the lotus mud

MOVED!

2007-12-09T02:13:00.001-08:00

This blog has moved!

http://www.thelotusmud.com

Please visit the new site.

Thank you.

Hiatus

2007-02-25T22:39:00.000-08:00

Alas... it's busy season. I'll be auditing financial statements until March 31st and then the blog will return.

Wii can all play now...

2006-11-26T16:12:00.000-08:00

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.

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 quantities.

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.

I had driven by at 3AM last night, and the parking lot was empty. To my dismay, this morning there were approx. 200-300 ppl standing in line. Not phased, I jumped on the freeway and headed to the Best Buy near 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.

I waited 2.5 hours, but finally walked out with my Wii and a copy of Zelda.

The Democratic Agenda

2006-11-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

1. Honest Leadership and Open Government
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.

2. Real Security
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.

3. Energy Independence
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.

4. Econcomic Prosperity and Educational Excellence
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.

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.

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.

5. A Healthcare System That Works For Everyone
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.

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.

6. Retirement Security
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.

Dear America,

2006-11-08T21:35:00.001-08:00

Dear America,

Originally uploaded by eyduck.

Barack Obama For President

2006-10-30T22:16:00.000-08:00

"Iraq is sort of a situation where you’ve got a guy who drove a bus into a ditch.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."

- Senator Barack Obama

Justice?

2006-10-29T23:19:00.000-08:00

(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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A court fight over that is certain.

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."

Other detainees whose lawyers filed new evidence in U.S. District Court motions this month include:

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.
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.

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.

"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.

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.

The government feels differently about Wax's clients.

"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."

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

"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."

He added: "Nothing changed in my life. I was taken from prison to prison."

Separate, But Equal

2006-10-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

A quick rant on gay marriage....

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.

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.

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. But, just as the military changed to adopt African-Americans into their community, so too will the rest of us with homosexuals.

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.

Do Not Respond to Anger

2006-10-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

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." The Buddha then recited this verse:

"For those with no anger,
how can anger arise?

When you practice deep looking and master yourself,
you dwell in peace, freedom, and safety.

The one who offends another after being offended by him,
harms himself and harms the other.

When you feel hurt, but do not hurt the other,
you are truly victorious.
Your practice and your victory benefit both of you.

When you understand the roots of anger in yourself and in the other,
your mind will enjoy true peace, joy, and lightness.

You become the doctor who heals himself and heals the other.

If you don't understnad,
you will think not getting angry to be the act of a fool."

Source: Teachings on Love, by Thich Nhat Hahn from The Sutra of 42 Chapters, Taisho 784

Mindfulness Training #5

2006-10-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

The fifth mindfulness training: "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

Habeas Corpus is Dead

2006-10-22T02:48:00.000-07:00

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.

To watch this on video rather than read, follow this link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15321167/

By Keith Olbermann, Anchor at MSNBC:

“We have lived as if in a trance. We have lived as people in fear.

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.

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:

A government more dangerous to our liberty, than is the enemy it claims to protect us from.

We have been here before—and we have been here before, led here by men better and wiser and nobler than George W. Bush.

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.

American newspaper editors, in American jails, for things they wrote about America.

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.

American public speakers, in American jails, for things they said about America.

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.”

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.

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.

Adams and his party were swept from office, and the Alien and Sedition Acts erased.
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.

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.
Or substitute the Japanese.
Or the Germans.
Or the Socialists.
Or the Anarchists.
Or the Immigrants.
Or the British.
Or the Aliens.
For the most vital, the most urgent, the most inescapable of reasons.
And, always, always wrong.

“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.

Sadly—of course—the distance of history will recognize that the threat this generation of Americans needed to take seriously was you.

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.”

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.

You, sir, have now befouled that spring.
You, sir, have now given us chaos and called it order.
You, sir, have now imposed subjugation and called it freedom.
For the most vital, the most urgent, the most inescapable of reasons.
And — again, Mr. Bush — all of them, wrong.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

“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.”

"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.

"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.

"Hearing all the evidence," Mr. Bush? The Military Commissions Act specifically permits the introduction of classified evidence not made available to the defense.

Your words are lies, Sir.
They are lies that imperil us all.

“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.

Habeas corpus? Gone.

The Geneva Conventions? Optional.

The moral force we shined outwards to the world as an eternal beacon, and inwards at ourselves as an eternal protection? Snuffed out.

These things you have done, Mr. Bush, they would be “the beginning of the end of America.”

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?

For the most vital, the most urgent, the most inescapable of reasons.

And doubtless, Sir, all of them—as always—wrong.”

Thay's letter to the President

2006-10-22T02:20:00.000-07:00

Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
Washington DC, USA

Plum Village
Le Pey 24240
Thenac, France

Dear Mr. President

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.”

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.

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.

Thank you for reading.

In gratitude and with brotherhood,
Thich Nhat Hanh
Plum Village

Happy Holiday...

2006-10-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Wishing you well on your holiday…

Bandi Chor Diwas for Sikhs
Diwali for Hindus
Diwali & New Year for Jains
Shakyamuni Buddha Day for Tibetan Buddhists
Eid for Muslims (23rd October)

Madness

2006-10-21T00:23:00.001-07:00

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 ...

"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.

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.

. . . 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.

. . . 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.

. . . 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.

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.

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.

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.
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?

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?
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?

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?
In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years.

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.

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.

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.

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. . ."

God

2006-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

A man once asked the Buddha, “Is there a God?”

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?

The man replied, “Of course, I would have the arrow pulled out as quickly as possible.”

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.”

How Do You Feel?

2006-10-19T16:02:00.001-07:00

The water in the ocean is ubiquitous and steady. The wave crashing the shore is temporary and fluctuating.

A wave rises and then falls. But the wave is nothing more than water.

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.

IE7: A Quick Review

2006-10-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Internet Explorer 7 was released today. 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.

Perspective

2006-10-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

If I am unable to be empathic to your problems, then I am sorry. 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. I have a hard time understanding how the people I come in contact with can classify their trials and tribulations as "problems."

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. 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.

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: http://www.children.org (Children International)

I'm an Original

2006-10-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
0
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Things To Do

2006-10-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

In no particular order....

Learn about RSS - Everyone seems to be doing whatever this is
Start Using my HP iPAQ
Connect Outlook to my Google Mail (I like folders and am growing tired of the gmail client)
Update Outlook with all my contacts in Plaxo
Return the Plextor DVD Recorder that won't work and reinstall my old DVD burner.
Learn how to blog from my cell phone.
Take more pictures
Update my Flickr Account
Install Skype
Learn Spanish
Correct incorrect items on credit report

Classical Music

2006-10-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

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.

I've been tuned to XM Pops for the last week. A few of my recent favorites include:

1. Mozart's "Serenade for strings in G major", better known as Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
2. Guiseppe Tartini's "The Devil's Trill - Sonata in G Minor"
3. Beethoven's Symphony No. 3
4. George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"

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.

Find Your Hut

2006-10-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

"My hut isn’t quite six feet across
Surrounded by pine, bamboos, and mountains,
An old monk hardly has room for himself
Much less for a visiting cloud." - Shih-wu (1272-1352)

Seek happiness within yourself, not in the clouds.

What Do You Think?

2006-10-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

You are your thoughts. Your actions reflect your thoughts. Be mindfull of your thoughts today.

"The mind is everything. What you think, you become." - The Buddha

Lesson for Monday Morning

2006-06-18T23:47:00.000-07:00

"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.

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." --Robert Louis Stevenson

Be well and enjoy this present moment.

Alone Time

2006-06-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

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 sit in the park, etc. Being alone allows one to relive stress, clear one's mind, and be truly present.

Just Exist

2006-06-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

Don't try to become anything. Just realize that you already are.

Practicing Mindfulness

2006-06-10T00:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched a baseball game mindfully? It is an incredible experience. Having practiced it for the first time, I saw deeply the wondrous things around me.

The fresh-cut, green grass. The bright lights under the moonlit sky. The smiling faces of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren. Families spending time together; with no one in a rush and no clock to stop the game.

In the game itself I saw competition in a new way. Is competition negative? Does it produce negative feelings because one wins and one loses? The answer depends on the point of view of each person and their state of mind. In competition, the winner experiences the thrill of victory and the loser suffers the agony of defeat. However, if one is to look deeply, they will see that the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat inter-are. The winner and the loser inter-are. The winner cannot understand the ecstasy of victory if he has never experienced the feeling of loss. If one is not attached and does not crave the thrill of victory or abhor the defeat, that person can see the moment for what it truly is. Competition is wonderful. It pushes us to do better. It is human. It requires mindful living for it to be experienced as the miracle it is.

Transform Negative Feelings

2006-06-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

People are often taught to breathe in deep, and breathe out all the stress and negative energy.

However, the Buddha taught that we should breathe in all the negative stimuli around us. Be mindful of the negative and harmful speech, media, actions, and circumstances around you. Breathe in all that is truly present in your universe.

Then transform the negative feelings into something positive. Use a person's negative speech as a mindfullness bell to remind yourself how you do not want to act.

When you breathe out, breathe out the positive feelings that you have cultivated within you. It seems selfish to breathe out stress for others to breathe in? Transform that stress into peace and breathe out a feeling of calm for others to receive.

Rebirth

2006-06-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

There is alot of focus on rebirth or reincarnation and its place in Buddhism.

Many think that the attainment of Nirvana results in the cessation of samsara -- life on this earth. They believe that if Nirvana is not reached, you are reborn, or reincarnated, until you reach this holy state.

However, samsara is not a word that describes where we are on Earth; it describes how we live on earth. Nirvana is not a place where we go when we die, it is a state of mind that is reached when we understand the interdependent-coexistant nature of our universe. To stop rebirth is to understand that one does not exist in the absence of all other matter. It is the understanding of anatma (non-self) and practice of mindfullness that allows one to end samsara (wandering). Of course, those seeking nirvana may never reach it. It is the practice and not the theory will provide the path.

A finger pointing to the moon is not the moon.

Right to Life

2005-11-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

Abortion is a big topic these days -- with the nomination of Alito for the Bench. The right-wing prepares for celebration, the moderate conservatives wonder what the party will use as its rallying cry once Roe v. Wade is overturned, and the leftists brace for a fight.

What is most striking to me however, is the hypocrisy of the parties involved - particulary the "right to life" group. No one in clear mind supports abortion or advocates it, and I admire the heart of people who believe that we should protect life. I myself, while in favor of limiting abortion only through dialogue and education, share this view. But it strikes me as odd that many people in support of overturning Roe v. Wade, also are in support of capital punishment. Shouldn't we also condemn the killing of an adult human being by a modern, civilized nation? What about the care for the child once he is born? Doesn't every child have the right to reasonable health care, nutritious food, and an equal education? Should we not support public programing and arts that enrich the lives of children? Why would we rather have children move from foster home to foster home, rather than be adopted by a loving homosexual couple that would love and provide for the child?

I agree that we should all support a child's "right to life." However, we should also be prepared to take care of our children when they are born. Universal health care for all under 18 years of age, an education that provides funding based on the number of students and not the zip code, and a food stamp and school lunch program that allows children to recieve foods that nourish them should be part of the "right to life" plan.

People love to say "children are the future." Let's come together has human beings and care for them from conception onwards with compassion, and not for trivial political gain.

Revolutionaries

2005-07-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today, I feel its appropriate to remember the the Declaration of Independence:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
…
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Wishing all well on this Independence Day…

Live 8

2005-07-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

The Live 8 concerts were phenomenal in many respects. The number of people it reached through television, satellite radio, web casts, mobile phone casts, etc was incredible. Nowhere are the advances of technology more apparent than when comparing Live 8 with Live Aid of the 80’s. Live Aid never reached the mass audiences the way Live 8 did. AOL had a record number of simultaneous web casts (75 million). Organizers estimate 2 BILLION tuned in watch or listen to the event. Live 8 was NOT a fundraiser. The artists performed for free, tickets were free, and the broadcasting was free. The goal was to create worldwide awareness and pressure the G8 summit to produce results that tackle world poverty.

The concerts themselves were much better than expected. Sting’s “Message in a Bottle”, U2 singing with Paul McCartney, the reunion of Pink Floyd, and the Marley kids singing “Get Up, Stand Up” with the Black Eyed Peas were some of the highlights. Other particularly great performances included Sarah McLachlan, Muse, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, Green Day, Jet, and Stevie Wonder. Even Will Smith’s “Summertime” was fantastic. Perhaps most impressive was one of my least favorite artists – Maria Carey. After singing her first song, she began speaking and introduced her guests for her next song, the African Children’s Choir. She was experiencing severe shortness of breath after her last performance and could barely speak. However, only moments later, she went into a beautiful rendition with the choir of “Hero.” Her range is stunning...

The problem with the event however is two-fold – the simplistic recommendations to the G8, and the irony of millionaires talking about poverty. While standing up for a cause is a noble gesture, perhaps having the “Material Girl” telling people to solve poverty was ironic if not plain hypocritical.

The recommendations of the Live 8 group to the G8 are to solve poverty through trade justice, increased aid, and the 100% extinguishment of debt to poor (African) countries. There are a few problems with this. First, a 100% extinguishment of debt could significantly impact world banks and economies. Secondly, increasing aid will NOT solve the problem. Africa has received enough aid from the world for three or four Marshal Plans. Most of the aid money to Africa never makes it to those in need. The money is squandered through ill advised spending and stolen by corrupt leaders. The problem in Africa is inadequate leadership. Extinguishing debt and increasing aid will legitimize the current governments and slow the revolutionary changes needed.

Still, the Live 8 concerts did what may be most important – they created a forum for discussion and brought worldwide awareness to the cause. Starvation, AIDS, and other diseases (such as Malaria) are enormous problems in Africa. It is the duty of the modern world to help the people in need. The G8 leaders should make it their number one priority.

Finally, perhaps the greatest thrill was getting to hear Nelson Mandela:

"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity; it is an act of justice. It is a protection of a fundamental human right. History and the generations to come will judge our leaders by the decisions they make in the coming weeks. I say to all those leaders, do not look the other way. Do not hesitate. We ask our leaders to demonstrate commitment, not engage in hollow promises. It is within your power to avoid a genocide of humanity. Sometimes it falls upon on a generation to be great. You be that great generation."

Symbolism of the Lotus Flower

2005-07-03T02:09:00.000-07:00

White lotus
This symbolizes Bodhi, the state of total mental purity and spiritual perfection, and the pacification of our nature. It generally has eight petals corresponding to the Noble Eightfold Path of the Good Law.

Red lotus
This symbolizes the original nature of the heart (hrdaya). It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion, activity and all the qualities of the heart.

Blue lotus
This is the symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, of intelligence and wisdom, of knowledge. It is always represented as a partially opened bud, and (unlike the red lotus) its centre is never seen.

Pink lotus
This is the supreme lotus, generally reserved for the highest deity, sometimes confused with the white lotus it is the lotus of the historical Buddha.