tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141502162024-03-08T13:15:29.122-08:00the lotus mudThe roots of a lotus are in the mud; the stem grows up through the water, and the flower lies above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. Though there are other water plants that bloom above the water, it is only the lotus which, owing to the strength of its stem, rises eight inches above the surface.Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-73640705531420120852007-12-09T02:13:00.001-08:002007-12-09T02:16:25.872-08:00MOVED!This blog has moved!<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.thelotusmud.com">http://www.thelotusmud.com</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Please visit the new site.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you.</div>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-82293136669437993672007-02-25T22:39:00.000-08:002007-02-25T22:40:41.743-08:00HiatusAlas... it's busy season. I'll be auditing financial statements until March 31st and then the blog will return.Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-33935779347642422672006-11-26T16:12:00.000-08:002006-11-26T16:21:38.406-08:00Wii can all play now...<span style="font-family:times new roman;">I've been a fan of Nintendo from the beginning. I've owned every major Nintendo console, including the Gamecube, and loved them all. I've known about the Nintendo Wii since it was codenamed "Revolution" and in the development stages. I've been excited about it ever since game developers had a chance to try it and loved it. They said it would truly revolutionize gaming. The Wii has gotten more support from third-party developers than any previous Nintendo console.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">On the 19th, I woke up an hour early to buy the Wii only to find hundreds of people waiting in lines at every retail store I could think of. Even Sears Essentials had a line of people who camped out the night before. It would have to wait another week. Black Friday came and went, and no major retailers got any significant </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">quantities.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I read online last night that Best Buy's Sunday advertisement for today stated that each store would have a minimum of 12 units to sell. After studying till 4AM last night, I woke up at 8AM this morning and headed to the Tustin Marketplace Best Buy, which was set to open at 10AM, to find a Nintendo Wii. <br /> </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I had driven by at 3AM last night, and the parking lot was empty. To my dismay, this morning ther</span>e were approx. 200-300 ppl standing in line. Not phased, I jumped on the freeway and headed to the Best Buy near </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">the Block in Orange. The area is very commercial, so I figured I'd have a better chance of grabbing a Wii there. I got in line at 8:45AM. It looked like there were 60-65 ppl in front of me. Rumors were flying that they only had 20-30 Wii's. At 9:15, they began passing out tickets. They had 50 Wii's. I was number 45.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">I waited 2.5 hours, but finally walked out with my Wii and a copy of Zelda.</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-22796699015993337352006-11-08T21:40:00.000-08:002006-11-08T21:49:17.513-08:00The Democratic Agenda<span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>1. Honest Leadership and Open Government</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Our goal is to restore accountability, honesty and openness at all levels of government. To do so, we will create and enforce rules that demand the highest ethics from every public servant, sever unethical ties between lawmakers and lobbyists, and establish clear standards that prevent the trading of official business for gifts.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>2. Real Security</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">For Democrats, homeland security begins with hometown security. That's why we led the fight to create the Department of Homeland Security and continue to fight to ensure that our ports, nuclear and chemical plants, and other sensitive facilities are secured against attack and support increased funding for our first responders and programs like the COPS program so we keep our communities safe. We want to close the remaining gaps in our security by enacting the 9/11 Commission recommendations.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>3. Energy Independence</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We will create a cleaner, greener and stronger America by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, eliminating billions in subsidies for oil and gas companies and use the savings to provide consumer relief and develop energy alternatives, and investing in energy independent technology.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>4. Econcomic Prosperity and Educational Excellence</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Democrats believe that the most effective way to increase opportunity for our families is a high quality, good paying job. The Democratic Party supports fair trade agreements that raise standards for all workers here and abroad, while making American businesses more competitive, and we don’t believe in tax giveaways that reward companies for moving American jobs overseas.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We also believe in balanced budgets and paying down our national debt, while Republicans continue to put huge burdens on future generations by borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars from foreign nations. We want to restore the budget discipline of the 1990s that helped eliminate deficits and spur record economic growth.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Democrats know that the key to expanding opportunity is to provide every child with a strong foundation of education. We will also help expand educational opportunities for college by making college tuition tax deductible, expanding Pell Grants, and cut student loan interest rates.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>5. A Healthcare System That Works For Everyone</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">In the wealthiest, most powerful nation on earth, no one should have to choose between taking their child to a doctor and paying the rent. Democrats are committed to making sure every single American has access to affordable, effective health care coverage. We want to fix the disastrous Medicare Part D and ensure our seniors can afford their prescription drugs.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We also believe in investing in life saving stem cell and other medical research that offers real hope for cures and treatment for millions of Americans.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>6. Retirement Security</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Democrats believe that after a life of hard work, you earn a secure retirement. Our commitment to protecting the promise of Social Security is absolute.</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-53241806639292641732006-11-08T21:35:00.001-08:002006-11-08T21:37:36.427-08:00Dear America,<a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20791197@N00/292361373/"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 2px solid" alt="" src="http://static.flickr.com/108/292361373_fa0de03ed9_m.jpg" /></a><br clear="all"><div align="left"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20791197@N00/292361373/"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Dear America,</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Originally uploaded by </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/20791197@N00/"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">eyduck</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">.</span></div>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-21815157553508127102006-10-30T22:16:00.000-08:002006-10-30T22:20:52.494-08:00Barack Obama For President<span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Iraq is sort of a situation where you’ve got a guy who drove a bus into a ditch.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You obviously have to get the bus out of the ditch, and that’s not easy to do – although you obviously should fire the driver." </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">- Senator Barack Obama</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-52007887480572807802006-10-29T23:19:00.000-08:002006-10-29T23:26:27.585-08:00Justice?<span style="font-family:times new roman;">(AP) WASHINGTON - Abdul Rahim insists he's an apolitical student who fled a strict father. But he's fallen into a black hole in the war on terror in which first the Taliban and then the United States imprisoned him as an enemy of the state.<br /><br />Arrested by the Taliban in Afghanistan in January 2000, Rahim says al-Qaida leaders burned him with cigarettes, smashed his right hand, deprived him of sleep, nearly drowned him and hanged him from the ceiling until he "confessed" to spying for the United States.<br /><br />U.S. forces took the young Kurd from Syria into custody in January 2002 after the Taliban fled his prison. Accusing him of being an al-Qaida terrorist, U.S. interrogators deprived him of sleep, threatened him with police dogs and kept him in stress positions for hours, he says. He's been held ever since as an enemy combatant.<br /><br />Rahim's story is one of several emerging from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay as defense lawyers make bids to free their clients while the Bush administration tries to use a new law to lock them out of federal courts.<br /><br />After the Supreme Court overturned President Bush's plans for commissions to try detainees, Bush obtained a new law from Congress barring federal courts from hearing appeals for release by any alien "properly detained as an enemy combatant." The Justice Department told district and appellate judges this week they no longer have jurisdiction to hear dozens of such pending cases.<br /><br />A court fight over that is certain.<br /><br />Calling the move to strip jurisdiction "a direct attack on our constitutional structure," Federal Public Defender Steven T. Wax in Portland, Ore., said, "We will litigate that as hard as we can in whatever forum we can find, because they are wrong."<br /><br />Other detainees whose lawyers filed new evidence in U.S. District Court motions this month include:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Adel Hassan Hamad, a Sudanese charity worker arrested at 1:30 a.m. July 18, 2002, in his Peshawar, Pakistan, apartment. Co-workers swear he was a hospital administrator with no connection to terrorists. A dissenting U.S. Army major on the panel that reviewed the unclassified and secret evidence against him called it "unconscionable" to detain him because some employees of the same charity may have supported terrorist ideals.<br />Nazar "Chaman" Gul, a 29-year-old Afghani who thought he was working as an armed fuel depot guard for the Karzi government installed by U.S. forces. The man who hired him swears that was the case, but he is accused of being a member of a terrorist group. The lawyers say he has been mistaken for a commander of that terror group, named Chaman Gul, also held at Guantanamo.<br /><br />All three are represented by Wax and his assistants. Wax's staff traveled to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates to gather dozens of sworn statements from co-workers, relatives, fellow inmates and people who knew these detainees but haven't spoken to them in years. These newly filed accounts substantiate details of the detainees' denials that they were terrorists.<br /><br />"These clients are not enemy combatants," Wax said in an interview. The new law "does not apply to people who are not enemy combatants," he said.<br /><br />Wax said it would be unconstitutional to apply the jurisdiction-stripping bill retroactively to existing cases. And he said the Supreme Court has ruled before that it has the final say over its jurisdiction in these so-called habeas corpus petitions for release from custody. Following President Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus for prisoners of war, the high court in 1866 set a man free after finding he was not a prisoner of war, Wax noted.<br /><br />The government feels differently about Wax's clients.<br /><br />"Multiple reviews have been conducted since each detained enemy fighter was captured, including for these three individuals," said a Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey D. Gordon. "There is a significant amount of evidence, both unclassified and classified, which supports continued detention of these detainees and others at Guantanamo."<br /><br />Now 28, Rahim, buttressed by testimony from friends and relatives, says he wound up in Afghanistan in a bid to escape his father, a strict teacher of Islamic education who objected to his borrowing money outside the family for a college trip. With his father holding his passport, he tried futilely to get from his home in the United Arab Emirates to Europe or Canada.<br /><br />Finally a friendly diplomat got him deported to Afghanistan where he and others say he hoped to be declared a refugee and moved to Europe by international aid agencies. He says the Taliban conscripted him and sent him against his will to the Al Farouq terrorist training camp. When he tried to leave 18 days later, they imprisoned him, he says.<br /><br />In spring 2000, Abu Dhabi television broadcast a video of a tearful, fidgeting Rahim saying a U.S. agent recruited him to find Osama bin Laden. "I deserve to die ... but if the Taliban let me live, I want to spend the next 22 years fighting for jihad," he said.<br /><br />On Jan. 17, 2002, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft said U.S. forces found five videotapes in the ruined Afghan home of bin Laden aide Mohammed Atef — one of the men Rahim says directed his torture. Ashcroft said the tapes show young men delivering "martyrdom messages from suicide terrorists" and identified one as "Abd Rahim."<br /><br />Rahim's attorney Stephen Sady said any Taliban tapes of Rahim "were the product of torture" and no different from false confessions Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., made to stay alive in a North Vietnamese prison.<br /><br />"After two years the Americans came and saved me from the prison," Rahim told U.S. officers. "I told them about the videotape the Taliban made of me ... it created confusion to the point that the Americans believed I was working with al-Qaida."<br /><br />He added: "Nothing changed in my life. I was taken from prison to prison."</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-60430980459222220932006-10-27T00:08:00.000-07:002006-10-28T12:40:02.592-07:00Separate, But Equal<span style="font-family:times new roman;">A quick rant on gay marriage....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The New Jersey Supreme Court Decision, which declared that equal rights must be granted to homosexual civil unions, but that their unions don't have to be called "marriages" disturbs me. The fact is most Americans feel uncomfortable with the idea of gay marriage. I inherently feel somewhat uncomfortable with it. But I know that feeling is wrong and distorted.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It wasn't that long ago that Caucasian-Americans were disturbed by the idea of an integrated society with African-Americans. Interracial marriage was a felony in many states. African-Americans weren't allowed in the military because it would disrupt the unit, or in the same schools, or the same bathrooms. We lived in a separate, but equal society. We look back at those days with horror and confusion. Twenty or thirty years from now, we're going to look back at these days with the same disbelief.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Why does our society prefer that children be orphans than be raised by two loving, homosexual parents? It's time to give homosexuals the same rights. It will be an adjustment to think of marriage as a union of two persons, not just a man and woman. </span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">But, just as the military changed to adopt African-Americans into their community, so too will the rest of us with homosexuals.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">At Deer Park Monastery, at a "couples retreat", a homosexual couple thanked the Sangha for being so welcoming. The lesbian couple was able to practice with everyone, as equals. They were so touched by everyone's acceptance. I began to realize the effect that discrimination has on this group of people. Many homosexuals suffer due to our lack of acceptance. Let's alleviate their suffering.</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-66279132691241375652006-10-24T06:50:00.000-07:002006-10-24T07:00:25.451-07:00Do Not Respond to Anger<span style="font-family:times new roman;">I man once cursed the Buddha to his face. The Buddha only smiled. The man became even more incensed and asked, "Why don't you respond?" The Buddha replied, "If someone refuses a gift, it must be taken back by the one who offered it." </span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">The Buddha then recited this verse:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">"For those with no anger,</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">how can anger arise?</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">When you practice deep looking and master yourself, </span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">you dwell in peace, freedom, and safety.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">The one who offends another after being offended by him,</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">harms himself and harms the other.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">When you feel hurt, but do not hurt the other,</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">you are truly victorious.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Your practice and your victory benefit both of you.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">When you understand the roots of anger in yourself and in the other,</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">your mind will enjoy true peace, joy, and lightness.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">You become the doctor who heals himself and heals the other.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">If you don't understnad,</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">you will think not getting angry to be the act of a fool."</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Source: Teachings on Love, by Thich Nhat Hahn from <em>The Sutra of 42 Chapters, Taisho 784</em></span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-38944192357659513002006-10-23T07:17:00.000-07:002006-10-23T07:45:06.011-07:00Mindfulness Training #5<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/2632/1727/1600/wealth.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/2632/1727/200/wealth.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The fifth mindfulness training: </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Aware that true happiness is rooted in peace, solidity, freedom and compassion, and not in wealth or fame, I am determined not to take as the aim of my life fame, profit, wealth or sensual pleasure, nor to accumulate wealth while millions are hungry and dying. I am committed to living simply and sharing my time, energy and material resources with those in real need." - Venerable Thich Nhat Hahn</span></div>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-36449325844812136332006-10-22T02:48:00.000-07:002006-10-22T03:09:49.912-07:00Habeas Corpus is Dead<span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Torture Act... err... Military Commissions Act makes me so angry that I haven't found the words to describe how I feel. Luckily, Keith Olbermanm found the words for me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">To watch this on video rather than read, follow this link: </span></span><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15321167/"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15321167/</span></span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" >By Keith Olbermann, Anchor at MSNBC:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">“We have lived as if in a trance. We have lived as people in fear.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And now—our rights and our freedoms in peril—we slowly awaken to learn that we have been afraid of the wrong thing. Therefore, tonight have we truly become the inheritors of our American legacy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">For, on this first full day that the Military Commissions Act is in force, we now face what our ancestors faced, at other times of exaggerated crisis and melodramatic fear-mongering:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A government more dangerous to our liberty, than is the enemy it claims to protect us from.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We have been here before—and we have been here before, led here by men better and wiser and nobler than George W. Bush.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We have been here when President John Adams insisted that the Alien and Sedition Acts were necessary to save American lives, only to watch him use those acts to jail newspaper editors. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">American newspaper editors, in American jails, for things they wrote about America.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We have been here when President Woodrow Wilson insisted that the Espionage Act was necessary to save American lives, only to watch him use that Act to prosecute 2,000 Americans, especially those he disparaged as “Hyphenated Americans,” most of whom were guilty only of advocating peace in a time of war.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">American public speakers, in American jails, for things they said about America.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And we have been here when President Franklin D. Roosevelt insisted that Executive Order 9066 was necessary to save American lives, only to watch him use that order to imprison and pauperize 110,000 Americans while his man in charge, General DeWitt, told Congress: “It makes no difference whether he is an American citizen—he is still a Japanese.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">American citizens, in American camps, for something they neither wrote nor said nor did, but for the choices they or their ancestors had made about coming to America.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Each of these actions was undertaken for the most vital, the most urgent, the most inescapable of reasons. And each was a betrayal of that for which the president who advocated them claimed to be fighting.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Adams and his party were swept from office, and the Alien and Sedition Acts erased.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Many of the very people Wilson silenced survived him, and one of them even ran to succeed him, and got 900,000 votes, though his presidential campaign was conducted entirely from his jail cell. And Roosevelt’s internment of the Japanese was not merely the worst blight on his record, but it would necessitate a formal apology from the government of the United States to the citizens of the United States whose lives it ruined. For the most vital, the most urgent, the most inescapable of reasons.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">In times of fright, we have been only human. We have let Roosevelt’s “fear of fear itself” overtake us. We have listened to the little voice inside that has said, “the wolf is at the door; this will be temporary; this will be precise; this too shall pass.” We have accepted that the only way to stop the terrorists is to let the government become just a little bit like the terrorists. Just the way we once accepted that the only way to stop the Soviets was to let the government become just a little bit like the Soviets.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Or substitute the Japanese.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Or the Germans.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Or the Socialists.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Or the Anarchists.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Or the Immigrants.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Or the British.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Or the Aliens.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">For the most vital, the most urgent, the most inescapable of reasons.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And, always, always wrong.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">“With the distance of history, the questions will be narrowed and few: Did this generation of Americans take the threat seriously, and did we do what it takes to defeat that threat?” Wise words. And ironic ones, Mr. Bush. Your own, of course, yesterday, in signing the Military Commissions Act. You spoke so much more than you know, Sir.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sadly—of course—the distance of history will recognize that the threat this generation of Americans needed to take seriously was you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We have a long and painful history of ignoring the prophecy attributed to Benjamin Franklin that “those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">But even within this history we have not before codified the poisoning of habeas corpus, that wellspring of protection from which all essential liberties flow.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You, sir, have now befouled that spring.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You, sir, have now given us chaos and called it order.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You, sir, have now imposed subjugation and called it freedom.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">For the most vital, the most urgent, the most inescapable of reasons.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And — again, Mr. Bush — all of them, wrong.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We have handed a blank check drawn against our freedom to a man who has said it is unacceptable to compare anything this country has ever done to anything the terrorists have ever done.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We have handed a blank check drawn against our freedom to a man who has insisted again that “the United States does not torture. It’s against our laws and it’s against our values” and who has said it with a straight face while the pictures from Abu Ghraib Prison and the stories of Waterboarding figuratively fade in and out, around him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We have handed a blank check drawn against our freedom to a man who may now, if he so decides, declare not merely any non-American citizens “unlawful enemy combatants” and ship them somewhere—anywhere -- but may now, if he so decides, declare you an “unlawful enemy combatant” and ship you somewhere - anywhere.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And if you think this hyperbole or hysteria, ask the newspaper editors when John Adams was president or the pacifists when Woodrow Wilson was president or the Japanese at Manzanar when Franklin Roosevelt was president.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And if you somehow think habeas corpus has not been suspended for American citizens but only for everybody else, ask yourself this: If you are pulled off the street tomorrow, and they call you an alien or an undocumented immigrant or an “unlawful enemy combatant”—exactly how are you going to convince them to give you a court hearing to prove you are not? Do you think this attorney general is going to help you?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This President now has his blank check. He lied to get it. He lied as he received it. Is there any reason to even hope he has not lied about how he intends to use it nor who he intends to use it against?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">“These military commissions will provide a fair trial,” you told us yesterday, Mr. Bush, “in which the accused are presumed innocent, have access to an attorney and can hear all the evidence against them.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Presumed innocent," Mr. Bush? The very piece of paper you signed as you said that, allows for the detainees to be abused up to the point just before they sustain “serious mental and physical trauma” in the hope of getting them to incriminate themselves, and may no longer even invoke The Geneva Conventions in their own defense.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Access to an attorney," Mr. Bush? Lieutenant Commander Charles Swift said on this program, Sir, and to the Supreme Court, that he was only granted access to his detainee defendant on the promise that the detainee would plead guilty.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Hearing all the evidence," Mr. Bush? The Military Commissions Act specifically permits the introduction of classified evidence not made available to the defense.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Your words are lies, Sir.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">They are lies that imperil us all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">“One of the terrorists believed to have planned the 9/11 attacks,” you told us yesterday, “said he hoped the attacks would be the beginning of the end of America.” That terrorist, sir, could only hope. Not his actions, nor the actions of a ceaseless line of terrorists (real or imagined), could measure up to what you have wrought.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Habeas corpus? Gone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Geneva Conventions? Optional.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The moral force we shined outwards to the world as an eternal beacon, and inwards at ourselves as an eternal protection? Snuffed out.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">These things you have done, Mr. Bush, they would be “the beginning of the end of America.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And did it even occur to you once, sir — somewhere in amidst those eight separate, gruesome, intentional, terroristic invocations of the horrors of 9/11 -- that with only a little further shift in this world we now know—just a touch more repudiation of all of that for which our patriots died --- did it ever occur to you once that in just 27 months and two days from now when you leave office, some irresponsible future president and a “competent tribunal” of lackeys would be entitled, by the actions of your own hand, to declare the status of “unlawful enemy combatant” for -- and convene a Military Commission to try -- not John Walker Lindh, but George Walker Bush?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">For the most vital, the most urgent, the most inescapable of reasons.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And doubtless, Sir, all of them—as always—wrong.”</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-29466379488327934532006-10-22T02:20:00.000-07:002006-10-22T02:21:08.657-07:00Thay's letter to the President<span style="font-family:times new roman;">Honorable George W. Bush</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The White House</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Washington DC, USA<br /><br />Plum Village</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Le Pey 24240</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Thenac, France<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Dear Mr. President<br /><br />Last night, I saw my brother (who died two weeks ago in the U.S.A.) coming back to me in a dream. He was with all his children. He told me, “let’s go home together.” After a millisecond of hesitation, I told him joyfully, “Ok, let’s go.”<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Waking up from that dream at 5 am this morning, I thought of the situation in the Middle East; and for the first time, I was able to cry. I cried for a long time, and I felt much better after about one hour. Then I went to the kitchen and made some tea. While making tea, I realized that what my brother had said is true: our home is large enough for all of us. Let us go home as brothers and sisters.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Mr. President, I think that if you could allow yourself to cry like I did this morning, you will also feel much better. It is our brothers that we kill over there. They are our brothers, God tells us so, and we also know it. They may not see us as brothers because of their anger, their misunderstanding, and their discrimination. But with some awakening, we can see things in a different way, and this will allow us to respond differently to the situation. I trust God in you; I trust Buddha nature in you.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Thank you for reading.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">In gratitude and with brotherhood,</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Thich Nhat Hanh</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Plum Village</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-3470276357481010692006-10-21T16:37:00.000-07:002006-10-21T16:42:10.011-07:00Happy Holiday...<span style="font-family:times new roman;">Wishing you well on your holiday…<br /><br />Bandi Chor Diwas for Sikhs</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Diwali for Hindus<br />Diwali & New Year for Jains<br />Shakyamuni Buddha Day for Tibetan Buddhists<br />Eid for Muslims (23rd October)</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-78763995893009751382006-10-21T00:23:00.001-07:002006-10-22T02:19:28.861-07:00Madness<div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; width: 249px; height: 181px;"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/deepersea/54187577/"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" alt="" src="http://static.flickr.com/29/54187577_d81ce927a6_m.jpg" height="159" width="235" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ></span></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;">In the days leading up to the war in Iraq, SENATOR ROBERT BYRD of W.V., delivered the following speech for the United States Senate ...<br /><br />"To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war.Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing.<br /><br />We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.<br /><br />. . . This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter.<br /><br />. . . Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher.<br /><br />. . . This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal. In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders.<br /><br />In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come.<br /><br />Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant -- these types of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have massive military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering us on.<br /><br />The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land.<br />Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must always secure the peace?<br /><br />And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after Saddam Hussein?<br />Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq?<br /><br />Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income?<br />In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years.<br /><br />One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.<br /><br />But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.<br /><br />Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq -- a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 -- this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare -- this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.<br /><br />We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings. . ." </span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-83140187145740035842006-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:002006-10-20T11:08:42.070-07:00God<p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A man once asked the Buddha, “Is there a God?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Buddha replied, “If you were shot by a poison arrow, and a doctor was summoned to extract it, what would you do? Would you ask such questions as who shot the arrow, from which tribe did he come, who made the arrow, who made the poison, etc., or would you have the doctor immediately pull out the arrow? </span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The man replied, “Of course, I would have the arrow pulled out as quickly as possible.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Buddha concluded, “That is wise o’ disciple, for the task before us is the solving of life’s problems; when that is complete, you may still ask the questions you put before, if you so desire.”</span></p>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-55618430670060704162006-10-19T16:02:00.001-07:002006-10-19T16:21:05.616-07:00How Do You Feel?<div style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; WIDTH: 249px; HEIGHT: 174px"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffclow/266911265/"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 2px solid" height="159" alt="" src="http://static.flickr.com/89/266911265_998be1374f_m.jpg" width="233" /></a><br /></div><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The water in the ocean is ubiquitous and steady. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The wave crashing the shore is temporary and fluctuating. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A wave rises and then falls. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">But the wave is nothing more than water. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You may feel sad or depressed. But like the wave, this feeling will rise and then fall. It is not who you are. The next time you are overcome with sadness or fear, find comfort in knowing that you are the water, and not the wave.</p></span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-55672996241688850082006-10-19T13:28:00.000-07:002006-10-20T14:56:26.829-07:00IE7: A Quick Review<span style="font-family:times new roman;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/2632/1727/1600/ie7_thumb_logo.png"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="48" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/2632/1727/200/ie7_thumb_logo.png" width="46" border="0" /></span></a>Internet </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Explorer </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> 7 was released today. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This is the first major web browser release from Microsoft since 2001. This browser adds "tabbed browsing" and gets it right. It prints webpages properly (a big problem with old browsers), and comes with ClearType - which will anti-alias all your fonts. The browser also comes with RSS functionality (I'm still trying to figure out this whole RSS thing) and is all around the best web browser ever made. I'm switching back from Firefox. It's easy to use, looks good, is fast, and hasn't crashed on me like the Beta version did.</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-35537897439898386552006-10-18T00:30:00.000-07:002006-10-18T15:47:13.590-07:00Perspective<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/2632/1727/1600/hunger.1.jpg"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/2632/1727/320/hunger.1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> If I am unable to be empathic to your problems, then I am sorry.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">It is not because I don't care. It's because I don't understand. The child in this photo doesn't have food to eat. Your problems don't seem real to me.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">I have a hard time understanding how the people I come in contact with can classify their trials and tribulations as "problems." </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><br />I am not discounting that we as humans can have emotion. However, we must maintain some perspective -- that is the practice of mindfulness. The next time you think you have a problem, think of this child's hunger. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A child's hunger is an injustice we all live with. We eat well and then complain about the taste or temperature of the food. Everytime we fail to see all of the things around us that should make us happy, we insult this child. We have shelter, food, clothing, family, and friends. Even if you only have one or two of these things, you're better off than the child in this picture.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Count your blessings, be happy, and do your best to correct the failures of humanity. Next time, instead of buying Starbucks, spend your money here: <a href="http://www.children.org">http://www.children.org</a> (Children International)</span></span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-1062896231417243512006-10-18T00:19:00.000-07:002006-10-18T00:19:19.574-07:00I'm an Original<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /><table style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" width="350" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="FONT-SIZE: 16px; COLOR: white; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,102,179); TEXT-ALIGN: center">HowManyOfMe.com</td></tr><tr><td style="BORDER-RIGHT: black 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: black 1px solid; FONT-SIZE: 14px; BORDER-LEFT: black 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: black 1px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: white; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="PADDING-TOP: 2px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: white; TEXT-ALIGN: center" width="120"><a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://howmanyofme.com"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: black 1px; BORDER-TOP: black 1px; BORDER-LEFT: black 1px; BORDER-BOTTOM: black 1px" height="100" alt="Logo" src="http://extimg.howmanyofme.com/extimages/howmany-logo.png" width="100" /></a></td><td style="BACKGROUND-: center;font-size:16px;color:white;" ><span style="color:black;">There are:</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;color:red;" >0</span><br /><span style="color:black;">people with my name<br />in the U.S.A.</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #0066b3; LINE-HEIGHT: 180%; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-56156652387951590042006-10-18T00:15:00.000-07:002006-10-18T14:51:29.415-07:00Things To Do<p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">In no particular order....</span></p><ol><li><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Learn </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">about RSS - Everyone seems to be doing whatever this is</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Start Using my HP iPAQ</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Connect Outlook to my Google Mail (I like folders and am growing tired of the gmail client)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Update Outlook with all my contacts in Plaxo</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Return the Plextor DVD Recorder that won't work and reinstall my old DVD burner.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Learn how to blog from my cell phone.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Take more pictures</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Update my Flickr Account</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Install Skype</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Learn Spanish</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Correct incorrect items on credit report</span></li></ol>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-15664106263445437302006-10-17T18:12:00.000-07:002006-10-17T18:19:57.997-07:00Classical Music<span style="font-family:times new roman;">I'm not sure why, but I've been very drawn towards classical music lately. I've always enjoyed it some degree, and even played Violin in my youth, but lately I've actually been seeking it out. First off, there is no better music to study to, and I've been spending a lot of time studying lately. Also, good classical music is very emotive - and I'm really learning to appreciate the emotion in the music.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">I've been tuned to XM Pops for the last week. A few of my recent favorites include:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">1. Mozart's "Serenade for strings in G major", better known as <em>Eine Kleine Nachtmusik</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">2. Guiseppe Tartini's "The Devil's Trill - Sonata in G Minor"</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">3. Beethoven's Symphony No. 3</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">4. George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Classical music is calming and peaceful. It's like reading a fairy tale or painting with your eyes closed. It expresses a story already inside of you.</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-84092097240679289172006-10-17T14:25:00.000-07:002006-10-20T14:23:39.497-07:00Find Your Hut<span style="font-family:times new roman;">"My hut isn’t quite six feet across</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Surrounded by pine, bamboos, and mountains, </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">An old monk hardly has room for himself</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Much less for a visiting cloud." </span><a class="artist"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">- Shih-wu (1272-1352)</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Seek happiness within yourself, not in the clouds.</span></em>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-54463496472298361742006-10-17T13:39:00.000-07:002006-10-17T14:16:28.689-07:00What Do You Think?<span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">You are your thoughts. Your actions reflect your thoughts. Be mindfull of your thoughts today.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em>"The mind is everything. What you think, you become." - The Buddha</em></span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-1150699730240344102006-06-18T23:47:00.000-07:002006-10-20T14:24:57.439-07:00Lesson for Monday Morning<span style="font-family:times new roman;">"The best things in life are nearest: </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Breath in your nostrils, </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">light in your eyes, </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">--Robert Louis Stevenson<br /><br /><em>Be well and enjoy this present moment</em>.</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150216.post-1150089341543617232006-06-11T22:11:00.000-07:002006-10-17T14:16:06.779-07:00Alone Time<span style="font-family:times new roman;">In the United States, and perhaps the world, it is my observation that people, and men especially, do not do a good job of creating space and time to be alone. It is important, whether one is buddhist or not, to set aside at least 20 minutes a day without a television, radio, or any contact with others. It can be a walk alone, a <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">sit</span> in the park, etc. Being alone allows one to relive stress, clear one's mind, and be truly present.</span>Abehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09762098675494640401noreply@blogger.com0