.

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Hi again!

Here are a few thoughts for you to consider today:

.

The more the old systems reveal their inadequacies the more people will believe change is needed. Every thing that happens is an opportunity. Everything is neural, if you define it as positive you get a positive effect.

NOTHING has a built-in meaning.

.

.

love,
Ethan

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I went to the Basilica Block Party yesterday. If you know me then you know I am not big on parties, concerts, loud music, etc.. I was invited to go so I went. People were much better well behaved than I expected, I think Minnesotans are generally nice and polite and this contributed to the party situation. Maybe the fact this was a Basilica party also made a difference. The music was fun, especially the Barenaked Ladies band (the Chinese Chicken song).

What I did not like was how party admission volunteer staff had everyone get rid of any food or beverages (including water). I understand that they would like people to not bring food or alcohol or even soft drinks, but water is a different story.

I felt that asking people to get rid of their water was an overreaching rule (and a wasteful one). They were filling trash container after another with bottles of water and other drinks, a huge waste.

I did not have my own water bottle with me, so I did not have to get rid of anything. But, had I had water I would have felt very uncomfortable doing that and probably would have refused.

Once I was inside the fenced, barricaded “camp” you could only buy water from a few places and each bottle was sold for $4!  A $1 bottle for $4!

I call this an abuse of power, even extortion. It also felt like an infringement on my human and constitutional rights. Further, you could buy food and beer from many vendors, water was only available at a couple places, no free (fountain) water was available.

What If I said No?

The next time I go to a party I will take my water bottle with me, and I will refuse to throw out my water. If they insist I do, I will say I need it because of health reasons. If they say “no” I will ask for FREE water inside. If they say “no”, I will write about it here again and will then consult with an attorney to see if I could take legal action.

As far as I am concerned what they did was extortion in order for me to buy water from them at their inflated prices.

You may have to wait a few years before I get to try this, since I rarely go to parties like these.

To the Basilica of Saint Mary I say, “please do not extort me again”. Just, “stop it, now”.

To you, the readers, if you had similar experiences I’d like to hear from you, please leave a comment below. If you are a representative of the Basilica I’d love to hear from you, do leave a comment below.

Thanks!

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This is my message to Arizonans,

With a spirit of love and concern, I write this letter hoping that you’d consider these viewpoints:

These ‘aliens’ are human beings equal in humanity to you.

These ‘aliens’ pay taxes, many do, yet they will never collect social security benefits.

These ‘aliens’ wash your cars, mow your lawns, pick your food in farms and even cook your food.

These ‘aliens’ get paid with pennies (so some business owner can make money or pass the savings on to you)

The problem is at the US border, not Arizona.

These ‘aliens’ come here to work because businesses hire them so they can keep costs down.

These ‘aliens’ are here only to work, they are NOT terrorists, and they work very hard. Harder than anyone should.

These ‘Latinos’ are NATIVE to this continent, they did not come from Europe

Their ancestors were here in excess of 12000 years ago, before your ancestors invaded their land and declared it your property.

Jesus himself would treat every human equally and judge them on their humanity and character not their immigration status or wealth. Jesus didn’t care what a persons nationality, immigration status was. He accepted everyone, especially the poor. These ‘aliens’ ARE poor because they don’t get paid much. We all know this.

Why don’t you act like Jesus asked you to? He talked to the poor, healed the sick, gave food to the hungry and talked with the lowest people in society. He asked you to love your neighbor, and love your enemy. It is easy to love someone that looks like you and thinks like you, but Jesus Christ asked us to love every human. If we love someone we don’t put them through misery, we don’t change the laws so they become a target of crimes.

Police are not immigration officers. Now immigrants will avoid reporting a crime, they may see you dying on the side of the road and not call in 911 because they don’t want to be deported. Crimes that they witness will go unreported. They will become the target of crimes (because they cant report a crime committed against them to the police).

Women will be sold and prostituted, individuals will be trafficked. These people fearing police (and deportation) will be abused. Now, you have stripped them from police protection against crimes.

Now, the police will not be able to use any witness who is an undocumented immigrant, this person wont even offer to testify. There is a reason why cops are not required to ask about a person’s immigration status.  Their job is to protect ALL people, discriminating on immigration status will hinder the cop’s mission.

Police officers, do you know how more difficult your jobs are about to become?

Seniors, do you think you can survive with no cheap labor?

These ‘illegal aliens’ are not illegal. Humans are not illegal. They may not have an immigration status, that does not make a PERSON illegal. If someone commits a crime, that does not make the person himself ‘illegal’.  They are not aliens either. Watch your language,  and watch the language being used to influence your opinions.

Arizona, your seniors wont be able to afford their life style if it wasn’t for these extremely hard working extremely low-paid immigrants. Instead of appreciating their hard work and sacrifice, you pay them pennies so you can live comfortably, this is the norm everywhere. Yet, you are embarking on something totally new, yet totally old. Now you are making your laws inhumane, to a degree that makes these people a target of crime and abuse.

Now, you have literally made them an outcast, unable to seek the most basic police protection. I know you are NOT trying to make the lives of these human being worse. Did you know that without police protection people get grabbed them by the neck, chained, enslaved, beaten, starved and worse?

Does this sound familiar to you? Having a sub-human race, working, for pennies, no police protection, fear around every corner? is this turning into modern day slavery? I am sure this is not your intention. But, do you know that to an outsider your law looks racist and one that is backward?

Women, do you want raped women to not report being RAPED for fear of being deported?  WHY then do you want the POLICE to intimidate immigrants by asking for their immigration status? You are keeping them from going to the police when they need help or protection.

Now, these women will not report being raped.

There is a REASON why police do not ask for immigration status, asking for immigration status hinders the police’s job of protecting people, and it promotes abuse and crime.

Do you think that undocumented humans do not deserve police protection from crimes committed against them?  Why?

I am sure that you are not wishing to commit crimes against undocumented immigrants, knowing they wont report your crime to the cops. Did you know that mentally ill individuals and power hungry individuals will abuse this law and abuse people?

If you think that the minorities or aliens will be the only ones exposed to abuse and crime as a result of this law, think again. The fact is you coexist with these people, crime against them will impact you in some way.  Think about it.

What were you thinking Arizona?

Will the police stop random vehicles to ask for passports? Stop every one, old white women, blond men, will they stop any WHITE person? If you answer yes, and if you are while, then do you have your passport on you at all times? Are you ready to sit in jail until someone can produce your birth certificate or passport to prove to your police that you are indeed a citizen?

Will the cops stop an American citizen that looks Mexican?

Does this citizen have to prove his citizenship all the time? Why? Is it ok because this citizen is BROWN?

Why should an American citizen of any race or color have to carry with them proof of their citizenship at all times? I have a better idea, how about implanting a citizenship micro ship?  How about that?  Be careful with what you wish for. You may become a police state, a dictator state.

Who duped you (into this police state) Arizona?

Arizona, you MUST treat others like you would like to be treated. What if it was you that was born on the other side of the border, and you had no food to eat or money to put cloths on your child’s naked body, what would you do?

Arizona, remember your place. Everything you have is a blessing from your god. Be thankful, be generous, be humane, be respectful, for one day god may just show you what it’s like not having what you have now, in order to see what an undocumented immigrant has to go through.

Be thankful and show respect to god’s creation and to humans, for you and the immigrant are equal in the eyes of god. Do not abuse people, do not pass laws that allow for the abuse of people.

~~~~~~~

I am a documented Immigrant, I am not white, and

I am NOT going to visit Arizona as long as they have such draconian laws and

a lack of respect for human beings

~~~~~~~

Arizona, if you are trying to scare away everyone that is not 100% WHITE,

congratulations, you’ve succeeded.

Arizona is on her way to becoming a 100% WHITE state

~~~~~~~

If you are not White-skinned (also if you sun-tan)

Avoid Arizona (or keep your passport on you at all times)

But, always

LOVE Arizona

~~~~~~~

Sometimes misinformation and fear make people do harmful things to others

I am sure Arizonan’s are not intentionally wanting to expose human beings to crime and abuse

~~~~~~~

Documented citizens, undocumented citizens, documented immigrants and undocumented immigrants,

all of humanity, and

every living being

I send you

love

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Because everybody deserves health care, here are some websites that may help you find health insurance if you don’t have it now:

1. The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)
   Co-Pay Relief Program (CPR)
   http://www.copays.org
2. Health insurance search
   http://www.ehealthinsurance.com
   
3. The Foundation for Health Coverage Education (FHCE)
   http://www.coverageforall.org
   Coverage for all through education
   
4. States with insurance pools for high-risk persons

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Greetings and salutations!

the following is a message that I feel is very worthy of sharing with those of us who are seeking wholeness, especially on this day many call “valentines day”. This message was sent out yesterday from the founder and leader of Young Living brand essential oils. if you don’t know who or what i’m talking about then here’s my quick shpeel: Young Living is passionate and serious about producing therapeutic-grade products; Gary has the strictest standards for purity, potency and safety when it comes to the essential oils that Young Living produces, and he is passionate about bringing a higher quality of life to all of the world. if you are new to ‘essential oils’, they can be considered, but are far from limited to the word aromatherapy. they are basically considered the blood of a plant/tree/fruit/flower and this blood contains enormous healing potential, and is imbued with the intelligence of nature.

I am a distributor of these oils-
i use them in a variety of ways daily, on myself, on dogs, and in my massage and healing practice, so i have stories from using the oils myself, as well as from other people over the last year and a half, since I first heard about Young Living.

i hope you have a wonderful valentine’s day! know that i love you, and care for you so very much. You are an invaluable piece of the giant Cosmic Puzzle, I will say. and that is no small thing! I mean, your ability to realize grander dreams and desires for ourselves and others, is important. Your health, happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction in life IS IMPORTANT. i think you came here to this thing we call “Life” to evolve and achieve deeper fulfillment in your own unique and perfect way. And really, right here and now, you are doing that just perfectly. You are perfect, whole and complete. You are lovely. I love you!

if you would like to get to know more about the Young Living essential oils on your own, you can click here or just get in touch with me.

peace!

~angie

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My dear friend of Minnesota’s environment and public health,

Can you take just a couple minutes to help save Minnesota lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater from the first serious threat of pollution by toxic Acid Mine Drainage from copper-nickel mines?  Here’s a quick-and-easy webform provided by our friends at Organic Consumers Association:  http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1839

TWIN-CITIES COMMENT-WRITING WORKSHOP  this Sunday:

Also, you and anyone you  know who might be interested are invited to attend this special comment-writing workshop Sunday, January 17, 1-4 PM in St. Paul.  Please refer others, even if you’re not likely to attend.  It is a private meeting for contributors to substantive public comments on the draft environmental impact statement, hosted by WaterLegacy.org.

This is a limited opportunity, with comment period set to close *February 3*, 2010. Your comments are critical to the project receiving the scrutiny it deserves. It would create toxic acid mine drainage for hundreds or thousands of years.

Register NOW. Be sure to state your topic(s) or area(s) of interest in the DEIS.
http://www.mepartnership.org/mep_calendar.asp?cal_id=3510

All levels of citizen participation are welcome. Some would just like to sign a form letter and hand it in. Some would like to pick a narrow topic and write comments in one hour, or stay for the duration and write extensive comments. We held a similar workshop in Cloquet last weekend, which was very well-attended and productive.  Many completed and either emailed or mailed their comments that day.

You will benefit by learning from other citizens, background and technical documents, information about PolyMet and the environmental review process, and tips to make your comments most effective. We can provide talking points and drafts.  We will facilitate according to your needs.

Professional input will be available and more is welcome.

NOTE:  Even if you may not feel comfortable submitting written comments on the EIS directly, your expertise would be very beneficial.

Meanwhile, you can demand that DNR provide adequate public participation in the environmental review process. Specifically, ask for 1) extension of the comment period from only 90 to at least 180 days; 2) more convenient and interactive public hearings around the state. Email: Stuart Arkley MDNR stuart.arkley@dnr.state.mn.us <mailto:stuart.arkley@dnr.state.mn.us>

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Very valuable – must watch:

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It is sad how people experience stress during the holidays, but things don’t have to be this way!

The shopping, driving, mailing out greeting cards, going to the post office, budgeting, traveling and seeing relatives. Sounds familiar?

I want to tell you now, that you can change this. You do not have to be stressed. In fact, you can be happy and make a bunch of other people happy.

You do not have to navigate crowded malls, get stuck in traffic, drive long distances, deal with airports and air travel, worry what gifts to buy, wrap gifts, mail gifts, send cards… nothing! Yes, you can simply say “no”.

Many alternatives to the commercialized, stressful, costly and polluting norms exist. Consider finding a bunch of friends that are close to your heart and locale (in your same state or region) and spend time with them.

Give people good words, give good wishes, give hugs, give love, give smiles, do good deeds, be extra relaxed, open doors for people, plant trees, etc.. The sky is the limit. You do not have to venture into these pesky malls.

You have the power to save money, save the environment, save yourself from headaches and have a greater more positive impact this season by being a better friend to yourself, to others and to nature.

Yes, YOU have to power to keep things simple. To say no. To start new traditions. To be unique.
Consider giving a donation to non profit organizations, give the Gift of Microfinance , be selfless, serve others, or make some good food and invite people to eat.

Consider spending time alone in meditation, in counting your blessings, in reflection, in prayer, in adoring Nature or a candle’s flame. Take a walk on a trail, go alone or take a loved one, if it’s cold bundle up and go out, adore the snow, adore the sky, adore the trees, spend time with your God or Nature.

Make the new years, Christmas, solstice or Yule a time to be good, truly good to yourself, to nature and to other people.

If you celebrate Christmas, this year remember that Jesus said “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” and “sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Rid yourself of materialism and stress, keep things simple, honest, spiritual; you will be happier and make others happier while saving a bunch of trees, reducing your carbon and waste footprint and feeling better than ever for having done what you KNOW is right, not what you are told is right.

Remember, you are not alone.

Blessings, Love & Wisdom

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Rather than buying gifts, packaged in boxes, wrapping them & mailing them out (think of the carbon and waste produced as a result), how about giving the gift of hope and opportunity to people via micro-finance or micro-credit?

This season, you can help others find hope and start businesses in the US or around the world with a small financial gift!

Learn more here:

• Grameen America
• Grameen Foundation
• Grameen Bank
• Enterprise Development Group
• KIVA
• Accion USA

Find more on how you can support charitable efforts

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Winona LaDuke, is an Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) enrolled member of the Mississippi Band of Anishinaabeg and is the mother of three children. Winona is the Program Director of Honor the Earth and Founding Director of White Earth Land Recovery Project.

Leading Honor the Earth she provides vision and leadership for the organization’s Regranting Program and its Strategic Initiatives.  In addition, she has worked for two decades on the land issues of the White Earth Reservation, including litigation, over land rights in the 1980’s.  In 1989, she received the Reebok Human Rights Award, with which in part she began the White Earth Land Recovery Project.

In 1994, Winona was nominated by Time Magazine as one of America’s fifty most promising leaders under forty years of age, and has also been awarded the Thomas Merton Award in 1996, the Ann Bancroft Award, Ms. Woman of the Year Award (with the Indigo Girls in 1997), the Global Green Award, and numerous other honors. A graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, she has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues.

Her books include: Last Standing Woman (fiction), All Our Relations (non-fiction), In the Sugarbush (Children’s), and The Winona LaDuke Reader.

To show respect to all of her work, I post this article about Winona LaDuke under the Best Of category.

For more information, visit: http://nativeharvest.com.

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mad as hell doctors.com - Where the rubber gloves meet the road

For those who have doubts about where doctors stand on the public option, this recent survey of doctors should help.

New England Journal of Medicine: 73% support a public option

New England Journal of Medicine article

NPR:
NPR article

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Since CNN is refusing to air this ad, I am posting it here.

Tell CNN to play this ad here

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Worth watching:

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This is a good cartoon video titled ‘Why We Need Government-Run Universal Socialized Health Insurance‘. It explains why we need a public health insurance option or some sort of a government-run health system in the US.

The video compares Health Insurance to the fire department in a very effective manner. I’d like to add that fire departments used to be private and for profit in Chicago, then came the Chicago fire. After the Chicago fire the fire department was socialized to distribute risk and lower cost.

It’s ironic that nowadays fire department remain socialized, and work very well. We all expect the fire fighters to show up at a phone’s call, yet when your own body, your own intestines, brains, or heart are on fire (i.e. sick/ill) you cannot get the attention needed, since the system is so very broken.

Enjoy the video:

Animated by Andy Lubershane. More comics at http://www.earthlycomics.blogspot.com

Text transcript of the video:

Why we need government-run universal, socialized, call it what you want, health insurance.

We all know from basic civil class, or just being alive, that a lot of essential services are already government-run, universal, socialized, whatever you wanna call it.

Think water treatment, police, fire, postal service, coast guard, all those things you know are gonna be there for you, every single day without even thinking about them. We all pay our taxes and the government uses the money to pay for the things everyone needs just to get by.

Now, health care is just as essential as any of these services. Sure, a few of us may be lucky enough to make it through our whole lives without any medical problem but the rest of us depend on health care at some point in our lives just to get by. Besides its essentialness, there’s another reason health insurance is just like those government run, universal, socialized, whatever you wanna call them services, that’s this: There are very very few people that can afford to pay on their own the cost of health care when disaster strikes and they or someone they love gets really really sick.

So, we all need insurance, which basically means when we pool our money together enough so what when anyone of us gets really really sick there’s enough money in the pool to pay for that person to get better, that’s insurance.

But, who should we choose to manage the pool of our money and give out our money to the people who need it? Well, private insurance companies are the ones that we are using right now, but there’s a problem. On average, these companies take 10 – 20 cents out of every dollar we put in the pool.

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More than three out of every four Americans feel it is important to have a “choice” between a government-run health care insurance option and private coverage, according to a public opinion poll released on Thursday.

A new study by SurveyUSA puts support for a public option at a robust 77 percent, one percentage point higher than where it stood in June.

But the numbers tell another story, as well.

Earlier in the week, after pollsters for NBC dropped the word “choice” from their question on a public option, they found that only 43 percent of the public were in favor of “creating a public health care plan administered by the federal government that would compete directly with private health insurance companies.”

Rea more at Huffington Post

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Again, we the people have spoken.

A recent CBS/ New York Times poll found that 72 percent of Americans (50 percent of Republicans and 87 percent of Democrats) support a government-sponsored health care plan to compete with private insurers.

A clear majority of Americans — 72 percent — support a government-sponsored health care plan to compete with private insurers, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. Most also think the government would do a better job than private industry at keeping down costs and believe that the government should guarantee health care for all Americans.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/19/opinion/polls/main5098517.shtml

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According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), happiness levels are highest in northern European countries.

Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands rated at the top of the list.

Outside of Europe, New Zealand and Canada also made the top 10. The U.S. did not.

The U.S. ranked the highest for child poverty and obesity among the western nations polled.

Other Very Interesting Findings include:

Adult height: Americans are not getting taller. The United States is the only country in the OECD where men and women aged 45-49 are no taller than those aged 20-24 years old, indicating no improvement in health and social conditions determining gains in height.

Health care: The United States spends the most per capita on health care, but despite their high levels of health spending the Unites States has relatively low life expectancy.

Net National Income: The United States is one of the richest countries in the OECD. In 2006, the United States had a per capita National Net Income in excess of USD 35 000. Only Luxembourg and Norway were higher.

Fertility: The United States has a much higher fertility rate than most other OECD countries of 2.1 children per mother, compared to an OECD average of 1.65.

Child poverty: Child poverty has fallen since the mid-1990s but one in five US children still live in poverty, a rate exceeded only in Poland, Mexico, and Turkey

Social protection: The United States is the fourth lowest in the OECD in terms of income shares of public social spending. However, when tax breaks for social purposes and private social spending are also considered, social spending in the United States rises above the OECD average of 28% to 31% of income.

Eating time: Americans spend around an hour and a quarter eating every day, slightly more than only Canadians and Mexicans but less than half the eating time spent by the French. Despite this limited time spent eating, their obesity rates are the highest in the OECD.

Leisure time of men and women: American men have nearly 40 minutes more leisure time than women per day.
Find the report here: http://www.oecd.org/document/24/0,3343,en_2649_34637_2671576_1_1_1_1,00.html

Let me ask you,

• Are we a nation of Me’s or a nation of We’s?
• How can one justify that it is more important to have a fetus develop into a baby and then be born than to give that new born baby and child health coverage or keep them from poverty?

We may make more money per capita in the US but we spend most of it on health insurance and other ‘fees’ – These are what I call hidden taxes.

These hidden taxes go to corporations not to benefit other citizens; they suck money up the ranks to make the rich richer, making huge profits and paying CEO’s millions of dollars that are basically denied health care reimbursements to you.. In other words, money from your pocket to theirs.

Taxes are used by governments (i.e. we the people) to benefit the population at large, these fees are simply how some corporations (after lobbying congress) dip their hands in your pockets and ’steal’ your money.

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Wont you say that the pursuit of happiness is one thing that is programed in most of us?  Not counting mentally unstable individuals, its safe to assume that we all want to be happy. The interesting thing though is how little we know about what it takes to be happy or satisfied. We often seek happiness only to create suffering.

I use the words ‘happy’ and ’satisfied’ interchangeably, the way I see it they are the same. Suffering also needs to be clarified here, suffering encompasses any of these: stress, negative emotions, misery, pain, etc.

Why is the list below so long (80+ topics)? Well, after getting a pulmonary embolism last week, a potentially lethal medical condition, I decided to write down a list of ideas and concepts that are dear to me in one post and to push them out on the Internet. This article is essentially my message to the world; I was planning on writing an article for each of (or a combination of) the topics listed below; as you will notice some article have already been written; however, who knows if I’ll live long enough or if I’ll ever have the time to write articles on all these topics.

The list below is a compilation of things I learned or developed (through thought processes), philosophies, beliefs and ideas that I consider dear to my heart and I do live by.  I do not want to take credit for any of the topics below, these were passed on to me through people, nature and other life events. I only learned them, tried to sincerely live them, and now, wrote them down. I believe that the more of these that you embrace the more satisfied and happy you will become.

Please share your tips for happiness by leaving a comment.

Message to the world, brought to you by Wholeness Blog:

1. Appreciate and delight in the smallest things and the simplest things.
2. Plan the future but don’t get obsessed about it. You can plan so much, but when something unplanned happens, then it is what it is, collect yourself and move on.
3. Many unexpected things may happen, sometimes things are what they are, sometimes they are not. Know which is which.
4. If you are faced with bad news, a bad reality, you will have to first accept it before you can deal with it. Some people go through denial and other moods, but you cannot move forward until you accept reality.
5. Take what you have and go along with it. Make the best with what you have.
6. See the positives and the lessons in everything  you experience.
7. Don’t see the obstacles and the so called ‘negative’ things, you will only pull yourself away from living a better life.
8. When you dream or plan, be free, explore all the possibilities, identify your dream as if no restrictions exist at all. Then, add the restrictions, examine which are real and which are self imposed, then create plans.
9. There is no good or bad. A few things are absolute good or bad, the rest are all in between, they are shades of gray. Even in your life, what you see as bad, may actually be good, your evaluation of something as bad is your own opinion, your own view, and your view is influenced by your mind set. (Read this on the good and bad).
10. Keep your mind OPEN to seeing the good in everything.
11. Stop and notice nature, birds, the wind, beaches, rain, smells, grass, dew drops, plant leaves, etc.. and see the beauty and life in them.. See the good in them.
12. See the good in you, all you’ve done, all you’ve overcome, the past events and challenges you lived through. Appreciate what you’ve managed to do and deal with. See how all these things made you who you are now and how they made you more mature and stronger.
13. Respect yourself. If you don’t no one will.
14. Love yourself. If you don’t no one will.
15. See the good that you have, your healthy blood, brain, eyes, ears, oh so many things that you are fortunate to have.
16. Demand respect of others, BUT give it back.
17. Treat others as you wish to be treated.
18. Make peace not war, in your mind, in your heart, with others, with nature and with everything.
19. Appreciate what you got. Do not take anything for granted. We got countless of things that should not be taken fro granted, for instance: Your house, the roads, the water, sewers, the food, the highway system, having fuel, electricity, the sun, the clean air, the money you have, your job, pets, rain, the night sky, green plants, fruits and on top of them all your health.
20. Remember, so many people are not as blessed as you are.
21. Read more…

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Here we go again with another food recall. On Tue Mar 31, 2009 a California pistachio processor issued a nationwide voluntary recall due to potential salmonella contamination.

Thus far, several illnesses have been reported by consumers that may be associated with the pistachios, the FDA said.

The pistachios are roasted and tested for quality, it is believed the cross-contamination occurred at the processing / packaging plan.

The FDA is advising consumers avoid all pistachio products

The last food recall due to salmonella contamination outbreak was with peanuts and peanut butter that has sickened more than 690 people in 46 states. The company in the news then was Peanut Corp. of America, the company behind the current outbreak is Setton.

Both Setton and Peanut Corp. of America are bulk provider of nuts to food manufacturers and wholesalers. That means that the contaminated pistachios could have ended up in a variety of processed foods, including ice cream, cookies, candies and trail mix.

I try to purchase and consume (i.e support) organic and small farm products when I can, I do not support large scale commercial factory farming and food processing.

When are we going to learn than small farms and smaller food manufacturers will provide better quality and be more socially and environmentally friendly?

News articles:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=103267

http://cancer.about.com/b/2009/04/01/fda-issues-pistachio-warning.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFoodDistribution%20&%20Convenience%20Stores/idUSN3139386420090331

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1238034318314750.xml&coll=7

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I would like to present these notions to you, do you agree with me?

Any injustice, anywhere, in the world is too much to tolerate.

Any sick person is one too many. Any hungry person is one too many.

Any hateful crime anywhere in the world is as bad as a hateful crime against me.

Any poor and helpless person on the planet, is just one minute away from being me.

Anything that I would hate on myself I hate on anyone else, if not for moral reasons then at the least because this person could have been me.

What if it was Me?

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Tomorrow, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 PM local time  is Earth Hour.

You can join in easily, all you have to do is turn off  all your lights for one hour!

Join the rest of the world and turn off your lights for 1 hour only.

Turn out.   Take action. Be part of this historic event.

You don’t really have to sign up on the Earth Hour website. This is but a small personal action to show support to our mother Earth, it can also be fun

Some of the things you could do during this hour include a romantic candle light dinner, going on a walk or meditating! ..

Find out more here:  http://www.earthhourus.org/

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Does Evil exist? This article has an excerpt from an interview with Carl Jung and he is seen clearly saying that man is the origin of evil. That is, humans are the origin of all evil.

Some very interesting questions to ask yourself after you watch this interview:

• What makes a person Evil, their thoughts or their actions?
• We can all agree that the only evil species on this planet is Humans, correct?
• Why are we evil?
• Not to diminish the badness of ‘evil’, but can we break evilness down to attributes such as selfishness and stupidity as the prime causes for evil thoughts and actions?

Many people, including Carl Jung, say that “we are the evil” on this planet..

The conclusion here is, if you fear evil then fear people.

Read more…

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In the last few hours, with unusual speed, the Vatican has condemned Obama’s Jan. 23 repeal of the ban on U.S. funding for foreign family planning aid groups who support abortion services. This rule was first enforced under Regan, then Clinton repealed it only for Bush to reinstate it, now Obama is repealing this rule again.

This rule basically says that US funds will not be given to any international organization or any non profits that support the full scale of family planning that includes abortion, this rule tells other countries how to handle their own people’s family planning and removes funding from any groups that select to support abortion. As a result most the money goes to groups that are religious or teach abstenance and the money does not go to all the rest of the mainstream and sensible groups that offer a full range of family planning but just happen to support abortions as a womans choice.

It is “the arrogance of someone who believes they are right, in signing a decree which will open the door to abortion and thus to the destruction of human life,” Archbishop Rino Fisichella was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera daily.

To you, Vatican and Archbishop I say Shame On You!

Our creed in the US is the constitution. The real arrogance is for the US to think that we have the right to tell other nations how to do their family planning based on our own religious views. We in the US have a separation between church and state. Neither you nor anyone really knows when ‘life’ starts in a human being. Under our constitution we have the right for privacy, women deserve the right to make their choice.

To you Vatican I say, stay out of our union

To those of you who advocate abstinence and are anti abortion I say please stop the hypocrisy. If you want to avoid abortions then teach family planning and improve sex education, do not go after a dream called abstinence because no one is abstinent, face reality, wake up! People who only use abstinence for family planning end up being ignorant, and ignorance leads to unwanted pregnancies. Want to reduce abortions then teach people how to use condoms and support sex education.

Further, how come you say that you care so much about “kill babies” but once these same “babies” are born you don’t care if they get health care or if they live in poverty? Shame on You!!

To Obama I say, Kudos! Thank you for restoring the power to our constitution!

Recent news article

Senior Vatican figures criticise Obama
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0126/1232923365952.html

The Vatican Slams Obama Over Abortion
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1873904,00.html

Read more…

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I don’t think that ADD is a disorder nor a disease. I know many parents may disagree with me, however I believe that I’ve done enough research to reach this conclusion.

I started a discussion thread here. Feel free to join the discussion and contribute your opinions/experiences.

I know a few that agree that ADD is not a disorder or a disease, one example that comes to mind is Thom Hartman an author on the subject of ADD/ADHD.

I strongly oppose drugging children that are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, If I had kids I won’t let them go on “medication” to treat this “disorder”.

Mood altering drugs, in my opinion, are not medications, and ADD is not a disorder, simply a personality type.

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Watch Trailer:

Watch the trailer for the documentary entitled “Oceti Sakowin: The People of the Seven Council Fires” below.

Read more…

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This is part 4 of the series of articles entitled “The People of the Seven Council Fires – Documentary Summary“. Find part one here, part two here, part three here.

This article is about Family and the new way of life the Oyate were forced into.

Relationships are very important to the Oyate. If you were an Oyate you can make new relatives, by adopting someone as a relative, as a mother, son, sister or brother.

Social structure

The social structure is one of an extended family.

The men assume the role of the protector, provider and leadership.

Women

Women maintain the household. Women are viewed as nurturers & educators.

Women educate the children until a certain age, when boys go with men mentors and women stay under the womens’ mentorship

Grandmothers are usually the educators of the young

Women owned the house and tipi

Ethnic Cleansing

The Lakota were men of peace, lived in balance with creation and addressed all creation as relatives, they were relatives with the white buffalo

The Lakota was the last of tribes to resit the US military, odds and numbers were against them and eventually they worse faced with a new way of life.

Treaties were made and broken. Land was taken. People were forced into farming, and into boarding schools that were basically functioning in a Catholic school system. Further, families broken apart and separated, men and women and children separated.

Their roles were taken away. The women could no longer teach and nurture their children who were taken away from them; the men had no buffalo to hunt and mentoring to give.

The rationale for the boarding schools was, as Carlisle founder Richard Henry Pratt often said, to “kill the Indian and save the man.” But the actual reason was economic: By taking away the children, the U.S. government was able to take away and maintain control of the Indian land base.

Alcohol & drugs came into their lives when reservations started; the buffalo was replaced by rations as part of a government ration system.

The Oral tradition ended; now Cathlic nuns taught children and provided the children protection, someone else was providing for the children.

It was against the law to be Lakota from 1880 to 1978 !!!

In the 1950’s 100% of the Lakota denied their indiannes and they did not speak in Lakota.

Read more…

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28 support poles around the sundance arbor

This is part 3 of the series of articles entitled “The People of the Seven Council Fires – Documentary Summary“. Find part one here, part two here.

This article talks about numbers. Numbers are sacred to the Oyate people.

The Number Seven

The numbers 7 and 4 are sacred thus are integrated in everything.

Seven (7) is used for social units or the structures of things
Four (4) is used in ritual
4 multiplied by 7 = 28.

The number twenty Eight (28) combines both ritual and social. The Oyate have 28 sundance lodges (or 28 support poles around the sundance arbor – sorry I’m a little confused about this particular one), 28 divisions in circle, and the months have 28 days (since they are lunar months)

The number 7 can be broken into 1, 2 and 4 , giving each of these numbers some significance.

Stay tuned for part 4 which will talk about Family

This series of articles are categories under “Religion / Atheism” and are tagged with “Ancient”.

End of part 3

Note: These articles were written in recognition and in high respect to those who inhabited these lands before me, to those who coexisted and protect the land, and to their spirituality, culture and legacy. My small contribution to bringing the truth out about what happened to the original inhabitants of North America.

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