Yoda

Cool thread! I'd say that when we go into meditation, sleep, or death that desires and resistances fall off allowing a more easy connection with the spiritual side of the equation. I think this effect is easier to see in the very young who are more spiritually connected in general or in animals such as a cat or a dog moves to bliss and/or sleep on your lap for instance. Also, there is a certain relaxation that occurs in grownups when a baby falls asleep! You are sort of 'off duty' and freer to relax and appreciate the wee one. Mat, I'm not a huge fan of the 'highly evolved soul' articulation. I do think that there are people who have a closer awareness of spiritual dimensions than others do, but I don't think this is necessarily higher or more evolved. I think it's just that more spiritually aware person has a different configuration, different interests, different purposes, etc than somebody more interested in other things. If we all were mahatmas this world would be more pleasant and polite, but at what cost? It would be a bit dull and monochromatic, I'd imagine. Jmo, of course.

I don't bother to lock anything anymore... what's up with that? Low sperm count in modern man? Increasing acceptance of birth control starting in the 60s for would-be shitty parents? Reduction and elimination of lead in paint and gasoline (60s and 70s) kicking in? Better economy? Internet got the young and restless off the streets? Military recruitment efforts focusing on edgy teens? Criminals have all become Nigerian spammers and Enron CEOs? TM fliers doing their job? NYC Mayors standing firm? Higher incarceration rates? Orgonite is everywhere? Everyone's got a 9? Yoda needs the info! Thanks!

that is good news! thanks!

What are the countries that have three party systems? How are they doing? Correct me if I'm wrong, but my guess is that they don't do much better. Maybe even worse... the third party might steal enough votes to allow a real nutter to get in office. Who knows... I'm guessing it's Kerry vs McCain with McCain winning.

I just heard Marcinko, the CEO of SOS Temps... mercenary outfit. He says that the difference between a Seal and a mercenary is that the Seal doesn't get much experience due to commanders being afraid of running too many aggressive missions and being worried about public opinion re: casualties. Once deployed, a seal needs to follow all sorts of rules which further inhibits them. And the Seal makes close to minimum wage. Mercenaries are driven, well-trained, get a lot of experience, and they don't retire either so there's a lot of experience out there too and well paid can make over 250k/yr and up. I don't know if their not retiring would get them to 100 (as "Healthy to 100" suggests). He alluded that casualties in the mercenary forces tend to be lower in that they get a mission but no guidelines/top down protocol so they can do it the right way. Making that kind of money is good for morale too... you don't have to get hung up on right and wrong the way most soldiers do. I'm quite the dove, of course, but interested in the ways of the world.

You'll get the lyrics too: http://www.dennyweb.com/viking_kittens.htm

I definitely think Cam's professor is on to something... you have to participate in the various little worlds out there to understand the business opportunities. I'm hearing marketing success stories from the world of Second Life quite often these days. Businesses are starting to make it a point to set up stores there. My sister in law is working on making a full time income off the game too. There is one real estate broker making big bucks selling second life real estate! Over xmas I got second life lessons from my sister in law... pretty wild stuff.

alchemicaltaoism.com, advancedyogapractices.com, Ken Cohen and Daniel Reid are my favs.

UG hates gurus!

SeanD, Ug rocks!!! I enjoyed watching the normal gurus on youtube for a little bit but then they started pissing me off for some reason. I needed to hear that. Thank you. My audio wasn't perfect, who was the filthy bastard he was talking about? -Yoda

et mor chiken=big dik Reads like a Chick-fil-A billboard. Dang, I should be feeding my kids goat brain stew. Quick, somebody tell the Johnson Space Center... the answer was in our own back yard. Who'd have thunk.

goat head soup is very common in Jamaica and breast size was proportionally larger than in the USA. Just one person's observations. I tasted it, but never got into it. I've heard that chicken consumption is related to breast size and age of onset of puberty--that breasts have gotten bigger and puberty has gotten earlier. I've heard that in countries like Puerto Rico where they eat a tremendous amount of chicken that this trend is magnified. Maybe they also eat more hormone laden parts of the chicken in PR? I can totally believe that organs hold onto the hormones better than the muscles. In rats, high protein/high fat/high calorie diets increase the speed of sexual maturity, increase the size and sexual robustness of the animals but significantly reduces their longevity. Maybe follow the chickenhead diet in the beginning and then go high raw vegan in middle age? Sounds like what my family is doing... the kids eat more standard American stuff and the parents are fairly strict vegans. I'll make them eat vegan if their breasts get out of control! Interesting post!

nice articulation... thanks! I used to have a fascination for upper body strength, but in recent years I'm losing interest in it and I'm gaining a growing appetite for flexibility and lower body strength (I'm 38). One of my goals for 2007 is to gain a greater proficiency for pistols.

for whatever reason, my computer has become a bit more wholesome as of late. Still, I tried. Is this how the Chinese can't surf the real internet?

8 kids in one game. Very cool. Dang... you've got great museums and some kick ass librarians too. Chicago may be too cold for me, it's got it going on! I'll have to see if my computer is up for that Mario game. (it isn't generally very good for games)

Craig, Awesome thoughts as usual! herbalextractsplus.com is where I got my Reishi powder. Haven't tried it yet. Thanks! Yoda

I forgot about Mario Cart for Nintendo's last game system. I hope they come out with one for the Wii system. Totally cute, kid friendly. My pal who just visited said that Mario Cart is his all-time favorite video game. Michael, do your kids dig the old Atari games or is that too retro? On another subject, I'm blown away by how popular Star Wars is with boys these days. In terms of Star Wars gear... especially light sabres... Star Wars is much more popular today than it was back in the 70s. Impressive, most impressive.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone, excellent thread!! It didn't feel right for me, so I stopped after only a few days. I haven't had much luck with any Chinese herb in terms of the net net vibe, even though I can tell there are clearly benefits and real power to them. This has left me with the impression that maybe Chinese herbs just aren't appropriate for my western constitution. But QiDr might have put his finger on it that a single stand alone herb that has any power can be problematic when taken alone. That's probably why most of the good Chinese herbalists sell mixtures and not solo herbs? (I have always tried to try one herb at a time to make it easier to track the effect.) QiDr, is it okay to take Reishi Mushroom by itself? If so, let me know what size dose is typical for general good health/happy yogi purposes (I have powdered Reishi Mushroom). Thanks! -Yoda

http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeog...graphyofsex.htm I'm wondering if you keep religion out of the question, what a natural average age to have sex for the first time would be? Hard to say, of course, but I'd like to hear opinions.

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what the difference is in terms of the benefits of stretching vs massage. I'm reading the Trigger Point massage book at the moment and he says that massage stretches the muscle more precisely and effectively than does stretching and targets the knots/trouble spots more effectively. I've noticed that at least in this book healing is the focus vs health/well being/improved performance seem to be the focus of most stretching type books I've read. They are both lovely. If anyone can give me some thoughts/languaging to deepen my understanding on this front, that'd be most appreciated. -Yoda

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I guess I stumbled into some good resources... cool!

Welcome to taobums!

Eric, I'm glad you like it. For the hindu yoga path I like to think the ayp site is definitive. For taoism, check out alchemicaltaoism.com if you haven't already. ~~~ I was just flipping through Hittleman's "Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan" I love the book. Mom had a copy while I was growing up. I dig the retro hottie. He waits till the yoga student has 8 days of practice before rolling out rite 6... -Yoda

Welcome to taobums! If you search or pm Sean Denty SeanD you can get more info on the type of training you are referring to. It sounds like it's possible to pursue that sort of path, actually, and SeanD can put you in touch with his teacher.

Deep Tissue Massage by Riggs: http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Tissue-Massage-...TF8&s=books He's got dvds out too. I have no idea whether I'm getting good info or not, but as I talk about it, it seems that *everyone* knows about Trigger Point Therapy and likes it, and I have enjoyed pondering both books.