Seeking and Finding Wholeness

why do people worship sports figures?
why do people worship celebrity?
why do people worship leaders?
why do people worship capitalism?
why do people worship the stock market?

why do people worship money?
why do people worship rich individuals?
why do people worship material items?
why do people worship vane concepts?
why do people worship figures?

.

why do people worship idols?

why do people even care

about

these

?

.
.

leave a comment with your response

Why do people think that eating breakfast means eating cereal?

leave a comment with your answer.

I constantly find myself seeing things differently than people I am with. Cultural norms that people accept as divine laws to live by amaze me every single day. I remember asking “but why” as far back as my memory goes. I probably asked “why” as a baby before I could even talk.

I’d see people do a certain thing, say certain things,  or react in certain ways, then I’d ask myself “why”? I asked why because the actions did not seem positive, or seemed lacking in judgment, logic, or respect. Asking “why” meant that something did not make sense to me.

If I verbalized my questions I usually heard unsatisfying answer, most of the time  the answers went like this: “because that is the culture”, or “because it’s in the bible”, or (this may be my favorite one) “because this is what people do”. Some may call you “weird” for questioning “what people do”. Years went by, my questions never got an answer.

Today, I have much more insight into human reasoning and behavior, coupled with love and understanding. Thanks to hypnosis, varied life experiences and guidance, I understand why people do things better.

Understanding something doesn’t mean I agree with it though. It also doesn’t mean I stopped asking “why”. I continue to ask “why” now purely from sheer amazement.

One simple, yet very common example that I came across recently was being at a party, with alcoholic beverages, and seeing a gal tell her friend “have another drink.”  When the friend indicated a “no”, the gal insisted and asked again trying to be more persuasive.

This made me shake my head in disagreement, I probably gave the persons a shocked look as well. I hide my opinions less than I used to do as a kid, some people don’t like that. I don’t care.

Replace the alcoholic beverage seen here with food, fashion, cars, work, computer games, opinions, actions, pretty much anything that a person (a groups, an institution, organization etc) may ask you to do (or think) because they think “it is cool”, or because “it is the way people do things.”

Now, if you take a moment to think about this, you may start notice how common this example is.

If your friend was a true friend, she/he would RESPECT your wishes and opinions. When you say “no” to any idea, a “real friend” would immediately respect your “no”, they will smile and move on to another issue out of sheer respect for you. It’s true that your friend my have the idea that drinking more means “you are having more fun”, she/he may want to see you have more fun based on their understanding of “having fun”, but if you said “no”, for whatever reason then a “no” is a “no”.

You do not need persuasion, you do not need someone to tell you how to have fun. YOU are the one having fun, you decide what fun is to you.

When your gut feeling, desires, or simple leanings go in one direction, if you are happy doing a certain thing, and are then faced with a friend (or anyone for that matter) telling you that this is “not how people have fun”, be bold and say “No.”,

“This is how I have fun.” “This is how I enjoy life”.

Read more…

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Was is worth it?

By Mahatma Gandhi

Is it Worth it?

.

Hint: the answer is “No”

This article was written on June 1st.

I am currently studying QiGong, which is the chinese are of manipulating life energy and using it for healing. Many so called miraculous stories surround the use of life force, prana, Qi, Chee from healing the body and mind to fasting for many days.

I don’t have much experience with complete fasting (i.e. not drinking or eating anything) for many hours or days. I have tried partial fasts (i.e. eating one item and drinking water only) on a few occasions but these partial fasts never lasted more than 8 hours.

Over the last couple months, on multiple occasions, I’ve come across the mention of multi-day fasting practiced by yogis, QiGong masters and Native Americans during Sun-dancing.

On my most recent QiGong class, a couple days ago, the teacher talked about fasting and how one could breath through the skin or feed on light. He did not go into details since this teaching is for a more advanced class than the one I am attending. I was quite surprised that he mentioned this, since the idea of fasting has been on my mind. I’ve had a gut feeling/urge or feeling that I should fast for quite some time now.

This was the last mention of fasting I needed to hear, I am now intrigued enough that I am planning on fasting. I will start slow and easy and see where this will take me.

A couple weeks ago I came across a few videos on Youtube of an Indian man who claimed to have not eaten or drank anything for decades. His name is Prahlad Jani Mataji.

I will gather more info on this man and write another article soon. I will also update you on my fasting experiments.

It is worth remembering that our galaxy alone has billions of Earth-like planets, and these earths are “[not only] probably habitable but they probably are also going to be inhabited”

.

Galaxy has ‘billions of Earths’

There could be one hundred billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy, a US conference has heard.

Dr Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Science said many of these worlds could be inhabited by simple lifeforms.

He was speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago.

So far, telescopes have been able to detect just over 300 planets outside our Solar System.

But, based on the limited numbers of planets found so far, Dr Boss has estimated that each Sun-like star has on average one “Earth-like” planet.

This simple calculation means there would be huge numbers capable of supporting life.

“Not only are they probably habitable but they probably are also going to be inhabited,” Dr Boss told BBC News. “But I think that most likely the nearby ‘Earths’ are going to be inhabited with things which are perhaps more common to what Earth was like three or four billion years ago.” That means bacterial lifeforms.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7891132.stm

The caption below was written in November 2004.

Other Earths

So, after having compiled a bestiary of exotic planets, many the size of Jupiter and locked in a deadly embrace with their star, what are the chances of the planet-hunters identifying rather smaller, sedate rocks upon which life might actually get the chance to evolve? It’s not as if these planets are likely to exist in minute numbers: current estimates [Using the Drake Equation] border on there being 30 billion terrestrial planets in our Galaxy alone [this is an article from 2002]. The odds of finding such planets lengthen a lot when one considers that these planets would have longer years and cause much smaller wobbles in their star’s position.

The odds shorten again the longer we look for these planets. Hot Jupiters tend to get found simply because the radial velocity method is most sensitive to their kind. It’s only now that smaller planets are being found, although none of them are likely to harbour life. Adopt a different method of detection, and we might start to see terrestrial planets, instead of inferring their presence.

This is precisely what the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) telescope is designed to do. This instrument comprises four space-based telescopes flying in formation. Their light is combined in such a way as to vastly increase resolution. One of the indicators that TPF will be looking for is the presence of elemental oxygen in a planet’s atmosphere. All oxygen in our atmosphere is there because of photosynthetic organisms: plants and cyanobacteria. Oxygen is therefore a key signature of life⁶.

TPF is not due to fly until 2015 at the earliest. In the meantime, Earth-based telescopes will get bigger and better, and astronomers will be able to observe for longer wobbles than they currently can. Even if we can’t see the little green men yet, we’ll have a much better idea of where they might live.

Source: H2G2 extrasolar planet hunting

Read more…

This documentary is very much worth watching. It shows the potential power of the human mind that we ALL posses. As you watch this, I ask you to consider this question: “what is normal?”

Enjoy!

Intro: This is the breathtaking story of Daniel Tammet. A twenty-something with extraordinary mental abilities, Daniel is one of the world’s few savants. He can do calculations to 100 decimal places in his head, and learn a language in a week. This documentary follows Daniel as he travels to America to meet the scientists who are convinced he may hold the key to unlocking similar abilities in everyone. He also meets the world’s most famous savant, the man who inspired Dustin Hoffman’s character in the Oscar winning film ‘Rain Man’. (2005)

PS. Mr. Tammet is not a boy as the title of this video implies, he is a genius and a very bright man.

It would be helpful to define the problem before implementing the solution.

-Dr. Garbonzo Chizenheim

This is true in any situation, be it a relationship, a dis-ease, car problem, computer issue, an obstacle to progress, inventions, technology, energy generation, space travel, oil spills … literally anything!

Even once a problem has been defined, it is a good idea to go back and redefining it periodically in order to continually find progress. Nothing is constant but change itself, problems always change so do circumstances.

I often find people (including doctors, politicians, teachers, etc..) working to fix (or fight) a problem that was “incorrectly defined” or one that is a “ghost” because it existed at some point but no longer does.

Remember: Many times the problem you are tackling may be someone else’s definition, thus it is not “your” problem.

Got a problem?

Then, define it as clearly as possible.

Once done,

if the problem still exists,

and if you’ve defined it correctly,

your problem now is

a

progress opportunity

I recently said this to a friend and thought it was worth sharing right here:

The meaning you give to anything determines the experience you get from it

Indeed

This article about a NASA technology utilizing LED lights to help plants grow in space and humans to heal on Earth. Results are remarkable in healing wounds, this device is small, light weight and doesn’t consume much battery power due to the use of energy efficient LED.  The light seems to be “increasing energy inside cells“. It was found that “skin and muscle cells grown in cultures and exposed to the LED infrared light grow 150 to 200 percent faster than ground control cultures not stimulated by the light”

This is an AMAZING article, about a technology, tested and proven to heal people. Definitely a main-stream project, including laboratory and human trials, approved by the U.S. FDA and funded by a NASA Small Business Innovation Research contract.

This article is from the year 2000,  yet I don’t see main stream doctors and hospitals using this color therapy technology to heal wounds people today, how come this device or similar ones are not being sold in stores?

The article mentions that Dr. Whelan’s findings will be summarized in upcoming issues of Space Technology and Applications International Forum 2001 and in The Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery.

I have more questions:

Was this study mentioned in these journals? Would the FDA approve a device like this to be sold to the public? What would the AMA think of this device?

If you have read about this study somewhere else or have further info please leave a comment. Thanks!

Title: NASA Space Technology Shines Light on Healing

Doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have discovered the healing power of light with the help of technology developed for NASA’s Space Shuttle. Using powerful light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, originally designed for commercial plant growth research in space, scientists have found a way to help patients here on Earth.

Doctors are examining how this special lighting technology helps hard-to-heal wounds, such as diabetic skin ulcers, serious burns, and severe oral sores caused by chemotherapy and radiation. The project includes laboratory and human trials, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and funded by a NASA Small Business Innovation Research contract through the Technology Transfer Department at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

“So far, what we’ve seen in patients and what we’ve seen in laboratory cell cultures, all point to one conclusion,” said Dr. Harry Whelan, professor of pediatric neurology and director of hyperbaric medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “The near-infrared light emitted by these LEDs seems to be perfect for increasing energy inside cells. This means whether you’re on Earth in a hospital, working in a submarine under the sea or on your way to Mars inside a spaceship, the LEDs boost energy to the cells and accelerate healing.”

Dr. Whelan’s findings will be summarized in upcoming issues of Space Technology and Applications International Forum 2001 and in The Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery. Other related peer-reviewed journals have published articles on Whelan’s medical research with light-emitting diodes.

Dr. Whelan’s NASA-funded research has already seen remarkable results using the light-emitting diodes to promote healing of painful mouth ulcers caused by cancer therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy. The treatment is quick and painless.

Read more…

To love is to recognize yourself in another. The others “otherness” then stands revealed as an illusion pertaining to the purely human realm, the realm of form. The longing for love that is in every child is the longing to be recognized, not on the level of form, but on the level of Being.

When another recognizes you, that recognition draws the dimension of Being more fully into this world through both of you. That is Love that redeems the world.

Love is the recognition of oneness in the world of duality.

By: Unknown

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you … See More spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, It is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

Peace …comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the Universe and all its powers, and when they realize that…the center of the Universe… is really everywhere, it is within each of us.

—Black Elk, Oglala Lakota, 1947

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

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

A series of news stories were published based upon a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD), that showed that the United States spent the most on healthcare, yet was not doing well when compared to other wealthy nations in several key areas of health measurements.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development issued a report on December 8, 2009 called the “OECD Health Data 2009: Statistics and Indicators for 30 Countries” which included a detailed study on the US healthcare system. The portion of the report specific to the US called, “OECD Health Data 2009, How Does the United States Compare”, has with it some telling statistics about the US healthcare system and the results we get for the money spent.

Some of the interesting facts uncovered by the report are the following:

The United States ranks far ahead of other OECD countries in terms of total health spending per capita, with spending of $7,290 . That represents almost two-and-a-half times greater than the other nations average of $2,964 in 2007. The next closest nation is Norway which follows, with spending of $4,763 per capita, followed by Switzerland with spending of $4,417 per capita.

The US spends 16% of its Gross Domestic Product on healthcare, compared with France, Switzerland and Germany, which allocated 11.0%, 10.8% and 10.4% of their GDP to health respectively.

The US pays a smaller portion of the health care bill from public funding than other nations. Only 45% of healthcare expenses are paid by public funds which is a much smaller amount compared to an average of 73% for other OECD nations.

Infant mortality in the US is at 6.7 deaths per 1,000 live births which is well above the average of 3.9 per 1,000 live births.

Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 78.1 years in 2007 which is a year less than the OECD average of 79.1, and puts the U.S. just ahead of the Czech Republic, Poland and Mexico. Norway and Switzerland have a 2 to 4 year longer life expectancy over the US.

The study also noted that drug spending has increased everywhere with the US leading the way. According to the report, per capita spending on pharmaceuticals rose by almost 50 percent over the last 10 years in OECD countries, reaching a total of $650 billion in 2007. The U.S. was the world’s biggest spender on pharmaceuticals, spending $878 per person, with Canada next at $691 per person and the OECD average at $461.

During your day, periodically bring your attention back to yourself. Bring your awareness from wherever it is, from the ether, from the computer, from other people; wrap it up and bring it all back in, as if you are calling the troops home. Call your energy and your attention from everywhere it’s at back into you. Regroup your thoughts, breath deeply, calm and be present inside yourself.

If you do this you will be aware, present & most importantly alive.

Ask yourself what do you need right now:

Do you need to breath deeply?
Do you need close your eyes?
Do you need to drink water?
Do you need to eat?
Do you need stretch?
Do you need to use the bathroom?
Do you need to relax and take a break?
Do you need to plan something?
Do you need to stop?
Do you need look away into the distance from whatever you are doing?
Do you need to stop eating that snack?
Do you need to go on a walk?
Do you need fresh air?
Do you need a nap (to sleep)?
etc …

Now that you’ve asked, will you give yourself what it needs?

The lesson here is to check in with yourself from time to time, listen to the most important person (YOU).

This sounds simple, doesn’t it?

It is, but sometimes when we are at work, studying or working a project and too busy with life, paying attention to others, we forget to pay attention to ourselves.

So,

from time to time,

Ask yourself

“What do I need now?”

&

you will be more present in the now and more alive

Ethan Z

My TV broke 3 weeks ago. Since, I’ve had much more time for quietness and for reading. I am getting more stuff done and am flipping books like a lean mean reading machine. I do watch movies or certain TV episodes online on websites that offer streaming, flash and divx movies. But I can easily now read more, which is good since I am currently studying for the GMAT test, reading the book “Relearning to See”, taking a hypnosis class. Not to mention my day job. Life is busy, I am glad the TV doesn’t work!

Consider these famous quotes on courage:

Courage, an optimistic attitude, common sense, and a feeling of being at home upon the crust of the earth, will enable (us) to face advantages and disadvantages with equal firmness.

–Alfred Adler

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.
~Ambrose Redmoon

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.
~Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
~Winston Churchill

Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.
~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Fear and courage are brothers.
~Proverb

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.
~Raymond Lindquist

Courage is knowing what not to fear.
~Plato

Courage is a kind of salvation.
~Plato

Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.
~Robert Cody

I’ve been reading the book: Molecules Of Emotion by Candace Pert. I have a chapter left to go, and I am very eager to read it.

I have to say, the more you read the better this book gets. The first half is more of a biography, and is a very good foundation for the later parts of the book, it also gives you an insight into the life of a scientists in the lab. The last few chapters have a different taste and are loaded with information, names and useful references.

If you are interested in researching holistic and complementary health topics or the body-mind connection, the later half of this book is a very good starting point.

Find it on Amazon and read users reviews (rated by 118 readers – got 4starts/5 avg rating as of the date of this article)

Have you ever day dreamed about not owning a house, not having to pay rent or mortgage or the never ending utility bills? How about living in the jungle or in a small cabin on some serene hill? Have you ever wished you could climb a mountain, finding a cave and converting it into your residence?

How would you like a small tent or a tipi (tepee) as a place to sleep and rest while having the whole wide world and nature as your real home? ….. Have you ever imagined that?

Have you ever wondered how you would fair without modern life amenities such as electricity, hot water, the internet, personal automotive vehicles or huge grocery stores?

Have you wondered why? Why you live in a city, why you have to work and why we use money?

Have you imagined different systems of living than the ones we live in and rely on nowadays? What would it be like to un-institutionalize yourself from all these systems?

Are homeless people homeless for the same reasons? Is it a life choice? Is it your right to make that choice?

Watch this video about Michael, a homeless person living in the hills around Fairfax, California. It has him talk about his experience, why he is homeless, what it is like to be homeless in Fairfax.

In this interview, Michael says “its my choice to be here right now, i wouldn’t trade [this for anything else]“. He also says that living in nature is a “really healing thing”.

If the video above is not working try watching the interview here:  http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-258613 Make sure you read the comments under the video as well.

I’ve been hearing suicide mentioned often in the news recently so I thought I grab a few recent news articles and compile them here.

Suicide Headlines:

Missing soldier from Fairfield commits suicide in Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ — An AWOL soldier committed suicide in a car parked at an ocean overlook on Friday afternoon, three days after he was reported missing from Fort Carson in Colorado.

U.S. Army officials had issued alerts asking for the public’s help in finding Pfc. Roy Brooks Mason Jr., a decorated Iraq War veteran whose hometown is Fairfield, but had no luck finding the 28-year-old.

“We knew that he was missing and we were looking for him,” said Fort Carson spokeswoman Brandy Gill. “We were concerned for him.”

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_12432747
Post sees second suicide in 2 weeks
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday that a Fort Campbell soldier committed suicide Monday night on Dean Road, the second suspected suicide this month by a soldier.

MCSO spokesman Ted Denny did not identify the soldier, saying MCSO policy prohibits release of details about suicides. Fort Campbell said the cause of the soldier’s death is under investigation.

According to 911 records, a call was made just before 8:40 p.m. Monday night to dispatchers indicating a suicide in the 600 block of Dean Road.

Source: http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20090522/NEWS01/905220344

Triple killing a double murder-suicide
Authorities: Man killed wife and son before turning gun on himself

Neighbors in The Cedars neighborhood describe Billy and Jolyne Hardy as the typical all-American family.

Billy worked two jobs to provide for his wife and 3-year-old son, and Jolyne, who also held a full-time job, often was seen outside playing with the child, Bryce, and working in the yard.

“Anyone who knows Billy can tell you he was a hard worker and he loved his family,” said Reginald Autrey, neighbor and close friend of the couple. “They were nice people and always have been.”

Source: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090506/NEWS03/905060325/1002/NEWS

Dad sent a suicide text before killing his family
Adrian Dunne sent a suicide note via text message before killing his wife, two young daughters and then himself.

The misspelled message told exactly what was going to happen. “Ciara and Aidran are so very sorry. We nott going to Livepol. Instad we pick heaven. Please forgive”. (sic)

Read more…

Carl Gustav Jung was a famous Swiss psychiatrist, a student of Freud & the founder analytic psychology. I find some of his words very interesting and worth thinking about. This is one of the quotes I like:

I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become

This one is so true.

How will our world change if women were to rule?

I read an article titled “Woman, Be Silent” by Teresa Silverthorn a few weeks ago. The article started by mentioning a legend about the first civilization of humanity, where women held the authoritative power over the male community, and were created solely for supervisory reasons. Then the men took over the power of the community using trickery.

The article continues on, here are some excerpts:

Today. Our daughters are dressed in push-up bras, slinky clothing, with low self-esteem. They are used by the media to sell. They are used by the media to provoke.

They are used, and remain silent. They are exploited, and remain silent, thinking this is their only way to survive. They were taught this by their mothers, who barely survived. But, did so, by remaining silent.

I have seen how women sometimes hurt themselves indirectly when they force their daughters to abide by cultural expectations and by how they raise their male children. They are not to blame though, women around the globe have power because they raise tomorrow’s generation, but they are restricted in their ability to change the generations; they are bound by pre-established systems that they live in and depend on.

The restrictions that women face stem from the way in which the current systems of life are set up, we can call these systems the systems of living; what I mean is that the current laws, cultures and expectations of women all depend on the systems of living.

People live up to what is asked of them, many personalities are shaped by the cultures they are exposed to, individuals rise or sink due to these systems of living. The way people see themselves depends to a large extent on the systems of living they find themselves in. The same is true with women. Even an essential question like ‘what it means to be a woman’ in its entirety is determined by that woman’s interactions with the systems of living.

Read more…

Are you under the impression that usable and reliable electric vehicles do not exist? Are you waiting for the major auto makers to produce electric vehicles or to see these electric cars on TV ads? Do you think the Chevy Volt is your only choice and are chocked by the price tag? Do you think that your only choice when it comes to driving an electric car is to make one yourself using a conversion kit?

If you are any of these, I have good news for you.

We live in a world where a few brave minds have took it upon themselves to do what the major auto makers couldn’t (ehm.. I meant, wouldn’t), namely to build 100% reliable electric vehicles.

I am not talking about converted vehicles; you know, these regular cars that people convert to electric vehicles, I am also not talking about the do-it-yourself conversion kits.. Noo, real, street worthy, 100% electric cars do exist today and are probably available for sale near you.

Whether you live in the US, in Europe or in Asia, electric car are being produced now and you could purchase one, without paying $40,000 or more.

In my opinion, the newer generations of electric cars is a good match for the current generation of fluid fuel (gas, diesel, ethanol, hybrid) powered cars. The development is fast and furious.

While the best battery technology remains patented and shelved rather than used in street cars, there exists sufficient enough batteries to enable workable EVs. You can read an article I wrote on a recent advancement in battery technology here . Lio-Ion batteries are common choices in today’s EVs; with a variety of powerful electric motors these electric cars have amazing acceleration and reliability. They also cost much less to maintain.

What is even more impressive is that these EVs are finally catching up to liquid fuel vehicles (hybrids, gas, ethanol etc vehicles) when it comes to range.

The reason I am writing this article is to share with you a collection of links to Electric Vechicle companies. The list below contains links to (American, European and Asian) car manufacturers that build neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV), electric highway cars, electric trucks, electric buses, electric 2 wheelers and 3 wheelers, and electric sports cars. These are not prototype cars but are actual usable ones.

If I missed any manufacturer (i.e. a car company) please leave a comment with a link.

• http://en.think.no/
• http://evolution.loremo.com/
• http://www.acpropulsion.com/ebox/
• http://www.aerorider.com/
• http://www.ariana-ev.com/
• http://www.attrd.com/rnd/parade_main.htm
• http://www.blueskydsn.com/
• http://www.byd.com/
• http://www.cityel.de/
• http://www.cleanova.com/
• http://www.commutercars.com/
• http://www.cree.ch/
• http://www.dilixi.com/
• http://www.e-ride.com/
• http://www.ececars.nl/
• http://www.elbilnorge.no/
• http://www.electrovaya.com/
• http://www.flybo.cn/
• http://www.flytheroad.com/
• http://www.futurevehicles.co.uk (Website no longer accessible)
• http://www.getkurrent.com/
• http://www.go-one.de/
• http://www.greenvehicles.com/
• http://www.hec.w4r.nl/
• http://www.hybridtechnologies.com/
• http://www.innovech.net/ Chinese car (Website no longer accessible)
• http://www.itiselectric.com/
• http://www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk/
• http://www.maranello4cycle.com/
• http://www.micro-vett.it/english/doblom1ing.html
• http://www.milesev.com/
• http://www.mindset.ch/
• http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/special/ev/ Mitsubishi i MiEV
• http://www.myersmotors.com/
• http://www.nicecarcompany.co.uk/
• http://www.obvio.ind.br/obviona/828.htm
• http://www.optimalenergy.co.za/
• http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/
• http://www.quicc.eu/index.php?pid=10
• http://www.revaindia.com/
• http://www.silenceinc.ca/accueilEN.htm
• http://www.smart.com/
• http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com/
• http://www.sonimileotor.com (Website no longer accessible)
• http://www.sunmotor.us/Company_Products.html
• http://www.teslamotors.com/
• http://www.theaircar.com/
• http://www.think.no/
• http://www.treffpunktzukunft.com/
• http://www.twike.com/
• http://www.universalelectricvehicle.com  the Spyder (Website no longer accessible)
• http://www.vantagevehicle.com/
• http://www.venturifetish.fr/
• http://www.wrightspeed.com/
• http://www.zapworld.com/
• http://www.zenncars.com/

I always try to see the positive side of things; it’s a habit of mine. I always tell people that there is ‘A’ positive in every thing, even in the seemingly negative. Pick any event in life and I can argue that it was neither good nor bad, and that it has positive aspects. Some people get offended when I say this; I am not trying to offend you here, but if you are, please keep on reading and let me know if you still feel the same when you’re done.

I often tell people there is something to learn and a chance to grow in every life event even horrible events. Now I am getting the chance to live what I preach in more serious ways than I had expected to. What you might find weird is that I find myself excited about this opportunity, to live what I preach, to see how I will react, how well I will utilize this opportunity to improve my life and to hopefully be an example to the few of you who don’t agree with me.

The badness of bad things, the goodness of good things, and the goodness of bad things, your memories of them and your future, all, depend on your view (attitude and mind set).

In a previous post titled ‘I Could Have Died’ (click here to read it), I explained a recent health situation I had to deal with. I was diagnosed with a blood clot in the lung; things could have ended much worse than they did. I walked away from this alive and (lightly) kicking, with a lot of positive emotions.

I write this at the risk of shocking some, but the truth is I don’t think of this recent situation as a ‘bad’ event, because I know how lucky I was, I could have died and I didn’t, and that’s lucky. I am not labeling it as a ‘good’ event either, whether it is good or bad is something for history to judge based on the outcome, by how my present and future are shaped or changed. What this event really was, is an ‘opportunity’.

There were many elements that made up this event, some more positive than others, some were arguably negative. This does not make the health scare (i.e event) negative or bad.

See, when a person labels something as ‘bad’, so many ‘negative’ things (emotions, memories and future events) are bound to be influenced and changed.  Bad and good are nothing but labels that we apply to otherwise, well, label-free, not good nor bad, events.

This reminds me of what Jesus once said. In Matthew 7:16-17 He said “You will know them by their fruits.” Just as Jesus asked men to judge other men according to their fruits (actions and outcomes) I ask that you judge your events by their fruits.

One should not label an event, but rather judge their outcomes. Outcomes happen in the future; thus one must only judge an event in the future to have an honest judgment otherwise she would be predicting, not judging. As we all know, most predictions are self-fulfilling.

Labeling an event before waiting to see the outcome is pre-judging, it predetermines to a degree the outcome. Thus, if you judge an event as bad, you are actually making it produce bad outcomes.

Since I don’t want to pre-judge this event by labeling it, how then would I describe the event? Let’s look at the facts:

• It was unforeseen.
• It was concerning, sometimes scary.
• It was challenging.
• It was a serious medical event.
• It was not as bad as it could have been.
• It is inconvenient.

Read more…

I am proposing renaming Christmas and calling it Shopathon because that is all what people do in preparation for xmas, they shop. Everybody agrees that Christmas has been highly commercialized in the U.S. Many say that it has lost its true meaning of celebrating Jesus’ birthday. I agree than Christmas has lost its meaning, the lost meaning is what I will debate here.

Christmas in the US and most the western Christian tradition does not fall on the correct date of Jesus’ birthday, so what are WE really celebrating? Are we celebrating a lie?

The fact is, no one knows for sure when Jesus was born. So where did Christmas come from? It is believed Jesus was born in the Spring, then why is Christmas in the Winter season?

Winter Celebrations

Why then does Christmas fall on Dec 25? Well, when Christianity spread in lands that practiced paganism, naturally pagan practices and traditions were not appreciated by christian leaders. Winter celebrations were major traditions that pagans would not abandon. They had to be re-named and adopted by the, then new religion, Christianity.

Winter Solstice falls on Dec 25th and was one major pagan holiday celebration.

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means “the birthday of the unconquered Sun.” The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian; and Mithras, a soldiers’ god of Persian origin. Emperor Elagabalus introduced the festival, and it reached the height of its popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an empire-wide holiday. This day had held no significance in the Roman festive calendar until it was introduced in the third century.

The festival was placed on the date of the solstice because this was on this day that the Sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be “unconquered.” Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus. “O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born

From Wikipedia

You are probably seeing where this is going now. Rather than abolish these traditions they were allowed to remain only after re-purposing and re-branding them into a Christian tradition.

Winter festivals were common in ancient times due to less agricultural work, expectations of better weather in the summer and the celebration of the rebirth of the sun as the sun lasted longer in the sky (a countdown to summer).

The Roman Pagans

Roman pagans celebrated the holiday of Saturnalia. This was a week-long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the week-long celebration. This holiday featured some ‘bad’ behavior to say the least like drinking to get drunk, sexual indulgence, singing naked in the streets (later morphing into the modern caroling).

In what seems to be even more horrible, each Roman community selected a victim. This person was forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. On December 25th (the festival’s last day), this person was brutally murdered. Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by doing so.

Saturnalia festival was a major festival that pagans would not abandon. In order to convert pagans to Christianity it was decided to adopt the Sturnalia festival. As a result a large numbers of pagans became Christian after being promised to be allowed to continue celebrating the Saturnalia festival.

Since there was no significance to that date of the year, Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, December 25th, to be Jesus’ birthday replacing the original festival’s concluding day

The Scandinavian Pagans

Pagan Scandinavians celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period. As Northern Europe was the last part to Christianize, its pagan traditions had a major influence on Christmas. Scandinavians still call Christmas Jul. In English, the word Yule is synonymous with Christmas.

You see? We are not celebrating the real Christmas (Jesus’ b’day) on Dec 25.

Winter Festivals were very common! Here are but a few examples:

Brazilians

Brazilian archeologists have found an assembly of 127 granite blocks arranged equidistant from each other. They apparently form an ancient astronomical observatory. One of the stones marked the position of the sun at the time of the winter solstice and were probably used in religious rituals.

Egyptians

The god-man/savior Osiris died and was entombed on DEC-21. “At midnight, the priests emerged from an inner shrine crying ‘The Virgin has brought forth! The light is waxing” and showing the image of a baby to the worshipers.”

Greek

The winter solstice ritual was called Lenaea, the Festival of the Wild Women. In very ancient times, a man representing the harvest god Dionysos was torn to pieces and eaten by a gang of women on this day. Later in the ritual, Dionysos would be reborn as a baby. By classical times, the human sacrifice had been replaced by the killing of a goat. The women’s role had changed to that of funeral mourners and observers of the birth.

Read more…

Have you ever realized that every person is annoying to someone? You may have many people that love the dirt that you walk on and hold you in high regard, but it also follows that there are people out there that find you annoying, and thus dislike you.

To all of you who loose sleep over being popular or being liked by others, I say Quit It!  Just be who you are because there is no point in trying to be liked by everyone, it is simply impossible.

Rather than living your life trying to be liked by others how about stopping for a sec to ask yourself if YOU like yourself? Are you annoyed by who you are, who you’ve become, who others want you to be?

Yes you are annoying to others, and there is nothing you can do to change that. As long as you are not annoying to people that you deeply care for / live with you and as long as you are not harming others, you should be just fine

Ultimately, as long as you are happy with who you are, that is all that matters. You get closer to being whole when you are well and when you are aware of and understand who you are. With this awareness you also see how seeking others’ approval and admiration is absolutely a waste of energy and time and is not the way to live your life.

not in wf