Senator Bunning’s Universe     By PAUL KRUGMAN

An article that is well worth reading. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/05/opinion/05krugman.html?em

"...What I want to focus on right now, however, is the incredible gap that has opened up between the parties. Today, Democrats and Republicans live in different universes, both intellectually and morally..." Krugman

As Stuart Heller wrote:

We begin where we will end,
in the flow of life and events.

However, in this moment,
am I headed where I want to go?

These spectacular images of the Earth are the most true-colour images of the entire world released to date, according to Nasa scientists.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8547114.stm

I subscribe (through iTunes) to podcasts of CBC Radio's "Ideas" discussion show. On Jan 4, 2010, they had Sue Johnson (therapist and author) as a guest discussing attachment, love, relationships, etc. It is a terrific discussion.

You can listen to this one by subscribing to the podcast through CBC Radio at http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/podcast.html

I also strongly recommend these Ideas shows from 2009:

December 7 - Flesh & Stone: The Sociology of Richard Sennett, Part 1
December 14 - Flesh & Stone: The Sociology of Richard Sennett, Part 2

February 22 - The Art Instinct

Enjoy!

My brother died suddenly and unexpectedly a couple of days ago.

I would appreciate prayers and good thoughts for him and his family, from those who do that sort of thing.

thanks!

I am just sitting quietly with it all.

Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit--such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony, which bring happiness to both self and others. While ritual and prayer, along with questions of nirvana and salvation are directly connected with religious faith, these inner qualities need not be, however. There is thus no reason why the individual should not develop them, even to a high degree, without recourse to any religious or metaphysical belief system. This is why I sometimes say religion is something we can perhaps do without. What we cannot do without are these basic spiritual qualities.

His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama

http://deerparkmonastery.org/community/deer-park-news/press-releases/bat-nha-a-koan 

 Bat Nha is a monastery in the central highlands of Vietnam, it is a community of monks and nuns being persecuted by the Vietnamese government, and it is the great crisis of Vietnamese Buddhism at the dawn of the 21st Century.

Do not just look for what you want to see,

that would be futile.

Do not look for anything,

but allow the insight to have a chance to come by itself.

That insight will help liberate you.

- Nhat Hanh

Thank you so much for your support. You all are wonderful friends to have in a crisis. And you are so real.

As Antje Blue put it so well -- even though I have not met most of you "in person". Yet you are staunch and true friends. And so many of you are friends of my old Esalen pals and teachers, so even if I haven't met "you" in person, there is connection in reality. Including you, Antje -- through your friend Marty who was a friend of mine through Eko. It is all grounded. And at the very least  -- and just as important -- you love the place and the process, whether or not you ever set foot on the Esalen grounds.

And you do understand loss -- thank you Weems, and John, and Kristy and Antje and Henry and Michael -- and on and on.

and here is another version of it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/realestate/08habi.html?8dpc

"A Production Called Home"

NY Times article 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g-k5py-bcQ&feature=related

In case you missed the news: Claude Levi-Strauss passes (so old, I thought he had died some time ago). A brilliant thinker who turned the field of anthroplogy upside down.(As a former anthro. major, I deeply appreciate him).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/europe/04levistrauss.html?_r=1&em

Hokay, it's interesting article time once more:

http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/leopard-behind-you/

‘Leopard Behind You!’

Not to mention:

A Language of Smiles

http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/a-language-of-smiles/

"Norwegian and Sámi singer Mari Boine speaks about her personal experiences with the religious ban of joik. Joik is traditional Saami chanting, for entertaiment, joy, meditation, mental linking, description, memory, sagas, extasy, for magic and as calls for the spirits, also of the Highest"

She has a gifted voice. And sings beautifully in this.

she is an amazing Norwegian Sami singer. Go listen to her several videos on Youtube. What a voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_bNpLH_VQ

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/15/opinion/15trillin.html

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/04/opinion/20090908_opart.html

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/08/opinion/20091019_opart.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/opinion/14trillin.html?_r=1

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/171590/sophos_searches_about_fan_check_app_can_lead_to_malware.html