thelerner

I'm on Sounds True email list. They often have well known teachers giving free downloadable lectures. I'm listening to Robert Moss on Active Dreaming in the Multiverse now, and its very good, not at all an info-mercial, Two weeks ago they gave out 6 decent guided meditations, all free, pieces from larger works. They have a wide variety of offerings, probably something worthwhile for most. SoundsTrue.com.

Hard to believe its just a coincidence that the Earth is hit by such a large meteorite the same day a really big one came so close to us. As I understand the big one passes us by twice a year, this year and til the early 2030's its at a much safer distance. I wonder if asteroids have little partners that follow and/or orbit them? Ones too small for us to see and track. From Reuters: NASA estimated the meteor was 55 feet across before entering Earth's atmosphere and weighed about 10,000 tons. It exploded miles above Earth, releasing nearly 500 kilotons of energy - about 30 times the size of the nuclear bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in World War Two, NASA added. "We would expect an event of this magnitude to occur once every 100 years on average," said Paul Chodas of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

I got a couple more that are a bit worse, but I'm holding back. Some people bring out the worst in me. I generally ignore the anti-semitism on the site thinking posting to it will just bring more attention to it, but the nazi defenders who write here should be called out every now and then for the.. oh never mind.

I don't know why he was suspended, but lately he took a stand against some ill informed moronic anti Semitic garbage thats been posted around on the Bums and for that I admire him. In my opinion there are 2 or 3 people here who are Neo nazis wannabees who cut and paste from rascist sites. To each there own and conspiracy nuts tend to build a sad paranoid life around themselves, but its sad to see their bile piling up here.

Immortal your posts saying its not a cult were from the European Falun society, not exactly impartial. Similarly the Wikipedia is probably written by 'experts' who are in Falun. That being said I've heard good things about the qi gong taught and I think most of the members are sincere. It has helped many people, but the leader may have some crack pot ideas along w/ the good ones, but if you're a not a high level member or in China it may not effect you. There was an exhaustive thread about Falun two years ago. Here is a link: http://thetaobums.com/topic/15972-falun-dafa-thread-open-discussion/?hl=falun

deci belle, if you couldn't use the word light, what word or phrase would you substitute in your explanation? How off base would the substitute 'Focus' be?

http://popupcity.net/2013/01/trend-8-urban-farming-becomes-serious-business/ -sample- As urban farming is becoming a serious business in many cities around the world, it’s interesting to see how the city farming scene extends its influence from a ‘vacant-lots-only’ phenomenon to a ‘rest-of-the-city’ phenomenon. Urban farming shops in the centers of big cities pop-up all over the States. These shops sell stuff to the needs of the urban farmer, varying from seeds and soils to rainwater harvesting barrels, drip irrigation systems and even little roosters. In 2011, New York got it’s urban farming style shop, but also Portland has its Urban Farmers Store, and in Brooklyn some urban farming entrepreneurs run the Haysees’s Big City Farm Supply Store. Egg|Plant Urban Farm Supply is Minnesota’s source of supplies and inspiration for your own backyard homestead. And the Seattle Farm Supply is an urban farming supply company based in the Seattle urban area. Apparently the urban farming niche is big enough in some cities to enable people to make a living from selling equipment, and that’s when it’s becoming interesting. In London, an urban farming meeting hub called Farm:shop can be found in the streets of Hackney. Farm:shop is a workspace, cafe and events venue combined with a farm that produces living and breathing food — literally a farm-in-a-shop. Nice links here.

I want to make Apfelwein. I found a simple, relatively quick award winning recipe. It seems cheap to make but also very flexible. I wonder if any other bums were interested? We could do it at the same time and compare notes. Speaking of notes Here is a link I have to my notes on the subject: http://thetaobums.co...list-this-year/ A synopsis: Award Winning Apfelwein Recipe (German Hard Cider) Apple Wine Recipe Placed 1st in the Cider & Apple Wine category at the BJCP sanctioned Alamo Cerveza fest (out of 11 entries) and took 2nd place for Best of Show for the main category of Meads & Ciders (out of 50 entries). Ingredients 5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice 2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags 1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast or use Laflin for less smell. EdWort: If you do it my way, all you need is a carboy. That's it. Nothing to cook. Just sanitize the carboy, add the juice, dextrose & yeast. Total process is less than 30 minutes including sanitizing stuff. It's very simple to make. 5 Gallons of Tree Top Apple Juice from Costco, 2 pounds of Dextros (corn Sugar), 1 packet Dry Montrachet Wine <or Laflin yeast(less smelly)> 1. Sanitize your carboy (I love my Better bottles) and big funnel. 2. Pour half of one gallon of juice in the Carboy. Then add 1 pound of Dextrose to the half empty bottle of juice. Put the cap on and shake it up to dissolve the sugar. 3. Repeat step 2 with another gallon of apple juice and the other pound of Dextrose 4. Pour the half bottles of juice/dextros into carboy 5. Pour the rest of the juice into the carboy saving about a quart 6. Sprinkle the yeast into the funnel then rinse with the rest of the juice so all the yeast is now in the carboy. You can fit all the juice in it, don't worry. Reviews: The end result is a crisp, dry, refreshing Apfelwein at 8.5% abv that rocks on hot summer days. SWMBO is loving it on tap. (SWMBO's are She Who Must Be Obeyed) I had a few glasses last night and all I can say is that this stuff rocks! It was really well balanced; not too sweet and not too dry. I think I could stand it a little drier, but I don't think my wife would have liked it as much if I had let it ferment all the way out. Had a nice aroma and nose that I can only describe as wine-line (as opposed to cider-like). Not sure if it was just the alcohol, or what. Perfect level of sweetness, not cloying at all, but not overwhelmingly dry. The level of sweetness of a youngish, sweet red wine. Still have plenty of apple flavor. Very drinkable, likely TOO drinkable. Perfect, I thought. So after a fortnight of aging it is already fracking delicious! Plenty of apple-flavor and it's nice and dry. And it's only going to get better, you say? Damn, we're going to need to make more soon! Awesome recipe, awesome Apfelwein. I bottled last night and had my first drink and it blew me away. Very smooth, crisp but not too dry, slightly effervescent.

Bottling in 2 weeks.

Hmnn, can't save I've defeated them. On the Monks path you tackle'em all at once and you're in an environment that conducive to fighting such enemies because they're largely removed from the environment. On the Laymans' path they're everywhere, you're out numbered and out gunned. So target one at a time, not to defeat it, but to get general awareness of its traits and how they effect you. Once you're aware, devise methods to avoid or over come its specific attacks. Piece by piece, little by little, get better. See below:

I'm pretty sure the world ended in 2012, we just haven't realized it yet. I wonder if we'd live better if we considered ourselves dying each night and reborn each morning. Or if we considered the world ended each Sunday and a new one created Each Monday. It'd be an interesting experiment in life. What we'd do if we seriously believed in the End each week <with certain caveats not to blow all our money or burn bridges>. In some ways the Sabbath at least in some mystical traditions was part of a time spiral, where time moves by the Sabbath remained apart, an eternal holy day, a taste of heaven. As in the saying if you can't enjoy the Sabbath what use do you have for heaven?

And yet, the world loves a lover; the person who goes to outrageous lengths to show another how much they admire and want them. If you're not controlled, be willing to go extreme to impress your potential mate. Its not about $$, but time, caring, daring and artistic worth. Its not about succeeding either, its about the grand flamboyant uncommon gesture.

One thing I've picked up from Ya Mu's Stillness Movement meditation is to pick up a natural rocking when I sit. It relieves much of the built up tension and pain from the legs and knees. Once you practice it, it becomes relatively automatic as you find your 'bob'. Course I haven't pushed 2 hours in a while, unless you count meditating in bed, which is too easy.

Worked out fine for me and my kids and my uncles and nephews. I think with a competent experienced surgeon its a pretty safe procedure. Still I don't think I'd have it done if weren't a religious thing. There's no sense in hospitals doing it automatically, though there may be some protections on certain very low odd cancers and higher odd STD's.

And yet there are 100's of millions of them who are good honest people. You must deal with good people who are Christian every day, do you tell them to there face how 'dishonest' they are? Or do you save it for anonymous websites? IMO the problem is when we exaggerate, generalize then make insulting bigoted statement of how 'wrong' an entire group is. It's not Christians who make make the world bad; like all groups they're mixed.. mostly good, some bad and lots of gray. It's the generalizing bigots who blame all the worlds problems on a single group; that bunch; those individuals, the simplifying prejudiced bigots, that subset whatever their race creed or sexual orientation, those loud intolerants, they're the enemy. They spread hate, intolerance and quite often lies. The ones who can't accept live and let live; who go out of there way to blame and denigrate other groups because it makes them feel smug and superior. Maybe the worst are the civilized ones who act like Rush Limbaugh and use his tactics to search through history and newspapers around the world to find an article that denigrates their enemy du jour. Finding a 1000 year old foolish prediction thus allows a bigot to generalize and gloat on how silly all 'Others' are. Pure Limbaughnian bigotry, childishly feel better by putting others down.

Ach, you make simple things complicated, then surround them with rules, statistics (99.6% So-oo precise it must be true ) and elitism. Its not easy being in the Now at all times, but I think most of hit it momentarily pretty often. When we do something we love, are fascinated, very happy we're in the Now. I'd add in certain bright states of meditation too.

You're kidding me right. Can you even recognize a hate filled conspiracy nut job site when your on it? You highlighted and posted from JettandJahn.com, you don't see them as rascist extremists?? Come on.. they're a fuckin Klan porn site. A quick perusal- An article on The Definitive Nigga Song, an article on Jackie giving a blow job to Martin Luthor King during JFK's funeral, I could go on, its racist, antisemitic, paranoid and lunatic. It makes right wing mouth pieces like Rush or Beck look like choir boys. People who believe and support it imo are not good people in my book. addon: I'll give you that most of your highlighted websites are from far right leaning, moral majority type places and aren't as blatantly crazy paranoid racist as the Jett site.

How long til they're showing our ads in a similar light. Particularly highlighting the end parts, side effects death dismemberment suicidal tendencies.

Minke DeVos (silentground.com) has a good guided meditation of the microcosmic Orbit (Tao Basics CD) that takes the feeling from the center channels out to the arms and legs. Though its easy to fool oneself that the feeling is the real thing. Old Green has a point it takes time and is better with an experienced teacher.

I scorn new age, but I'll still listen and read it. I was at Half Price Books and picked up 'To Feel Go(o)d, The science & Spirit of Bliss by Candace Pert. I'm sure it'll be new agey, the woman was in What the Bleep We Know (didn't like it) for goodness sake. But if I invest two hours of my time, listening while walking, there's a chance I'll pick up a new fresh idea I can use. That makes it worthwhile.

Perhaps true, presented a bit harshly, but I'm not an absolutist of anything. I get within a second of Now, I"m happy as a clam. I'd add that Tolle is very anti-think. He constantly repeats the theme 'Thinking' is the enemy. I feel he over stresses the point. A quiet mind is the best mind, but imo thinking is a tool to valuable to throw out.

do not concern me with your doubts and theories tell me what you do

I think what woke me up was the thought- What if I lived in a world that said my sexual attraction/lust for woman was wrong/immoral. How would I react if society told me my love for my wife was a psychological sickness and that we couldn't marry or have kids. I'd be pissed thats what. I'd fight against it. On the other hand I don't like to much political correctness either. Truthfully its only by rubbing our ideas against each other that we have a chance to learn from each other. Not agree, but conflict can hone our own thinking and understand what's out there in the real world. White Wolf has the right to say what he thinks and we have the right to react. After that there's the hope we can keep it civil, which is hard on a subject that very personal. Often the best we can do is state our truth and walk away.

I'd like to lay out a few experiments we could do to get a handle on unbiased<or less biased> reality. In my personal section I had a recipe that used the microwave oven <Paleo chocolate, almond, banana muffins>. Someone pointed out cavemen didn't use such ovens and that microwaves were inherently unhealthy. He had a link to a site that had information. Experiment 1. I looked at the site<& others pro and against> and told him, it seemed like ludite paranoia. However web page had an experiment done by the mans granddaughter. Two bean plants, once they had a few leaves one was fed water the other with microwaved water, in 9 days the microwave fed one was shriveled and leafless. I doubt this and would like to see it replicated. I suppose there could be a control using boiled water as a third, since heating water up tends to drop the oxygen level in it. Experiment 2. There are even more implications in the next one. In Emoto's book 'Wonders of Water' <something like that> he mentioned an experiment with rice. Put cooked white rice into two sealed containers. One had happy positive words, the other negative and insulting. In time the positive glass looked and smelled fresh, the bad evil nasty stupid rice container was rotted and spoiled. I'd like to see this test done and documented. Beyond these two, what experiments are We doing? With our practices and our lives. I've enjoyed reading Timothy Ferriss books on self experimentation same w/ A. J. Jacobs books that encompass his various 1 year explorations ie Drop Dead Healthy, Year of Living Biblically etc., P.S I don't mean to debate the matter. I want Science, I want personal experiments, might even do one myself. Cause in both cases I'm very skeptical, but it would be cool to be proved wrong, especially on the rice experiment, cause it does have the possibility to shift ones paradigms.

If I don't meditate I get more easily offended. I find meditation hits a reset button in my psyche. I don't jump or react to sudden sounds and am generally mellower. Ofcourse Scotch works too. Too often we take offense where no offense is meant. Particularly online where communication is garbled by lack of tone and body language. Who do I take offense at? Lately its those who I label <correctly or not> conspiracy theory nuts. Next month I'll move onto another group. Probably cat people.