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October 22 The 7 Levels of AwarenessI cannot be awake for nothing looks to me as it did before, Or else I am awake for the first time, and all before has been a mean sleep. Walt Whitman
First a bit about the universe..
Our realm, the physical universe..The 'stage front' our lives are played out on..
Subject to the laws of physics, including space, time, and causation are real...
They are not an illusion of our limited perception. They do exist.
What eastern philosophy is trying to hammer home is that,
the physical universe is only a part of the universe as a whole..
The rest of the universe, for lack of a better illustration, is the
'back stage' portion of the universe..
This 'back stage' portion of the universe is where the physical universe was conceptualized..
The 'back stage' part of the universe is the womb of the physical universe.
Where as the physical universe is made tangible by the creation of atoms..
The 'back stage' portion of the universe is and has always existed infinitely, as non matter..
Some people confuse non matter with nothingness...
Non matter is simply that which exists not formed of matter.
Example: Every time you 'think' you are tapping a part of the universe that is non matter.
The fact that you have the ability to 'think' is proof that the 'back stage' portion of the universe is also real, and not just the rambling of an insane rational.
The process by which human beings perceive the physical universe, and the 'back stage' portion of the universe is through One device by which human beings judge the validity of their perception of the universe is through the use of rational thought.
Rational thought is a tool of the human intellect.
Most commonly used during a state of conscience termed 'waking conscience'.
Eastern philosophy advises that at whatever level of conscience or awareness Although the tool of human intellect has given mankind the ability to survive and flourish in the 'stage front' portion of the universe, eastern philosophy warns mankind that the very tool of our intellect is C It is after all, where the physical universe came from.
Eastern philosophy offers mankind (at no charge) the tools to out wit the constraints of the intellect.
That mankind may better understand, the true nature of the universe as a whole, and of human beings unity with the universe as a whole..
Eastern philosophy maintains that human beings are in truth, spiritual beings that transcend the physical universe..
Eastern philosophy maintains that the spiritual nature of human beings is one with the 'backstage' portion of the universe..
Eastern philosophy maintains that the essence that is the whole universe is the same identical essence human beings are constructed of..
By it's very nature of wholeness, within every human being, exists the universe as a whole. I am using human kind as an example..Eastern philosophy extends this same concept to all that is in existance. In an effort to understand the importance of the levels of conscience as they apply to the perception of the individual and that individual's building of a life value system: The seven levels of awareness Deep sleep : The first level of awareness..During deep sleep the intellect is disengaged. The self is still present..Silent..In a state of surveillance... This is experienced when for example someone says to a woman who is in deep sleep."Your child needs you".. The immediate response of the Mother waking to full waking conscience is an example that the 'self' is still present during the state of deep sleep. Dream state: The second state of awareness..The intellect is more active however not fully active as indicated by the often less than rational story lines our dream experiences consist of.. The experiences while dreaming however, seem as 'real' while dreaming, as our experiences in waking conscience.. The insight that the experience is a dream is not realized until the individual awakes from the dream to waking conscience.. Example: "Wow that was a very vivid dream I just had." Again, the insight that I was dreaming is realized in the next level of awareness, not during the dream state it's self. Waking conscience: Per eastern philosophy including Hinduism and Buddhism:When you wake up from the dream state, you 'wake up' into another dream. The third state of conscience 'waking conscience'. Here the rational mind (intellect) is fully engaged. While you are participating in this state you don't realize, that this state is equally illusionary, equally a result of the intellect creating stories and scenery we become totally immersed in.. Like going to a really good movie and getting lost in the movie.. The drama and meanings of life in this state are real and valid.. Wars are won and lost, victories for and against the greater good are played out on this stage..This state of awareness is the main event in the history of human beings.. It is rich in wonder and fabric...It is fine.. Again the point is....This state of reality is not all there is... Just as is the case with the previous dream state.. You can not gain insight to the ' intellects weavings of reality' as long as you remain in the present state..Just as in the dream state the insight of the illusionary nature of the state is only realized when one removes them self from the current state and wakes to a higher level of awareness.. It's is here at this level of awareness I promised (per the blog "Compatibility") to share an exercise that one may practice to experience the next level of awareness..The silent witness: The fourth state of conscience...The first glimpse of your soul. In this state our busy mind is lay to rest and what is left is the real you.. It is the presence of your soul...It is silent, it is witnessing.. Practice the exercise as follows to become aware of your fourth state of conscience: Media works well for this..It can be music, or a movie, or a television.. Best to find a place where the surroundings are quiet. So that during the part of the exercise when no media is playing, there are no ambient distractions kick starting the mind back in to disruption. So, "Get thee to a nunnery!"....Just kiddin'. Ok, your listening to some music or whatever. Try to be just into that.. Try not to allow your mind to be wandering off doing a bunch of other stuff while your listening. Shut the media off, and ask your self this question: "Who is listening?" Close your eyes and listen to who is listening.. Don't turn the media back on..Don't let your 'head' answer..Let your mind be at rest.. Just simply ask the question, close your eyes and listen to who is listening. Try it a couple of times...Shut the media off and ask, "who is listening?"... Close your eyes and listen to who is listening.. Did you sense the presence there?...The silent witness?...That is you..That is your soul. It is not a presence that is perceived by the mind..It is a presence all it's own..It is before the mind, transcending the mind...It is the first glimpse of true reality. Fifth state of awareness: Cosmic Conscience..Consistent awareness of the soul..In this state of conscience transcends the previous levels of conscience. So whether in deep sleep, dream, or waking, the awareness of the soul is present. Sixth state of awareness: Constant awareness of the oneness of all things in existence.To the point of perception through the five senses.. In this state through meditation, the observer perceives for example, a bird.. Sees the bird, sees the bird's soul .S ees the totality of the universe existing within the bird..Sees the universe through the bird. Seventh state of awareness: The observer sees not only as in the sixth state of awareness, but also see's their self in the subject being observed. The realization is in the observer recognizing that he/she is not only the observer but also the subject being observed.. It is the ultimate experience of the oneness that is the entire universe.. This level of conscience is also commonly termed the state of "enlightenment." I am that...You are that...All of this is that...That is all there is.
A note about the use drugs to attain spiritual growth. It is true that for many spiritual traditions the use of certain drugs are successful for a dramatic shift in the student's state of conscience.. Producing an immediate alter in the conscience. It is produced by a shift of conscience at the assimilation point.. That is, the point where the conscience assembles the universe and projects it through the process of perception via the brain and nervous system. The problem with the use of drug induced alternate states of conscience is there is a lot of disintegration that comes with that process... It is a fine line between sages, psychotics, and genius... I don't recommend it..The use of drugs is not required. There is no special equipment needed to attain higher levels of conscience. It is not necessary to remove one self from daily normal life activities to attain higher levels of awareness.It is not even something that one needs to attain. you all ready have it..It is already part of you...It is your birth right.. The trick, is in the realization, understanding, and integration of what you have available to you in your life.. That part takes willingness, proper direction, practice, and patience. October 21 CompatibilityIf social popularity is truly reflected through the media. If capitalism holds it's weight as a measure of the needs and desires of the populous. You might agree that there are more than a few people out there looking for their soul mate... Mate, significant other, or better half, as loosely defined within the concept: An avenue of individual enrichment attainable through the connection of oneness experienced through such a relationship.. Personally,.... heart ache, heart attack, trophy, compromise, triumph, sugar daddy, sugar mama, and lip of insanity are descriptions that also come to mind. However, I won't be addressing those at this time.. I am not feeling particularly cynical today, and besides, I really did want this blog to indicate something of a thought containing at least semblance of social value.. As it is fitting that the title of any piece of writing be included in the actual body of the material, I suppose this as good time as any to mention it.. Compatibility It's even a long enough word to tie it's self at both ends somewhere below the tight wire of human relationships to truly be conceived as a safety net. "You like me...Me like you....We gonna' get along fine." The problem is,...people want 'time' to stop.. Just at the moment they decide to pick their apple of compatibility.. They think, "I am picking my apple at the perfect ripeness of compatibility, and it's going to somehow stay preserved just like this for my future enjoyment." It's a dilemma.. How can we honestly expect to merge into our future, with all it's inherent changes that most certainly will take place, while expecting ourselves and our apple to remain preserved, unchanged, from that time in the passed? Or we think,..."even due certain unavoidable changes in myself and the self of my apple, I checked this out real good, and picked my apple at just the perfect ripeness. In spite of life's little twists and turns there is enough compatibility in the perfect ripeness of my apple to cover those unavoidable changes"... Honestly... I think there is too much emphasis placed on the shoulders of compatibility. I think there is too little significance placed on the value of oneness that drove you to start looking for an apple in the first place. Everybody is already compatible... What?...What did he just say? Everybody is already compatible. Yeah, I can hear ya' screaming "bull shit!" Everybody is already compatible....Think about it. Ok, I admit it's time to draw a line in the sand... Those of you who believe this is not your first time around in life...Keep on reading.. Those of you who believe this is it and your either going home to your God Head, or your going to be existing in a place separated from your God Head... ....Humm...It's your call. So,... the universe is this big ass blender.. You end a lifetime and your essence is mixed back into the blender only to be spit back out here again.. Fun and games... I am leaving the spiritual evolutionary process out of the loop cuz the fact remains. We are still here...We haven't made it to 'over there', cuz we're still here right? Maybe next time Bud... However I digress.. Mean while back at the blender... Time after time our essence is being mixed up with all the other essences... After a few eons of living lifetime after lifetime we are so mixed up, we are the essences we're being mixed back into.. See how easy that was? The reality of compatibility isn't, "You like me", "I like you".... The reality is, "You are me", "I am you"... The reason oneness gravitates to harmony in human relationships is simply because oneness is the reality of all things that get processed through the blender.. We are all not only a part of the oneness... We are the oneness. Relationships fail because we are stuck in the tangled hierarchy of the dream state known as waking conscience... In this state of awareness we fully and absolutely believe in the concept of the separation of self. Ooops...There goes the oneness.. It is this very state of awareness that human beings spend the better part of their busy lives building self... Self worth, self esteem, self determination, self, self ,self.. With every illusionary act of building the concept of individual self, comes the ever widening gap of separation from the true harmonic value of oneness... It is the separation from oneness that leads to the creation and cultivation of alienation.. It is in fact, the root cause of all human suffering in the world today. What?...What?...What is the cause of all human suffering in the world today? The root cause of all human suffering in the world today is Man's misunderstanding of his true nature in the universe.. Being so close to Halloween and all...The question remains.. Should I leave you here on the edge of the abyss? Or, should I be a 'nice guy', pull back and tuck you in... Well, LooseCanon is just a member of the mix... Part good, part bad, part ugly.. Ho, humm..... Decisions, decisions.... Tragedy or comedy...Tragedy or comedy..... The good news is Human kind has the ability to 'know' it's true nature in the universe.. Despite what fundamentalist western religious doctrine claims. Human's have the capacity to understand their true nature in the universe because........... Because, like everything else that exist....We are the universe...We are not only put through the blender... We are the blender... We are not only trying to get to that 'other place'... We are that other place. The universe is the word 'that'.... I am that...You are that....All this is that....And that is all there is.. Next time I write about this subject I will share an exercise with you.. It is a piece of that capacity to 'know'.. It will allow you to experience for yourself a state of awareness one level above the 'waking state' of conscience... It is this state of awareness Walt Whitman refers to in his quote: I cannot be awake for nothing looks to me as it did before, Or else I am awake for the first time, and all before has been a mean sleep.
October 09 "Hey It's Halloween!"
Early in the evening, straight through the black of night Slow churned hours of Halloween, gripped my soul in fright Nibbling on white knuckles, rolled up into a fist Waiting for the risen ones, appearing in the mist
Dragging their dead feet across the dew drops on my lawn I know I'll find no peace of mind until November's morn Tapping on my windows, beating thunder on my door Searching in the moon glow entrance at the basement floor
"Hey it's Halloween! Why don't you come on out and play? Join the celebration for those of us who passed away Three hundred sixty five full days of hunger and of thirst You know, you should feel special, your the one we thought of first"
Searing pain, splintered wood thrust dead hands through my door Quick thawed frozen fear poured down my pant leg to the floor Six inch broken blackened nails sunk deep into my flesh As they quarrel dividing portions I backed up to save the rest
Crutching to the banister I make the second landing fall Their pouring through the windows I realize futility in it all So I crouch most patiently a corner of a room Nothing but a bedroom door between me and lusting doom
"Before you show us your disgust, then turn your head away Remember in a little while, you'd be joining us some day We think you owe some homage to the ones that came before So, simply pay your due respect and twist the handle on the door"
"Hey it's Halloween! Why don't you come on out and play? Join the celebration for those of us who passed away Three hundred sixty five full days of hunger and of thirst You know, you should feel special, your the one we thought of first"
My Dog Spot..Well his name is Storm but a title that gets somebody to open the blog folder is half the battle won.. My buddy Storm...He's a champion black labrador...Breeds tri...Black, chocolate, yellow... Makes him special in the world of dogs.. He don't act special...He just acts like a dog.. He's a good teacher about how to approach life...Got a personality like,...Gandhi... This dog loves everybody and puts up with everybody... He's a lover not a fighter... His desire makes him crazy at times though... He wants to break out and make love to the world..Twice a day.. I can't let him though.....It's dangerous out there.. Even here in the sticks... I've lost one dog and three cats over the years to things that go bump in the night.. Sometimes I break down and let him go.. When it gets real bad for him.. After about a month of cabin fever he starts acting,...weird.. Stuff like trying to make it with the cats... My other dog's name is Buster..He's gay... It doesn't bother him, so it doesn't bother me.. Sometimes I have to advise him though... When I turn around and he's trying to screw Storm in the ear, I do have to advise him,..."Buster, you are some kind of freaky".. Buster's breed is.....bossy....He's one of those tailored breeds they developed to herd cattle... Smart as anything, well except for, you know...Hey nobody's perfect... Storm has a three track mind....Food, females, and the door.. He either made a lot of money in a previous life as a fullback, or is doing to in his future... Only a masochist attempts to put a leash on this dog and 'walk' it... Walk?...There is no walking...There is flying, there is dragging, there is skinned elbows and knees...But there is no walking this dog... I've heard that peoples pet's resemble them...Yeah, I can kinda identify with what poor Stormie is going through... But Buster?...Damn, just the idea of it is givin me a complex... "Buster, you've got to go!".... ..."Just kiddin Buster".....Bet I know how he'd vote on California's Prop 8 though.. Then there's Violet my girl cat...I got two other cats Dungan Donut and Tiger...Their males...No that's not right, their unisex... That reminds me...The first time I had one of my dog's neutered...That was "Vader"...He's passed on now..He was a great dog...I made a movie with some of my dogs one time... Dressed them up in cowboy garb and did a little movie called "The Deputy Hoover Show"...Vader was the star... He liked to eat so his nickname was 'Hoover' cuz he sucked up food like a vacuum cleaner.. I did a lot of short takes and spliced the stuff together to make the movie... I gave the individual dogs peanut butter when I wanted them to do a 'talking' scene, cuz they would keep licking the peanut butter off the roof of their mouth so It looked like they were, talkin... We did the voice overs ourselves playing the parts and voices of the individual characters... Anyway I had to get Vader neutered...I honestly thought now days vets did like a vasectomy... When I picked that poor dog up from the vets and realized his nuts were missing!....And that look on his face! "And to think I sat there for you LooseCanon with that stupid bright blue party cowboy hat on...The little rubber neck band choking the shit out of me...In a fucking over sized cowboy vest, lickin peanut butter for you!...For you, LooseCanon!" Yeah, Violet my girl cat...She's always up here on the PC desk when I am trying to type...Sittin on the mouse, walkin over the key board, or managing to sit right in front of the monitor...I think she wants to be my 'editor'...She's always doing this: ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllljjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj....like adding to my writing... Everybody's a critic...
October 03 OctoberOctober... Well, this year is blowing out in a hurry.. It's always around this time I start thinking about next year.. Kind of a pre new year resolution thing.. Let see, it's too late to fix this or that this year cuz, time is running out.. Next year is going to be 'better'....Yeah, that's the one... Next year is going to be better... I've got to be finished wading through the sludge by then...Next year is going to be roses.. Every year October swings around and I am repeating those same lines.. LooseCanon, why can't you get it though your thick skull, It's already better... Spoiled rotten....... October...Her favorite time of year...I never much cared for it before we met.. It's something about the 'time' of the season that always discouraged me... The magnitude of the relentless awful truth that is the circle of life... Love changed all that..Love made October ok with me.. That was many years ago, and still it is her reflection that carries me through these 31 days. Oh man, this isn't going to be one of those 'crazy' LooseCanon blogs again is it??... You know the ones where he gets all nuts and starts spewing' all kinds of personal sexual turmoils and shit? Like a god damn volcano with a hard on? Nope... Really, it's...I wanted to wish her a happy Birthday, and it's not like it's that 'one' day that happens to fall in the month of October... It's not that I am afraid I'll like, forget about it, and be stuck in the 'belated' line... It's more like, what October 'is' to me... There were so many October's that came and went...So many I didn't even make the 'belated' line... Yet,...not one passed without it being her month, here, inside of me... So, Happy Birthday, October...I am so grateful you are in the world.. It is the month that marks the fall season, and of some gravity personally, as I am now experiencing the fall years of my life.. Other than some saggy skin and the outside chance of aphasia setting in at any given moment, I would not trade these years for any other... They have proven to be a totality, and luckily, the mistakes and immaturity of previous times have proven themselves to be of value after all.. What lies behind the falling leaves, gusty winds, fractured sunlight of these days of change is what gives them merit. Half the living world experiencing a common goal.. A busy time of preparation...Awaking from the long, lazy, forgiving days of summer.. An instinctive anxiety to 'make haste'...Mingled amongst those sets of gusts, Winter can be heard growling, "I am coming.....It may not seem like it today, but make no mistake....I am coming"... For most of us American's, October is the gateway to the holiday season with Halloween on the tail end, (one of my favorites) then Thanksgiving less than a month after...All leading up to the 'big ones' Chanukah and Christmas Day with New Years kind of a basking in the after glow... I think that's what she meant about October being her favorite time of year....I could be wrong of course, however, she has a knack of 'thinking' way down the road from me, so it makes sense... This year, I am putting my personal shaman hex on the Santa Anna winds and their notorious wild fire havoc here in California...As an added safe guard I have summoned the dead spirit of Hatfield 'the rain maker' to assist me in my efforts... Did I ever tell you guys about Hatfield 'the rain maker'?....True story...Right here in my town...Filled up the newly formed Lake Morena reservoir, over spilled the dam, and flooded out half of San Diego... Got some serious magic working with me on this deal.. Trick or treat...
September 26 HouseworkH OUSEWORKBeing a single parent (in my case a single grand dad) it makes for two kinds of housework.. The normal wear and tear stuff like doing dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning for my Grandson and our two dogs, three cats, and two goldfish... It doesn't seem like much, compared to what my Mom did with the same amount of pets and four kids... And she did it with a smile... Some people you just can't live up too... It's harder for me I think cuz.....Cuz I want it to be part-time I guess.. I don't find a lot of fulfillment in it as a top priority in my life.. It's what I got to do, being a 'grown up' and a 'model' of a productive individual in the eyes of my Grandson...The luggage of parenting. Things are a little better now though...After two years of off and on again remodeling around here we now have a kitchen sink again.. Yeah, two years before the mast of doing dishes in the bathtub...No wonder my back is wack.. I just got done with this one part of the house Shane (Grandson) and I designated 'the jungle room'...Theme rooms, that's us...We got jungle room, ocean room, music room, and no room actually finished.. Jungle room is a kind of sitting room that you have to pass through to get just about anywhere else in the house.. Anyway I fixed up jungle room pretty nice..I thought it was pretty nice anyway...I had to let Shane start sleeping in there cuz school has started and he's too hard to get up in the morning out of his usual habitat...He has a 25 foot camper trailer he lives in on the side. I have to get up at 5am to get his ass to school by 7:30, and I got tired off banging on his trailer every morning in my underwear trying to wake him up... 24 hours after I got done fixing up jungle room and presented it to Shane, it became apparent there was a gorilla living there.. It's overwhelming working on this house...It was a fixer upper when I purchased it twenty years ago... I put a little money and time into it as economics and work schedules allow... I do the work on the house myself... Not cuz I am special...Just cuz I can't afford anybody to do it for me.. Oh, I've hired 'handymen'...I guess I just haven't hired any 'handy' handymen.. The last guy's favorite saying was "I am not in the right 'frame' of mind to work today".. I started with the foundation of the house and worked my way up.. It's a post and tier foundation which has both pros and cons.. The good part is there is no slab to bust up in earthquakes.. The foundation flexes during those scary times and this type of foundation works really well because of it.. The problem with post and tier is the foundation tends to sag in spots as time marches on...This house was built in 1950 and when I moved in the sub structure was original... The term 'plumb' does not apply...It's a nightmare in that regard... The first month I spent more time under the house adding support to the main frame than I care to remember...I got to know the spiders living there on a first name bases..
Today I am pulling out a window and creating a door...I rip off some wood and everything comes to a grinding halt...Wasps... Lots of Wasps...Pissed off too...What? I didn't knock first?... Was I suppose to call ahead? I grab the closest weapon at hand...It's the propane torch I use to weld water pipe.. No mercy. Shane, is coming unglued.."Don't kill em Dad!"... "Get real" I comment to him never averting my eyes from my prey.. Shane and I share a common value when it comes to other life.. Neither of us find any enjoyment in the destruction of the living.. However, he wasn't nearly as close to the action as I. My Zen Buddhist lent evaporated promptly leaving in it's wake a murdering pyromaniac..."Redrum"..."Redrum." "Just goes ta' show ya' that it's always somethin'." (Roseann Roseanna Danna) Probably not spelt right but what the hell.. That's how it is working on the house.. Everything takes eight hours.. Three steps backwards to get one step forward.. Tools ..Always vanishing, and when they reappear, always six inches out of reach..Measuring ...A tape measure is the 'model' Plato speaks of...Once you transform the model onto a piece of wood and cut it , the imperfection of the 'real' world becomes excruciatingly apparent. Fasteners: Nails...Just cuz I am paranoid doesn't mean their not all out to get me. Drywall screws...I can't hold onto a drywall screw with a glove on...Even with the good gloves you can pick up a dime with.. Got to hold it with bare fingers...A the end of the day theres so much metal embedded in my fingers...Edward Scissorhands comes to mind.. I got to hold down the tendency to make 'short cuts'...Like drywall taping...It's a three step process and it's supposed to take three days to do it right.. This is where the practicing Zen really comes in handy... I can't let my brain start thinking about all the stuff I'd rather be doing... Got to 'be' the drywall mud...Got to 'be' the sander... Trust me that's not the hard part... After sanding that shit for 5 minutes there is so much drywall dust caked to my head and face 'I am' the drywall mud.. It gets complicated working on the place and living in it at the same time..While I am fixing up the bathroom the kid is shooting bee bee bullets into the ceiling of the bedroom I haven't done yet... I guess he figures it's fine cuz dad has to redo this room anyway.. The dogs and cats...The spoiled dogs and cats.. Dogs have to lay down right where I am working, so I am tripping over them all day... The cats think they are County Building Inspectors... Always on the job.. I wish somebody would tell them they are suppose to wait till I call them to come out.. The phone is a constant interruption... Honestly, doesn't anyone write letters anymore? I don't know, I try to be rude, I try to tell em I am busy, they just keep calling back... Ain't I the popular one....Too bad it's always bill collectors... Then there is this...Blogging...It's like a fisherman's wife....Keeps bugging me..."You should be writing"..."You should be writing"...When I give up and start writing the other wife starts in..."You should be making music"..."You should be making music".. So, yeah, I usually do three or four things at the same time.. That's a strength isn't it?...They call it able to perform multi-concurrent activities? Whoops....I checked the spelling and there is no such word as muti-concurrent... I guess it's just me then... September 25 Dark FlowScience has recently discovered some galaxy clusters that are not obeying the know traffic laws per the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.. The energy created via the Big Bang causing the outward expansion of the known universe is called 'dark energy'.. It is the stuff that causes a firework to send all the pretties expanding overhead with the effect....Ooohs, and aaaahhhs.. Lately though Scientists have something new to talk about in the lunch room..
A galaxy like our Milky Way is about 100,000 light years across.. Galaxy clusters are up to a thousand galaxies kind of 'hanging out' together.....Galaxy,.... friends... Yeah, there all over out there, conforming to the speed limits and directions dictated by 'dark energy' and gravity...There are accidents of course...In fact the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are due to collide in about 3 billion years... It seems a natural element of continued growth is in play..When galaxies collide or merge new stars are created replacing others that have run the course of their life..
Anyway, out there in the sky in a region between the constellations Centaurus and Vela there are some galaxy clusters that are moving very fast and also....going in the wrong direction...Something is pulling these big dogs, up and out, and in a big way (2 million mph)...Compared to our leisurely 1.34 million mph jaunt across the universe.. Scientist have termed the previously unknown energy source 'Dark Flow'... The current conclusion in the lunch room is that whatever is driving these clusters must lie beyond the known universe...In these regions, space-time might be very different, and likely doesn't contain stars and galaxies (which only formed because of the particular density pattern of mass in our bubble). It could include giant, massive structures much larger than anything in our own observable universe. These structures are what researchers suspect are tugging on the galaxy clusters, causing the dark flow.
Tugging???....That's a mightly polite definition...
So, yeah, this new discovery should help scientist in the future better understand what was going on before the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, and also,....what's going on outside the universe that we can 'see'...
Resorces: Space.com HubbleSite.org September 24 Cause and EffectThe horrific acts by a 22-year-old gunman in Kauhajoki Finland Tuesday put me to question the effects of such violence unleashed upon the world.. I do not wish to embellish the shooter by publishing his name...I do not wish to make account of the incident or responses of that community and all those across the world it has impacted.. My doing so may inadvertently add weight and power to the enormous volume of pain it has already created.. Details are widely attained if it is your interest... For myself there is no consolation in the aftermath of such violence that this man is now dead.. That he can no longer be the cause of further violence.. My motivation is rather the response we as individuals living lives in the same world may have... Initially I shake my head and question Why? What is the use of it?..Why is this kind of act allowed in a universe that has no value other than the process of the continuance of life? When the shock of that question has time to stabilize the answer is obvious...If I am willing to bear it.. If I can honestly deal with the truth.. I can't go there today though... Man, I can't even begin to surmount a argument in support of some self inflicted tid bit of contemplation that fly's in the window due to the catastrophe that this universe is... ...I am sorry....I am just too fucking upset. What I do have is the following to help me get through this day...I am writing it in hopes it will help you through also.. The cause and effect of this world...What makes a good thing come in to the world, or a bad thing come into the world are both independent of one another...One cause can not over come the other... A million bad causes can not take over the world as long as there is one good cause included in the world. So, today I am gonna' try real hard to put out good causes in the universe...Yeah, I guess it's to make me feel better too...But I feel bad you know?...I feel bad for the universe today...I think the universe needs some tender loving care..
September 19 First DateMy first date gives me pretty good directions and I navigate through the narrow streets of LaJolla, dealing with the new 'Euro' style traffic circles some over paid fuck wacked out on coke came up with while contemplating the universe... ...I pull into the back of the condo complex find a spot to park and of course I am early... Like fifteen minutes early...I can smell the ocean, the place is no more than a block from the beach...I wipe my palms off on my jeans taking care not to get any on my new shirt.. I hang out ten minutes then use my cell phone and call her..It takes a minute or so to get a signal like always on the cheap little bastard..I got to check real close too when I punch in the numbers. The buttons are perfect size for Hobbits, Munchkins, or Lilliputs... ..."Hi, it's Steve, I am here"....There's a pause,.."Ok honey, give me a few minutes to just take a shower..... I'll call you back with the condo number, ok sweetie"?.. It's hot in the fucking car..That's the thing about Southern California..It's always hot in the fucking car..Even when it's raining it's hot in the fucking car..I check the flowers to make sure their not wilting..I can't stand it anymore. I get out for some air..The last thing I want is to have to pull my shirt away from a sticky body cuz it's so fucking hot in the car...I get the flowers out and set the vase on the trunk... It's actually cooler up in the east county mountains where I live...I think it's the humidity factor down here so close to the ocean. The wild flowers are catching some kind of breeze though, threating to flip the vase over..I grab it, and manage to spill some water on my shirt...God damn flowers are turning out to be more hassel then their worth.. I picked em off an embankment on the frontage road near my house leading up to the freeway...It's just two lanes and steep banks on both sides of the road...There wasn't a lot of shoulder room and the few cars that passed me slowed down and made like New York City about it.. People in a rural community are just like the bored dogs and horses they keep.. Everything is a source of entertainment... Probably cuz they can't get 'cable' or DSL that far out... Also the spot I pulled off was only about 500 ft. from the Border Patrol check point... Of course I must be loading up illegials, that's why I am stopped on the side of the road 500 ft. from the check point.... I guess that's what they thought anyway. I pull up and get the third degree..."State your Nationality." "Where you comin' from"?..."Doing a little sight seeing"?...Ok if I check your trunk"?... ..Whatever... ...Ring, ring...It's Fallen back to me in three minutes..."Hi sweetie come on up.. There's an elevator by the mailboxes..It's the third floor number 307"..... I find the elevator and the place is quiet..No body there when the door opens...I punch the 3 button while making sure I don't tip the vase and have another accident... Third floor landing no body around when the elevator doors open.... I step out... The numbers on the doors are all reading in the 320's....I walk down the corridor and the damn numbers are getting bigger not smaller!...What the fuck?.. There's some adjacent halls...I walk down all of them...Ain't no number lower then 320..I set down the vase and wipe off my palms...I must have the wrong building!.... No friendly nieghbors around, no little old lady commenting "what beautiful flowers, are they for me"?... No suit with a "can I help you", and no security guard in totalitarian attire flashing a false smile... I grab my shirt pocket...No cell phone.. I left it in the car... I mean, why not right? What the hell would I need it for?..I brave the elevator again back to the main entry.... There are three separate buildings in the complex....100's, 200's, 300's...No help... I put the flowers on the trunk of the car again, they don't fall over... I get the damn phone, ten minutes have passed now.... I check the phone...The fucker reads "no service".... Is it me?..Is it just me, or does this kind of shit happen to you?... My shirt, my stained shirt, is sticking to my back like wallpaper..I am walking back to the courtyard holding out my cell phone like Science Officer Spock on a random moon looking for any sign of life... Fifteen minutes.....Holy Shit!.. I finally get a damn phone signal...Fallen's phone rings four times and the voice mail picks up... I leave what I determine to be a rather calm message..."I can't find you,..Call me back"... There are certain aspects in life that one can safety pedict the outcome... Sun rises in the East, sets in the West.. The order of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter,.......and a woman scorned.. Fallen isn't calling back...She's pissed, I know it... Leave it to me to fuck up a wet dream.. I call a couple more times and even the voice mail doesn't want to hear it... The way of the universe seems kind of fickle to me..On one hand there are the slow steady constants..Daytime turns in to night, and nightime into day... The rise and fall of the tides...The steady progression of the constellations.. Then there's us...Apparenty we don't qualify.. It's the same boat for all of life under the sun... Somebody, or something somewhere is having a laugh riot at all our expense...It's the only conclusion that makes sense... That's the scary part...Just the process of trying to make sense of it may in fact be taking an univited liberty.. Brain Shivers and other AdventuresIt's been over four months since I went cold turkey off the antidepressant Paxil.. Some where, some how, antidepressant drugs got tagged 'happy pills'... I can advise you from my experience no antideppresant even comes close to living up to it... My 'family Doctor' got me started on this little adventure...Three years ago.. Not cuz I was sick..It was advised as a means to avoid getting sick... Do to a lot of stress in my everyday life. I used to be a automotive mechanic... Should have taken the advice of that industry's standard.. If it ain't broken, don't fix it... The Family Doctor wrote me a 'referral' to see a Psychiatrist... In the movies, Psychiatrists want to hear about your 'issues'...They let you kick back on a stylin' recliner and listen to you create a major script for daytime TV... Somewhere along the line Psychiatrists got smarter... Now days they are just the drug dealers.. You got to pony up to a Psychologist to get the couch treatment... All that writing Psychologist are doing while the patient is 'working through their issues' is the real place daytime TV scripts come from... They fax all that stuff off at the end of the week to their literary agent, and forget about it... I know this cuz, it's the only way I can explain why Psychologists never 'really' remember what it was you were talking about during your last session.. "Refresh my memory" Paxil is a serotonin re uptake inhibitor...It slows down the bodies natural breakdown of the chemical manufactured in the brain... Serotonin like many chemicals our bodies manufacture to keep us balanced tends to become in short supply as we age. Serotonin is a buffer...A cushion that helps stress 'roll off' and generally speaking a smiley face to remain... After three months I changed my Psychiatrist... The first guy couldn't understand why after six weeks on Paxil my smiley face hadn't flown back in the window.... I was plunged into the world of 'mental health' first with the events of my Father. In his early forties he fell victim to a form of schizophrenic disorder.. His second wife Betsy (also schizophrenic),....My wife Shirley,.... And I, were there for him through out his twenty year battle back from a stuporous state to some sense of a fulfilled life.. Four years ago and subsequently every year after including this year, a very close friend of mine has been battling suicide.. I had the privilege by request of the patient, to sit in on Psychiatrist sessions with my Father, and Betsy his second wife... I am closely involved with the care of my close friend and always am included in those Psychiatrist sessions also... By my close friend's current Psychiatrist's own admission... Medical science to date does not have the knowledge, nor the technology, to confirm the diagnosis of most types of mental health issues.. Currently most mental health issues are diagnosed by 'symptoms'.. Some forms of mental health can be 'seen' by MRI and CAT scans..These are usually in the schizophrenic disorders class as schizophrenic disorders leave scar tissue on the brain.. The close friend I refer two has had no less than four different Psychiatrists over the last four years...Two of them, frustrated at 'trying' one type of antidepressant for six weeks, then another type for six weeks, wound up asking the patient... What do you think we should do? As I write this my friend is currently back in the hospital needing another 'evaluation' do to suicidal thoughts.. The common terminology used by Paxil junkies when describing withdrawal symptoms is 'brain shivers'...It feels like wave after wave of pressure squeezing and releasing inside ones brain... Kind of what a hyperactive dog in training must feel around it's neck with a choke collar. Equilibrium is rudely interrupted.. You ever wake up in the middle of the night and go bumping into walls trying to get to the bathroom?... Brain shivers are a bad hangover without the previous benefits.... The first two weeks of withdrawal mine were accompanied by a high pitched sound in my ears... Like a bird chirp. peep..peep...That was unnerving... My Dad's first symptoms..were a cartoon music loop that kept playing over and over in his head...I hadn't forgotten that and It was freaking me out... Very low energy level moving in slowwww motion... I geared up though before I dove off....Drama mine helps a little with the equilibrium... I didn't know drama mine is a antihistamine....I usually avoid them..That's just a personal preference.. It was worth the trade of in this case.. Other weapons in the arsenal: Saint John's Wort...A natural ingredient 'good mood' enhancer....I got Tylenol to combat headaches.. I was advised they are constant throughout the detox period... Which leads me to the detox period...The way did it....Two weeks.. There is a easier softer road....One can choose to 'wean' themselves off Paxil slowly stepping down the dosage over a three to six month period...Some people are successful doing it that way..It's the same concept as nicotine patch withdrawal. Personally, I don't have that kind of patience... Might be one reason I was prescribed the drug in the first place.. Anyway, I think a lot of mental health issues today are a result of the social life style we are leading.. There are just a lot of stress factors in everyday life.. I have taken to the determination that a healthy state of mine is greatly determined by an individuals 'way' of addressing life daily.. You ever see the movie City Slickers?...."One thing", right?....Such an awesome concept... I am still getting to the one thing...I feel it's real important to understand what the real 'one thing' is.. With all the pressures of what is expected both from ourselves and those around us... I think it does a body wise to take some time to contemplate...Get clear on what that magical 'one thing' is...for you... September 15 The Role of Religion in the New WorldIt's not my fault..I was instigated... The Pope's lesson on the necessity to allow God to make determination of the end of life drove me to it.. "People must accept death at the hour chosen by God"... Pope Benedict XV1.... I love this Pope...He is a truly compassionate being... He reminds me of Pope Paul the sixth..Another compassionate being... Apparently some European countries decision to integrate a more human element of control concerning the issue of euthanasia fueled the Roman Catholic Church's decision to speak currently on the issue... Per the Associated Press's article I read on yahoo...Belgium and The Netherlands have legalized euthanasia, and France is in the midst of renewed debate on the issue.. The teaching of the Church concerning this subject has not changed...It is based on the same sanctity of life, moral view that encompasses the Church's 'right to life' stand on abortion.. Abortion, euthanasia, are social issues today due to seedlings of thought beginning with the cultural revolution of the 1960's and 70's... I believe those seeds have been cultivated by way of technological advances in natural sciences starting in the 1980's and still gathering momentum as we speak... Mankind's horizon's are no longer manageable by the great Religious Institutions. Faith, as a viable means of spiritual growth finds it's self shouting when a whisper would suffice not more than thirty years ago.. As gains in scientific discipline advent the once socially accepted norm 'we do not have the capacity to know'...begins to crumble and no body can find a legitimate reason to remodel..... Mankind wants to 'know'...Mankind has always wanted to know...It is the nature of our beings.. Faith has held the high cards because Mankind has not had sufficient tools in the past to present viable challenge to the 'we do not have the capacity to know' ideal... Questioning is a faith based religion's greatest concern .. Let me just make the point, this concern is truly not based out of fear, as is the popular view of those who adhere to the concepts of atheism... Instead I believe the greater concern is actually based in compassion... The great religious Institutions want to preserve the ideals of Moralism... As faith becomes a more questionable means of life value, pressure is placed on the shoulders of religion in regard to how society views their total value... I was raised a Roman Catholic and my introduction to that faith left with me a great respect for Jesus Christ and his gifts to the world.. Christ was a realist and presented his message to a pre-scientific world... Christ was also a revolutionary teacher in that he did question the status quo.. I believe in the spirit of Christ and I believe that spirit is here with us today... I don't believe he is one to be found crouching in the shadows of fear...It is not his style.. As Mankind breaks away from faith he must do so cautiously...Man kind survived the ice ages due to his ability to remember the value of 'what got me this far'...Man's duelist role of both predator and prey instinctively ingrained a common sense of caution.. This is a good thing.. The fact is Religious institutions still have a great value to offer 'modern man'...Religious Institution have always taken the great and honorable responsibility of leaders and preservers of Morality... It is this great and solemn responsibility that dictates these institutions move slowly...It is a prerequisite...Man is ADHD...Religion realizes this...Moral code is like a natural resource...Once given up it can not be restored... Religious Institution realizes it's own mistakes over the years..It's own failure at it's own Moral code...Again, we are all only human... I agree with the need for checks and balances working in our lives today... On one hand, I am thrilled at the advances Man is making in the areas of technologies and science.. We are on the brink of something amazing in regards to man's ability to understand... It is the self inherent responsibility of those who have chosen to carry the torch of Morality, to insure we venture into that new world together...
September 13 Thou Shall Not KillThere are no creatures alive on this planet that don't survive at the expense of others.. It would be a mistake to propose literal adaption the age old moral pillar Thou Shall Not Kill. To do so and exist would be impossible... Even at our most innocent state of conscience our bodies are at work killing to protect us.. Without white blood cells killing invading microbes we would surely die.. With that established it qualifies the concept of 'justified killing'... In an effort to understand the moral division line of justified or non justified killing, I once again find myself seeking to step through yet another door of perception.. As I am a relative child in experience and skilled process concerning the area of life loosely defined as contemplative.. It has been some time since the text above was written and this text added.. I have however chosen what I believe to be an adequate door of perception for our journey.. INTENT.... As established earlier killing must be allowed, it must be justified within the realm we live.. Without that license, I for one could not bear to view the despair of life as we know it.. There would be no hope for us as spiritual beings.. I do not believe in my heart, that it is the nature of the universe to exist such a realm by which spiritual growth is unattainable.. Man's typical hierarchy of life puts Human's at the top of the list then 'animals' and 'apples' somewhere down below.. This conception is a result of Man's self-centered ness... It is a notion that has always bothered me and taken many moons of reflection to sort out... Self-centered ness in and of itself is inherent in all life forms as we currently know them.. It is a necessary developed instinct common to all in a world based upon survival of the fittest.. However Human kind have taken up the flagship of 'self' to the extent of inflicting such conflict and violence not seen by any other life form.. Couple this 'ego' with a creative intellect and all other life learns quickly to run for cover.. So have I surmised that the degree of self-centered ness practiced in the act of killing will greatly effect the INTENT of the killing.. It is the value contained in the INTENT of the act that determines the degree of justification or unjustifiable the act it self.. When I was a child of eight years, my Parents bought me a pellet gun as a gift.. My Father was an avid fishermen and hunter.. I am sure he meant it as my introduction into a form of recreation he so enjoyed.. As was my first fishing pole and reel... Both my Parents held a reverence for nature and that value was instilled in me.. The golden rule: What ever was killed was to be eaten for food.. I would accompany my Father on fishing and hunting trips although I was too young to hunt, and too distracted by my surroundings to be a patient fisherman. I did however experience the excitement of the catch.. Initially I was allowed to target practice with my pellet gun in the back yard.. One day however, my Father and I went on an excursion in the woods near our home. I brought the pellet gun along..The memory of the excitement of the catch was my determination for bringing the gun with me that day.. A group of small blackbirds were feeding on the forest floor and I decided I should try to shoot one of these birds..I did so from a distance and succeeded in only wounding a bird, not killing it right out... I approached the fluttering bird as it struggled between life and death..It was in obvious great pain, great fear, helpless and innocent... The excitement of the kill only a moment ago was now completely alien to me.. My heart burst for what I had done, for no good reason, to another life... I stood over the dying bird with the pellet gun still in my hands...A great overwhelming sadness enveloped me and with no other thought than to end it's suffering, I emptied the remaining pellets into the bird until I was certain it was dead. I have continued to fish from time to time over the years..My Father, a knowledgeable man, advised me the nervous system of fish is primitive in the evolutionary scheme of things..Fish don't feel much pain as I perceive it to be... Much to my Father's disappointment however, I never picked up a gun again.. The first INTENT in the example is one of self-centered ness.. Clearly disrespect coupled with self-centered ness the motivation of intent per the shooting.. The actual act of killing however was with the intent of compassion.. Self-centered quilt no doubt played a role. This event took place fourty-eight years ago and has resurfaced in my memory from time to time through out my life... To this day,I clearly recall the emotions... I have found that often what becomes apparent stumbling down these little roads of perception are answers as if depicted in one way road sign warnings.. The answer to 'self-centered ness'...is 'compassion'... The justification in killing becomes...'with reverence'... September 11 Evil versus Evil?You all do it right?.. You know, from time to time, reflect on the 'way things are?'.. Find yourself questioning the wisdom of the ancients?.. For me, it starts with a word... Since childhood I've been fascinated with concept of morality. Both Human and practiced by other species.. After a lot of repetitive thought I eventually came to a kind of foundation starting point on the subject.. Moral values are fluid..They are relative. Relative to culture...Social customs...Personal preference...Species... Also subject to change based on time, place, and degree.. As a grown up child I have revisited the subject during reflective moments and drawn further conclusions.. Morality is a created value system activated by response to circumstances. By created I mean concocted as opposed to for example,...gravity.. I would attempt to clarify by writing: Morality is a defined and adopted response to circumstances rising from the interaction of positive and negative forces playing out in our daily lives.. Would you agree with that?.. Doin so would put you in line with a lot of folks who believe the existence of positive and negative forces are as much a part of reality as gravity.. I know I sure did...'Shit happens' and all that... Lately though, journeying down my fledgling path of perception..I have been hampered by reoccurring pangs of doubt... Like deciding to go hiking wearing shorts cuz the weather seems to dictate it..Then finding oneself trapped in the middle of a thistle patch.. For me, the diligence required to set out on the path is challenge enough... My mind keeps getting in the way.. It hurts actually.. There is a constant battle going on and, my mind is sneaky.. It doesn't play fair...I think it's envy or something akin to jealousy.. It's opponent has no name... My mind however has a name for it..."Nagging Virago"... I am sure the Nag is not a separate avenue of thought within my own mind, as it communicates ideas my mind doesn't want to deal with.. One mean offensive tactic of my mind is it's capacity to create fatigue forcing me to turn away from the path of perception... It follows up as a wicked Step Mother slyly promising to allow my return to the path at a later date.. "You can go there tomorrow...In the morning, when your rested....Oh, wait...Your going to be busy with other stuff tomorrow...Maybe the next day then.." "Besides, loosecanon, your boring me,...and everyone around you.." What if good and bad,... those positive and negative forces, are actually just creations themselves? They exist no doubt..We deal with them every waking moment of every day..But are they physics of the universe? Like gravity I mean... Or are they a creation of the living? Zen claims they exist like gravity...They are a result of a law of the universe called Cause and Effect... According to Zen, the universe at it's perfect harmonious state is like a glassy lake.. Every movement be it physical or mental thought, by all things in existence 'cause' a ripple in the lake.. As all things in existence are a part of the universe the ripple is experienced by all that exists..Thus the 'effect'...The entire process is termed 'karmic'... Weight is added to the effect of this natural phenomenon in terms of the intent of the initial act of movement.. Thus the effect of karmic events can be categorized and termed... 'Good' karma, 'Bad' karma, or 'Indifferent' karma... The categorizing of karmic events is done through the process of Moral values... It is at this very point on my path of perception I find myself scratching involuntarily at thistle needles... If the definition of the perfect harmonious state of the universe is undisturbed...Then any karmic activity of any intent is a disturbance of the perfect state... Logic leads to only one conclusion...Any karmic event must logically be categorized as 'Bad'... If all karmic events are 'bad' then where does the term 'good' or 'indifferent' come from? It comes from the same place morality comes from... My head hurts... August 23 Georgia-South Ossetia ConflictThe Players Georgia Russia South Ossetia The World
The drama: Russia's reaction Taken from: Anatol Lieven New America Foundation The Times (London) August 11, 2008) With absolute determination not to be defeated by Georgia and not to suffer the humiliation of having to abandon Russia’s South Ossete client state, with everything that this would mean for Russian prestige in other areas. Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin made it clear again and again that if Georgia attacked South Ossetia, Russia would fight. Georgian advocates in the West claimed that Moscow was only bluffing.
It wasn’t. Russia is a county that reacts out of fear..It is not paranoia based...Fact is Russia has been invaded, occupied, re invented, so often it's no wonder she chooses alienation and bullyboyism as a means of protection.. Russia still seeks security in an old world mentality...Heavy governmental control within her borders and an obsessive compulsive desire to control those countries on her borders as added security measures. South Ossetia: Can't get no satisfaction from the 'less than' attitude of Georgia..No doubt part of the feelings of alienation and lack of recognition South Ossetia is experiencing from Georgia is a result of the 'rift' of idealism between the to... However, it seems apparent Georgia should change their tactics...There is still time for Georgia to help their own cause by showing them selves part of the global 'political right' in promoting diversity in their own back yard.. Unfortunately their recent course of action only views them to the world as a reflection of the Russian Federation's answer to unresolved territorial issues...I wonder if Georgia is 'big' enough to publicly apologize for an hot headed decision and offer to begin serious peace talks with South Osstia with the intent of healing new and old wounds?...Promoting Christianity(to put in a very broad term) may well be the answer... Georgia : South Ossetia lies smack in the middle of two main border crossings and trade roads to other countries...Plus there are two oil pipelines running through Georgia that 'infiltrators' from the north threaten to use as political terrorism to give Russia an excuse to invade Georgia under guise of protecting the world oil market..Every body knows there is nothing worst than a paranoid Russia.... My recommendation to leaders of the free world is take away Russia's ability to manipulate...Don't 'chastise'...the Russian government...It will only make the bear 'grumpy'....The 'people' of Russia need to be considered here...The response of the free world must be one of action that is like a parent to a child...Take away the toys until it can behave it's self...My grave concern is that what we do to the Russian government, we do to the Russian people as well.. My recommendations are at the bottom of this article: Ossetian's History :Pushed out of their medieval homeland in what is present day Russia, Ossetians took refuge in Georgia forming three distinct territorial entities..Digor in the west came under the influence of the neighboring Kabard people, who introduced Islam... Tuallag in the South became South Ossetia, part of historical Georgian principality of Samachablo where Ossetians found refuge from Mongol invaders.. Iron in the north became North Ossetia under Russian rule from 1767.. Is it just me or do Ossetians owe Georgia some 'respect' for saving their ass from the Mongolians? Modern day South Ossetia was "annexed" by Russia in 1801 including Georgia proper... 'Colonialism'...In my humble opinion a true evil concept and the root of territorial conflict through out the world yesterday, today, tomorrow...It is the 'stuff' WAR is made of... Tensions in the region began to rise amid rising nationalism among both Georgians and Ossetians in 1989. 'Nationalism'...Another pet peeve of mine..Hell bent on the separation and alienation of peoples around the globe... Prior to this, the two communities had been living in peace with each other except for the episode in 1920.(Ossetian and Georgian Bolsheviks going at it.) Both ethnicities have had a high level of interaction and high rates of intermarriages. South Ossetia Economy Following a war with Georgia in the 1990s, South Ossetia has struggled economically. Employment and supplies are scarce. Additionally, Georgia cut off supplies of electricity to the region, which forced the South Ossetian government to run an electric cable through North Ossetia. The majority of the population survives on subsistence farming. Virtually the only significant economic asset that South Ossetia possesses is control of the Roki Tunnel that links Russia and Georgia, from which the South Ossetian government reportedly obtains as much as a third of its budget by levying customs duties on freight traffic. The separatist officials admitted that Tskhinvali received more than 60 percent of its 2006 budget revenue directly from the Russian government. In late 2006, a large international counterfeiting operation stretching from South Ossetia was revealed by U.S. Secret Service and Georgian police.. My take: Georgia's decision to attack South Ossetia is so typical 'Russian' in mentality...With George W. Bush lobbying to include Georgia and the Ukraine into NATO it seems the decision to attack a weaker foe (leaving Russian Federation manipulation tactics out of the mix)...reflects immaturity.. How difficult would it be for Georgia to try 'turning on the love light' for those South Ossetians over there?.. What exactly does Georgia have to lose by practicing a ethic of compromise and tolerance to the language and culture of South Ossetians? Suggestions for a peaceful resolve: South Ossetia is a wasteland...It's a nightmare of exploited natural resources and soil contamination..Hazardous waste dumps, aging nuclear sites left from the Soviet 'industrial complex' that are categorized as "still generating pollution"...A major risk to local water supplies..Deforestation, overgrazed pasture lands...The area is isolated and suffers from a weak economy..(resource: http://www.americanresource.edu/ted/ice/ossetia.htm ) Create settlement areas in North Ossetia..Immigrate the South Ossetian people to North Ossetia..This is a population of approximately 70,000. The coordination and operation of such a project should be done through a neutral humanitarian entity...Cost of this project should be shared by the entire Global community that desire the end of conflicts such as this around the world...Georgia and Russia should equally participate in this funding effort.. Allow Georgia to retain South Ossetia as their land..However, both Georgia and Russia will agree to South Ossetia as a neutral zone and allow a United Nations peace keeping force to govern the area..This will create a buffer between the two countries and a security measure between the two countries...Roads will remain open to traffic however, traffic will be subject to search, and seizure, and due process per the specific governing laws created for this 'neutral zone' to be an effective deterrent to violence... The environmental issues should be addressed and steps taken heal the land..Again another project funded by the Global community with interests in protection and recovery of the environment. If either Russia or Georgia for that matter should elect to dismiss a peaceful resovle to the conflict then economic sanctions should be explored at that time.. August 17 ROPER'S LAST RIDEThe Charles River racing track in Boston Massachusetts consists of an indoor one-third mile oval velodrome.. Safety precautions include sand filled crash zones immediately off track to break the fall of athletes and machines should they collide or lose control in the heat of competition..The sound of speed coupled with the smell of sweat lingers like stale cologne in the heavy summer air. Young men in top physical and mental condition sport state of the art racing prototypes here...The ambience is acid.. Charged with a lethal mixture of testosterone and competition........ Envy eyed spectators and giggling frathouse groupies move their heads in unison left to right as the speedsters streak pass their immediate view.. The infield pits are crowded with mechanics making last minute fine tuning adjustments, as in racing, attention to detail is often the difference between winning and losing... So are the goings on here, this fine first day of June... Akin to all spectator style sport is a protocol of communal conscience..The link between those in the stands and those in the field...It is a moment in time when the dramatic occurs..All focus is gathered and placed upon a fixed point.....Life outside the experience is placed on hold.... However, this particular first day of June...Life chose, at it so often does, a protocol of its own design... Charles River racing track's multiplying bubbles of communal conscience were mercilessly shredded and lay to waste by the sudden invasion of previously unknown, unimagined, alien sight and sound... Like the confusion and chaos created aboard the 'Starship Enterprise' when a cloaked Klingon 'Bird-of-Prey' suddenly pierces the comm shrieking an uninvited message, "we have you in our sights"... It was the same scenario playing out in a parallel universe known as June 1st 1896....The day Slyvester Howard Roper rode his steam powered motorcycle onto the wooden speedway surface of the Charles River Racing Track... Previously cocky, over confident, Ivy League god-men, stood fixed in amazement. Their mouths, gaping canyons. Spectators rose up in unison...Eyes glazed, brain activity flat lined like a freaked out Windows 'hour glass' icon stuck in computer hell... The 'Free Wheeler' racing machines, only a moment ago, prized possessions, dropped in distraction. Their sleek frameworks tumbling down the steep banked turns of the speedway, to the apron below... Power pedals scraping and gouging at a wooden tarmac. Wheels spinning like crazed Big Ben clocks desperately trying to catch up to the apparent future that has materialized before the natural evolutionary order of things.... With the ferocity of a Mammoth Roper hit the boards...Thirty, then thirty five, then forty miles per hour the contraption burned up the speedway...Roper himself barely holding course against the constant semi- left turns of the straightaways and high end banks at the opposing corners.. The engine spat fire like a dragon and belched black menacing smoke mixed with erratic blast of back fire creating what may have been mistaken as a hiccup of God himself... Not until the completion of several blistering laps did the exhibition end with Roper bringing the bike to a halt on the start/finish side straightway... Initially there was only silence. It was the spectators who began to recover first..Seeing the bike motionless from a distance perhaps made it easier to identify it for what it was...Soon there were chuckles, then a kind of relief filled murmur emanating from the stands..Even the periodic amused laugh could be heard.."Why, it's just a bicycle, with a miniature locomotive engine attached!"... Roper stood by the silent motorcycle taking in the reaction..Listening to the process of the crowd, as he did from the beginning over twenty years ago...Observing the human mind at work.. Watching the buffering process break down the unknown into simpler comprehendible components, there by protecting the sanity of the individual.. Soon the clapping of hands fills the silence..And as this wave of applause begins to build, Roper gives the crowd the final assurance it needs...Removing his cap and bowing to the stands in time honored showmanship style. The athletes, having been closer to the action, are slower to respond...The sounds of approval from the crowd brings them around. Their reaction after the fact, is somewhat opposite the spectators. These are men unaccustomed to embarrassment or being 'up staged'..Especially by a showman, and an old codger to boot..Fledgling conspiracies begin to form in dark brooding minds..Gruffly taking to their mounts the Free Wheelers resume their rightful place on the track, however command of the crowd has been broken..And for that, the universe must some how be set back to its correct perspective. Some are silent determination pushing their bodies and machines to the limit in an effort to emulate speeds displayed by Roper. Others back build their shaken self esteem's by tactics such as sarcastic laughter, jeers, and profane comments directed at Roper as they speed by on their warm up laps. Roper however is not a man of the moment..The exhibition is a means to an end, and not the end itself. It is simply a heads up to the world..A tangible representation of the future. Like the motorcycle itself is a representation. An imperfect materialized reflection of what Plato speaks of..A place of perfection..Tapped into and conceptualized by a stellar mind. Roper's response to the crowd is automatic..A result of years following circus acts for the occasional opportunity to promote his invention... He is satisfied with the bike's performance today..There may be an opportunity to feature the bike as pace vehicle for the race starts of Free Wheeler competition here at the Charles River race track.. He could not help but notice though, the excitement was gone..He is admittedly, going through the motions..There was always too much to do and not enough time to do it.. And in the process of doing, the future dared creep in.. Even on the likes of Sylvester Howard Roper.... (It would be 11 yrs. ago now, 1885 two German inventors: Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach invented a motorcycle using petroleum fuel) . ..After twenty two years of inventing improving and re inventing, the Roper motorcycle was obsolete...Steam was not to be the future...The internal combustion engine would win the day. Seemingly unaware of the young men's jeers, Roper's mind is elsewhere..Something happened out there.. On the course..Something that still held him as though hypnotized...During the third lap.. A doorway opened and he had peeked inside..His projects, all of them began rolling through his mind like a slide show..Ideas that originally had no names..Brought back from the infinite and forged into reality by Roper himself..Materialized through the process of written plans, raw materials, frameworks, connectors, fasteners, motors, until eventually they named themselves.. Hand stitch Sewing Machine....Hot-air engine....Steam-carriages (the precursor of the automobile)... ....Breech loading guns...Machine for manufacturing screws....Hot-air furnaces and ranges......An automatic fire escape.... "Mr. Roper"...........There was still so much to do, and the thought alone made him tired...."Mr. Roper?"..... "Mr.Roper!"......"Yes?"....It was the speedway's track supervisor..."Are you alright there, old boy?" "Yes, yes of course".... "That was some kind of show Roper! Your idea for using that contraption of yours may just work" "Yes?...Oh, as starting pacer!....That would be fine..When would you like us to start?" "I'll have to talk it over with the track manager of course..He has the final say...Meantime though, some of the regulars got their woodies all in a twist....They want to challenge you to a race!" "To be honest I am feeling a bit under the weather, and this was to be a business visit." "Look, Roper...The boys aren't the kind to take an embarrassment lightly...It puts a dent in their manhood....Now if you was to beat them fair and square".... "Yes, yes I understand....Of course I will be happy to oblige...I'll need to refill the water reservoir under the seat here...Can you point me to the nearest facility?" The race itself was uneventful...Unchallengeable...Roper was over lapping the slower Free Wheelers by the third lap around the tiny course.. What was eventful was Roper feeling himself gravitate toward the mysterious door of perception again. By the third lap he had stepped through and was no longer aware of himself or his motorcycle.. All that remained was an awareness...An acute awareness of concepts...Infinitely beautiful...Undefinable, unimagined, untapped, and boundless...He sensed weeping....Not here, for both joy and sorrow were not of this realm....But somewhere, distant and yet near...A sense he was weeping,....in joy.... ...The same sense of awareness knew, it had finally come home..All that remained back 'there' was a final gesture... The newspaper article's account of the incident read as follows: The Boston Daily Globe: "The machine was cutting out a lively pace on the back stretch when the men seated near the training quarters noticed the bicycle was unsteady," the paper said. "The forward wheel wobbled, and then suddenly, the cycle was deflected from its course and plunged off the track into the sand, throwing the rider and overturning.
"All rushed to the assistance of the inventor, who lay motionless beneath his wheel, but as soon as they touched him they perceived that life was extinct," the paper added. "Dr. Welcott was summoned and after an examination gave the opinion that Mr. Roper was dead before the machine left the track."
It was later determined that a heart attack killed Roper, who left behind a legacy of steam motorcycles that dated back nearly three decades.
As with many inventors during the last part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries their work was not fully recognized or appreciated for it's true value...In many cases until long after their deaths..
This is of course a natural and logical condition, and one that will not change...
It is the unique gift of the inventor to bring forward from that place...The place Roper now calls home..
That which has not yet been idealized, forged, or fastened, into the present time...
August 10 Preferent Kinship part 2Preferent Kinship
Part two
'The Future relationship of dog and man'
"There's something happening here....What it is ain't exactly clear"... Buffalo Springfield
It causes me to ponder...The purview of the 'expendable'......The mind set of this generation....
...I blame it on the advent of the disposable razor...Yep, that's what started
the whole snowballing effect....That and the 'virtual' age...
Something is happening to us as we gravitate toward the alluring easier softer road technology prognosticates it's self to be.
...I sense a condition has developed in our social value system that warrants scrutiny...
Like, for example, the outfit that releases new computer operating systems on the market then spends the next few years ironing out an already 'paid in full' product by casually posing 'bug fixes' as,......'updates'...
We have become accustom to jumping in head first and fixing the repercussions 'in the mix'.
In the case of the future relationship of dog and man, the repercussions that worry me are not just minor wake disturbances created by the forward progression of a large ship...
It is the ship itself that concerns me,.. and the path of it's navigation..
The virtual pet industry: The 'Future of Virtual Pets' link on the site above was written in 1997....
Portions of that document are as follows:
Applications:
We see increased personalization of pets. Just as there are now many kinds of animals and many breeds of each animal used as pets, we think the virtual pet world will mimic the real world in terms of variety.
We see applications ranging from very light weight screen savers to heavy duty full blown virtual reality applications complete with goggles and sensing gloves. To highly developed physical "virtual pets"
We've long envisioned a remote controlled fish or shark that could be driven around in an aquarium by its owner. You could play with the other fish and amaze visitors. Therapy applications for the mentally handicapped, those in prison, and other will abound.
The military and police might make use of physical "virtual dogs" in security and sniffing applications.
Physical virtual pets could be made to look like anything, including people. Users: We see young children being able to learn how to care for a pet before they get a real one. Those in constrained living conditions (hospitals, nursing homes, military duty, prisons, firemen, inner city apartments, college dorms) will be able to have some of the benefits of owning a pet without interfering with their environment. The elderly will have some companionship and something to regularly do. Some of more physical applications (tamagocchi) will allow non computer users to participate. Physical virtual pets (dog and cat robots) will allow a fuller experience of pet ownership, and as mentioned in the applications section, could actually open a new realm of pet ownership as you control the pet and interact with other animals (real or virtual).
WowWee Robotics RoboPet
I pulled this off the Amazon site ....Retail value new 99.00What's interesting is the review comments from customers who bought it:
This is the ultimate pet. No messes, trainible, and fun! I tryed this with friends and in stores it is soooooo much fun! I may have pets already but this is east to take care of no messes,no taking it out on walks,or watching after it every mintue! I love my pets so much but I really like this and I would say to any child who doesn't have a pet "This is the one for you,it is easy and fun!".It's like he is a real dog!!! This toy, I mean pet, is great!! The only problem is that Robo Pet is rather loud, and sometimes when I play with it, my parents get a little mad because it is fun, but it makes a lot of noise, but I don't regret it, even though $80 is an outrageous price for this, but it is still awesome.Soooooooooo, go ahead. Buy it!!!
Looking back at the foundations of the Man and Dog friendship.
I feel it is important to remember the benefit Man received at that time were of an enhancement in his basic struggle to survive...As Man developed commerce the versatility of the Dog coupled with the refinement of select breeding allowed Dogs to fill the spots of 'employment' as needed..
Granted pets today are a household item more so than any time in history.
I know many people have an emotional commitment to their animals that rates right up there with the love one experiences with a child.
So, what's the bitch Loosecanon?...(Oh man,...busted by the 'pun' police)
Well it's not so much a bitch as a worry...I know how people 'are'..That's what worries me...The individual is smart...The individual takes the time to be well informed on interested subjects...It's the campaigns directed at the mass conscience of the uninformed that take their toll..
Rural to urbal living:
This huge change in the way Americans live their lives is a result of an economic game plan put into action more than fifty years ago..
Relentless pressure has been placed on the backs of the working class.
The goal being to allow big business faster growth, bigger profits, with the end result being more opportunity for the working class in the form of careers, better paying jobs, working for the Corporation their tax dollar support fast tracked to success.....
I don't want to get started on this cuz I am just going to get pissed off.......
Instead, just use the relationship of ancient man and dog as described in Preferent Kinship part 1 as an analogy.....It's a 'win-win' situation..
I'll let you decide who gets to be the 'dog'....
As Americans become urbanized living spaces become smaller...The necessity for 'animal controls' becomes a new career opportunity...
Business is booming, however the working class is finding it harder and harder to 'get by'...
This results in less 'quality time' affordable outside of work...
This is not a big deal for the immediate family unit....
After all both husband and wife "love our career's" ....
And it's so healthy for little Junior to get all those social contact skills at the Child Care Facility five days a week...
But the dog...The damn dog is just never satisfied...
Move over Rover, let Robo pet take over!....
Bottom line: Give me a Robot Vacuum cleaner...Alright?
A dishwasher or a machine that does laundry, ok...
But don't turn my dog into a Robot...
August 09 Second ChanceI got this big fat letter in the mail today ...In bold font it reads, "HERE'S THAT SECOND CHANCE YOU HOPED FOR LooseCanon"... I had to stop for a moment and check the return side of it....Make sure it wasn't from God or somebody important..... It was from Mutual of Omaha.... That's an insurance provider right?.....I've never done business with them,...ever... So it was with some amazement I stood there by my rickety mail box on this hot august afternoon with thunder heads towering up in the east, causing a slight back draft prevailing from my west...I'd been working under the house making a basement storage area ..Just me and my constant companion "Violet"...My one female cat...In fact...
....That's her kicking' back while I write this thing still fresh in my mind... I came up from under the house for some air, and the breeze by the mail box felt fine as it dried up the sweat on my chrome dome and shoulders...It's one of those freebies in life I try to make note of when ever it occurs... So, Mutual of Omaha claims to have the second chance I've been hoping for....Got to love modern technology...How those guys could manage not only to 'know' what the second chance I've been hoping for was,... but to fit it into an envelope small enough to slip inside my mail box....I am impressed... I figure I am going to be even more impressed when I finally open the envelope up...Reminds me Johnny Carson doing Carnac the Magnificent.... Like I said I've never had any dealings with the company... Yea, I mean, I know the obvious..They are about insurance...Security....Including life insurance... The kind of insurance that some how appeals to our fear of death.. Insuring a kind of concrete knowledge that for at least while the benefactors are 'in the money', you are still ,'in the show',...beyond the grave... ....A positive haunting..... It temporarily beats back the finality of death.......You know, the thing that scares the shit out of us and makes us 'governable'..... Life of the party LooseCanon,..... Only thing I know about Mutual of Omaha is they sponsor that 'Wild Kingdom' show on television....It originated in 1963 and the host was Marlin Perkins.. The show was great.....Lots of education about how the other beings on the planet survive and find fulfillment... It seems to me strange logic that a insurance company would sponsor documentary style television promoting nature's natural selection process..If anything, a fundamental denominator of all creatures surviving the wild is the absolute knowledge life holds no security.... When an insurance company pays out a claim it's only the monetary portion of the loss that's covered..When a subscriber loses their home to, for example, fire or flood the best case scenario would be the insurance funds cover complete rebuilding of the structure.. Insurance programs have no means to cover the emotional trauma such a disaster entails... I was reading recently an article entitled, 'Our Lives, Controlled From Some Guy’s Couch' http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/science/14tier.html that suggests we may in fact be living in someone else's 'Matrix'....This hypothesis is based on the current standard of virtual technology weighting it against the short time it has taken virtual technology to arrive at it's current state... I figure it's just a matter of time before we see insurance companies advertising a policy that guarantees total protection from the events we now insure ourselves against...Initially the policy will be expensive, just to pay for all that software.. However in time, I expect it will become mandatory 'State law' for all citizens to carry such a policy...After all, the burden tax payers are shelling out to support 'social programs' would be eliminated in a flash if nothing 'bad' ever happened.. So, what you think?...Has the future of insurance already arrived?... Is it possible the 'second chance' I've been waiting for is in fact the program I described, waiting for me inside this large envelope needing only my simple signature (and credit card number of course) on the dotted line? I'm getting excited!..Are you getting excited? I am definitely getting excited! I'm tearing this baby open man!...Oh shit... I forgot... I got laid off last week and my credit card is max'd out! Opening this little slice of heaven is just gonna' get me all depressed... Well, hell...Story of my life..And to think I missed my second chance by that....much... It's ok though, cuz I bet you all are going to get one of these envelopes in your mailbox too!..Yeah, I mean come on, it's not like I am special or anything...I bet Mutual of Omaha wants everybody to get in on this deal! Wow, I got to admit, I feel pretty good knowing there's so many folks out there going to get the 'second chance they have been hoping for'....
August 03 Preferent Kinship
The earth split in two, and the men and beasts were separated In the great chaos of creation, Two front paws caught the far edge. The dog would certainly have been lost forever had man not caught him and saved his life. -Mythology of 'the people'-
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....Anyway his remark provides a perfect segway to another dog attribute...
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