http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11108891

"Diaspora describes itself as a 'privacy-aware, personally-controlled' social network." 

http://www.youtube.com/user/WhiteConchFilms

White Conch Dharma center has posted several videos of the ninth (female) Domo Geshe Rinpoche on youtube. There are some excellent teachings there.

Enjoy!

Scarlet

This concert had many terrific performances and you can find them on Youtube.

 , 

Heroes: Bowie

 Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy

I never hear this song without thinking "Gabrielle Roth".

so, Scandinavian noir is all the rage?

 Nora Ephron spoofs The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2010/07/05/100705sh_shouts_ephron

so funny! but is would make public transit so much fun to have these little mini spoofs on them.

This morning's pick-me-up

Pirates, mateys, wenches find booty in Vallejo

"Where else can you walk around in a mermaid outfit and no one will think you're nuts?"

"Cicero is suffering from terminal cancer, living on a fixed income and has no children to help support her. She finds herself in the middle of a legal and financial dilemma. But while attorneys will battle over the matter in court on Friday, the 77-year-old has made a simple plea.“It’s sad, very sad,” she said with tears welling up in her eyes. “An old lady like me – I’m dying. I want to die in my own home…Where’s an old lady like me going to go.”

“Stanford claims it is not behind the eviction,” Adams said. “However, I have a letter in my possession with Stanford letterhead stating quote – ‘Stanford will not object to trustees taking all steps necessary to make the property productive which will likely involve an eviction and the sale of the property.’”

Domo Geshe Rinpoche is currently on a teaching visit to Germany, and recently was invited to a Sufi center by Sheikh Esref Efendi to teach. Here is a video of her  heartful words. Lovely and strong.

http://www.sufi-zentrum-berlin.de/site/videos/video_sonstige.php

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/us/07indiana.html

Artesian wells can seem like miraculous gifts because their water is endlessly driven to the surface by natural pressures deep underground; no pump is required. Sometimes the aquifers are discovered by drilling. Others gurgle to the surface naturally, feeding springs. 

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n08JRxVLKLE&feature=related

British humor approach to world history:

The current episode is Troy to Rome: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007d92g with 5 days left to listen to it.

 From Vikings to Normans will be available for listening after June 8th.

 There are eight 15-minute episodes in all.

The Drepung Loseling monk artists created a sand mandala of the  Avalokiteshvara (buddha of compassion) mandala over a period of six days. The whole process was filmed and then the film was sped up.

"Hill set up two cameras in the room. One was an overhead camera that didn’t move during the six days; the other was moved every morning to get a different angle. Both ran continuously, shooting one frame every 30 seconds. When the last grain of sand was set, the monks didn’t spend time admiring their handiwork. Within about an hour, the elaborate art they had spent days crafting was carefully swept away during a ritualistic ceremony. This is normal practice, Rigzin said; it is done to symbolize the impermanence of life."

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/02/a-mandala-in-minutes/

Check it out:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/readers-16/?hp

The news about Nashville hasdn't gotten the amount of press one might expect. But if you live there, it matters.

Terrific idea!

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/05/garden/20100506-wall-slideshow.html

When I despair, I remember that,

all through history,

the way of truth and love has always won

There have been tyrants and murderers,

and for a time they can seem invincible

but in the end, they always fall

Think of it. Always, they fall. Always.

--Mohandas Ghandi

The weather has been so cold and wet and grey here, with the daily "high" temp being in the low 40s. And the wind chill from the Lake breeze taking the temp at noon down to around 35 degrees.

My body may never adjust to being out of the SF Bay Area climate that has two, just two, seasons each year. 

Here, it seems like we have eleven or more seasons: fall, winter, deep winter, bitter winter, less winter, early spring, back to winter, spring, back to winter, spring, early summer. For get a real summer here, it never seems to come to this northern washed-out-light land.

However, this morning the sun is shining, I am listening to BBC radio 7 drama online, and I finally found my acrylic paints, canvases, and watercolour brushes that got mislaid during a move I made months ago. Oh yeah -- the birds are singing too.

Happiness returns. It amazes me how much my own happiness is linked to the weather and to the amount and quality of the sunlight.

Protect Your Privacy Opt Out of Facebook’s New Instant Personalization – Yes You Have to Opt Out

http://librarianbyday.net/2010/04/protect-your-privacy-opt-out-of-facebooks-new-instant-personalization-yes-you-have-to-opt-out

And you need to do one more thing. See the section “What Your friends can share about you”? Your friends can share things about you that you have already chosen not to share about yourself. Nice. You will probably want to uncheck most of the boxes on that page.

The Cherokee community of Bell takes matters into their own hands -- literally.

An excellent video interview with her at University of Oregon. It's a longish interview, and well worth watching for many reasons.

"I did what I could, with the time that I had."

Happy holiday!

This is way silly_____

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

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/obituaries/2010/0313/1224266190399.html

He was one of the finest of Esalen's teachers. 

Much love and gratitude to his spirit.

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?