thelerner

Is the Hui yin point what is commonly referred to as the perineum (between anus and genitals) in English? If not what is the more accurrate spot for it?

Here's a random, unformed thought. We often see arguments on TDB's that get circular and tit for tat on subjects that are so abstract that neither side has any power to change things. I wish there was a way to defuse them. Either by one side, or nudge from a general member. Cause sometimes they cause bad feelings, other times you see they're clearly heading for the pit and in essence, once people's views are out, neither side will change, facts, quotes and sources become meaningless and unread. I'm looking for a meme, I think. We all know what a troll is, but here I'm looking for something to describe a tangled argument that's heading towards bad blood and a warning to stop it. I don't want it to be a moderator's warning, as much as a regular members way to saying enough is enough. Something analagous to 'you've jumped the shark' but in internet terms.

Too likely be returned with a 'Damn Right I am' Too poetic Too Dirty Harry'ish. though not bad and might make someone's day. Too oblique.. but has a nice creative spark Don't sweat the petty things. best so far imo. could we make it more taoish? daosh.. daesh? it might cause confucian.

Its been rough. how rough you ask- My wrist watch broke which meant a trip to Switzerland to get it fixed. Then at my airfield I backed the lambordini into the lear jet. One problem after another! oh the troubles i've seen. Truthfully (mostly) I was at a college information dinner yesterday. One woman said, 'The school has a great equestrian program, my daughter went there and brought her horse with her.' The other woman said, 'We applied to that school. After filling out the long application form, they accepted our horse, but not our son!'

I get that from my teenage daughter all the time. Its almost not worth complaining to her

Actually if Mak Ti Sin says we're bad, thats actually a good indication we're doing our job as an open forum with various viewpoints. He's not all bad, but he's extremely one pointed with the point being towards himself. Opinion that vary from his aren't just wrong, but evil and he'd tend to turn them into crazed vendetta's with a dozen videos because someone somewhere on the internet disagreed with him.

I think thats a good place to be. Sometimes we push, sometimes we just practice.

I hate sometimes troubled that great men have to become mythologized as gods in order for there philosophy to be taken seriously. I think it distracts from there teaching. bit of editing to chillax.

The movie Cafe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_%28film%29 Low budget filmed in and about daily life in a cafe. Lots of interesting characters, one a computer programmer who writes simulations who is visited by God who tells him, that he and the world are a simulation.

It could be jury rigged now, by creating a topic (in General area) and in the introduction telling people to hit the link to the same thread in the Personal section. Each time someone puts a comment in the General thread put in a Please don't & redirect after it. Maybe they'd learn .. or not. Not as clean as a real Controlled Conversation Area, but doable now. On one hand we've lost people because they've gotten angry (and abusive) when their threads were high jacked. On the other , when its a good topic in the General area, having someone delete or even change someone else's post is treading dangerous ground, unless they're clearly aware thats the risk of answering in the CCA area.

hmm, sounds like the ability to create a post, similar to Personal section where the creator has complete editing rights over the whole thread. Interesting. Might be hard to program. As an experiment I say..why not, if the powers that be can do it. What would we call it?? Ontrack section. Controlled Conversation Area, yeah thats better. CCA's where the conversation is controlled by the creator. Though to me its the opposite of anarchy, its tight control. There is something in the air these days. I know I've been taken on a more negative slant lately. But.. its the dog sled days of winter, we're all tired, cold and hungry for the sun and warmer better times. Less tolerant, seemingly even when almost but don't quite agree with us.

Innersound your spending alot of time trying to convince people that smog and pollution is bad. Fine, you win, pollution bad. If it'll make you happier its irreversible and will kill us all. I'd also add people spread can be bad. In the 1910's and 20's the government encouraged and offered free land to homesteaders. People went, they tried to build farms on poor land, ended up scraping off countless tons of topsoil which led to the dust bowl of the late 20's and 30's. An incredibly destructive happening, dropping a couple of atomic bombs on the area would have been kinder the destruction the home steaders wrought. At the same time period Japan was also encouraging homesteaders to move to unpopulated areas. Aikido founder Ueshiba was one those who took the offer and according to stories only his ceaseless hard work and unbreakable spirit kept people alive. Eventually he had to call it quits. My point is, its easy to see pollution is bad, its harder to see that people, especially those in hard scrabble areas can also devastate huge areas. Might be nuclear disaster areas will end up the best cleanest sanctuaries in the long run because they don't have people. <later addition> I'd also add that until a country (or individual) claims responsibility for its own problems, they're up shits creek. Much as you blame America for China's problem, they're screwed if they take the same liberal route. The solution to there problem is painful, but easy and straight forward. No more coal plants, and start rolling back the ones you have. Have better environmental laws and put men and teeth into keeping them. End the corruption that skirts them. England did it, we did it. You want Chinese to smoke less, also easy. Ban U.S cigarettes, raise taxes on them steeply, sponsor campagns on the dangers of smoking. Painful, but hard, but that is what stop blaming the other guy and taking responsibility for yourself is all about. For people and nations.

I wonder, how much do I lose by being a half lotus sitter, ie a relatively tight half lotus, one leg rested on top of the other. and sometimes I'm 'looser' then that, sitting 'indian style' with out leg further out, not on top of the other. How would you compare the 2 stances energetically?

I thought meditation was the fundamental .

There were 10's of millions of Chinese people who actually starved (not potentially) in the late 60's and 70's. This wasn't maybe starving this was real people dying painfully. It happened because Mao forced millions to the country side to become simple farmers and they starved. That really happened, not a what if. Similarly there was horrible pollution here in the States in the 60's and 70's. Very bad, not that its great now, but we've cleaned up the worst of our smog, stopped the worst the acid rain that was destroying whole forrests. Again we're far from perfect, but in most metrics (clean air and water) we've been moving steadily better for a long while. My point it is, with good policies things can be turned around. There is impetus for China to clean up its act. It has too. Things change and evolve, you usually can't set the future by looking at just 2 or 3 points, because imo things move in pendulum. The damage of pollution is vast; a generations worth, it'll take a generation, say 20 years to clean up. But I bet they will. The Chinese are smart, they've seen there skies darken and people sicken due to smog. The earth can be forgiving, it is the ultimate recycler, especially when given a breather.

The sad thing to me is that people on the, lets all go back to the vegan homestead side lose support of those who'd be natural alies because going part way isn't good enough. Anyone who doesn't fall completely into there camp is brain washed. <I've also found many of the most radical believers are hypocrites who don't walk there talk. Its what other people should do, but they don't> Mention 100's of miles of corn are being used inefficiently for enthanol could used for better purpose and you get angry replies about Nafta and corn farmers in Mexico. Are they for ethanol, against it, or the mere mention of corns sets them off?? Many people do well, others do poorly on veganism. Most important of all, unless your hoping for a Maoist revolution where elite and educated are forced into tiny farms (to survive or not) you ain't gonna get your land distribution. You'll get 10's of millions of dead, just like Mao. The dream is a good one. It just has to be done family by family. Hopefully with as little government help or hindrance as possible.

So you didn't understand what I wrote. I didn't mention Nafta or Mexico.. I was trying to get across that in ethanol we waste 1.3 billion bushels of corn a year. If that was put on the free market world corn prices would go way down. Personally I found the analysis way to simplistic. To figure out why corn prices move you need to figure in quite a few factors. Concentrating on a single factoid like Nafta and you wouldn't be explain corn prices, like why they exploded from $2 in 2006 to over $7, 2012. Its not that its wrong but putting the responsibilities on a single metric is naive and would keeps you from understanding pricing dynamics. Same blinder I see in far right wing and left wing politics, interpretations that are too simplistic because they ignore important variables. PS. Sorry to stop the flow the OP..

good article. Still while the prediction is dire, we waste an incredible amount of food. With ethanol we grow enough corn to feed whole nations and use it for very inefficient fuel. We don't take advantage of home gardening or alternate energy because what we have right now, is so damn cheap. It'd be better if that could change before economic realities force it too, but the changes don't have to be very drastic in order to bring about a better future. Least not here in the West. I can't speak for India. <add on 3/30> speaking of corn the U.S grows 14.4 billion bushels a year, @ 35 pounds per bushel that's about 540 Billion pounds of the stuff. That's a hell of a lot. Course much is used inefficiently to feed cattle. Some becomes corn syrup , and much of it.. I forget and am lazy, 1.4 billion bushels-ish goes into ethanol. I disagree with the ethanol program, its way inefficient, bad law. But one can make money off of it. Due partly to this conversation I've purchased some of the stock 'CORN', its based on futures so its ultimately doomed by the contango affect, but I'm betting in the short run (a few months) more driving means more corn going into gas tanks means more higher prices.

Exactly, the first picture in the OP shows a beautiful fertile land, there's not that much available for the world population. Heck the 2 horses alone would need (i googled it) need '1 to 2 acres of well-established pasture per horse if you feed only pasture during the growing season'. When the U.S gave away free crappy land it resulted in the late 1920's dust bowl. When Mao forced people onto crappy land, it killed millions. ok.. that's a bit gloomy, truth is there are excellent solutions, but they're probably have to be family by family. Paradoxically, the skyscrapers in the 2nd photo can be more environmentally sound then spreading people out over 1,000's of acres, knocking out forests and vast natural spaces. Those skyscrapers can have gardens on top, and people can container garden on there balconeys. There can be more community gardens in every park, cities can put up more fruit and nut trees and encouraging communal responsibility toward them. In the U.S. there is so much waste. If it was culturally acceptable and encouraged to turn our lawns and back yards into productive fruit & vegetable (& flower) dense gardens (I'd include chickens too) instead mono-cultural grass we'd be so much better off- physically, mentally, spiritually. I put in a small, simple squaire foot garden in my front lawn and a couple of neighbors have followed (the garden is long but only 1 foot wide, so very easy to create and take care of). The dream would be to find the sweet spot between maximum gain and minimum effort and resources. There are some families who've gotten extreme produce from tiny areas but they put in a lot of work. Anyone have a book recommendation for idealized city gardening set ups? I bet Mother Earth magazine has some good ideas in that area, they helped inspire my front yard garden and some bread baking. I'll see if they have a specific book that collects the best of urban farming. Here's a link to there site: http://www.motherearthnews.com/ Even my library, always a good source, has 3 different books on creating edible front laws and culinary gardens.

Prostrations are very non-Western kind of practice. I imagine them as kneeling then bending down, repeatedly. Can you tell us a little more about the practice. Also, if I may ask what do you consider a typical dedication of merit? To all sentient beings, or do you get more specific? Thanks.

Historically I've found that true. I think its due to harder survival, ie harsh seasons create the need to band together and innovate. When your South fruit and game are available year round its easier to get soft and siesta. Course then North becomes South and the cycle repeats itself.

I'm for the mind chipping of babies! I have several commands I'd like added to the programming too: 1. Command code word that makes them go to sleep. 2. Command code that makes them give warning before diaper change. 3. Code that radio's to me when they wake up. 4. Command code to stop throwing a fit. 5. Function that allows me to beam sappy music directly into there heads so I don't spend weeks with Barney & Friends songs echoing through mine. that's about it. and as turn about is fair play, I'd be willing to get the chip in mine. http://youtu.be/eP4INdt_-fk

fine. just let me get this in.. the great majority of doctors are for vaccinations. ahem.. I apologize for my abrasive tone. Both sides have to acknowledge that the passion in this issue is driven by concern for the lives and well being of children and the general population. Its a heated issue, where the heroes on one side are the villains in the other. Also its wrought with questionable statistics on both sides. And worse litered with anecdotes and opinions taken as facts. Take the Amish angle. In one story online, the anti-vaccine researcher stated Amish don't get vaccinated and have no autism, but he found 3 who somehow did and all 3 had autism. That could interpreted as the vaccine gives 100% of kids autism, or God hates the Amish, or more likely there's a screw up in interpretation. Another site said, the Amish they sent out a survey and accordingly found 85% of Amish returns said they did vaccinate. That also gets my BS detector going. The hard rule of Anthropology is people lie en masse particularly when there is gain involved. I assume the truth is in the middle, some Amish get vaccinated, some Amish have autism, but at high levels its probably grouped in with mental retardation and low levels are considered quiet people. There's no over diagnosis as in the regular population where schools give special benefits to the iffier claim. Thus both sides exaggerate. Its good to have people question and double check big government and big business. Where there is profit motive there is possibility of corruption. Its certainly not automatic though. Government and Business do good things too. There is a possibility that the anti-vaccination people are right on some fronts. There may be too many mandatory vaccinations and some might be less safe then others, But thats a call for better studies, not to throw out the tool of vaccinations, which save and prevent imo many diseases. Personally, I've always chosen not to get a pneumnoia shot, that could change in the future. I didn't like having my new borns get shots just after birth. I'd have preferred to wait a few weeks until they were stronger and not subject them to more trauma just after birth. Thus, with good will towards all, I will continue to study with matter with an admittedly bias towards vaccination but with an open enough mind to look for the most even handed, least manipulated, cleanest studies.

Enishi, when you have to dig up a a comparison of the U.S army in the Phillippines in order to prove something, I get the feeling its highly cherry picked. In other words, the general army number didn't work, the army in San Juan didn't, the navy in guam didn't but finally we found a statistics that backs us up, the U.S army in Phillippines. You look until you find an abnormality, then compare to another number. Its how statistics become lies. It weakens the case in my opinion.

eye of the storm, a billion or two people moving from this: a City (w/ highrise living) spreading out into this beautiful cabin (wood burning?) with 10 idealyic acres would be horrible for the planet. Strangely enough city life, having 400 people living in one tall building is probably more ecological responsible then 100 cabins taking up a few squaire miles. Wood burning is horribly inefficient and polluting. Without modern farming we'd probably kill all wild life within a few years, not to mention finishing the job of deforesting the earth. We are 7 billion people and counting. In some ways your idealyic picture might well be showing the "Psychopaths have been self selecting to rule while destroying/controlling everyone else" enjoying there spoils. back to the vaccines.. how anti science and medicine do we want to get? If we were bitten by a rabid raccoon would we really say no to the vaccine? Think its a conspiracy to make money, full of lies and poison? Hopefully not, it based firmly on science and has saved 1,000's of lives. Hopefully it'd be a no brainer. Yes, it may not work all the time, there could be side effects, there are some kinds of perservatives in it to keep it active, but bottom line is, its based on solid science and saves lives.