[FairfieldLife] Re: Dubya's Artworks
Absolutely. I saw these and was pretty impressed with his talent. I wish he'd never gone into politics. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, no_re...@yahoogroups.com wrote : ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, jr_esq@... wrote : George W. Bush has recently displayed his works of art, as shown in the link below. What do you think? He's a better artist than he was a president. http://news.yahoo.com/photos/portraits-by-george-w-bush-slideshow/ http://news.yahoo.com/photos/portraits-by-george-w-bush-slideshow/
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: The Extended FFL Puja
Ah ha ha ha. Turkey forgot Annsure he did. Gotta watch those resentments Bawwy. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, sharelong60@... wrote : turq, of course I'm still relieved that you let me off the hook so lightly. This time! Anyway, if I may humbly make an additon: to Sri Ann, a book of baby names, but with pronunciation guidelines which is mainly for my sake since I still have no idea how to pronounce Bawwy. Go figure! On Saturday, April 5, 2014 6:43 AM, salyavin808 no_re...@yahoogroups.com wrote: Hilarious. Hope you have a super day! ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@... wrote : It occurs to me, sipping my coffee on the outdoor patio of Bad Habits, enjoying the almost-sunshine of a Dutch Saturday morning in April, that a lot of people seem to only focus on the flashy siddhis, and the equally flashy saints and teachers who manifested them. This strikes me as patently unfair, because there are any number of less flashy but equally praiseworthy siddhis out there, and Fairfield Life -- composed as it is of long-term seekers who have at the very least a black belt in seeking -- contains any number of masters of these lesser siddhis. Thus I propose to...uh...extend the TM puja and its offerings to the more well-known masters of the Holy Tradition, and include offerings to more modern masters of that lineage. So here, off the top of my head, are my proposed puja extensions. You tack them on at the end of the current set of offerings. [ If I left you out, its either because I really am doing this off the top of my head and didn't remember you, or because you don't really matter. Your call. ] * Offering a Finnish-Dothraki phrasebook to the lotus feet of Sri Cardemeister, who manifested the siddhi of knowing more languages than God. * Offering a stuffed Minion figure to the lotus feet of Sri Share, for manifesting the siddhi of never being afraid to...uh...share. * Offering a pair of vintage nose glasses to the lotus feet of Sri Merudanda, who manifested the siddhi of being able to have fun with pretty much everything, be it On The Program, or Off. * Offering a shiny, black Mind Police uniform to the lotus feet of Sri Buck, for manifesting the siddhi of Just Being Buck. * Offering a Netflix gift certificate to the lotus feet of Sri Bhairitu, who manifested the compassion siddhi of seeing virtue in zombies. * Offering a can of Maharishi Brand Vedic Sunshine to the lotus feet of Sri SallySunshine, for manifesting the siddhi of laughing one's tormentors into fits of apoplexy. * Offering a cup of tea and a biscuit to the lotus feet of Sri Salyavin, who manifested the siddhi of reminding people why the best masters of the barbed epigram are all English. * Offering a fake ZZ Top beard and a six-pack of Lone Star to the lotus feet of Sri Richard, for manifesting the siddhi of exemplifying being from Texas, where the men are men and the prairie dogs are nervous. * Offering an appropriate Ayurvedic gemstone to the lotus feet of Sri JR, who manifested the all-important siddhi of stating the obvious. * Offering Lady Gaga tickets to the lotus feet of Sri Robin, for manifesting the siddhi of self promotion. * Offering a new Dior gown and Luboton high heels to the lotus feet of Sri DoctorD, who so ably manifested the siddhi of remaining humble while being so much more evolved than everyone else. * Offering a holiday in the Greek Isles to the lotus feet of Sri Anartaxius, for manifesting the siddhi of being able to talk about states of consciousness as if he had actually experienced them and they weren't that big a deal. * Offering an RC Cola and a moon pie to the lotus feet of Sri Michael, who manifested the siddhi of exemplifying the principle of Illegitimi non carborundum. * Offering a set of gold lame fingerless gloves to the lotus feet of Sri Emily, for manifesting the siddhi of picking up after one's dog. * Offering a stainless steel shit shovel to the lotus feet of Sri Steve, who manifested the siddhi of never being afraid to call bullshit, wherever he saw it. * Offering a new headset to the lotus feet of Sri Rick, for manifesting the siddhi of infinite patience by sitting through interviews in which dozens of selfless beings talked about themselves. * Offering a new washing machine to the lotus feet of Sri Alex, who manifested the siddhi of retaining his sense of humor about It All despite having to be a moderator at FFL. * Offering a John Birch toilet seat to the lotus feet of Sri Mike, for manifesting the siddhi of having execrable politics but being occasionally so funny one could overlook it. * Offering a real vehicle to the lotus feet of Sri Edg, for attempting and almost mastering the siddhi of retaining one's dignity while riding a Trike. * Offering a vintage Segovia album to the lotus feet of Sri Lawson, who manifested the siddhi of being able to produce a scientific study to prove
[FairfieldLife] RE: RE: Jesuit Trained Pope Trashes Capitalism in Call for Worldwide Socialism
Here's an article on why Singapore would be a good model for the US. There would be some major hurdles to overcome here before more of a State capitalist approach would work. http://blogs.hbr.org/2009/08/singapore-a-model-of-judgment/ http://blogs.hbr.org/2009/08/singapore-a-model-of-judgment/ ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, s3raphita@... wrote: Re The Pope doesn't need a Ph.D. in economics to make use of that information.: Unfortunately he does! Look, this from Wiki: Singapore has a market-based economy - one of the freest and most business-friendly. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, Singapore is consistently ranked as one of the least-corrupt countries in the world, along with New Zealand and the Scandinavian countries. Singapore has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world for the past two decades. Life expectancy in Singapore is 80 for males and 85 for females, placing the country 4th in the world for life expectancy. Almost the whole population has access to improved water and sanitation facilities. There are fewer than 10 annual deaths from HIV per 100,000 people. Adult obesity is below 10%. Surely to God it's at least *possible* that a let-it-rip capitalist model could bring greater benefits to the populace than a top-down state-controlled economy? If it's possible then it's not unreasonable for people to push for a such a system without them necessarily being greedy rich pigs. And so without them necessarily being on the side of the Antichrist. Keep religion free from dogmatic economic positions seems a sensible approach to me. ---In fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend@... wrote: Well, but the principles don't change. A poor person is a poor person is a poor person no matter what century they live in or under what kind of economic system. Nobody's suggesting Jesus was preaching socialism qua socialism or against capitalism qua capitalism. That's a red herring. He was preaching in favor of generosity and against selfish greed. The point is to relieve poverty no matter what the cause. These days, the cause tends to be the greed of the masters of the capitalist system. Sounds like the pope has been reading (Nobel Prize-winning economist) Paul Krugman in the NYTimes. He makes the same point about there being no evidence for trickle-down economics. If it worked, there should be; it's been tried long enough. The pope doesn't need a Ph.D. in economics to make use of that information. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, s3raphita@... wrote: Re And I could cite a busload of Jesus' expressions of concern for the poor and oppressed. Plus one in particular about how hard it is for the rich person to get into Heaven.: I'm with him on the rich! Some things never change. But Jesus was a first-century rabbi so could have no idea of the later development of industrialisation, capitalism, welfare states and globalisation. It is as ridiculous to wonder what a first-century person would decide pro or anti socialism as it is to wonder what a first-century person would decide on which car to buy, or if a first-century person would prefer Copernican or pre-Copernican astronomy. For Christ's sake - he didn't even know he was living in the first century! ;-) ---In fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend@... wrote: Sounds to me as if he's an expert in human nature. And I could cite a busload of Jesus' expressions of concern for the poor and oppressed. Plus one in particular about how hard it is for the rich person to get into Heaven. I don't think you've got a winner of an argument here, Seraphita. Seraphita wrote: The Pope said “some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power. So is the Pope now an expert on economics (the dismal science)? Trickle-down theories could be wrong - but they could be right. It is surely possible to be a pious Christian and either support or oppose socialism. When popes claim that one or the other side is right they get dangerously close to claiming that supporters of the side they oppose are not true Christians - and so not saved. Jesus would be turning in His grave - if He hadn't risen. ---In fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com, emptybill@... wrote: Email HIM. Offer to evangelize the Tantrika-s. Maybe he'll offer to make you a socialist proselyte and then, if you are successful, a bishop. ---In fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com, noozguru@... wrote: BTW, those folks over on Infowars have a tendency to contradict themselves. They were talking about the riots at stores Thanksgiving Evening and saying that individualism
RE: RE: Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: How the Supreme Court Resolve the Debt-Ceiling Crisis
Reminds me of the year Seattle refused to salt the roads in an effort to be green and create pack...ha ha...idealism at its finest; the potholes created that winter were the best ever. http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008551284_snowcleanup23m.html http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008551284_snowcleanup23m.html ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com wrote: Bhairitu, When I was living in Seattle, I noticed that a thin layer of snow would just about shut down the entire city. My old boss, back then, would let us go home when it started to snow. I thought that was very reasonable. Better be safe than sorry. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com wrote: And when I lived in Seattle and it snowed, I and other Subaru owners were about the only ones on the road. Front wheel drive. My Forester is All Wheel Drive but that axle costs mileage due to its weight. I can only think of one time the AWD came in handy and that was turning around on a road when I had to go off into mud and the Forester cut right through it like it wasn't even there. On 10/14/2013 03:18 PM, jr_esq@... mailto:jr_esq@... wrote: Share, We technically have four seasons over here. But it doesn't snow over here during the winter--which is just fine with me. When I was in Seattle, WA, I used to live on a hilly road. During the winter, the road became frozen with ice. And, I foolishly drove my car down the hill knowing that the car won't stop even if you put the brakes on. Luckily, I never got into an accident using that maneuver. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com mailto:fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com wrote: John, I've gotten pretty spoiled living in a fairly inexpensive place like FF. I think of those high rent districts on the east and west coasts as being unsustainable, especially for an aging population. And I do like 4 seasons. Do you all have four seasons? On Monday, October 14, 2013 1:50 PM, jr_esq@... mailto:jr_esq@... jr_esq@... mailto:jr_esq@... wrote: Share, That Zone sounds pretty cool. Everyone is welcome to move over here. We already have vastu houses in San Diego. But I don't know of anyone who has built one in the northern California area. ---In fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com mailto:fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com, sharelong60@... mailto:sharelong60@... wrote: And he's going to build a yaqui vastu house. Maybe he and Rita will invite you over so you can sit in the Zone of Tranquility (-: On Monday, October 14, 2013 11:18 AM, Bhairitu noozguru@... mailto:noozguru@... wrote: Probably the best thing to happen is for the US to collapse into one big dung heap. It's old and broken down. It's suffering a bad hangover from an artificial boom made to steal property from the middle class. It should break up into several countries with California combined with western Washington and Oregon one of them. We don't get the money we pay to the feds back anyway. The Red states are getting our money. Watching Jerry Brown he seems to be gearing up to the first Prime Minister of Ecotopia. And. we're getting Willy moving here! On 10/14/2013 08:20 AM, jr_esq@... mailto:jr_esq@... wrote: This article shows the complicated way for this to happen. But it appears that it's going to take a long time for the process to be completed. In the meantime, the federal government would default on its obligations and the economy would collapse. IMO, the best way to solve this crisis is to toss a coin. Head means pass a CR and raise the debt ceiling for one year, with Obamacare. Tail means pass a CR and reaise the debt ceiling for one year, without Obamacare. http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-resolve-debt-ceiling-crisis-103405149--politics.html http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-resolve-debt-ceiling-crisis-103405149--politics.html
RE: Re: RE: RE: Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: Another Of My Usual
Oh dear. Share, you pathologically rewrite the facts, intentions, and motivations behind what *you*, *yourself*, present (whether it is true or not is of no bearing on this behavior) and then you present your new position and start to support that, no matter how hopeless it is as a supposed defense to the original false position. And this goes on and on and on with you, until conversing with you is an exercise in such absurdity that it is pointless to continue. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com wrote: Too?! Oh, ok, Judy, sorry to hear you're feeling poorly this morning. I guess that's why you did that bit of Inadvertent Irony about butting in. On Sunday, October 13, 2013 9:46 AM, authfriend@... authfriend@... wrote: Wow, Share is feeling pretty poorly this morning too. Share wrote: Richard to Judy on Oct 2:Does every message posted to this discussion group have to turn into an argument with you? Are you the new FFL moderator? Is it alright with you Judy, if I have a one minute conversation with Share - just one minute- without you butting in to start another fight. Barry wrote: (snip) Ahem.Barry has not mentioned or interacted with either of these bitches in quite some time, certainly not during the last week. Thus this attempt to get him and revive their long-held grudges against him is completely gratuitous and out of the blue. Hey, doofus, nobody was talking to you. End of story.
RE: Re: Re: Re: RE: RE: Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: Another Of My Usual
P.S. Share. I did get a good laugh off of this Two hands on the steering wheel, now. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com wrote: Emily, I think that unconditional love of motherhood is expressing itself through you as you write the above. On Sunday, October 13, 2013 11:12 AM, emilymaenot@... emilymaenot@... wrote: My guess Share, is that she is trying to help you see yourself and asking you to employ a more complete thought process around your presentation here on FFL. You are all reaction, my dear. I empathize and I sympathize. P.S. Doesn't authfriend mean authentic friend? ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com wrote: If that is true, dmevans, then why does Judy continue conversing with me?! On Sunday, October 13, 2013 10:50 AM, dmevans365@... dmevans365@... wrote: Oh dear. Share, you pathologically rewrite the facts, intentions, and motivations behind what *you*, *yourself*, present (whether it is true or not is of no bearing on this behavior) and then you present your new position and start to support that, no matter how hopeless it is as a supposed defense to the original false position. And this goes on and on and on with you, until conversing with you is an exercise in such absurdity that it is pointless to continue. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com wrote: Too?! Oh, ok, Judy, sorry to hear you're feeling poorly this morning. I guess that's why you did that bit of Inadvertent Irony about butting in. On Sunday, October 13, 2013 9:46 AM, authfriend@... authfriend@... wrote: Wow, Share is feeling pretty poorly this morning too. Share wrote: Richard to Judy on Oct 2:Does every message posted to this discussion group have to turn into an argument with you? Are you the new FFL moderator? Is it alright with you Judy, if I have a one minute conversation with Share - just one minute- without you butting in to start another fight. Barry wrote: (snip) Ahem.Barry has not mentioned or interacted with either of these bitches in quite some time, certainly not during the last week. Thus this attempt to get him and revive their long-held grudges against him is completely gratuitous and out of the blue. Hey, doofus, nobody was talking to you. End of story.
[FairfieldLife] Visit with Amma
I am writing this as an account of my and my children's participation in a recent Amma retreat. As background: I was laid off a stressful job in corporate america in January after many years in a deadline-driven career. We were invited by a friend to attend the retreat. I was curious and interested in meeting a saint who supposedly embodies the concepts of love and compassion. I have no background in the Hindu religion, Indian culture, or guru philosophy. I am not religious but believe in God, as the universe and nature, and our ability to access and receive personal guidance and help from the source energy. I believe that God is love. I attended with my heart wide open to possibilities and encouraged my kids to do the same. I attended the free program on Friday around 3 in the afternoon to introduce myself to the environment I had signed us up for the following 3 days. Loud Indian chant music was playing, many things were being sold, people were standing in line, the energy in the room was apparent. I purchased white clothing and a book and a cute little tiny Amma doll for myself and the kids. I had little idea what to expect, having never attended anything quite like this, but stayed in place of non-judgement and was excited. Over the next three days, I followed the program plan schedule. Receiving a hug from Amma was not like any hug I've ever received in that we were all physically positioned, but it seemed understandable that with so many people, a procedure needed to be in place. (I asked many about this and heard that this is because of the time involved in darshan - many apparently get spaced out seeing her and need to be physically moved away and when hugging thousands, every second counts). I did not feel an intimacy or personal connection or feeling of love and compassion. Something was repeated in monotone in my ear that I didn't understand. Shortly after receiving our hugs, however, we were all completely wired. I told the kids I felt like I had received an energy transfer or hit during the exchange. It didn't feel bad, but not good either, and we could sense that Amma seemed to be a powerful person energetically. Saturday morning we were up early for breakfast and to stand in line. One of my daughters and I were signed up to attend the IAM meditation courses - hers being the youth one - and so wanted to get our hugs in early. We were in line starting at 8 AM, listened to the Swami from 9 to 10, sat and waited for Amma to arrive at 10 AM, and then waited and moved up through the heavily orchestrated and controlled process. This time we went individually and brought our questions that we kept in our minds, as Amma could supposedly intuit and respond. Again, a manhandled hug routine (hands placed particularly, head pushed forward on chest, with a monotone repetition of a word in the right ear). I attended the IAM meditation course and enjoyed it, but was put off by the requirement to sign a confidentiality agreement. It was at this point I began to feel like I was being encouraged to pray to Amma - based on the Swami lectures, instruction and visualization received during the meditation. Amma was continually reinforced as the form to keep in our minds. We continued through the weekend - were full of so much energy Sunday evening that we worked out between 10-11 PM. We did our Seva at dinner by helping load dishes into the cart, which was fun. We participated in standing in line for hours and receiving hugs in the morning and evening, wanting to follow the scripted schedule and also waiting to feel this overwhelming love connection that so many talked about. We received blessed candy and got the dolls blessed. Monday I was up at 6:15 to do the yoga class. Monday evening was Dhevi Bhava - lots of ceremony and long, translated talk that was starting to feel very top down and condescending. Blessed water, chanting to music, change in Amma's costume to the crown and gown, and the hugs began with the loud bhajans (music) sung by a swami and group in the background. The music/chanting was very loud, repetitive, and mesmerizing; the Swami's voice was very hypnotic; the Swami lectures were full of what seemed like very conflicting messages which confused me on several levels (is the underlying message that we should all pray to Amma as God?), and I was feeling like I was on some kind of wierd emotional and energetic high. I decided also that I wanted a mantra to aid me on my path of forgiveness. So I said the word mantra at the last hug as instructed. I knew nothing of mantras or initiation and clearly misunderstood what they are. I read the sheet passed around. I was shepherded into a circle with others and asked for my definition of God - I stated the Universe. I was told that a mantra did not address any aspects of God, such as forgiveness, but that this would bring me closer to God and would be a personal, exactly right
