Jul 2008
Strengthening Peace
29/07/08 09:56
The Waste of Nature's Harmony
28/07/08 08:08
On the other hand I also buy Usana vitamins and minerals which are packed to the top without cotton and air. If Usana can do it, coulldn’t Nature’s Harmony.
Please buy products from environmentally responsible companies. Please consider that there are 9 billion people on this planet when making your choices. Choose as you would for the benefit of your great grandchildren.
Spiritual Practice #4: Being Synchronised
27/07/08 09:47
The common yogic practice of paying attention to the breath is also about synchronizing attention and experience. It brings one into the present moment where fear cannot enter. Fear or its derivaties, like worry or anxiety, depend on imagining the past or the future, either with regret or negative anticipation. Being present to sensation, whether it is to the breath or of pain or pleasure short circuits the mind’s story.
It is only in the present moment that awareness of your inate equanimity is possible.
So, take a moment and ...
- be aware to the sesnations of hearing
- be aware of the sensations of seeing
- be aware of the sensations of touch, such as pressure
- be aware of the sensations of touch such as temperature
- be aware of the sensations fo touch such as movement
- be aware of the senstations of the the breath
- be aware of the sensations of taste
Eventually we can pay attention to the experience of being aware; that’s when things really change!
Philip
Real Yoga: Stilling the disturbances of the mind.
27/07/08 09:27
To put it plainly and simply, yoga is not about the pose, its not a physical pratice. Yoga is a state of mind; this state is one of inner peace and equanimity. The yogic state of mind is being present as Presence. You are practicing yoga when you are in this state of mind.
The physical practices of poses and breathing are meant to keep the body, mind and emotions healthy for meditation practice. They also provide a challenging opportunity to remain present as Presence under challenging circumstances.Practicing the poses and the breathing are opportunities to practice that state of mind. Poses or breathing, or yoga classes done without cultivating this awareness are not yoga - they are noga! A strong, flexible body doesn’t guarantee happiness, which is what you really want.
Spiritual Practice #3: Remembering the Divine
24/07/08 11:04
I love the idea that the word
remembering can be seen as re - membering, or becoming a member
again. To me this is about rejoining in the awareness of God.
Nothing
special needs to be done;
no formulas, breathing techniques or ceremonies, just re-setting
the mind on the Divine. Of course this can be done anywhere and at
any time; every moment is for practice. Since the Divine is Love
and Joy, then remembering involves recalling the thought and
feeling of love and joy. It is crucial to realize that this applies
to one’s self and others. So to remember is to see one’s self and
others as love and joy and to experience that in every possible
moment.
An easy way to do this is to use the hourly chime on your watch to remind you to take a moment to remember your essential nature (and the person you are with) as joy and love. Another way is to leave a rock or other object in your pocket or purse so that each time you feel it you are reminded to feel the remembering.
An easy way to do this is to use the hourly chime on your watch to remind you to take a moment to remember your essential nature (and the person you are with) as joy and love. Another way is to leave a rock or other object in your pocket or purse so that each time you feel it you are reminded to feel the remembering.
Flat-Screen TV Gas 'a Climate Time Bomb'
19/07/08 11:11
Flat-Screen TV Gas 'a Climate Time
Bomb'
Fox News
Monday, July 07, 2008
Booming demand for flat-screen televisions could have a greater impact on global warming than the world's largest coal-fired power stations, scientists warn.
A greenhouse gas called nitrogen trifluoride, used to make the TVs, is 17,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, said Michael Prather, director of the environment institute at the University of California, Irvine.
But no one yet knows how much of it is being released into the atmosphere by industry, a report in Britain's The Guardian said.
Prather's research shows production of the gas, which remains in the atmosphere for 550 years, is "exploding".
It is expected to double by next year, from the current 4,000 tons produced annually.
But unlike other key greenhouse gases — such as carbon dioxide, sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) — emissions of the gas are not restricted under the Kyoto protocol or similar agreements, The Guardian report said.
Prather and his colleague Juno Hsu — writing in the journal Geophysical Research Letters — said this year's production of nitrogen trifluoride is equivalent to 67 million tons of carbon dioxide.
That meant the gas has "a potential greenhouse impact larger than that of the industrialised nations' emissions of PFCs or SF6, or even that of the world's largest coal-fired power plants".
Air Products, which produces the gas for the electronics industry, told New Scientist that very little nitrogen trifluoride is released into the atmosphere.
But Prather raised concerns about companies being careless with the gas, given the lack of a regulatory framework.
Fox News
Monday, July 07, 2008
Booming demand for flat-screen televisions could have a greater impact on global warming than the world's largest coal-fired power stations, scientists warn.
A greenhouse gas called nitrogen trifluoride, used to make the TVs, is 17,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, said Michael Prather, director of the environment institute at the University of California, Irvine.
But no one yet knows how much of it is being released into the atmosphere by industry, a report in Britain's The Guardian said.
Prather's research shows production of the gas, which remains in the atmosphere for 550 years, is "exploding".
It is expected to double by next year, from the current 4,000 tons produced annually.
But unlike other key greenhouse gases — such as carbon dioxide, sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) — emissions of the gas are not restricted under the Kyoto protocol or similar agreements, The Guardian report said.
Prather and his colleague Juno Hsu — writing in the journal Geophysical Research Letters — said this year's production of nitrogen trifluoride is equivalent to 67 million tons of carbon dioxide.
That meant the gas has "a potential greenhouse impact larger than that of the industrialised nations' emissions of PFCs or SF6, or even that of the world's largest coal-fired power plants".
Air Products, which produces the gas for the electronics industry, told New Scientist that very little nitrogen trifluoride is released into the atmosphere.
But Prather raised concerns about companies being careless with the gas, given the lack of a regulatory framework.
Motivation
16/07/08 11:54
Take a moment to look at your
motivations deeply.... when i do this exercise, i deconstruct or
reduce my motivations (often) to fear. And a lot of that fear is
related to the body, and in particular dying. For example, if you
didn’t need to eat or have clothes or a roof over your head would
you work? If you were assured of enough money in retirement, would
you stay in the job you in which you are currently employed? If you
weren’t afraid of dying (confident that you were eternal) what
would you do differently? Perhaps it would be an excuse to delay
enlightenment, but perhaps it would also free you (me) to take the
“chance” of doing something differently. of doing what really fires
you up.
“So you think that’s air you’re breathing?” Hmmm.
Easy Secure Passwords
01/07/08 20:44
We have too many password requirements
and most of us use just one, which means that someone with
malicious intent could conceivably access all your records. To have
unique easy to remember passwords is simple. Create a stem using
easy to remember letters and numbers with some capitals
interspersed.
For example my friend’s daughter’s birthday is Feb 14, 1997 and her initials are APV. Using her birthday and initials we can create a stem of a2p14v97 or a2v97. Then add the stem to each website you use. If she had a GMail account, then the password could be a2v97GMail.com. Or if she had a rogers email then it could be a2v97Rogers.
Another good idea is to add an unusual character such as the star or dollar sign. See below for a possible list. Not all web sites allow these characters, however. A strong password such as a2p14v97Rogers.Com$ is impossible to guess and easy to remember because it relates to her initials, birthday and a unique character known only to her. In this case she has only to remember that she capitalizes the first letter of each word or syllable. This is also over 13 characters making it hard to break with a brute force attack.
Another variation is to use a parent’s initials and birthday, or a combination of your initials and birthdate combined with your parents. For example, if APV’s mother was born in September and her father in May then her stem could be a2s9m5.
Remember of course that if you are in an internet cafe at Starbucks using an insecure connection or have inadvertently downloaded a key stroke logger, then the there s no guessing the password because it can be extracted out of the wireless signal, just like picking up a radio station.
Its a good idea to use one of these characters
' ! @ $ % ^ & * ( ) - _ = + [ ] ; : ' " , < . > / ?
For example my friend’s daughter’s birthday is Feb 14, 1997 and her initials are APV. Using her birthday and initials we can create a stem of a2p14v97 or a2v97. Then add the stem to each website you use. If she had a GMail account, then the password could be a2v97GMail.com. Or if she had a rogers email then it could be a2v97Rogers.
Another good idea is to add an unusual character such as the star or dollar sign. See below for a possible list. Not all web sites allow these characters, however. A strong password such as a2p14v97Rogers.Com$ is impossible to guess and easy to remember because it relates to her initials, birthday and a unique character known only to her. In this case she has only to remember that she capitalizes the first letter of each word or syllable. This is also over 13 characters making it hard to break with a brute force attack.
Another variation is to use a parent’s initials and birthday, or a combination of your initials and birthdate combined with your parents. For example, if APV’s mother was born in September and her father in May then her stem could be a2s9m5.
Remember of course that if you are in an internet cafe at Starbucks using an insecure connection or have inadvertently downloaded a key stroke logger, then the there s no guessing the password because it can be extracted out of the wireless signal, just like picking up a radio station.
Its a good idea to use one of these characters
' ! @ $ % ^ & * ( ) - _ = + [ ] ; : ' " , < . > / ?
Spiritual Practice #2: Forgiveness Meditation
01/07/08 09:18
Exercise in Forgiveness
(excerpted from ACIM)
Think of someone you do not like, who seems to irritate you, or to cause regret in you if you should meet him (her); one you actively despise, or merely try to overlook. It does not matter what form your anger takes; you probably have chosen him already. He (or she) will do.
Now close your eyes and see him in your mind, and look at him awhile. Try to perceive some light in him somewhere; a little gleam, which you had never noticed. Try to find some little spark of brightness shining through the ugly picture that you hold of him. Look at this picture until you see a light somewhere within it and then try to let this light extend until it covers him, and makes the picture beautiful and good.
Look at this changed perception for a while, and turn your mind to one you call a friend. Try to transfer the light you learned to see around your former “enemy” to him. Perceive him now as more than friend to you, for in that light his holiness shows you your saviour saved and saving, healed and whole.
Then let him (your friend) offer you the light you see in him and let your “enemy” and friend unite in blessing you with what you gave. Now are you one with then and they with you. Now have you been forgiven by yourself.”
This beautiful image is by www.christinepeloquin.com
(excerpted from ACIM)
Think of someone you do not like, who seems to irritate you, or to cause regret in you if you should meet him (her); one you actively despise, or merely try to overlook. It does not matter what form your anger takes; you probably have chosen him already. He (or she) will do.
Now close your eyes and see him in your mind, and look at him awhile. Try to perceive some light in him somewhere; a little gleam, which you had never noticed. Try to find some little spark of brightness shining through the ugly picture that you hold of him. Look at this picture until you see a light somewhere within it and then try to let this light extend until it covers him, and makes the picture beautiful and good.
Look at this changed perception for a while, and turn your mind to one you call a friend. Try to transfer the light you learned to see around your former “enemy” to him. Perceive him now as more than friend to you, for in that light his holiness shows you your saviour saved and saving, healed and whole.
Then let him (your friend) offer you the light you see in him and let your “enemy” and friend unite in blessing you with what you gave. Now are you one with then and they with you. Now have you been forgiven by yourself.”
This beautiful image is by www.christinepeloquin.com
Preparing for the Beloved
01/07/08 08:09
But there is another beloved, The Beloved, The Divine. The question becomes “How do I prepare for that Beloved?” It’s something we (I) often don’t think about, but is important if one is on a conscious spiritual path.
So what actions can we perform? How do we prepare ourselves to realize Divinity in the now, in this moment? It seems reasonable to me to assume that we must be like God to realize the awareness of God. If God is Perfect Love, then it follows that we must embody perfect love. Our sunglasses are like the fears, anxieties, angers, guilts and hatreds we carry around obscuring but not obliterating our divinity. Forgiveness and meditation are two of the essential practices. We can even combine the two.