[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 6:49 PM, maskedzebra no_re...@yahoogroups.comwrote: Dear Tom, Just to clear one thing up. I never paid any attention to post counts, because I never knew anything about limits. I probably should have; no doubt I was sent this information. But if ignorance is no excuse under the law, you at least should know that I was plumb dumb about this regulation, and it did not seem indulgent for the authorities to overlook this initial flouting of the rules, when, as a recent arrival in this country (FFL), I had no idea that there were any binding laws of the road. And besides, I found myself, once I began posting, having to fend off or respond to a multitude of voices, each one more or less making a demand upon me to clarify, to prove myself. Of course had I known about the rule, you may be sure I would have conformed. And since it is the spirit not the letter of the law that counts, are you willing to say that, in suspending the normal punishment when it came to me, the editors at FFL violated your sense of justice? Because if this is your experience, I am willing, in being sincerely convinced of this conviction of yours, to TAKE THE NEXT WEEK OFF FROM POSTING. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Tom Pall thomas.pall@... wrote: RC, don't place limits on yourself like that. Take next week and the week after and the week after. But Nature's already taking its course. You're quickly becoming irrelevant here just as you've become irrelevant wherever you've squatted. Soon all that be left behind will be some rotting turds, a God awful stench and flies. * * RC, though I may occasionally tweak your beliefs, and often find myself unable to plough through some of your more involved posts (nothing personal; I just don't have the intellect I once did, and feel the same about many of the wordier posters here), I hope you know I am really glad to see you again after all these years, and above all, to see you here. Like you, I too felt the overwhelming intimacy of integrating all of these different personalities in my body or awareness-field when I first joined FFL -- I was often so wired I didn't sleep for several days. (Not that sleep is what it used to be, anyhow. Like you, I believe, I generally feel as if there is a part of me that is always asleep, and a part that is always awake) Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know that I for one am very happy you're here with us, and I hope you feel like sticking around.
[FairfieldLife] 'Halperin canned for 'd^ck' comment'...
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/06/30/halperin_obama_was_a_dick_yesterday.html
[FairfieldLife] Magnets and the 3rd eye?
Got an interesting effect when put some strong neodymium magnets on my third eye for the night. Have done that about ten times now. Won't tell what the effect was in case someone else wants to try the same. So, (I) put one neodymium magnet on the third eye using a piece of plaster. Then put a couple of more on that making use of the magnetic attachment. According to Japanese maker of magneto-therapeutic devices, the north-seeking pole of a magnet should be against the skin. Here are the types of magnets I've got from Clas Ohlson, on a match box: http://www.gypsii.com/album.cgi?op=viewitemid=20833231 http://www.gypsii.com/album.cgi?op=viewitemid=20833246 Their diameter is less than half an inch. http://www.clasohlson.se/Siteseeker/Search_o.aspx?q=magnet
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, RoryGoff rorygoff@... wrote: On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 6:49 PM, maskedzebra no_re...@yahoogroups.comwrote: Dear Tom, Just to clear one thing up. I never paid any attention to post counts, because I never knew anything about limits. I probably should have; no doubt I was sent this information. But if ignorance is no excuse under the law, you at least should know that I was plumb dumb about this regulation, and it did not seem indulgent for the authorities to overlook this initial flouting of the rules, when, as a recent arrival in this country (FFL), I had no idea that there were any binding laws of the road. And besides, I found myself, once I began posting, having to fend off or respond to a multitude of voices, each one more or less making a demand upon me to clarify, to prove myself. Of course had I known about the rule, you may be sure I would have conformed. And since it is the spirit not the letter of the law that counts, are you willing to say that, in suspending the normal punishment when it came to me, the editors at FFL violated your sense of justice? Because if this is your experience, I am willing, in being sincerely convinced of this conviction of yours, to TAKE THE NEXT WEEK OFF FROM POSTING. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Tom Pall thomas.pall@ wrote: RC, don't place limits on yourself like that. Take next week and the week after and the week after. But Nature's already taking its course. You're quickly becoming irrelevant here just as you've become irrelevant wherever you've squatted. Soon all that be left behind will be some rotting turds, a God awful stench and flies. * * RC, though I may occasionally tweak your beliefs, and often find myself unable to plough through some of your more involved posts (nothing personal; I just don't have the intellect I once did, and feel the same about many of the wordier posters here), I hope you know I am really glad to see you again after all these years, and above all, to see you here. Like you, I too felt the overwhelming intimacy of integrating all of these different personalities in my body or awareness-field when I first joined FFL -- I was often so wired I didn't sleep for several days. (Not that sleep is what it used to be, anyhow. Like you, I believe, I generally feel as if there is a part of me that is always asleep, and a part that is always awake) Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know that I for one am very happy you're here with us, and I hope you feel like sticking around. Dear Rory, Thank you very much for this. There is more of a loving intelligence that comes through your writing (and that description of your encounter with me back in 1982, well, it's so fair and objective and generous, I have always appreciated how you attempted to get at the truth (or the reality) of what was going on between us then). When someone responds positively to one, and there is real feeling there, it seems as if the universe itself is being friendly. In what you have said here, there is nothing but a true person speaking unaffectedlyyour sincerity gets through to me. The question remains, however, whether Tom Pall's judgment of me is equally sincere, not to say objectively true. I can't doubt his sincerity, but, if I felt what he said reflected reality's judgment of me, I certainly would have no choice but to leave off posting here. So, naturally, I am going to let myself be influenced more by what you have said to me, Rory. If, however Tom's feelings have some real justification, then I will have to hear him out. Meanwhile, it would be hard for me not to experience that what you have told me hereand the love that carries your wordsto be more congruent with the person that I am. I must suppose that my antipathy towards and disillusionment with my Master is perhaps part of the explanation for Tom's reaction? Yes, the Romance of my relationship with Maharishi was, so far, the greatest event of my life. At its height, had I been told that Maharishi was not what he seemed, nor that my experience of TM was metaphysically valid, I would have felt pity for the person who told me this. But having renounced Maharishi, his Teaching, and TM in the comprehensive way I have, I can understand Tom Pall's aversion to me and my posts (assuming he is still loyal to Maharishi). If I, in the intensity of my love and adoration of Maharishi had read anything like what I am now posting, well not responding like Tom is, I would nevertheless be determined to counter-attack in the fiercest and most uncompromising way. The critic of Maharishi and TM would get my very best shot. It would, after all, be my religious duty to respond this wayand I would believe I was only defending ultimate truth in doing so. But perhaps in Tom's case it's more than this, or
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
MZ, ignore Tom - he hates everyone so it's nothing personal. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Tom Pall thomas.pall@... wrote: RC, don't place limits on yourself like that. Take next week and the week after and the week after. But Nature's already taking its course. You're quickly becoming irrelevant here just as you've become irrelevant wherever you've squatted. Soon all that be left behind will be some rotting turds, a God awful stench and flies.
[FairfieldLife] File - FFL Acronyms
BC - Brahman Consciousness BN - Bliss Ninny or Bliss Nazi CC - Cosmic Consciousness GC - God Consciousness MMY - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi OTP - Off the Program - a phrase used in the TM movement meaning to do something (such as see another spiritual teacher) considered in violation of Maharishi's program. POV - Point of View SBS - Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, Maharishi's master SCI Science of Creative Intelligence SOC - State of Consciousness SSRS - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Pundit-ji) SV - Stpathya Ved (Vedic Architecture) TB - True Believer (in TM doctrines) TNB - True Non-Believer TMO - The Transcendental Meditation organization TTC TM Teacher Training Course UC - Unity Consciousness WYMS - World Youth Meditation Society later changed to World Youth Movement for the Science of Creative Intelligence was founded by Peter Hübner in Germany, as a national TM outlet competing with SIMS, Students International Meditation Society YMMV = Your Mileage may vary To subscribe, send a message to: fairfieldlife-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!'Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: fairfieldlife-dig...@yahoogroups.com fairfieldlife-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: fairfieldlife-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[FairfieldLife] Attn: Ravi (was: Re: Post Count)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, FFL PostCount ffl.postcount@... wrote: Fairfield Life Post Counter === Start Date (UTC): Sat Jun 25 00:00:00 2011 End Date (UTC): Sat Jul 02 00:00:00 2011 576 messages as of (UTC) Thu Jun 30 23:57:29 2011 38 Ravi Yogi raviyogi@... 2 raviyogi2009 raviyogi@... Just a heads-up that you're high up in the post count, and you have 2 posts under an alternate user name. With the 2 you've posted since the last post count, you're now at 42 posts.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Protests in Greece
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, emptybill emptybill@... wrote: There is no dwipa-loka so perhaps you meant Sveta-dwipa, the white island, home of a local embodiment of Lord Vishnu. Well, it wouldn't be the first time I got my lokas mixed up. And probably won't be the last.
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
Don't go, Masked Zebra. We love you. You make us think. Usually we just hurl insults. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Tom Pall thomas.pall@... wrote: On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 6:49 PM, maskedzebra no_re...@yahoogroups.comwrote: Dear Tom, Just to clear one thing up. I never paid any attention to post counts, because I never knew anything about limits. I probably should have; no doubt I was sent this information. But if ignorance is no excuse under the law, you at least should know that I was plumb dumb about this regulation, and it did not seem indulgent for the authorities to overlook this initial flouting of the rules, when, as a recent arrival in this country (FFL), I had no idea that there were any binding laws of the road. And besides, I found myself, once I began posting, having to fend off or respond to a multitude of voices, each one more or less making a demand upon me to clarify, to prove myself. Of course had I known about the rule, you may be sure I would have conformed. And since it is the spirit not the letter of the law that counts, are you willing to say that, in suspending the normal punishment when it came to me, the editors at FFL violated your sense of justice? Because if this is your experience, I am willing, in being sincerely convinced of this conviction of yours, to TAKE THE NEXT WEEK OFF FROM POSTING. RC, don't place limits on yourself like that. Take next week and the week after and the week after. But Nature's already taking its course. You're quickly becoming irrelevant here just as you've become irrelevant wherever you've squatted. Soon all that be left behind will be some rotting turds, a God awful stench and flies. Would it seem a more just universe if I did this? I assure you I am willing to bear the consequences of my actions. MZ
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
On Fri, Jul 1, 2011 at 3:34 AM, Ravi Yogi raviy...@att.net wrote: MZ, ignore Tom - he hates everyone so it's nothing personal. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Tom Pall thomas.pall@... wrote: RC, don't place limits on yourself like that. Take next week and the week after and the week after. But Nature's already taking its course. You're quickly becoming irrelevant here just as you've become irrelevant wherever you've squatted. Soon all that be left behind will be some rotting turds, a God awful stench and flies. Quite right. Nothing personal. I actually was looking forward to the time when the great legend RC would/could come to visit. I thought he must be a really cool dude, having done all of that. But instead he was just another Lory, another Ravi: Hey everyone. I'm going to sit at the keyboard and free associate, write nothing coherent but make up for the incoherence in the volume of non-sequitor words, sentences, paragraphs and pages I produce. You see, when you've had experiences like I've had, when you've been enlightened, you no longer need to nor can write the in vernacular, no longer need to use the idiom of the common, rather highly educated FFLer. If we can't make out what you're writing, it's because you are so high above us, so very special and well, it's so ineffable that you need to pick random words out of philosophy texts as you type along.Maharishi didn't find this important. He we call Guru Dev didn't find this important. SSRS, Amma, Christ did not find this important. Nor did the God who spoke to Abraham. Nor Shankara. Nor Tim Leary. But you are something very special, beyond all of those and we need to struggle to just to try to make a bit of sense out of what you set down on the screen. The shear struggle we put forth might help us climb a bit of the ladder to your level. How interesting that we have to struggle our way up the side of a cliff, draw ourselves up a steep ladder when it's actually all about getting from here to here. Nothing personal about quantity of words produced. Barry Wright often fills pages. Though his messages ever have a slam against TM, Americans (which he, BTW, happens to be) and Judy, he writes compelling stuff in prose where every sentence is terse and tight, one sentence leads to the next, paragraphs tie together, the whole makes sense. But Barry Wright doesn't put yourself in your class, Thank God. I don't care if you had a romance with Maharishi. In fact, I don't care if you two walked the beach hand in hand saying sweet nothings to each other. Nor that you launched a campaign against Maharishi and his TMO. I actually prefer that sort of behavior and history compared to the blissninny postings we get here about this or that TMO event. Yes, I have lots of hates. One hate is someone who comes to a forum where people communicate with each other, mostly. The politics can be bizarre, the philosophies can be bizarre, the life experiences are vastly different and yes, there are the awards for the one line zinger or the succinctly worded pithy point summed up in a single sentence. It truly is nothing personal, RC. I wouldn't care if your name was actually Daisy Mae. You, Ravi and Lory are full of shit. Or rather you three write shit. Some are impressed with that. Surely each of you are impressed with each other's shit. Why not just hit the delete key or put spam filters in place? Because the way these posts and threads work, I'll begin reading what I think is an interesting post about XYZ. Turns out it's a response or a response to a response to your keyboard diarrhea. Can't filter those out as these threads go on forever at times. If I filter a poster to trash, the entire thread containing a post by someone I'm filtering all wind up in the trash. A lot of fascinating stuff is lost that way, so I wind up going through my trash to find the otherwise good stuff.
[FairfieldLife] FF Memorial for Claudia Purves
Claudia passed away this last weekend. Memorial in Fairfield Saturday July 2nd 10am at Fellowship of the Holy Spirit 51 North Court, on the FF square. !Jai Claudia!
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
Yeah the gratuitous bashing really took away from what could have been a fine piece of writing. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@... wrote: Yea, the post was getting some positive feedback so I went back and reread it. You're right. It started off neat. I know this will sound weird, but we all know what a dog is like who is hand shy. Even the hand that comes down to pet him, (usually a neighbor or friend will elicit a drawing back response. That is the way I kind of am with Barry's posts. I know there is some good stuff, but Ialso know what is likely to come. This may make me come off as a pussy. But so be it. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, whynotnow7 whynotnow7@ wrote: I had the same thought, but decided to self edit that stuff out. Ironically the only reason the TM/TB stuff kept intruding was the rest of the imagery was so good! Belgian chocolate, a train through the European countryside...who can't imagine themselves there? Sounded expansive and comfortable, wanted to hear more about that ride. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@ wrote: Here's a thought. A persistant theme in your posts is MMY as an average guy. Could all the (supposed at least) TBers accept such a premise, and why not try it on for size. Maybe challenge yourself and try posting without the persistant mocking and continual referral to the TMO. Yea, I think many your insights are interesting. But I read your posts knowing that the put down is always right around the corner, and rarely am I disappointed. Seems like you came up with two of three in this post. (I don't feel like re-reading). But Purusha brewed beer as Yak piss. Pretty much the typical fare you provide. Sorta not funny anymore. At least for me. Maybe others like it. P.S. At the risk of appearing weak, I hope you don't respond, or even read my posts, because I like you, and dislike having to take the position of chastising a friend. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@ wrote: Sitting in my window seat on the fast train back to the Netherlands, I watch the Belgian landscape zip past and try to figure out what makes it different from the Dutch landscape. Probably the same thing that made Brussels so different from Den Haag or Amsterdam -- the French influence. It was a real pleasure to hear French spoken again, and to watch the lips of the women speaking it. There is something about the French language that makes me think it was invented by a God who -- unlike the God of Shankara who saw women as corpses or bags of feces -- LOVED women and wanted to see them at their best. Speaking French causes one's mouth to move in ways that no other language I am familiar with does, ways that are tremendously flattering to women. Add to that the fact that the women were on the whole dressed more in the French style (uh...stylish) than the Dutch style (uh...not so much), and I had a wonderful time. It was just a short business trip, but the business part was over by midday yesterday, so I've gotten to spend the rest of the time as a guy on vacation, doing what a guy like me does while on vacation. That is, walking around taking in the sights, visiting a couple of Brussels' treasure trove of Art Nouveau museums, and sitting in cafes writing. Not everybody's idea of a holiday, but it is for me. One of the high points of the journey was sitting on the Grand Place and connecting real-time over the Internet with a friend who was sitting on the front porch of his new house in Arunachala, India, former home of Ramana Maharshi. He described the view of his street, filled with beggars and saddhus and (according to him) siddhas, and I described the view of my street, filled with tourists and women on their way to work or (judging from the looks on their faces and the lilt in their walk) to an assignation with their lovers. Different strokes for different folks, different spiritual paths. :-) I miss Joe here on FFL because he, more than anyone else I can think of, would enjoy hearing about the beers I got to taste while there. To my sorrow, should he appear and be curious, the piece of paper on which I carefully wrote down their names has now disappeared. The only one I can remember offhand was something like Westmalle, a Trappist Tripel beer that was both wonderful and powerful (9.5% alcohol). While I may not be much of a monastery kinda guy, my hat is off to the monks who came up with this one. If their inner life is a tenth as cool as their beer, they are happy froods indeed. Can you imagine the beer that Purusha guys would brew, were they into that sorta
[FairfieldLife] Re: Ayahuasca Toxicology
Ayahuasca toxicity, yes, in some Fairfield meditators too. But generally the toxicity of this stuff is something I've run across in 'seeking'-people otherwise. It can't be unknown because clearly it happens. People wrecking their physiology with Ayahuasca as a neuro-halucinagetic concocted tripping stuff. With folks frying circuits in their nervous systems, discombobulating their mental well-being and dis-integrating or screwing-up their spiritual life big time otherwise. In reading the internet links on Ayahuasca, evidently it seems that 'excited' ayahuasca apologists have sway in most ayahuasca forums and web pages on the larger subject of people wrecking themselves tripping on ayahausca. Of course taking ayahausca is quite a trendy new-age tourist industry obviously conflicted by large PR interests of the people promoting it as something special. Both in Central and South America but also in the Southwest USA. Practically, it would be interesting to see some clinical notes of ambulance paramedics or emergency room psych-diagnosis of ayahuasca 'overdose'. And it would be good to hear about ayahuasca from the experience of ongoing mental health people as they look at it and experience the effects. Clinical experience with it. I would speculate that there must be a mental health wreckage that is dealt with in South America by communities and public health people there. Is it clinically showing up here in the West or Southwest US too? Clearly it is not good for some people as in, too much of a good thing that clearly is un-spiritual in a mental health sort of way. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer rick@... wrote: From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Buck Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 1:21 PM To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Subject: [FairfieldLife] Ayahuasca Toxicology Ayahuasca as a neuro-toxin, anybody have experience with this? We've been running into people with this. They've tried ayahuasca hoping for spiritual experience and have instead fried their nervous systems. Wondering, is neuro-damage also become a public health problem along with ayahuasca use in Central and South America? Sort of like people can wreck their nervous systems with meth and such. Some folks evidently are having some very un-spiritual disassociation troubles from using it and are trying to put themselves back together psycho-physiologically. Looking on the internet everything is rosie about Ayahuasca. Seems there is an under-belly of Ayahuasca. Just wondering. Anybody have experience with the toxicology? -Buck Are you talking about Fairfield people?
[FairfieldLife] Re: Ayahuasca Toxicology
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck dhamiltony2k5@... wrote: Ayahuasca toxicity, yes, in some Fairfield meditators too. But generally the toxicity of this stuff is something I've run across in 'seeking'-people otherwise. It can't be unknown because clearly it happens. People wrecking their physiology with Ayahuasca as a neuro-halucinagetic concocted tripping stuff. With folks frying circuits in their nervous systems, discombobulating their mental well-being and dis-integrating or screwing-up their spiritual life big time otherwise. In reading the internet links on Ayahuasca, evidently it seems that 'excited' ayahuasca apologists have sway in most ayahuasca forums and web pages on the larger subject of people wrecking themselves tripping on ayahausca. Of course taking ayahausca is quite a trendy new-age tourist industry obviously conflicted by large PR interests of the people promoting it as something special. Both in Central and South America but also in the Southwest USA. Practically, it would be interesting to see some clinical notes of ambulance paramedics or emergency room psych-diagnosis of ayahuasca 'overdose'. And it would be good to hear about ayahuasca from the experience of ongoing mental health people as they look at it and experience the effects. Clinical experience with it. I would speculate that there must be a mental health wreckage that is dealt with in South America by communities and public health people there. Is it clinically showing up here in the West or Southwest US too? Clearly it is not good for some people as in, too much of a good thing that clearly is un-spiritual in a mental health sort of way. Any reports of how the people are doing who got poisoned with heavy metals from the Indian ayurveda clinic product?
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
I just thought it would be kind of fun to deliberately create an imbalance of power and influence here and see what happens. Given all the cult talk here, perhaps we produce one within FFL? --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@... wrote: Sounds like you're nominating yourself Jim. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, whynotnow7 whynotnow7@ wrote: I say we get started on establishing a cult of personality here. So MZ gets ten extra posts per week AND gets to veto anything he wants three times in a week, having absolute moderator power. Then anyone who follows him is granted similar liberties, only not as many. Whadd'ya say? It doesn't have to be MZ, but he IS the obvious choice... --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Alex Stanley j_alexander_stanley@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer rick@ wrote: Newbies get the instructions mailed to them and aren't exempt from the posting limits. Well, I was Mr. Nice Guy and let him slide on the basis of his newbiedom: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/280573
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
I put this in the category of: so and so poster should post differently than they do because it is not my preference. Rather than trying to change Barry, I suggest you post the kind of posts you prefer and let like minded posters riff off your creative stuff. No one is a victim of anyone's POV here. Express your own and show us why your POV should be considered. But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@... wrote: Yea, the post was getting some positive feedback so I went back and reread it. You're right. It started off neat. I know this will sound weird, but we all know what a dog is like who is hand shy. Even the hand that comes down to pet him, (usually a neighbor or friend will elicit a drawing back response. That is the way I kind of am with Barry's posts. I know there is some good stuff, but Ialso know what is likely to come. This may make me come off as a pussy. But so be it. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, whynotnow7 whynotnow7@ wrote: I had the same thought, but decided to self edit that stuff out. Ironically the only reason the TM/TB stuff kept intruding was the rest of the imagery was so good! Belgian chocolate, a train through the European countryside...who can't imagine themselves there? Sounded expansive and comfortable, wanted to hear more about that ride. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@ wrote: Here's a thought. A persistant theme in your posts is MMY as an average guy. Could all the (supposed at least) TBers accept such a premise, and why not try it on for size. Maybe challenge yourself and try posting without the persistant mocking and continual referral to the TMO. Yea, I think many your insights are interesting. But I read your posts knowing that the put down is always right around the corner, and rarely am I disappointed. Seems like you came up with two of three in this post. (I don't feel like re-reading). But Purusha brewed beer as Yak piss. Pretty much the typical fare you provide. Sorta not funny anymore. At least for me. Maybe others like it. P.S. At the risk of appearing weak, I hope you don't respond, or even read my posts, because I like you, and dislike having to take the position of chastising a friend. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@ wrote: Sitting in my window seat on the fast train back to the Netherlands, I watch the Belgian landscape zip past and try to figure out what makes it different from the Dutch landscape. Probably the same thing that made Brussels so different from Den Haag or Amsterdam -- the French influence. It was a real pleasure to hear French spoken again, and to watch the lips of the women speaking it. There is something about the French language that makes me think it was invented by a God who -- unlike the God of Shankara who saw women as corpses or bags of feces -- LOVED women and wanted to see them at their best. Speaking French causes one's mouth to move in ways that no other language I am familiar with does, ways that are tremendously flattering to women. Add to that the fact that the women were on the whole dressed more in the French style (uh...stylish) than the Dutch style (uh...not so much), and I had a wonderful time. It was just a short business trip, but the business part was over by midday yesterday, so I've gotten to spend the rest of the time as a guy on vacation, doing what a guy like me does while on vacation. That is, walking around taking in the sights, visiting a couple of Brussels' treasure trove of Art Nouveau museums, and sitting in cafes writing. Not everybody's idea of a holiday, but it is for me. One of the high points of the journey was sitting on the Grand Place and connecting real-time over the Internet with a friend who was sitting on the front porch of his new house in Arunachala, India, former home of Ramana Maharshi. He described the view of his street, filled with beggars and saddhus and (according to him) siddhas, and I described the view of my street, filled with tourists and women on their way to work or (judging from the looks on their faces and the lilt in their walk) to an assignation with their lovers. Different strokes for different folks, different spiritual paths. :-) I miss Joe here on FFL because he, more than anyone else I can think of, would enjoy hearing about the beers I got to taste while there. To my sorrow, should he appear and be curious, the piece of paper on which I carefully wrote down their names has now disappeared. The only one I can remember offhand was something like
[FairfieldLife] Beer Necessities
Happy happy joy joy. I'm back home in the Netherlands, and have found that one of the cafes that I often sit in while writing has Westmalle, the Trappist beer I discovered in Brussels. My heart soars like an eagle. They also have a beer from the Himalayas called Yak Piss. Something about Purusha Bottling Company on the label, which is some kind of pastels-gone-wild painting, with lots of gold embossing. But given the description of that brew I cognized yesterday on the train, and the chilly reception it received here, I think I might avoid that one. :-)
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
On Jul 1, 2011, at 10:56 AM, curtisdeltablues wrote: put this in the category of: so and so poster should post differently than they do because it is not my preference. Rather than trying to change Barry, I suggest you post the kind of posts you prefer and let like minded posters riff off your creative stuff. No one is a victim of anyone's POV here. Express your own and show us why your POV should be considered. But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. Not to mention arrogant and controlling. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course... My favorite line in the latest control-fest: try posting without the persistant mocking and continual referral to the TMO because *I* don't approve of it, *I'm* tired of reading it, etc. Sal
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
Dear Robin, What a beautiful letter from a beautiful soul; the clarity and integrity of your love feels as sweet and gently pervasive as ever -- moreso even. I never dreamed you would someday read my account of our interaction; what an odd feeling of self-recognition that is! And the occult complexities were just for fun, a work of art, an attempted self-portrait, its details (I hope) easily ignorable if they don't resonate. I was also at the time still working things out, trying to fine-tune a hypothesis which accounted for all the raw data. Things have simplfied considerably since then. I feel I do understand your need to integrate or account for all of us who interact with you. FWIW, sometime within the first few years of my posting here, Tom Pall expressed a fervent desire that Homeland Security would take me away and shoot me (and please correct me if I am misrepresenting you here, Tom), I suspect because I had just described my strong feeling that 9/11 was an inside job. But the effect of his posting was beautiful. I felt gut-punched, eviscerated, and actually did refrain from posting for a few days while I integrated his anger and wish that I would die -- in fact, I died yet again, internally, for those three days. And the result was that I found I had been repressing or ignoring my Tom-persona while identifying with a compassionate persona which appeared to be anti-Tom. (In my parlance, I had been ignoring my Red Man or Warrior while overemphasizing my Green Man or Compassionate Caregiver. The shadow-side or demonic of our Red Man is thwarted desire, fury, bullying and even indiscriminate killing, which when reintegrated ripens into zeal and a sense of divine timing or chronological order). In reintegrating my idea of Tom I found my unconditional love for him-Us again, and we have gotten along OK since then. (In my world, at least.) :-) Of course this may be of no value to you and have nothing whatsoever to do with you or your world, but who knows? I thought I would share it anyhow. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, maskedzebra no_reply@... wrote: Dear Rory, Thank you very much for this. There is more of a loving intelligence that comes through your writing (and that description of your encounter with me back in 1982, well, it's so fair and objective and generous, I have always appreciated how you attempted to get at the truth (or the reality) of what was going on between us then). When someone responds positively to one, and there is real feeling there, it seems as if the universe itself is being friendly. In what you have said here, there is nothing but a true person speaking unaffectedlyyour sincerity gets through to me. The question remains, however, whether Tom Pall's judgment of me is equally sincere, not to say objectively true. I can't doubt his sincerity, but, if I felt what he said reflected reality's judgment of me, I certainly would have no choice but to leave off posting here. So, naturally, I am going to let myself be influenced more by what you have said to me, Rory. If, however Tom's feelings have some real justification, then I will have to hear him out. Meanwhile, it would be hard for me not to experience that what you have told me hereand the love that carries your wordsto be more congruent with the person that I am. I must suppose that my antipathy towards and disillusionment with my Master is perhaps part of the explanation for Tom's reaction? Yes, the Romance of my relationship with Maharishi was, so far, the greatest event of my life. At its height, had I been told that Maharishi was not what he seemed, nor that my experience of TM was metaphysically valid, I would have felt pity for the person who told me this. But having renounced Maharishi, his Teaching, and TM in the comprehensive way I have, I can understand Tom Pall's aversion to me and my posts (assuming he is still loyal to Maharishi). If I, in the intensity of my love and adoration of Maharishi had read anything like what I am now posting, well not responding like Tom is, I would nevertheless be determined to counter-attack in the fiercest and most uncompromising way. The critic of Maharishi and TM would get my very best shot. It would, after all, be my religious duty to respond this wayand I would believe I was only defending ultimate truth in doing so. But perhaps in Tom's case it's more than this, or something other than this. Meanwhile I can believe that your more loving intention is the appropriate one, and that Tom is fighting a rearguard action on behalf of Maharishi and the TMOof course I don't know this. I don't know anything about Tom Pall. But before reading what you wrote to me, Rory, I had very seriously contemplated not posting again until the 9th of Julyat the earliest. Just to let Tom's judgment have some effect. But you have persuaded me (love is like that, isn't it)
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: The IMF: What would Americans do?
On 06/30/2011 01:54 PM, wayback71 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitunoozguru@... wrote: Folks in Greece are rioting over austerity measures that the IMF and other institutions want implemented. My question is what would American do if austerity measures were implemented? Would they: A) check TV listings to see who is going to be on Dancing with the Stars? B) check Internet news sites to see if Lindsey Lohan is back in rehab? C) Open another bag of potato chips and another diet cola? Most would do C, then A Of course there is some significance in C: potato chips were recently found to be the most obese causing food and they finally figured (though it has been known in alternative circles for years) that diet drinks contribute to obesity. When body wants something sweet it doesn't want to be fooled.
[FairfieldLife] Understanding the Tao.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwDr4plqzEE
[FairfieldLife] Re: Beer Necessities
Ha Ha! What does this cafe in the Netherlands look like? When you sit in each of your many cafes in many countries I always picture a comfortably lit place that holds maybe 30-40 people. What is on the menu for food? --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@... wrote: Happy happy joy joy. I'm back home in the Netherlands, and have found that one of the cafes that I often sit in while writing has Westmalle, the Trappist beer I discovered in Brussels. My heart soars like an eagle. They also have a beer from the Himalayas called Yak Piss. Something about Purusha Bottling Company on the label, which is some kind of pastels-gone-wild painting, with lots of gold embossing. But given the description of that brew I cognized yesterday on the train, and the chilly reception it received here, I think I might avoid that one. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Ayahuasca Toxicology
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradhatu@ wrote: On Jun 29, 2011, at 7:36 PM, whynotnow7 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradhatu@ wrote: TM and the TM-Sidhi program has created neurotoxic reactions in numerous TMers, do you have any info or research findings on That? For some peculiar reason, feel the need to describe - in my 200 or so active words of English, LoL! - the most striking case of unstressing I know of, possibly as a result of the siddhis. So, any day soon, might write about it in my blog: Pinsiön Paronin Jälkeen-jääneet Paperit (ppjp: Posthumous Papers of the Baron of Pinsiö - a village[?] of the small town of Nokia, Finland.) Well, uh, decided not to that! Some naathas here might exaggerate and distort what I'd've written! :o
[FairfieldLife] Re: Beer Necessities
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kKhol7g8tc --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@... wrote: Happy happy joy joy. I'm back home in the Netherlands, and have found that one of the cafes that I often sit in while writing has Westmalle, the Trappist beer I discovered in Brussels. My heart soars like an eagle. They also have a beer from the Himalayas called Yak Piss. Something about Purusha Bottling Company on the label, which is some kind of pastels-gone-wild painting, with lots of gold embossing. But given the description of that brew I cognized yesterday on the train, and the chilly reception it received here, I think I might avoid that one. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... wrote: I put this in the category of: so and so poster should post differently than they do because it is not my preference. Rather than trying to change Barry, I suggest you post the kind of posts you prefer and let like minded posters riff off your creative stuff. IOW, Steve should post differently than he does because it is not my preference? Did I get that right? No one is a victim of anyone's POV here. Express your own and show us why your POV should be considered. But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. Curtis is obviously making a bid here for Barry's Master of Inadvertent Irony title.
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, maskedzebra no_reply@... wrote: Because in reading Catholic philosopherslike AquinasI find myself intuiting the cosmos as they experienced itI sort of read this off of their writing. MZ, I have a question for you. Xeno called attention to the fact that Aquinas late in life had some kind of experience that silenced him and led him to declare, All that I have written seems like straw to me. I'm wondering what you think happened to him. (If you've already commented on this, forgive me; I did a quick search but couldn't find anything.) And I have a hypothetical: Let's say you cut your spiritual teeth on the writings of Aquinas and thorughly internalized his views. You never encountered MMY, knew nothing about him or TM or the Eastern idea of enlightenment. One day in 1976, out of the blue, with no warning, you had the same experience you had on the mountain with MMY that you now refer to as slipping into Unity Consciousness, except that you had no preparation whatsoever and no context (and let's say it didn't last very long, a few hours or days). How would that have affected your take on Aquinas's writings? How long would it have taken you to decide that the experience wasn't real but Aquinas was? snip But, you see, authfriend, I ended up doing what is the reverse of your hypothetical: I embraced Unity Consciousnessthen read Aquinas and realized that either Aquinas was right about God, the nature of the human person, and the universe, or else Maharishi was. That was pretty much the point of the hypothetical, that it was the reverse of what you've told us of your history. But on the other hand, the hypothetical is also directly parallel to one interpretation of Aquinas's straw remark, i.e., that the nature of the experience which generated it was contrary to everything he had written. RESPONSE: Aquinas's 'straw' remark, in my reading of it at least, is not intended to imply that the nature of the experience which generated it was CONTRARY to everything he had written. No, it was a matter of the COMPARATIVE quality of supernatural joy, power, and holiness which this subsequent experience had given to Aquinas. Right, I understand that's your reading. But my hypothetical was inspired by and conforms to the contrary reading. I should probably note that I'm not a religionist. I find religion fascinating and generally respect it, but I'm not a believer. I do lean intellectually toward a very, very abstract metaphysics, which is why I was drawn to TM (was never a teacher, so I didn't get sucked into the devotional side of it). Anyway, obviously you and I have very different perspectives. Although I don't really have a dog in the fight, I hope you don't mind if I play a sort of gentle devil's advocate just for the, er, hell of it. From being inspired to DESCRIBE God, creation, heaven and hell, the angels, the soul, good and evil, and so on, Aquinas received the grace to KNOW all this through direct perception and experience. He, as it were, entered into a heavenly context instead of merely an intellectual one (chaste and pure as that intellectual one was)to behold the truths about which he had written. No, authfriend,in my intuition about this remarkthere was no conflict whatsoever. It is the difference between knowing about the true Godand then meeting him face- to-face. (I am of course speaking on behalf of Aquinas, for he never clarified that remark in the way I have attempted to do here.) You make a good case for this possibility. I've been looking on the Web for more insight into the question. So far I've found only support for your position--but it's all been from believers, who would have an investment in not seeing his revelation as contrary to his writings. One comment noted that the word straw was a conventional metaphor for a literal reading of the Bible. It expressed the conviction that a straightforward treatment of scripture might provide the believer with comfort, or some basic material upon which to build their faith, but that such a use of the Bible was at best a first step. If that's the case, then it appears Aquinas was analogizing his own writings to a literal reading of the Bible--not inaccurate per se, but only preliminary and incomplete. In other words, I was attempting to put you in Aquinas's shoes, at least the shoes I imagine him to have been in. I was struck, when Xeno made his post, by the reverse parallelism between your history and that of Aquinas (again, as I imagine the latter to have been). RESPONSE: Oh, I see. I missed this (attempting to put you in Aquinas's shoes. . .). I don't see any parallel at all, since, as far as I can tell, I have never had ANY of the religious experiences that Aquinas hadand which are written about in the major biographies. It's a limited and simplistic
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Protests in Greece
C'mon Willy, let's not give the Democrats any ideas. From: richardjwilliamstexas willy...@yahoo.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu, June 30, 2011 2:47:24 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Protests in Greece wgm4u: Why don't they just confiscate all the money from the 'rich' (over 250K) and redistribute it? That ought to last a least another year or so~, yes? No one should have to work over 50, come on! Why not just give everyone in Greece a government job so they work six hours a day, for four days a week, with a thirty day vacation each year, with full free health care, and then let the paper-pushers retire at age forty with a full pension and health benefits for life, after working ten years. The Greek government could just print money or borrow it from a European bank. Then, the Greek government could lower all the income tax, so the government workers could take home all their hard-earned cash. Then, the Greek government could just refuse to repay the money they borrowed. Yeah, that's the ticket!
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ wrote: I put this in the category of: so and so poster should post differently than they do because it is not my preference. Rather than trying to change Barry, I suggest you post the kind of posts you prefer and let like minded posters riff off your creative stuff. IOW, Steve should post differently than he does because it is not my preference? Did I get that right? That IS pretty funny. No one is a victim of anyone's POV here. Express your own and show us why your POV should be considered. But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. Curtis is obviously making a bid here for Barry's Master of Inadvertent Irony title. Yeah, I guess there is no way to make this point and not have this hypocritical angle.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Understanding the Tao.....
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wgm4u wgm4u@... wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwDr4plqzEE Great find, feste. That was an interesting series. The producers originally conceived of Caine as played by Bruce Lee, but others (because he wasn't yet a big star, having only really been seen as Kato in The Green Hornet) thought he wouldn't be appropriate. Wise call. Carradine may have not been the best actor in the world, or even a competent martial artist, but he could pull off some of the inner aspects of Kwai Chang Caine. Bruce Lee wouldn't have been able to.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Understanding the Tao.....
Sorry about the improper attribution. Bad brain moment. I meant to say, Great find, BillyG. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wgm4u wgm4u@ wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwDr4plqzEE Great find, feste. That was an interesting series. The producers originally conceived of Caine as played by Bruce Lee, but others (because he wasn't yet a big star, having only really been seen as Kato in The Green Hornet) thought he wouldn't be appropriate. Wise call. Carradine may have not been the best actor in the world, or even a competent martial artist, but he could pull off some of the inner aspects of Kwai Chang Caine. Bruce Lee wouldn't have been able to.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Protests in Greece
The problem with Socialism is, sooner or later, you run out of other peoples money. Then what? From: richardjwilliamstexas willy...@yahoo.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu, June 30, 2011 7:57:34 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Protests in Greece whynotnow7: I was listening to Radio Pacifica about what is happening in Greece... Apparently the economy of Greece is a big Ponzi. Most of the people in Greece work for the government. As the workers get old and retire, there was supposed to be new young workers to take the place of the old, so the old could retire and live off the earnings of the younger ones. The problem is there is no industry - and only a few dollars to be made off of the tourists. Nobody in Greece wants to pay taxes on their earnings, and nobody wants to give up the paid vacations, the free medical care for life, and the retirement pensions. The Greeks seem to like the socialist system now, and they are trying to live off of their past success at capitalism. But, the government ran out of cash and had to borrow money from a bank in order to pay the government workers. Now, the bank wants it's money back plus interest. If the Greeks don't pay up and stop the spending, they will get kicked out of the European Union for running a Ponzi. Quick Quiz: Name one socialist country with a successful economy.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Beer Necessities
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, whynotnow7 whynotnow7@... wrote: Ha Ha! What does this cafe in the Netherlands look like? When you sit in each of your many cafes in many countries I always picture a comfortably lit place that holds maybe 30-40 people. What is on the menu for food? Your inner picture would be wrong in this case. It's a fairly large cafe/bar/dance joint, which on crowded summer nights can probably hold several hundred people. It's on the main Stadthuis square of the town I live in, and has an outdoor patio that can seat another 100 or so people. Worst of all, it's called Cafe Hipp. :-) I wouldn't normally consider it a hangout of choice, but I'd already asked at my normal hangouts today whether they had Westmalle, and the answer was no. So I said Fuck it, and decided to sit on the patio of the cafe I frequent least, Cafe Hipp. I sat down at an outdoor table, pulled my computer out of my backpack, and asked the waitress for a beer. I wasn't specific as to type. But as she was about to walk away, as an afterthought, I asked, You wouldn't happen to have Westmalle, would you? The answer was Yes. Happy happy joy joy. I've never eaten there, so I can't tell you about the food. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@ wrote: Happy happy joy joy. I'm back home in the Netherlands, and have found that one of the cafes that I often sit in while writing has Westmalle, the Trappist beer I discovered in Brussels. My heart soars like an eagle. They also have a beer from the Himalayas called Yak Piss. Something about Purusha Bottling Company on the label, which is some kind of pastels-gone-wild painting, with lots of gold embossing. But given the description of that brew I cognized yesterday on the train, and the chilly reception it received here, I think I might avoid that one. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Tom, MZ and The I Ching
Tom, I don't think you know me and I hope I don't upset you, heaven forbid. But I've been pondering most of the night about how I could do something positive to help Tom and MZ's relationship. More specifically, how I might convince you to make amends to MZ. But before I go on, if you've read any of my stuff you know I'm a terrible digress'er (SIC), I have to take exception with something I thought you said. I may have misunderstood, but did you say Tim Leary could write? Don't get me wrong, I love Tim Leary. Maharishi took five years to show me the light that Tim lead me to in one night. Tim could do many things, turn on a generation, escape prison, avoid getting murdered by Eldridge Cleaver, survive having Charles Mansion in the cell next to him, attract drop dead beautiful women till the day he died, intimidate Ram Dass, successfully, in my opinion, template The Tibetan Book of the Dead over an acid trip, I guess I don't need to go on, but good writing was not part of his formidable arsenal. Talking certainly was, but writing, don't think so. On the other hand, some of us think the old Zebra is an exceptional writer and that will be true no matter how many spitballs you throw at him. Granted most of us need a dictionary and thesaurus to keep up to him but hell with Google that's not an impediment. Unlike what you seem to be implying, I think he may have waited 24 years for the technology to make it easier for us. I know I run the risk of being lumped in with MZ and Ravi but frankly I was disappointed that you didn't include me in that list. As a fellow practitioner of the dark art of sarcasm (from the Greek, Sarc, meaning to draw blood) you know ignoring someone is the most painful of insults. And frankly no one seems to be ignoring the Zebra. (Come on Turq, admit it that you're reading everything that MZ posts. Its getting a bit boring around here, some of us are looking for a real dust up and we think MZ is up to speed and punching in his weight class). Granted, he's not pithy but you know no one has been pithy since Twain or maybe Wilde. I think the correct term for what passes for pithy on FFL is sarcasm although I think Judy, Turq and sal get close sometimes. The Zebra on the other hand is not sarcastic, my suspicion is the his EI is too high for that. Sorry about that, this is looking like the mother of all digressions. Back to the point. So when I was pondering how to convince you of the power of an amends, as tasty as a good nights sleep. I was thinking about what you said and how much I like Robins writing. How he reminds me of some old Maronite Saint walking over the Shuf mountains to preach to the multitude (sorry can't get King Tony and the party hats out of my head). Lets just say MZ reminds my of the majesty of a bonsai tree. And that's when it hit me. The I Ching! It was so obvious, I'll throw the I Ching. MZwrites a bit like the I Ching and who will question the I Ching's sincerity. So Tom I asked the following question, threw the coins (wife won't let me take yarrow stalks on trips) and got the following hexagrams. I'm hoping it helps because frankly I think I have a lot to learn from you, you also know how to punctuate, but I'm not willing to lose MZ for a whole week. I have any number of questions for him, like God leaving the building, Constantine and St. Paul, just to name a few. So please Tom, loosen up! Question to the I Ching: What is the best way to encourage Tom to make amends to MZ? The hexagrams 9 - HsiaoCh'u (The Taming Power of the Small) changing to 37 Chia Jen / The Family (The Clan) I'm sure many on FFL have a old copy of the I Ching buried under something. So I won't bother with the commentary, if you think MZ writes like the Urantia book try reading the commentary. So just the high points 9 - HsiaoCh'u (The Taming Power of the Small) The Judgement The taming power of the small Has Success Dense Clouds, no rain from our western region. The Image The wind drives across heaven: The image of The Taming Power of the Small Thus the Superior man Refines the outward aspect of his nature Changing lines: (thank God there is only one) Nine in the second place means: He allows himself to be drawn into returning Good fortune Changing to: 37-The Family (The Clan) The Judgement The Family. The perseverance of the woman furthers. The Image Wind comes forth from fire: The image of The Family Thus the superior man has substance in his words And duration in his way of life. The reference to fire really jumped out at me. I've battled with anger most of my life. I've come to believe that my passion and love of Agni is where it comes from. That said, I've found the power of I'm Sorry changes everything. Got to run, the wife is up and she wants to mediate. PS: Maybe you could go web based for better filtering functionality. LOL From: Tom
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
Just for the record, Tom: all that I have written here (that isn't deliberately
ironic) is utterly sinceresincere here means, my motives are honourable (at
least as far as I can consciously know them). As for your condemnation of my
writing: style and form of argumentation, I must admit I don't follow you here.
Of course I grant that sometimes my style becomes convoluted and dense, but I
am only trying to track the deepest feelings, the deepest experiences, and the
most complex ideas.
When someone is harshly critical of oneself, there is always the thought: Is
this person right about meor at least partially right? Then, if one poses this
question and tries to be as honest and fearless as one can, one steps outside
of oneself and says: Are you sure this person hasn't got a hold of an
important truth about you, as painful and traumatizing as it is to contemplate
it?
And there are (at least as far as I can tell) only four outcomes to this
self-interrogation: 1. denial but silence (a sort of turn the other cheek
response) 2. denial and retaliation (and here there has to be SOME truth in the
negative judgment of oneself) 3. acceptance and regret (wishing what was said
was NOT true, but getting down about it, because of the irresistible sense that
it IS true) 4. acceptance and humility (one learns from the criticism, and
amends one's waysto the extent to which this is possible).
Depending of course on HOW MUCH ACTUAL TRUTH IS GETTING SAID AND THROUGH TO ONE.
The real question, then, becomes, Tom: If I were a third person observing this
point counterpoint (that is, while still being aware that one is in fact the
object of a blanket dismissal of the worth of anything and everything one has
written), where would I come down in terms of my assessment of where the truth
lies?
Mostly on Tom Pall's side? or mostly on Masked Zebra's side? Or a combination
of both (i.e. there is SOME truth in what Tom Pall is saying, but at the same
time the criticism is not entirely justified)?
I will just say to you outright, Tom, that however sincere and passionate you
are in judging my contributions here on FFL to be shit, I am unable to make
this judgment fit the reality of my experience. And therefore I am leftI hope
not in any defensive or self-serving waywith the overwhelming impression that
you yourself have no notion of where your bitterness or anger or hatred comes
from.
Now I don't mean this necessarily as a personal criticism of you. I only mean
to say that, without sparing myself in my determination to get at where the
truth lies, I find myself unable to arrive at any other conclusionthan that,
in some mysterious way, you havefor a considerable time nowfound yourself in
the act of hating someone (or something) without being able to consciously stay
aware of WHY IT IS YOU ARE DOING THIS.
And on what basis do I reach this conclusion?
Your judgment of me (in the terms at least that you have made it) just does not
apply to the objective truth of the situation. You have missed your man, Tom.
You have got me wrong.
Because (I am repeating myself here) there is not a single subjective response
inside of myself which would suggest I am avoiding taking on this challengeand
mounting a counter-offensive to protect my self-esteem.
I must conclude, therefore, that you are mistaken about me, Tom. And that
therefore you lack any meaningful rationale for the perpetuation of this
antipathy.
You seeI AM COMING TO THE END OF THIS, TOM!If there were the slightest truth
in what you have said about me (I mean in the main: you are full of shit and
your writing is shit, MZ) then, believe it or not, in reading this [what I am
writing here in this very post], at some level at least, YOU WOULD EXPERIENCE
YOURSELF AS A MARTYR. A martyr? Yes, a martyr for the truth.
Because MZ has just tried to pull a fast one here, seeking a kind of false
exoneration. I (Tom Pall) know in my soul: Hey, here is deceit and corruption
('shit') in the service of the ego.: Do you need any more proof than this very
attempt to overthrow my (TP/s) TRUE judgment of this guy?
Yes, if you would go into your death with this conviction, Tom, then somehow I
have 1. misconstrued reality 2. misconstrued you 3. misconstrued the truth.
Now I look forward to seeing your reply to this, having, as best I can, set up
certain criteria that would enable us (and the unsentimental readers on this
blog) to properly evaluate the merits of our respective positions in this
matter. Masked Zebra, he is full of shit. Masked Zebra, he is not full of shit.
No, Tom, I have (excepting the necessary strategic use of irony) written in
good faith. And somehow your experience of me and my writing is not consistent
with reality. Now there very well may be significant, even devastating
criticisms to be madeof me, of my writingbut you have not hit upon what they
are.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Tom Pall
[FairfieldLife] Re: Tom, MZ and The I Ching
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price bobpriced@... wrote: And frankly no one seems to be ignoring the Zebra. (Come on Turq, admit it that you're reading everything that MZ posts. Its getting a bit boring around here, some of us are looking for a real dust up and we think MZ is up to speed and punching in his weight class). Bob, in all honesty I read most of your posts, but I cannot say the same about MZ's. I don't think I've bothered to read one since the last one I specifically replied to. I figure he's not interested in what I say and I'm certainly not terribly interested in what he has to say. No harm, no foul, no need to try to put together a title match.
[FairfieldLife] Sai Baba's Legacy: Death Threats Scandal
GURU SAI BABA'S LEGACY: DEATH THREATS AND SCANDAL By Andrew Buncombe The Independent June 29, 2011 http://nhne-pulse.org/sai-babas-legacy-death-threats-scandal/ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/guru-sai-babas-legacy-death-thr eats-and-scandal-2304038.html It has been two months since the controversial Indian holy man Sai Baba passed away, leaving a swirling legacy and a network said to be worth at least £5bn. Since then there have been allegations of financial malpractice, claims of death threats and uncertainty as to who may try and lead the movement he established in the south of India and which has since spread to 126 countries. Yesterday, members of the trust which currently controls his network sought to draw a line under at least some of the turmoil when they broke their silence and said they had already paid tax on piles of gold, silver and cash found in the holy man's private chambers following his death. Even without a demand we paid 97m rupees (£1.3m) as income tax and the balance, if any, will be paid after the valuation of the gold and jewellery, trust member V Srinivasan told a press conference, according to a report by the Agence France-Presse. We had no knowledge about the money... it was given to him and Sai Baba kept it for public use. He was an embodiment of simplicity and did not even have a bank account of his own. He never kept anything for himself. The move by the trust followed weeks of claims and allegations about the handling of the estate of the holy man, which included 98kg of gold, 307kg of silver and 115m rupees (£1.5m) in cash discovered in his chambers. The rooms inside the ashram at Puttaparthi in the state of Andhra Pradesh had been shut when the 86-year-old was hospitalised at the end of March and only reopened two weeks ago, when the currency and treasure was found. The organisation was also shaken by allegations from a relative of Sai Baba, who claimed someone with the trust had been threatening her. Chetana Raju, a niece, said a trust member had levelled death threats at her. It has also had to try and explain why police stopped a private vehicle carrying more than 3.5m rupees in cash belonging to the trust. Mr Srinivasan said yesterday the money had been set aside to build a mausoleum for Sai Baba and that the task had been contracted out to a private company. The [mausoleum] is not being built by the trust as it cannot do religious activity, he said. When Sai Baba died at the end of April, having suffered multiple organ failure, many predicted his death would trigger a bitter fight. A big problem was that the man who counted film stars and politicians among his supporters and who had mesmerised audiences with his performances, in which he apparently pulled ash from his hair, had not named a successor to carry on his work. There have been calls for the authorities to do more to monitor the trust and earlier this week the state government wrote and asked for an account of all its financial transactions and donations since 2009. Some reports have suggested chief minister, Kiran Kumar Reddy, is considering taking over the running of the organisation. His endowments minister, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, told reporters the trust had already enjoyed several exemptions but he said there was now a need for greater transparency. But now there are several allegations of financial irregularities, he added. We have sought a report from the trust and we will decide what to do later. Mr Srinivasan, an industrialist from the city of Chennai and the man who has emerged as the trust's de facto spokesman, said the organisation would cooperate. If an enquiry comes from the government then we will promptly attend to it and if the government wants to monitor us, we have no problem, he said. But some observers suggest the authorities may be disinclined to probe too deeply into the matter. Meera Nanda, a sociologist and author of The God Market, said the Indian government had been generous in affording non-taxable status to many religious organisations without imposing any restrictions or regulations. There are deep cultural reasons for that, she said. The political leaders share the faith in the miracles, they treat them like gods. Look how Sai Baba was treated -- like he was a demi-god. When news of Sai Baba's death was announced, thousands of mourners thronged to the ashram he set up decades ago and he was granted a state funeral. Others pointed out that the guru, who never married and had no children, was a controversial figure who had been accused of sexually abusing some of his followers, though he dismissed these claims as propaganda. Who was Sai Baba? When Sri Satya Sai Baba died of heart failure in April at the age of around 86 (his official birth date is unknown), India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, described him as a spiritual leader who inspired millions to lead a moral and meaningful life and
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
(Perhaps St. Thomas of Aquinas really meant shit when he called his writings
straw after some kind of an intellectual gut-punch, evisceration or death.
Perhaps in the heart of the incomprehensible Divine's unconditional love, shit
is exactly the same as crystal and gold. And perhaps the intellect's creation
of shit is what creates our need for TP, at least in the West, where we
prefer not to sully our left hand...)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, maskedzebra no_reply@... wrote:
Just for the record, Tom: all that I have written here (that isn't
deliberately ironic) is utterly sinceresincere here means, my motives are
honourable (at least as far as I can consciously know them). As for your
condemnation of my writing: style and form of argumentation, I must admit I
don't follow you here. Of course I grant that sometimes my style becomes
convoluted and dense, but I am only trying to track the deepest feelings, the
deepest experiences, and the most complex ideas.
When someone is harshly critical of oneself, there is always the thought: Is
this person right about meor at least partially right? Then, if one poses
this question and tries to be as honest and fearless as one can, one steps
outside of oneself and says: Are you sure this person hasn't got a hold of
an important truth about you, as painful and traumatizing as it is to
contemplate it?
And there are (at least as far as I can tell) only four outcomes to this
self-interrogation: 1. denial but silence (a sort of turn the other cheek
response) 2. denial and retaliation (and here there has to be SOME truth in
the negative judgment of oneself) 3. acceptance and regret (wishing what was
said was NOT true, but getting down about it, because of the irresistible
sense that it IS true) 4. acceptance and humility (one learns from the
criticism, and amends one's waysto the extent to which this is possible).
Depending of course on HOW MUCH ACTUAL TRUTH IS GETTING SAID AND THROUGH TO
ONE.
The real question, then, becomes, Tom: If I were a third person observing
this point counterpoint (that is, while still being aware that one is in fact
the object of a blanket dismissal of the worth of anything and everything one
has written), where would I come down in terms of my assessment of where the
truth lies?
Mostly on Tom Pall's side? or mostly on Masked Zebra's side? Or a combination
of both (i.e. there is SOME truth in what Tom Pall is saying, but at the same
time the criticism is not entirely justified)?
I will just say to you outright, Tom, that however sincere and passionate you
are in judging my contributions here on FFL to be shit, I am unable to make
this judgment fit the reality of my experience. And therefore I am leftI
hope not in any defensive or self-serving waywith the overwhelming
impression that you yourself have no notion of where your bitterness or anger
or hatred comes from.
Now I don't mean this necessarily as a personal criticism of you. I only mean
to say that, without sparing myself in my determination to get at where the
truth lies, I find myself unable to arrive at any other conclusionthan that,
in some mysterious way, you havefor a considerable time nowfound yourself
in the act of hating someone (or something) without being able to consciously
stay aware of WHY IT IS YOU ARE DOING THIS.
And on what basis do I reach this conclusion?
Your judgment of me (in the terms at least that you have made it) just does
not apply to the objective truth of the situation. You have missed your man,
Tom. You have got me wrong.
Because (I am repeating myself here) there is not a single subjective
response inside of myself which would suggest I am avoiding taking on this
challengeand mounting a counter-offensive to protect my self-esteem.
I must conclude, therefore, that you are mistaken about me, Tom. And that
therefore you lack any meaningful rationale for the perpetuation of this
antipathy.
You seeI AM COMING TO THE END OF THIS, TOM!If there were the slightest
truth in what you have said about me (I mean in the main: you are full of
shit and your writing is shit, MZ) then, believe it or not, in reading this
[what I am writing here in this very post], at some level at least, YOU WOULD
EXPERIENCE YOURSELF AS A MARTYR. A martyr? Yes, a martyr for the truth.
Because MZ has just tried to pull a fast one here, seeking a kind of false
exoneration. I (Tom Pall) know in my soul: Hey, here is deceit and corruption
('shit') in the service of the ego.: Do you need any more proof than this
very attempt to overthrow my (TP/s) TRUE judgment of this guy?
Yes, if you would go into your death with this conviction, Tom, then somehow
I have 1. misconstrued reality 2. misconstrued you 3. misconstrued the truth.
Now I look forward to seeing your reply to this, having, as best I can, set
up certain criteria that would
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
Rory,
As always, thanks for your input and as usual I think you're on to something.
In
eastern dream interpretation doesn't shit symbolize money?
From: RoryGoff roryg...@hotmail.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, July 1, 2011 11:21:53 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
(Perhaps St. Thomas of Aquinas really meant shit when he called his writings
straw after some kind of an intellectual gut-punch, evisceration or death.
Perhaps in the heart of the incomprehensible Divine's unconditional love, shit
is exactly the same as crystal and gold. And perhaps the intellect's creation
of
shit is what creates our need for TP, at least in the West, where we prefer
not to sully our left hand...)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, maskedzebra no_reply@... wrote:
Just for the record, Tom: all that I have written here (that isn't
deliberately
ironic) is utterly sincere—sincere here means, my motives are honourable (at
least as far as I can consciously know them). As for your condemnation of my
writing: style and form of argumentation, I must admit I don't follow you
here.
Of course I grant that sometimes my style becomes convoluted and dense, but I
am
only trying to track the deepest feelings, the deepest experiences, and the
most
complex ideas.
When someone is harshly critical of oneself, there is always the thought: Is
this person right about me—or at least partially right? Then, if one poses
this
question and tries to be as honest and fearless as one can, one steps outside
of
oneself and says: Are you sure this person hasn't got a hold of an important
truth about you, as painful and traumatizing as it is to contemplate it?
And there are (at least as far as I can tell) only four outcomes to this
self-interrogation: 1. denial but silence (a sort of turn the other cheek
response) 2. denial and retaliation (and here there has to be SOME truth in
the
negative judgment of oneself) 3. acceptance and regret (wishing what was said
was NOT true, but getting down about it, because of the irresistible sense
that
it IS true) 4. acceptance and humility (one learns from the criticism, and
amends one's ways—to the extent to which this is possible).
Depending of course on HOW MUCH ACTUAL TRUTH IS GETTING SAID AND THROUGH TO
ONE.
The real question, then, becomes, Tom: If I were a third person observing
this
point counterpoint (that is, while still being aware that one is in fact the
object of a blanket dismissal of the worth of anything and everything one has
written), where would I come down in terms of my assessment of where the truth
lies?
Mostly on Tom Pall's side? or mostly on Masked Zebra's side? Or a combination
of both (i.e. there is SOME truth in what Tom Pall is saying, but at the same
time the criticism is not entirely justified)?
I will just say to you outright, Tom, that however sincere and passionate you
are in judging my contributions here on FFL to be shit, I am unable to make
this judgment fit the reality of my experience. And therefore I am left—I hope
not in any defensive or self-serving way—with the overwhelming impression that
you yourself have no notion of where your bitterness or anger or hatred comes
from.
Now I don't mean this necessarily as a personal criticism of you. I only mean
to say that, without sparing myself in my determination to get at where the
truth lies, I find myself unable to arrive at any other conclusion—than that,
in
some mysterious way, you have—for a considerable time now—found yourself in
the
act of hating someone (or something) without being able to consciously stay
aware of WHY IT IS YOU ARE DOING THIS.
And on what basis do I reach this conclusion?
Your judgment of me (in the terms at least that you have made it) just does
not
apply to the objective truth of the situation. You have missed your man, Tom.
You have got me wrong.
Because (I am repeating myself here) there is not a single subjective
response
inside of myself which would suggest I am avoiding taking on this
challenge—and
mounting a counter-offensive to protect my self-esteem.
I must conclude, therefore, that you are mistaken about me, Tom. And that
therefore you lack any meaningful rationale for the perpetuation of this
antipathy.
You see—I AM COMING TO THE END OF THIS, TOM!—If there were the slightest
truth
in what you have said about me (I mean in the main: you are full of shit and
your writing is shit, MZ) then, believe it or not, in reading this [what I am
writing here in this very post], at some level at least, YOU WOULD EXPERIENCE
YOURSELF AS A MARTYR. A martyr? Yes, a martyr for the truth.
Because MZ has just tried to pull a fast one here, seeking a kind of false
exoneration. I (Tom Pall) know in my soul: Hey, here is deceit and corruption
('shit') in the service of the ego.: Do you need any more
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Protests in Greece
You mean the money hoarders? The me people? The materialists? Most of those people got their money through illicit means anyway. This world is for the people not those who are greedy and care only about wealth. Do you want to be a rich man in a poor country? On 07/01/2011 10:08 AM, Mike Dixon wrote: The problem with Socialism is, sooner or later, you run out of other peoples money. Then what? From: richardjwilliamstexaswilly...@yahoo.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu, June 30, 2011 7:57:34 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Protests in Greece whynotnow7: I was listening to Radio Pacifica about what is happening in Greece... Apparently the economy of Greece is a big Ponzi. Most of the people in Greece work for the government. As the workers get old and retire, there was supposed to be new young workers to take the place of the old, so the old could retire and live off the earnings of the younger ones. The problem is there is no industry - and only a few dollars to be made off of the tourists. Nobody in Greece wants to pay taxes on their earnings, and nobody wants to give up the paid vacations, the free medical care for life, and the retirement pensions. The Greeks seem to like the socialist system now, and they are trying to live off of their past success at capitalism. But, the government ran out of cash and had to borrow money from a bank in order to pay the government workers. Now, the bank wants it's money back plus interest. If the Greeks don't pay up and stop the spending, they will get kicked out of the European Union for running a Ponzi. Quick Quiz: Name one socialist country with a successful economy.
[FairfieldLife] Republicans protect Millionaires - Minnesota government shuts down
In the end, this http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/124824189.html is why the Minnesota government shut down: The governor said his last offer would have raised income taxes only on those earning more than $1 million a yearan estimated 7,700 Minnesotans, or 0.3 percent of all taxpayers, according to the Revenue Department. Republicans rejected the proposal, Dayton said, because they prefer to protect the richest handful of Minnesotans at the expense of everyone else. Today, more than 20,000 state workers are off the job to protect those 7,700 people from a tax increase. That's 7,700 people, remember, who already pay a lower percentage http://www.mnbudgetproject.org/research-analysis/minnesota-taxes/tax-pr\ oposals-policy-changes/revenue-raising-options-to-help-close-minnesota-s\ -fy-2012-13-budget-deficit of their incomes in state and local taxes than the average Minnesotan: In particular, the wealthiest one percent of Minnesota households those with incomes over $429,000 paid 9.7 percent of their incomes in total state and local taxes in 2008, compared to the statewide average of 11.5 percent. The GOP had a couple of compromise ideas for a budget agreement. They: proposed delaying another $700 million in payments owed to schools, which would add to the more than $1 billion the state already owes K-12 schools. Republicans also offered to issue tobacco bonds of an unspecified amount to cover any remaining budget gap. Sources said Dayton considered the offer, but he criticized it as unwise borrowing late Thursday. Another offer: asked Dayton to accept controversial policy positions the Republicans pushed for this year, including photo ID requirements at the polls and abortion restrictions. An offer sheet provided to the Star Tribune said the policy adoptions were in exchange for new revenue in a compromise offer. This in a nutshell is today's Republican party: to protect 7,700 millionaires from slightly higher taxes, they'll shut down state government. But they might be willing to do something on revenue (whether it involved the 7,700 millionaires, we don't know) in exchange for making it more difficult to vote or get an abortion. That last, by the way, is similar to Iowa http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527023045840045764194541169020\ 30.html?mod=rss_whats_news_usutm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_\ campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Fxml%2Frss%2F3_7011+%28WSJ.com%3A+What%27s+News+US\ %29 , where Republicans tried to block the use of Medicaid funds for some abortions; ultimately they compromised on various ways of trying to talk women out of their decision in the guise of offering information. Links here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/01/990439/-Minnesota-government-sh\ uts-down?via=blog_1 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/01/990439/-Minnesota-government-s\ huts-down?via=blog_1
Re: [FairfieldLife] Beer Necessities
On 07/01/2011 08:58 AM, turquoiseb wrote: Happy happy joy joy. I'm back home in the Netherlands, and have found that one of the cafes that I often sit in while writing has Westmalle, the Trappist beer I discovered in Brussels. My heart soars like an eagle. They also have a beer from the Himalayas called Yak Piss. Something about Purusha Bottling Company on the label, which is some kind of pastels-gone-wild painting, with lots of gold embossing. But given the description of that brew I cognized yesterday on the train, and the chilly reception it received here, I think I might avoid that one. :-) Not much into alcohol mainly stimulants like espresso. But if I want to stock up on a six or twelve pack for guests I usually get Gordon Biersch Martzen. And a micro brewery is moving into the recently closed family Italian restaurant downtown so may have to give it a whirl when it opens. One evening with a friend I went to a local micro brewery and we decided to order the sampler. I was used to these being about 6 small glasses. They brought 18. ;-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Beer Necessities
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote: On 07/01/2011 08:58 AM, turquoiseb wrote: Happy happy joy joy. I'm back home in the Netherlands, and have found that one of the cafes that I often sit in while writing has Westmalle, the Trappist beer I discovered in Brussels. My heart soars like an eagle. They also have a beer from the Himalayas called Yak Piss. Something about Purusha Bottling Company on the label, which is some kind of pastels-gone-wild painting, with lots of gold embossing. But given the description of that brew I cognized yesterday on the train, and the chilly reception it received here, I think I might avoid that one. :-) Not much into alcohol mainly stimulants like espresso. But if I want to stock up on a six or twelve pack for guests I usually get Gordon Biersch Martzen. And a micro brewery is moving into the recently closed family Italian restaurant downtown so may have to give it a whirl when it opens. One evening with a friend I went to a local micro brewery and we decided to order the sampler. I was used to these being about 6 small glasses. They brought 18. ;-) Happy happy joy barf. :-) Despite what has been said of me, I'm actually not that much of a drinker. I just appreciate the occasional taste of a fine single-malt Scotch or a well-brewed beer or a well-cultivated wine. Not necessarily the buzz, or the deadness of overdoing it, but the taste. Again, I wish that Joe was here more regularly, because he seems to be SO much more a beer connoisseur than I am. I just appreciate the flavor of the Westmalle, and the light buzz of its fairly high (by US standards) alcohol content, without knowing the WHY of why I appreciate them. Same with fine wines. I may be able to appreciate the taste, but I can't tell you how it got that way.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Tom, MZ and The I Ching
Turq, I hope you know I read everything you post and Judy and Curtis and Sal. But of course I read everything the Zebra posts more than once because I believe he understands subtext. Have you taken in any Rembrandt lately, by far my fav alcoholic. From: turquoiseb no_re...@yahoogroups.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, July 1, 2011 11:06:03 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Tom, MZ and The I Ching --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price bobpriced@... wrote: And frankly no one seems to be ignoring the Zebra. (Come on Turq, admit it that you're reading everything that MZ posts. Its getting a bit boring around here, some of us are looking for a real dust up and we think MZ is up to speed and punching in his weight class). Bob, in all honesty I read most of your posts, but I cannot say the same about MZ's. I don't think I've bothered to read one since the last one I specifically replied to. I figure he's not interested in what I say and I'm certainly not terribly interested in what he has to say. No harm, no foul, no need to try to put together a title match.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Web filters TED talk
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... wrote: We talk about perceptual filters here a lot for good reason. Here is a great video on how some Web sites like Google are filtering what we are aware of FOR us. I'm sure they have our best interest in mind! http://blog.ted.com/2011/05/02/beware-online-filter-bubbles-eli-pariser-on-ted-com/ The solution is to get a VPN account with an IP address from another country and surf google using that. (coincidentally, my company offers such service). L
[FairfieldLife] Re: Tom, MZ and The I Ching
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price bobpriced@... wrote: Turq, I hope you know I read everything you post and Judy and Curtis and Sal. But of course I read everything the Zebra posts more than once because I believe he understands subtext. Have you taken in any Rembrandt lately, by far my fav alcoholic. Bob, living where I live, and thus risking the possibility of expulsion as an undesirable, I confess to being not a big fan of Rembrandt. Color me much more of a Vermeer kinda guy. I have spent a lot of time inside Dutch houses, without the modern artificial lighting that makes things and people in them visible these days. At this latitude, and without artificial lighting, Vermeer seems to have gotten the Dutch light more than Rembrandt. Centuries of art critics may disagree with me, but hey!...people disagree with me here on FFL. :-) From: turquoiseb no_re...@yahoogroups.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, July 1, 2011 11:06:03 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Tom, MZ and The I Ching --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price bobpriced@ wrote: And frankly no one seems to be ignoring the Zebra. (Come on Turq, admit it that you're reading everything that MZ posts. Its getting a bit boring around here, some of us are looking for a real dust up and we think MZ is up to speed and punching in his weight class). Bob, in all honesty I read most of your posts, but I cannot say the same about MZ's. I don't think I've bothered to read one since the last one I specifically replied to. I figure he's not interested in what I say and I'm certainly not terribly interested in what he has to say. No harm, no foul, no need to try to put together a title match.
[FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam
As always, thank you, Bob; I am so tickled that you are here. As to Eastern dream interpretation, I don't know shit. As for me, I like to view everything everyone throws my way, or ascribes to me, as an offering. Often the offering is an aspect of Wholeness or Reality which the offerer doesn't particularly care to see in him- or herself. If I refuse the offering, I find it vibrates between Us in perpetual denial -- Not Me! Well, it's not ME! and becomes or remains my demonic, my unloved shadow-self. If I accept the offering -- that too must be a part of Wholeness, must be a part of who we are -- and eat it, resisting not Evil, then the shit alchemically transmutes through I AM into gold and crystal, and that horrific resistance melts into love, light, and the laughter of self-recognition: and further, into the paradoxical, indescribable, hair-raisingly exquisite ever-Presence, the unspeakable Mystery. (It seems somebody or other *did* write of the equivalence of shit and gold: was it Freud? Or the Eastern dreamer of which you speak? I don't know shit, but I *AM* shit; I eat shit and die ... YUM!) --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price bobpriced@... wrote: Rory, As always, thanks for your input and as usual I think you're on to something. In eastern dream interpretation doesn't shit symbolize money? From: RoryGoff rorygoff@... To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, July 1, 2011 11:21:53 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: another question for MZ, and maybe William of Occam (Perhaps St. Thomas of Aquinas really meant shit when he called his writings straw after some kind of an intellectual gut-punch, evisceration or death. Perhaps in the heart of the incomprehensible Divine's unconditional love, shit is exactly the same as crystal and gold. And perhaps the intellect's creation of shit is what creates our need for TP, at least in the West, where we prefer not to sully our left hand...) --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, maskedzebra no_reply@ wrote: Just for the record, Tom: all that I have written here (that isn't deliberately ironic) is utterly sincereâsincere here means, my motives are honourable (at least as far as I can consciously know them). As for your condemnation of my writing: style and form of argumentation, I must admit I don't follow you here. Of course I grant that sometimes my style becomes convoluted and dense, but I am only trying to track the deepest feelings, the deepest experiences, and the most complex ideas. When someone is harshly critical of oneself, there is always the thought: Is this person right about meâor at least partially right? Then, if one poses this question and tries to be as honest and fearless as one can, one steps outside of oneself and says: Are you sure this person hasn't got a hold of an important truth about you, as painful and traumatizing as it is to contemplate it? And there are (at least as far as I can tell) only four outcomes to this self-interrogation: 1. denial but silence (a sort of turn the other cheek response) 2. denial and retaliation (and here there has to be SOME truth in the negative judgment of oneself) 3. acceptance and regret (wishing what was said was NOT true, but getting down about it, because of the irresistible sense that it IS true) 4. acceptance and humility (one learns from the criticism, and amends one's waysâto the extent to which this is possible). Depending of course on HOW MUCH ACTUAL TRUTH IS GETTING SAID AND THROUGH TO ONE. The real question, then, becomes, Tom: If I were a third person observing this point counterpoint (that is, while still being aware that one is in fact the object of a blanket dismissal of the worth of anything and everything one has written), where would I come down in terms of my assessment of where the truth lies? Mostly on Tom Pall's side? or mostly on Masked Zebra's side? Or a combination of both (i.e. there is SOME truth in what Tom Pall is saying, but at the same time the criticism is not entirely justified)? I will just say to you outright, Tom, that however sincere and passionate you are in judging my contributions here on FFL to be shit, I am unable to make this judgment fit the reality of my experience. And therefore I am leftâI hope not in any defensive or self-serving wayâwith the overwhelming impression that you yourself have no notion of where your bitterness or anger or hatred comes from. Now I don't mean this necessarily as a personal criticism of you. I only mean to say that, without sparing myself in my determination to get at where the truth lies, I find myself unable to arrive at any other conclusionâthan that, in some mysterious way, you haveâfor a considerable time nowâfound yourself in the act of hating
[FairfieldLife] Re: Children of the Night
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote: On 06/30/2011 03:24 AM, sparaig wrote: [...] Research on meditation has been around since way before Maharishi started his movement. Scientists are always curious about these things. Yeah, but MMY was the first guru I'm aware of who was encouraging research. That started back in 1959 at 433 according to the book. The earliest published research on meditation goes back a few years before that, but meditation research didn't become even remotely mainstream until Keith Wallace's PhD thesis was published in Nature in 1970. The earliest published physiological research I can find dates from 1961, though I believe there was a study on Zen meditators published some years prior to that. Lawson
[FairfieldLife] Re: The IMF: What would Americans do?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote: On 06/30/2011 01:54 PM, wayback71 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitunoozguru@ wrote: Folks in Greece are rioting over austerity measures that the IMF and other institutions want implemented. My question is what would American do if austerity measures were implemented? Would they: A) check TV listings to see who is going to be on Dancing with the Stars? B) check Internet news sites to see if Lindsey Lohan is back in rehab? C) Open another bag of potato chips and another diet cola? Most would do C, then A Of course there is some significance in C: potato chips were recently found to be the most obese causing food and they finally figured (though it has been known in alternative circles for years) that diet drinks contribute to obesity. When body wants something sweet it doesn't want to be fooled. A geniune question since yo sem to know about this: what about stevia as a sweetener? Is that ok
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Children of the Night
On Jul 1, 2011, at 2:55 PM, sparaig wrote: -- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote: On 06/30/2011 03:24 AM, sparaig wrote: [...] Research on meditation has been around since way before Maharishi started his movement. Scientists are always curious about these things. Yeah, but MMY was the first guru I'm aware of who was encouraging research. That started back in 1959 at 433 according to the book. But is it research when you've already reached a conclusion even before the research begins? There's gotta be another term for that. Sal
[FairfieldLife] Re: Ayahuasca Toxicology
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradhatu@... wrote: On Jun 30, 2011, at 10:58 AM, sparaig wrote: Are you referring to serotonin overdose? No I wasn't. OK, so which neurotoxin overdose resulting from TM/TM-Sidhis practice were you talking about then? L.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Tom, MZ and The I Ching
Bob, OMG, where have you been hiding all these days Bob - love the sarcasm and humor in your post - please keep posting - yeah Tom Pall and all that. Welcome back to FFL !! --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price bobpriced@... wrote: Tom, I don't think you know me and I hope I don't upset you, heaven forbid. But I've been pondering most of the night about how I could do something positive to help Tom and MZ's relationship. More specifically, how I might convince you to make amends to MZ. But before I go on, if you've read any of my stuff you know I'm a terrible digress'er (SIC), I have to take exception with something I thought you said. I may have misunderstood, but did you say Tim Leary could write? Don't get me wrong, I love Tim Leary. Maharishi took five years to show me the light that Tim lead me to in one night. Tim could do many things, turn on a generation, escape prison, avoid getting murdered by Eldridge Cleaver, survive having Charles Mansion in the cell next to him, attract drop dead beautiful women till the day he died, intimidate Ram Dass, successfully, in my opinion, template The Tibetan Book of the Dead over an acid trip, I guess I don't need to go on, but good writing was not part of his formidable arsenal. Talking certainly was, but writing, don't think so. On the other hand, some of us think the old Zebra is an exceptional writer and that will be true no matter how many spitballs you throw at him. Granted most of us need a dictionary and thesaurus to keep up to him but hell with Google that's not an impediment. Unlike what you seem to be implying, I think he may have waited 24 years for the technology to make it easier for us. I know I run the risk of being lumped in with MZ and Ravi but frankly I was disappointed that you didn't include me in that list. As a fellow practitioner of the dark art of sarcasm (from the Greek, Sarc, meaning to draw blood) you know ignoring someone is the most painful of insults. And frankly no one seems to be ignoring the Zebra. (Come on Turq, admit it that you're reading everything that MZ posts. Its getting a bit boring around here, some of us are looking for a real dust up and we think MZ is up to speed and punching in his weight class). Granted, he's not pithy but you know no one has been pithy since Twain or maybe Wilde. I think the correct term for what passes for pithy on FFL is sarcasm although I think Judy, Turq and sal get close sometimes. The Zebra on the other hand is not sarcastic, my suspicion is the his EI is too high for that. Sorry about that, this is looking like the mother of all digressions. Back to the point. So when I was pondering how to convince you of the power of an amends, as tasty as a good nights sleep. I was thinking about what you said and how much I like Robins writing. How he reminds me of some old Maronite Saint walking over the Shuf mountains to preach to the multitude (sorry can't get King Tony and the party hats out of my head). Lets just say MZ reminds my of the majesty of a bonsai tree. And that's when it hit me. The I Ching! It was so obvious, I'll throw the I Ching. MZwrites a bit like the I Ching and who will question the I Ching's sincerity. So Tom I asked the following question, threw the coins (wife won't let me take yarrow stalks on trips) and got the following hexagrams. I'm hoping it helps because frankly I think I have a lot to learn from you, you also know how to punctuate, but I'm not willing to lose MZ for a whole week. I have any number of questions for him, like God leaving the building, Constantine and St. Paul, just to name a few. So please Tom, loosen up! Question to the I Ching: What is the best way to encourage Tom to make amends to MZ? The hexagrams 9 - HsiaoCh'u (The Taming Power of the Small) changing to 37 Chia Jen / The Family (The Clan) I'm sure many on FFL have a old copy of the I Ching buried under something. So I won't bother with the commentary, if you think MZ writes like the Urantia book try reading the commentary. So just the high points 9 - HsiaoCh'u (The Taming Power of the Small) The Judgement The taming power of the small Has Success Dense Clouds, no rain from our western region. The Image The wind drives across heaven: The image of The Taming Power of the Small Thus the Superior man Refines the outward aspect of his nature Changing lines: (thank God there is only one) Nine in the second place means: He allows himself to be drawn into returning Good fortune Changing to: 37-The Family (The Clan) The Judgement The Family. The perseverance of the woman furthers. The Image Wind comes forth from fire: The image of The Family Thus the superior man has substance in his words And duration in his way of life. The
[FairfieldLife] Union Tyranny unveiled in Wisconsin, must read (for the libs).
Skip to Navigation http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/06/union-curbs-rescue-wisco\ nsin-school-district#nav Skip to Content http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/06/union-curbs-rescue-wisco\ nsin-school-district#content http://www.wunderground.com/auto/dcexaminer/DC/Washington.html http://washingtonexaminer.com/facebook http://washingtonexaminer.com/twitter http://washingtonexaminer.com/rss-feeds-directory Friday, July 1, 2011 [Home] http://washingtonexaminer.com/ Search this site: http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v8/3b37/0/0/%2a/y;241935044;0-0;1;347\ 74932;2-120/90;42394998/42412785/1;;%7Esscs=%3fhttp://www.macys.com Union curbs rescue a Wisconsin school district By: Byron York http://washingtonexaminer.com/people/byron-york | Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork http://twitter.com/ByronYork | 06/30/11 8:05 PM [AP Photo/Green Bay Press-Gazette, Corey Wilson] http://washingtonexaminer.com/files/blog_images/9fdbcae842c3450ef10e6a7\ 067009cbf.jpg Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signs his first budget in front of supporters gathered at Fox Valley Metal Tech in Ashwaubenon, Wis., on Sunday, June 26, 2011. The budget helped save the struggling Kaukauna School District, in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin. This is a disaster, said Mark Miller, the Wisconsin Senate Democratic leader, in February after Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed a budget bill that would curtail the collective bargaining powers of some public employees. Miller predicted catastrophe if the bill were to become law -- a charge repeated thousands of times by his fellow Democrats, union officials, and protesters in the streets. Now the bill is law, and we have some very early evidence of how it is working. And for one beleaguered Wisconsin school district, it's a godsend, not a disaster. The Kaukauna School District, in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin near Appleton, has about 4,200 students and about 400 employees. It has struggled in recent times and this year faced a deficit of $400,000. But after the law went into effect, at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, school officials put in place new policies they estimate will turn that $400,000 deficit into a $1.5 million surplus. And it's all because of the very provisions that union leaders predicted would be disastrous. In the past, teachers and other staff at Kaukauna were required to pay 10 percent of the cost of their health insurance coverage and none of their pension costs. Now, they'll pay 12.6 percent of the cost of their coverage (still well below rates in much of the private sector) and also contribute 5.8 percent of salary to their pensions. The changes will save the school board an estimated $1.2 million this year, according to board President Todd Arnoldussen. Of course, Wisconsin unions had offered to make benefit concessions during the budget fight. Wouldn't Kaukauna's money problems have been solved if Walker had just accepted those concessions and not demanded cutbacks in collective bargaining powers? The monetary part of it is not the entire issue, says Arnoldussen, a political independent who won a spot on the board in a nonpartisan election. Indeed, some of the most important improvements in Kaukauna's outlook are because of the new limits on collective bargaining. In the past, Kaukauna's agreement with the teachers union required the school district to purchase health insurance coverage from something called WEA Trust -- a company created by the Wisconsin teachers union. It was in the collective bargaining agreement that we could only negotiate with them, says Arnoldussen. Well, you know what happens when you can only negotiate with one vendor. This year, WEA Trust told Kaukauna that it would face a significant increase in premiums. Now, the collective bargaining agreement is gone, and the school district is free to shop around for coverage. And all of a sudden, WEA Trust has changed its position. With these changes, the schools could go out for bids, and lo and behold, WEA Trust said, 'We can match the lowest bid,' says Republican state Rep. Jim Steineke, who represents the area and supports the Walker changes. At least for the moment, Kaukauna is staying with WEA Trust, but saving substantial amounts of money. Then there are work rules. In the collective bargaining agreement, high school teachers only had to teach five periods a day, out of seven, says Arnoldussen. Now, they're going to teach six. In addition, the collective bargaining agreement specified that teachers had to be in the school 37 1/2 hours a week. Now, it will be 40 hours. The changes mean Kaukauna can reduce the size of its classes -- from 31 students to 26 students in high school and from 26 students to 23 students in elementary school. In addition, there will be more
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Beer Necessities
On 07/01/2011 12:20 PM, turquoiseb wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitunoozguru@... wrote: On 07/01/2011 08:58 AM, turquoiseb wrote: Happy happy joy joy. I'm back home in the Netherlands, and have found that one of the cafes that I often sit in while writing has Westmalle, the Trappist beer I discovered in Brussels. My heart soars like an eagle. They also have a beer from the Himalayas called Yak Piss. Something about Purusha Bottling Company on the label, which is some kind of pastels-gone-wild painting, with lots of gold embossing. But given the description of that brew I cognized yesterday on the train, and the chilly reception it received here, I think I might avoid that one. :-) Not much into alcohol mainly stimulants like espresso. But if I want to stock up on a six or twelve pack for guests I usually get Gordon Biersch Martzen. And a micro brewery is moving into the recently closed family Italian restaurant downtown so may have to give it a whirl when it opens. One evening with a friend I went to a local micro brewery and we decided to order the sampler. I was used to these being about 6 small glasses. They brought 18. ;-) Happy happy joy barf. :-) Despite what has been said of me, I'm actually not that much of a drinker. I just appreciate the occasional taste of a fine single-malt Scotch or a well-brewed beer or a well-cultivated wine. Not necessarily the buzz, or the deadness of overdoing it, but the taste. Again, I wish that Joe was here more regularly, because he seems to be SO much more a beer connoisseur than I am. I just appreciate the flavor of the Westmalle, and the light buzz of its fairly high (by US standards) alcohol content, without knowing the WHY of why I appreciate them. Same with fine wines. I may be able to appreciate the taste, but I can't tell you how it got that way. I come from one of the best wine grape growing regions in the US and I don't mean California. The Columbia River valley has a longer drier season for grapes than Bordeaux. It makes for a superior grape (more to California's chagrin than France). Recently while shopping at Trader Joe's I notice they had a Columbia Valley wine labeled Linen so I picked up a bottle and noticed it was from a family I used to know (I also went to school with the founder of Woodward Canyon Winery -- a top award winning US winery). We'll be sampling it at the next family get together. Actually the local winery and one of the oldest in California - Viano - has some great wines.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Understanding the Tao.....
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@... wrote: Sorry about the improper attribution. Bad brain moment. I meant to say, Great find, BillyG. I used to enjoy it and didn't even know what they were talking about:-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: 'Republicans Want the USA to Default, why?'...
There has been a very strong contingent amongst conservatives that believes that the country has to fall apart financially before it can be fixed, and they are quite willing to help break it so that it can be fixed faster. L. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6569@... wrote: Nyuk nyuk nyuk! Hey Moe! I found Larry! From: Robert babajii_99@... To: fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com; babajii_99@... Sent: Thu, June 30, 2011 1:11:14 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] 'Republicans Want the USA to Default, why?'... Â The Republicans want the United States to default, Rather that add more taxes for the richest and greediest amoung us... Hiding behind a wall of supposed 'Christianity'... These are the same dudes that Jesus chased out of the Temple... And for the same charge, as they level against President Obama, That of 'Sedition'... If they no longer inflict the pain of 'He really wasn't borned here...' And other lies and nonsense... So, now, that will go to any evil lengths, in their psychopathic plow... To undermine our own country and the world's economy... Just to make their silly point, of complete lack of spiritual reverence... And, they're complete subversion of 'Chist-Like values'... They are a disgrace, and only reveal the 'Darker Side' of humanity... The compassionless, cold and calculating egoic, cold cold logic, for Unbridled Lust and Greed and Cowardess gone mad! r.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
By your standards Steve doesn't have to change and continue to do what he does best - make quick short quirky remarks. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... wrote: I put this in the category of: so and so poster should post differently than they do because it is not my preference. Rather than trying to change Barry, I suggest you post the kind of posts you prefer and let like minded posters riff off your creative stuff. No one is a victim of anyone's POV here. Express your own and show us why your POV should be considered. But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@ wrote: Yea, the post was getting some positive feedback so I went back and reread it. You're right. It started off neat. I know this will sound weird, but we all know what a dog is like who is hand shy. Even the hand that comes down to pet him, (usually a neighbor or friend will elicit a drawing back response. That is the way I kind of am with Barry's posts. I know there is some good stuff, but Ialso know what is likely to come. This may make me come off as a pussy. But so be it. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, whynotnow7 whynotnow7@ wrote: I had the same thought, but decided to self edit that stuff out. Ironically the only reason the TM/TB stuff kept intruding was the rest of the imagery was so good! Belgian chocolate, a train through the European countryside...who can't imagine themselves there? Sounded expansive and comfortable, wanted to hear more about that ride. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@ wrote: Here's a thought. A persistant theme in your posts is MMY as an average guy. Could all the (supposed at least) TBers accept such a premise, and why not try it on for size. Maybe challenge yourself and try posting without the persistant mocking and continual referral to the TMO. Yea, I think many your insights are interesting. But I read your posts knowing that the put down is always right around the corner, and rarely am I disappointed. Seems like you came up with two of three in this post. (I don't feel like re-reading). But Purusha brewed beer as Yak piss. Pretty much the typical fare you provide. Sorta not funny anymore. At least for me. Maybe others like it. P.S. At the risk of appearing weak, I hope you don't respond, or even read my posts, because I like you, and dislike having to take the position of chastising a friend. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@ wrote: Sitting in my window seat on the fast train back to the Netherlands, I watch the Belgian landscape zip past and try to figure out what makes it different from the Dutch landscape. Probably the same thing that made Brussels so different from Den Haag or Amsterdam -- the French influence. It was a real pleasure to hear French spoken again, and to watch the lips of the women speaking it. There is something about the French language that makes me think it was invented by a God who -- unlike the God of Shankara who saw women as corpses or bags of feces -- LOVED women and wanted to see them at their best. Speaking French causes one's mouth to move in ways that no other language I am familiar with does, ways that are tremendously flattering to women. Add to that the fact that the women were on the whole dressed more in the French style (uh...stylish) than the Dutch style (uh...not so much), and I had a wonderful time. It was just a short business trip, but the business part was over by midday yesterday, so I've gotten to spend the rest of the time as a guy on vacation, doing what a guy like me does while on vacation. That is, walking around taking in the sights, visiting a couple of Brussels' treasure trove of Art Nouveau museums, and sitting in cafes writing. Not everybody's idea of a holiday, but it is for me. One of the high points of the journey was sitting on the Grand Place and connecting real-time over the Internet with a friend who was sitting on the front porch of his new house in Arunachala, India, former home of Ramana Maharshi. He described the view of his street, filled with beggars and saddhus and (according to him) siddhas, and I described the view of my street, filled with tourists and women on their way to work or (judging from the looks on their faces and the lilt in their walk) to an assignation with their lovers. Different strokes for different folks, different spiritual paths. :-) I miss Joe here on
[FairfieldLife] Attn: Ravi (was: Re: Post Count)
Yes thanks Alex - I did notice. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Alex Stanley j_alexander_stanley@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, FFL PostCount ffl.postcount@ wrote: Fairfield Life Post Counter === Start Date (UTC): Sat Jun 25 00:00:00 2011 End Date (UTC): Sat Jul 02 00:00:00 2011 576 messages as of (UTC) Thu Jun 30 23:57:29 2011 38 Ravi Yogi raviyogi@ 2 raviyogi2009 raviyogi@ Just a heads-up that you're high up in the post count, and you have 2 posts under an alternate user name. With the 2 you've posted since the last post count, you're now at 42 posts.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: The IMF: What would Americans do?
On 07/01/2011 12:57 PM, wayback71 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitunoozguru@... wrote: On 06/30/2011 01:54 PM, wayback71 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitunoozguru@ wrote: Folks in Greece are rioting over austerity measures that the IMF and other institutions want implemented. My question is what would American do if austerity measures were implemented? Would they: A) check TV listings to see who is going to be on Dancing with the Stars? B) check Internet news sites to see if Lindsey Lohan is back in rehab? C) Open another bag of potato chips and another diet cola? Most would do C, then A Of course there is some significance in C: potato chips were recently found to be the most obese causing food and they finally figured (though it has been known in alternative circles for years) that diet drinks contribute to obesity. When body wants something sweet it doesn't want to be fooled. A geniune question since yo sem to know about this: what about stevia as a sweetener? Is that ok Stevia just tastes much sweeter than sugar so you'd be fooling your body again. It is looking for the effect of something that is sweet. And an artificial sweetener doesn't actually have the effect on the body it is looking for. Artificial sweeteners don't satisfy that. It is probably better to just use products with cane sugar or turbinado sugar and just keep use at a minimum. Sometimes fruit will take care of the need but this is a much misunderstood area though ayurveda had it figured out centuries ago.
[FairfieldLife] Re: 'Republicans Want the USA to Default, why?'...
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robert babajii_99@... wrote: The Republicans want the United States to default, Rather that add more taxes for the richest and greediest amoung us... Hiding behind a wall of supposed 'Christianity'... These are the same dudes that Jesus chased out of the Temple... And for the same charge, as they level against President Obama, That of 'Sedition'... If they no longer inflict the pain of 'He really wasn't borned here...' And other lies and nonsense... So, now, that will go to any evil lengths, in their psychopathic plow... To undermine our own country and the world's economy... Just to make their silly point, of complete lack of spiritual reverence... And, they're complete subversion of 'Chist-Like values'... They are a disgrace, and only reveal the 'Darker Side' of humanity... The compassionless, cold and calculating egoic, cold cold logic, for Unbridled Lust and Greed and Cowardess gone mad! r. I think the Republicans want to actually honor the idea of a *debt limit*, like...why have one if we don't actually use it? I think the Republicans are the adults in the room...sorry!
[FairfieldLife] Only 8% blame Obama for the state of the nations economy
The latest New York Times/CBS News poll, released Wednesday, included the question http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/06/30/business/20110630poll-ful\ l-results.html?ref=business that continues to surprise me: Who do you think is mostly to blame for the current state of the nation's economy (1) the Bush administration, (2) the Obama administration, (3) Wall Street and financial institutions, (4) Congress, or (5) someone else? And as with all other recent polls on this, the public still isn't blaming the president http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/29/politics/main20075556.shtml the way Republicans had hoped. Few Americans blame the President for the economy's current condition, however. Only 8% think the Obama administration deserves most of the blame for the state of the nation's economy. More say George W. Bush's administration (26%) and Wall Street and financial institutions (25%) are mostly to blame. 11% blame Congress. Got that? On the list of relevant institutions, the Obama administration ranks near the bottom on the list of those getting the blame for the economy. What's more, the numbers have been pretty steady on this for the last year and a half. When I wrote about this earlier in the week, I got all kinds of angry emails from conservatives insisting that the poll I cited was wrong. It couldn't be true that Americans are declining to blame Obama because well, it just couldn't. But I'm just the messenger here, and all of the surveys say the same thing. The latest polls from McClatchy/Marist http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_06/why_the_blame\ _game_matters030577.php and NBC/WSJ http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_06/playing_the_b\ lame_game_1030303.php show the exact same thing as the CBS/NYT poll: Americans are angry, frustrated, and pessimistic about the economy, but most of the public just doesn't see Obama as the main culprit. One need not like the results to see the results as they exist. If it makes the right feel any better, this dynamic may well change. The economic circumstances may reach a point where public impatience boils over, and the blame shifts. But for now, the he made it worse http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_07/romney_makes_\ it_worse_with_obv030618.php crowd isn't persuading many people. by Steve Benen mailto:sbe...@washingtonmonthly.com http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_07/why_the_blame_\ game_matters_con030623.php http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_07/why_the_blame\ _game_matters_con030623.php
[FairfieldLife] Re: Republicans protect Millionaires - Minnesota government shuts down
The Republicans are becoming more aggressive in pursuing their agenda. It's the American version of suicide bombing. The Minnesota government shutdown is just a preview of what the Republicans will do at the national level. In general, both major parties at the national level need to forsake their ideologies in order the solve the bigger problem of national government deficit spending and the mounting national debt. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rflex@... wrote: In the end, this http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/124824189.html is why the Minnesota government shut down: The governor said his last offer would have raised income taxes only on those earning more than $1 million a yearan estimated 7,700 Minnesotans, or 0.3 percent of all taxpayers, according to the Revenue Department. Republicans rejected the proposal, Dayton said, because they prefer to protect the richest handful of Minnesotans at the expense of everyone else. Today, more than 20,000 state workers are off the job to protect those 7,700 people from a tax increase. That's 7,700 people, remember, who already pay a lower percentage http://www.mnbudgetproject.org/research-analysis/minnesota-taxes/tax-pr\ oposals-policy-changes/revenue-raising-options-to-help-close-minnesota-s\ -fy-2012-13-budget-deficit of their incomes in state and local taxes than the average Minnesotan: In particular, the wealthiest one percent of Minnesota households those with incomes over $429,000 paid 9.7 percent of their incomes in total state and local taxes in 2008, compared to the statewide average of 11.5 percent. The GOP had a couple of compromise ideas for a budget agreement. They: proposed delaying another $700 million in payments owed to schools, which would add to the more than $1 billion the state already owes K-12 schools. Republicans also offered to issue tobacco bonds of an unspecified amount to cover any remaining budget gap. Sources said Dayton considered the offer, but he criticized it as unwise borrowing late Thursday. Another offer: asked Dayton to accept controversial policy positions the Republicans pushed for this year, including photo ID requirements at the polls and abortion restrictions. An offer sheet provided to the Star Tribune said the policy adoptions were in exchange for new revenue in a compromise offer. This in a nutshell is today's Republican party: to protect 7,700 millionaires from slightly higher taxes, they'll shut down state government. But they might be willing to do something on revenue (whether it involved the 7,700 millionaires, we don't know) in exchange for making it more difficult to vote or get an abortion. That last, by the way, is similar to Iowa http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527023045840045764194541169020\ 30.html?mod=rss_whats_news_usutm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_\ campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Fxml%2Frss%2F3_7011+%28WSJ.com%3A+What%27s+News+US\ %29 , where Republicans tried to block the use of Medicaid funds for some abortions; ultimately they compromised on various ways of trying to talk women out of their decision in the guise of offering information. Links here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/01/990439/-Minnesota-government-sh\ uts-down?via=blog_1 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/01/990439/-Minnesota-government-s\ huts-down?via=blog_1
[FairfieldLife] Republicans Are Intentionally Sabotaging the Economy
Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office. ~~Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, October 2010 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44688.html http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44688.html To those of us observing, this comes as no surprise. A year ago I wrote about it here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/corporations-sit-18-trillion-until-the\ y-get , and expanded on it here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/corporate-ceos-teach-economic-catch-22\ -boog , here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/us-chamber-commerce-committing-treason\ and here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/mark-kirks-bejing-fundraiser . And now, Senator Schumer has hammered that home in this speech at EPI http://www.epi.org/pages/7254/ . And we need to start asking ourselves an uncomfortable question are Republicans slowing down the recovery on purpose for political gain in 2012? It's one thing for them to block programs they have always opposed. But when they start to contradict themselves by opposing programs they have supportedsuch as pro-business tax cutswe are left to wonder. Let's not forget Senator McConnell made it clear last October that his number one priority, above everything else, is to defeat President Obama. And now it is becoming clear that insisting on a slash-and-burn approach may be part of this plan it has a double-benefit for Republicans: it is ideologically tidy and it undermines the economic recovery, which they think only helps them in 2012. The result is that Republicans aren`t just opposing the President any more. They are opposing the economic recovery itself and all that means for America's working and middle class families. It's about damn time someone called the naked emperor out. I am so tired of hearing the press memes about Obama this, Obama that, and how it's all going to land on the head of Obama. No. These crazy lunatics on the right are colluding with their corporate brothers to bring down this economy with the assistance of the media. During the Bush administration the debt ceiling had to be raised several times. Note the difference in how it was covered http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chromeie=UTF-8q=2006+debt+ceili\ ng#q=debt+ceiling+votehl=ennewwindow=1sa=Xtbs=tl:1,tl_num:50,tll:200\ 2/01,tlh:2002/12prmd=ivnsei=V-sMTszhJ6LmiALYua31DQved=0CDsQyQEoAwbav\ =on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.fp=2c63c615173ea9f3biw=1296bih=647 from 2001-2008. The Beltway media was certainly willing to report an increase as a 'painful vote', but not one in question. There was never any question that the debt ceiling would be increased then. The only question then was whether the debt ceiling would be raised while the Bush tax cuts were cemented in at the same time. They were. If we could possibly get the media to actually report what Republicans are doing -- bankrupting the country, stalling any economic growth for short-term Republican gains, keeping unemployment rates high by decimating the ranks of government employees, and more -- maybe there would be an opportunity to move past the stupid finger-pointing into some thoughtful debate about how wrong it is to keep tax rates low while the entire country suffers as a result. http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/republicans-are-intentionally-sabotagin\ g-ec http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/republicans-are-intentionally-sabotagi\ ng-ec
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, whynotnow7 whynotnow7@... wrote: Yeah the gratuitous bashing really took away from what could have been a fine piece of writing. It's not just the constant, compulsive putdowns, it's the relentless, monotonous, smug I'm so special drumbeat of self-exaltation that accompanies the putdowns. I mean, he can't even write a little travelogue that doesn't follow this pattern: --He's special because sightseeing, visiting museums, and sitting in cafes is his (but not everybody's) idea of a holiday. --He's special because he prefers watching women to watching beggars and sadhus (unlike his friend in Arunachala). --He's special because he appreciates good beer (unlike Purusha). --He's special because he finds mussels with fries and beer satisfying (but some wouldn't). He can't just say, I did this and I enjoyed it. I ate that and I enjoyed it. He has to make himself *special*, better than other people, because of what he likes to do (even though what he likes to do is actually quite ordinary). He can't give his opinion on anything without letting you know how special he thinks he is to have that opinion and how inferior he considers anyone who has a different one. And then from time to time he'll go on one of his rants about how ridiculous it is for anybody to think of themselves as special--and how special *he* is not to think of himself as special.
[FairfieldLife] CBO: ' If Congress Does Nothing, The Deficit Will Disappear '
Deficit crisis? - One Chart Explains the Big Lie CHART OF THE DAY: If Congress Does Nothing, The Deficit Will Disappear The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that deficits will disappear entirely by the end of President Obama's second term (if he gets a second term) if Congress were to just sit on its hands and do nothing. -- On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office released its updated long-term budget forecast, which looked surprisingly like the previous version of its long-term budget forecast. It showed, as one might expect, that if the Bush tax-cuts remain in effect and Medicare and Medicaid spending isn't constrained in some way, the country will topple into a genuine fiscal crisis -- not the fake one the Congress is pretending the country's in right now. Republicans, of course, seized on that particular projection, and claimed (a bit ridiculously) that it proved the government must adopt their precise policy views: major spending cuts, particularly to entitlement programs. While all this -- from the findings to the politicization of them -- is perfectly expected, the forecast also presents another opportunity to remind people that the medium-term budget outlook is perfectly fine if Congress adheres to the law as it's currently written. That means no repealing the health care law, for one, but more significantly it means allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, and (unfathomably) allowing Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors to fall to the levels prescribed by the formula Congress wrote almost 15 years ago. In other words, no more doc fixes. Helpfully, CBO juxtaposed these two alternative futures in a pair of graphs and, just as last time, it projects that deficits will disappear entirely by the end of President Obama's second term (if he gets a second term) if Congress were to just sit on its hands and do nothing. Take a look at the CHART: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/images/CBOextendedalternative1.jpg via: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/chart-of-the-day-if-congress-does-nothing-the-deficit-will-disappear.php?ref=fpb
[FairfieldLife] Re: 'Republicans Want the USA to Default, why?'...
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wgm4u wgm4u@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robert babajii_99@ wrote: The Republicans want the United States to default, Rather that add more taxes for the richest and greediest amoung us... Hiding behind a wall of supposed 'Christianity'... These are the same dudes that Jesus chased out of the Temple... And for the same charge, as they level against President Obama, That of 'Sedition'... If they no longer inflict the pain of 'He really wasn't borned here...' And other lies and nonsense... So, now, that will go to any evil lengths, in their psychopathic plow... To undermine our own country and the world's economy... Just to make their silly point, of complete lack of spiritual reverence... And, they're complete subversion of 'Chist-Like values'... They are a disgrace, and only reveal the 'Darker Side' of humanity... The compassionless, cold and calculating egoic, cold cold logic, for Unbridled Lust and Greed and Cowardess gone mad! r. I think the Republicans want to actually honor the idea of a *debt limit*, like...why have one if we don't actually use it? I think the Republicans are the adults in the room...sorry! According to a recent article, the Treasury Department can go ahead and pay the maturng goverment debts inpite of the debt-ceiling. Some constitutional experts have opined that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution has allowed for this possibility. Perhaps the Repulicans are testing the Democrats to see who would blink first or give in during the negotiations to pass a balanced budget. In the meantime, the American electorate will be watching the political games going on in Wasngton DC. Those who are responsible for government mismanagement will be voted out in the next election.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Republicans protect Millionaires - Minnesota government shuts down
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, John jr_esq@... wrote: The Republicans are becoming more aggressive in pursuing their agenda. It's the American version of suicide bombing. The Minnesota government shutdown is just a preview of what the Republicans will do at the national level. In general, both major parties at the national level need to forsake their ideologies in order the solve the bigger problem of national government deficit spending and the mounting national debt. Correct, they should do what they did in Wisconsin, Union curbs rescue a Wisconsin school district by allowing good ole fashioned Capitalism and competition...read and learn: http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics
[FairfieldLife] Re: Republicans Are Intentionally Sabotaging the Economy
The Republicans need to be careful in pursuing their political agenda, in particular to deny Obama a second term. If the truth comes out, they could be voted out of offce during the electio. But the main problem for the country is the national debt. Both parties must realize that the problem cannot be solved overnight. It will take at least 20 years to chip away the 13 trillion dollar debt that is in the books. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rflex@... wrote: Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office. ~~Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, October 2010 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44688.html http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44688.html To those of us observing, this comes as no surprise. A year ago I wrote about it here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/corporations-sit-18-trillion-until-the\ y-get , and expanded on it here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/corporate-ceos-teach-economic-catch-22\ -boog , here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/us-chamber-commerce-committing-treason\ and here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/mark-kirks-bejing-fundraiser . And now, Senator Schumer has hammered that home in this speech at EPI http://www.epi.org/pages/7254/ . And we need to start asking ourselves an uncomfortable question are Republicans slowing down the recovery on purpose for political gain in 2012? It's one thing for them to block programs they have always opposed. But when they start to contradict themselves by opposing programs they have supportedsuch as pro-business tax cutswe are left to wonder. Let's not forget Senator McConnell made it clear last October that his number one priority, above everything else, is to defeat President Obama. And now it is becoming clear that insisting on a slash-and-burn approach may be part of this plan it has a double-benefit for Republicans: it is ideologically tidy and it undermines the economic recovery, which they think only helps them in 2012. The result is that Republicans aren`t just opposing the President any more. They are opposing the economic recovery itself and all that means for America's working and middle class families. It's about damn time someone called the naked emperor out. I am so tired of hearing the press memes about Obama this, Obama that, and how it's all going to land on the head of Obama. No. These crazy lunatics on the right are colluding with their corporate brothers to bring down this economy with the assistance of the media. During the Bush administration the debt ceiling had to be raised several times. Note the difference in how it was covered http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chromeie=UTF-8q=2006+debt+ceili\ ng#q=debt+ceiling+votehl=ennewwindow=1sa=Xtbs=tl:1,tl_num:50,tll:200\ 2/01,tlh:2002/12prmd=ivnsei=V-sMTszhJ6LmiALYua31DQved=0CDsQyQEoAwbav\ =on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.fp=2c63c615173ea9f3biw=1296bih=647 from 2001-2008. The Beltway media was certainly willing to report an increase as a 'painful vote', but not one in question. There was never any question that the debt ceiling would be increased then. The only question then was whether the debt ceiling would be raised while the Bush tax cuts were cemented in at the same time. They were. If we could possibly get the media to actually report what Republicans are doing -- bankrupting the country, stalling any economic growth for short-term Republican gains, keeping unemployment rates high by decimating the ranks of government employees, and more -- maybe there would be an opportunity to move past the stupid finger-pointing into some thoughtful debate about how wrong it is to keep tax rates low while the entire country suffers as a result. http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/republicans-are-intentionally-sabotagin\ g-ec http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/republicans-are-intentionally-sabotagi\ ng-ec
[FairfieldLife] Re: CBO: ' If Congress Does Nothing, The Deficit Will Disappear '
The CBO is taking ayuhuasca to come up with this kind of magical olution. The chart does not show the effects of the national debt an its inheren interest costs. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rflex@... wrote: Deficit crisis? - One Chart Explains the Big Lie CHART OF THE DAY: If Congress Does Nothing, The Deficit Will Disappear The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that deficits will disappear entirely by the end of President Obama's second term (if he gets a second term) if Congress were to just sit on its hands and do nothing. -- On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office released its updated long-term budget forecast, which looked surprisingly like the previous version of its long-term budget forecast. It showed, as one might expect, that if the Bush tax-cuts remain in effect and Medicare and Medicaid spending isn't constrained in some way, the country will topple into a genuine fiscal crisis -- not the fake one the Congress is pretending the country's in right now. Republicans, of course, seized on that particular projection, and claimed (a bit ridiculously) that it proved the government must adopt their precise policy views: major spending cuts, particularly to entitlement programs. While all this -- from the findings to the politicization of them -- is perfectly expected, the forecast also presents another opportunity to remind people that the medium-term budget outlook is perfectly fine if Congress adheres to the law as it's currently written. That means no repealing the health care law, for one, but more significantly it means allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, and (unfathomably) allowing Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors to fall to the levels prescribed by the formula Congress wrote almost 15 years ago. In other words, no more doc fixes. Helpfully, CBO juxtaposed these two alternative futures in a pair of graphs and, just as last time, it projects that deficits will disappear entirely by the end of President Obama's second term (if he gets a second term) if Congress were to just sit on its hands and do nothing. Take a look at the CHART: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/images/CBOextendedalternative1.jpg via: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/chart-of-the-day-if-congress-does-nothing-the-deficit-will-disappear.php?ref=fpb
[FairfieldLife] Re: CBO: ' If Congress Does Nothing, The Deficit Will Disappear '
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, John jr_esq@... wrote: The CBO is taking ayuhuasca to come up with this kind of magical olution. The chart does not show the effects of the national debt an its inheren interest costs. The CBO is addressing the deficit. In order to address the debt, the deficit has to be in order. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rflex@ wrote: Deficit crisis? - One Chart Explains the Big Lie CHART OF THE DAY: If Congress Does Nothing, The Deficit Will Disappear The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that deficits will disappear entirely by the end of President Obama's second term (if he gets a second term) if Congress were to just sit on its hands and do nothing. -- On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office released its updated long-term budget forecast, which looked surprisingly like the previous version of its long-term budget forecast. It showed, as one might expect, that if the Bush tax-cuts remain in effect and Medicare and Medicaid spending isn't constrained in some way, the country will topple into a genuine fiscal crisis -- not the fake one the Congress is pretending the country's in right now. Republicans, of course, seized on that particular projection, and claimed (a bit ridiculously) that it proved the government must adopt their precise policy views: major spending cuts, particularly to entitlement programs. While all this -- from the findings to the politicization of them -- is perfectly expected, the forecast also presents another opportunity to remind people that the medium-term budget outlook is perfectly fine if Congress adheres to the law as it's currently written. That means no repealing the health care law, for one, but more significantly it means allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, and (unfathomably) allowing Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors to fall to the levels prescribed by the formula Congress wrote almost 15 years ago. In other words, no more doc fixes. Helpfully, CBO juxtaposed these two alternative futures in a pair of graphs and, just as last time, it projects that deficits will disappear entirely by the end of President Obama's second term (if he gets a second term) if Congress were to just sit on its hands and do nothing. Take a look at the CHART: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/images/CBOextendedalternative1.jpg via: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/chart-of-the-day-if-congress-does-nothing-the-deficit-will-disappear.php?ref=fpb
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
Yeah, I notice that too. It is obvious why he or anyone else does such a thing, and it *isn't* because they feel so good about themselves. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, whynotnow7 whynotnow7@ wrote: Yeah the gratuitous bashing really took away from what could have been a fine piece of writing. It's not just the constant, compulsive putdowns, it's the relentless, monotonous, smug I'm so special drumbeat of self-exaltation that accompanies the putdowns. I mean, he can't even write a little travelogue that doesn't follow this pattern: --He's special because sightseeing, visiting museums, and sitting in cafes is his (but not everybody's) idea of a holiday. --He's special because he prefers watching women to watching beggars and sadhus (unlike his friend in Arunachala). --He's special because he appreciates good beer (unlike Purusha). --He's special because he finds mussels with fries and beer satisfying (but some wouldn't). He can't just say, I did this and I enjoyed it. I ate that and I enjoyed it. He has to make himself *special*, better than other people, because of what he likes to do (even though what he likes to do is actually quite ordinary). He can't give his opinion on anything without letting you know how special he thinks he is to have that opinion and how inferior he considers anyone who has a different one. And then from time to time he'll go on one of his rants about how ridiculous it is for anybody to think of themselves as special--and how special *he* is not to think of himself as special.
[FairfieldLife] Austerity for everyone, except the rich
I think it's long past time we stopped pretending that any of this has roots in sudden concern for the deficit. Nobody involved gave a damn about the deficit when they were running it up, during the Bush years: deficits didn't matter, we were famously told. Republican hand-wringing over the debt ceiling then was scarce indeed, during the repeated votes to raise it over and over again. Republican insistence that the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy did not contribute to inflated deficits were and are simply ludicrous, and have always been absolutely false. SEE: Critics Still Wrong on What's Driving Deficits http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=viewid=3036 And even little addle-minded children can recognize that the best single way out of deficits is to get out of the recession, which requires government intervention on behalf of the working class, not against it. There is only one common factor between actions of the various state governments and the federal government: austerity for everyone, except the rich. Regardless of any deficit, taxes on the rich must not be raised. Period. As an honest approach for reducing the deficit, it is scattered and nonsensical. As an organized effort to strip money and services from the lower classes on behalf of the wealthy, however, it remains perfectly consistent, month after month, in state after state. Class war may not be the term our politicians prefer to use, but as description of the actual policy it is more accurate than any other. ~Excerpted from: http://www.freeinstinct.com/2011/06/the-new-class-war-new-jersey-edition/
[FairfieldLife] Current GOP Leaders Voted 19 Times To Increase Debt Limit By $4 Trillion
During Bush Presidency, Current GOP Leaders Voted 19 Times To Increase Debt Limit By $4 Trillion By Travis Waldron http://thinkprogress.org/author/twaldron/on Apr 14, 2011 After pushing the government to brink of shutdown last week, Republican Congressional leaders are now preparing to push America to the edge of default by refusing to increase the nation's debt limit without first getting Democrats to concede to large spending cuts. But while the four Republicans in Congressional leadership positions are attempting to hold the increase hostage http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/10/eric-cantor-debt-ceiling_n_847\ 149.html now, they combined to vote for a debt limit increase 19 times during the presidency of George W. Bush. In doing so, they increased the debt limit by nearly $4 trillion. At the beginning of the Bush presidency, the United States debt limit was $5.95 trillion. Despite promises that he would pay off the debt in 10 years http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/04/13/158414/bush-sotu-debt-flas\ hback/ , Bush increased the debt to $9.815 trillion http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105193.pdf by the end of his term, with plenty of help from the four Republicans currently holding Congressional leadership positions: Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl. ThinkProgress compiled a breakdown of the five debt limit increases that took place during the Bush presidency and how the four Republican leaders voted: June http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cf\ m.cfm?congress=107session=2vote=00148 2002 http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2002/roll279.xml : Congress approves a $450 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $6.4 trillion. McConnell, Boehner, and Cantor vote yea, Kyl votes nay. May 2003 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2003-202 : Congress approves a $900 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $7.384 trillion. All four approve. November http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2004-213 2004 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2004-536 : Congress approves an $800 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $8.1 trillion. All four approve. March 2006 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2006-54 : Congress approves a $781 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $8.965 trillion. All four approve. September 2007 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2007-354 : Congress approves an $850 billion increase, raising the debt limit to $9.815 trillion. All four approve. Database searches revealed no demands from the four legislators that debt increases come accompanied by drastic spending cuts, as there are now http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2011/apr/13/mcconne\ ll-no-debt-ceiling-increase-without-cutting/ . In fact, the May 2003 debt limit increase passed the Senate the same day as the $350 billion Bush tax cuts for the wealthy http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2011/04/11/senate-debt-limit-flashbac\ k/ . When Bush was in office, the current Republican leaders viewed increasing the debt limit as vital to keeping America's economy running. But with Obama in the White House, it's nothing more than a political pawn. http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/04/14/158424/republican-leaders-d\ ebt-limit-hypocrisy/ http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/04/14/158424/republican-leaders-\ debt-limit-hypocrisy/
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: 'Republicans Want the USA to Default, why?'...
On 07/01/2011 01:47 PM, wgm4u wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robertbabajii_99@... wrote: The Republicans want the United States to default, Rather that add more taxes for the richest and greediest amoung us... Hiding behind a wall of supposed 'Christianity'... These are the same dudes that Jesus chased out of the Temple... And for the same charge, as they level against President Obama, That of 'Sedition'... If they no longer inflict the pain of 'He really wasn't borned here...' And other lies and nonsense... So, now, that will go to any evil lengths, in their psychopathic plow... To undermine our own country and the world's economy... Just to make their silly point, of complete lack of spiritual reverence... And, they're complete subversion of 'Chist-Like values'... They are a disgrace, and only reveal the 'Darker Side' of humanity... The compassionless, cold and calculating egoic, cold cold logic, for Unbridled Lust and Greed and Cowardess gone mad! r. I think the Republicans want to actually honor the idea of a *debt limit*, like...why have one if we don't actually use it? I think the Republicans are the adults in the room...sorry! But Republicans won't cut the war spending and end the Bush tax cuts. So they aren't adults either. I think we've gotten to the point where we've legislated the US out of existence (speaking from the soon new Republic of Ecotopia). Often quoted text on the fall of democracies: When the thirteen colonies were still a part of England, Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian republic over two thousand years previous to that time: A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage. Alexander Tyler
[FairfieldLife] Sign Senator Sanders Share the Sacrifice letter to Obama
Senator Bernie Sanders has a letter to Obama that you can sign on his web site. Currently it is at 96K+ signatures: http://sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=c1fd7f9b-abd8-4e7a-a370-1867881259d8
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... wrote: I put this in the category of: so and so poster should post differently than they do because it is not my preference. I put it in a different category. I put in the category of someone who is in a rut, and basically can't post much of anything without a put down of some kind. Rather than trying to change Barry, I suggest you post the kind of posts you prefer and let like minded posters riff off your creative stuff. Well, I guess I'm not constituted like that. I expect people to call me on my crap, and I will do the same to them. I haven't developed that degree of eqanimity. No one is a victim of anyone's POV here. Express your own and show us why your POV should be considered. Thanks for the advice, or the preaching. I will take it under consideration. But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. I'm not asking anyone to change. I'm making a suggestion to Barry in the same vein as he is always making suggestions to those he considers to be TBs. Perhaps you see only one side of it. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@ wrote: Yea, the post was getting some positive feedback so I went back and reread it. You're right. It started off neat. I know this will sound weird, but we all know what a dog is like who is hand shy. Even the hand that comes down to pet him, (usually a neighbor or friend will elicit a drawing back response. That is the way I kind of am with Barry's posts. I know there is some good stuff, but Ialso know what is likely to come. This may make me come off as a pussy. But so be it. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, whynotnow7 whynotnow7@ wrote: I had the same thought, but decided to self edit that stuff out. Ironically the only reason the TM/TB stuff kept intruding was the rest of the imagery was so good! Belgian chocolate, a train through the European countryside...who can't imagine themselves there? Sounded expansive and comfortable, wanted to hear more about that ride. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray1 steve.sundur@ wrote: Here's a thought. A persistant theme in your posts is MMY as an average guy. Could all the (supposed at least) TBers accept such a premise, and why not try it on for size. Maybe challenge yourself and try posting without the persistant mocking and continual referral to the TMO. Yea, I think many your insights are interesting. But I read your posts knowing that the put down is always right around the corner, and rarely am I disappointed. Seems like you came up with two of three in this post. (I don't feel like re-reading). But Purusha brewed beer as Yak piss. Pretty much the typical fare you provide. Sorta not funny anymore. At least for me. Maybe others like it. P.S. At the risk of appearing weak, I hope you don't respond, or even read my posts, because I like you, and dislike having to take the position of chastising a friend. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@ wrote: Sitting in my window seat on the fast train back to the Netherlands, I watch the Belgian landscape zip past and try to figure out what makes it different from the Dutch landscape. Probably the same thing that made Brussels so different from Den Haag or Amsterdam -- the French influence. It was a real pleasure to hear French spoken again, and to watch the lips of the women speaking it. There is something about the French language that makes me think it was invented by a God who -- unlike the God of Shankara who saw women as corpses or bags of feces -- LOVED women and wanted to see them at their best. Speaking French causes one's mouth to move in ways that no other language I am familiar with does, ways that are tremendously flattering to women. Add to that the fact that the women were on the whole dressed more in the French style (uh...stylish) than the Dutch style (uh...not so much), and I had a wonderful time. It was just a short business trip, but the business part was over by midday yesterday, so I've gotten to spend the rest of the time as a guy on vacation, doing what a guy like me does while on vacation. That is, walking around taking in the sights, visiting a couple of Brussels' treasure trove of Art Nouveau museums, and sitting in cafes writing. Not everybody's idea of a holiday, but it is for me. One of the high points of the journey was sitting on the Grand Place and connecting real-time over the Internet with a friend who was sitting on the front porch of his new house in Arunachala, India, former home
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Sal Sunshine salsunshine@... wrote: But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. Not to mention arrogant and controlling. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course... My favorite line in the latest control-fest: try posting without the persistant mocking and continual referral to the TMO because *I* don't approve of it, *I'm* tired of reading it, etc. I gotta say Sal, that you have always seemed to me in many instances to exemplify the double standard. But I don't care to indulge in these same tired disputes and accusations. If you see me as arrogant and controlling, then maybe I am.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ wrote: I put this in the category of: so and so poster should post differently than they do because it is not my preference. Rather than trying to change Barry, I suggest you post the kind of posts you prefer and let like minded posters riff off your creative stuff. IOW, Steve should post differently than he does because it is not my preference? Did I get that right? That's the way I saw it. Curtis exhibiting the same behavior he is accusing me of. No one is a victim of anyone's POV here. Express your own and show us why your POV should be considered. But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. Curtis is obviously making a bid here for Barry's Master of Inadvertent Irony title.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... wrote: Yeah, I guess there is no way to make this point and not have this hypocritical angle. Maybe this is why Curtis is held in high regard here.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Republicans Are Intentionally Sabotaging the Economy
Whether it is possible to sabotage the economy, the Republican strategy of focusing on the economy might have the desired payoff. While economic cycles tend not to correlate with administrations as a matter of perceived cause and effect, presidential wins and losses do seem to. The economy was beginning to go down at the end of Clinton's term and Bush came into office even though the economy was quite strong under the Clinton administration. As GW Bush's term ended, the economy was starting to go down again though it had improved a whole lot during his administration, and Obama came into office. When jobs are scarce, presidents tend not to be re-elected, or the dominant party suffers losses. This is a loose correlation, but it is significant. If the economy falters, Obama will be in trouble. My long ago (infant time) home Greece is not suffering because of conservative politics, it is suffering from excessive spending. Yet the austerity measures being forced on it to get more cash will probably hinder the economy too, and some of these ideas are conservative ideas. This matter of how a particular party's policies affect various classes and the economy is only partially true, and the ideology of each of the sides never has really proved an adequate solution, though each side believes its ideas are the solution. The relationship between government policy, business viability, employment, benefits and so on, has never been clearly understood. If it was, there would be a definite agreed upon plan. In other words there is no science or much practical knowledge here, only opinion that has not been adequately sorted out by definitive test, and manipulation to keep one's ideological bedfellows in a job. There have been good times under Democrats and good times under Republicans, and the reverse. But they both want to keep their jobs too, and that might be a conflict as well. Should a public servant sacrifice his public trust to keep his or her job? --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rflex@... wrote: Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office. ~~Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, October 2010 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44688.html http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44688.html To those of us observing, this comes as no surprise. A year ago I wrote about it here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/corporations-sit-18-trillion-until-the\ y-get , and expanded on it here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/corporate-ceos-teach-economic-catch-22\ -boog , here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/us-chamber-commerce-committing-treason\ and here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/mark-kirks-bejing-fundraiser . And now, Senator Schumer has hammered that home in this speech at EPI http://www.epi.org/pages/7254/ . And we need to start asking ourselves an uncomfortable question � are Republicans slowing down the recovery on purpose for political gain in 2012? It's one thing for them to block programs they have always opposed. But when they start to contradict themselves by opposing programs they have supported�such as pro-business tax cuts�we are left to wonder. Let's not forget � Senator McConnell made it clear last October that his number one priority, above everything else, is to defeat President Obama. And now it is becoming clear that insisting on a slash-and-burn approach may be part of this plan � it has a double-benefit for Republicans: it is ideologically tidy and it undermines the economic recovery, which they think only helps them in 2012. The result is that Republicans aren`t just opposing the President any more. They are opposing the economic recovery itself � and all that means for America's working and middle class families. It's about damn time someone called the naked emperor out. I am so tired of hearing the press memes about Obama this, Obama that, and how it's all going to land on the head of Obama. No. These crazy lunatics on the right are colluding with their corporate brothers to bring down this economy with the assistance of the media. During the Bush administration the debt ceiling had to be raised several times. Note the difference in how it was covered http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chromeie=UTF-8q=2006+debt+ceili\ ng#q=debt+ceiling+votehl=ennewwindow=1sa=Xtbs=tl:1,tl_num:50,tll:200\ 2/01,tlh:2002/12prmd=ivnsei=V-sMTszhJ6LmiALYua31DQved=0CDsQyQEoAwbav\ =on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.fp=2c63c615173ea9f3biw=1296bih=647 from 2001-2008. The Beltway media was certainly willing to report an increase as a 'painful vote', but not one in question. There was never any question that the debt ceiling would be increased then. The only question then was whether the debt ceiling would be raised while the Bush tax cuts were cemented in at the same time. They were. If
Re: [FairfieldLife] Republicans Are Intentionally Sabotaging the Economy
On 07/01/2011 02:04 PM, do.rflex wrote: Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office. ~~Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, October 2010 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44688.html http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44688.html To those of us observing, this comes as no surprise. A year ago I wrote about it here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/corporations-sit-18-trillion-until-the\ y-get , and expanded on it here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/corporate-ceos-teach-economic-catch-22\ -boog , here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/us-chamber-commerce-committing-treason\ and here http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/mark-kirks-bejing-fundraiser . And now, Senator Schumer has hammered that home in this speech at EPI http://www.epi.org/pages/7254/ . And we need to start asking ourselves an uncomfortable question – are Republicans slowing down the recovery on purpose for political gain in 2012? It's one thing for them to block programs they have always opposed. But when they start to contradict themselves by opposing programs they have supported—such as pro-business tax cuts—we are left to wonder. Let's not forget – Senator McConnell made it clear last October that his number one priority, above everything else, is to defeat President Obama. And now it is becoming clear that insisting on a slash-and-burn approach may be part of this plan – it has a double-benefit for Republicans: it is ideologically tidy and it undermines the economic recovery, which they think only helps them in 2012. The result is that Republicans aren`t just opposing the President any more. They are opposing the economic recovery itself – and all that means for America's working and middle class families. It's about damn time someone called the naked emperor out. I am so tired of hearing the press memes about Obama this, Obama that, and how it's all going to land on the head of Obama. No. These crazy lunatics on the right are colluding with their corporate brothers to bring down this economy with the assistance of the media. During the Bush administration the debt ceiling had to be raised several times. Note the difference in how it was covered http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chromeie=UTF-8q=2006+debt+ceili\ ng#q=debt+ceiling+votehl=ennewwindow=1sa=Xtbs=tl:1,tl_num:50,tll:200\ 2/01,tlh:2002/12prmd=ivnsei=V-sMTszhJ6LmiALYua31DQved=0CDsQyQEoAwbav\ =on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.fp=2c63c615173ea9f3biw=1296bih=647 from 2001-2008. The Beltway media was certainly willing to report an increase as a 'painful vote', but not one in question. There was never any question that the debt ceiling would be increased then. The only question then was whether the debt ceiling would be raised while the Bush tax cuts were cemented in at the same time. They were. If we could possibly get the media to actually report what Republicans are doing -- bankrupting the country, stalling any economic growth for short-term Republican gains, keeping unemployment rates high by decimating the ranks of government employees, and more -- maybe there would be an opportunity to move past the stupid finger-pointing into some thoughtful debate about how wrong it is to keep tax rates low while the entire country suffers as a result. http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/republicans-are-intentionally-sabotagin\ g-ec http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/republicans-are-intentionally-sabotagi\ ng-ec Republicans are a bunch of Koch Suckers. :-D To subscribe, send a message to: fairfieldlife-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!'Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: fairfieldlife-dig...@yahoogroups.com fairfieldlife-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: fairfieldlife-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[FairfieldLife] Goverrnor Walker's policys already paying off in Wisconsin!
http://washingtonexaminer.com/facebook http://washingtonexaminer.com/twitter http://washingtonexaminer.com/rss-feeds-directory [Click here to find out more!] http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v8/3b37/0/0/%2a/o;240043241;0-0;0;347\ 74932;2-120/90;41727021/41744808/1;;%7Esscs=%3fhttp://www.uclick.com/cli\ ent/wex/ucwr/ Friday, July 1, 2011 [Home] http://washingtonexaminer.com/ Search this site: [Click here to find out more!] http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v8/3b37/0/0/%2a/y;241935044;0-0;1;347\ 74932;2-120/90;42394998/42412785/1;;%7Esscs=%3fhttp://www.macys.com Politics http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics 2.3K http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/06/union-curbs-rescue-wisco\ nsin-school-district# Share Print Comments http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/06/union-curbs-rescue-wisco\ nsin-school-district#disqus_thread 755 http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/06/union-curbs-rescue-wisco\ nsin-school-district#disqus_thread Union curbs rescue a Wisconsin school district By: Byron York http://washingtonexaminer.com/people/byron-york | Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork http://twitter.com/ByronYork | 06/30/11 8:05 PM [AP Photo/Green Bay Press-Gazette, Corey Wilson] http://washingtonexaminer.com/files/blog_images/9fdbcae842c3450ef10e6a7\ 067009cbf.jpg Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signs his first budget in front of supporters gathered at Fox Valley Metal Tech in Ashwaubenon, Wis., on Sunday, June 26, 2011. The budget helped save the struggling Kaukauna School District, in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin. This is a disaster, said Mark Miller, the Wisconsin Senate Democratic leader, in February after Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed a budget bill that would curtail the collective bargaining powers of some public employees. Miller predicted catastrophe if the bill were to become law -- a charge repeated thousands of times by his fellow Democrats, union officials, and protesters in the streets. Now the bill is law, and we have some very early evidence of how it is working. And for one beleaguered Wisconsin school district, it's a godsend, not a disaster. The Kaukauna School District, in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin near Appleton, has about 4,200 students and about 400 employees. It has struggled in recent times and this year faced a deficit of $400,000. But after the law went into effect, at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, school officials put in place new policies they estimate will turn that $400,000 deficit into a $1.5 million surplus. And it's all because of the very provisions that union leaders predicted would be disastrous. In the past, teachers and other staff at Kaukauna were required to pay 10 percent of the cost of their health insurance coverage and none of their pension costs. Now, they'll pay 12.6 percent of the cost of their coverage (still well below rates in much of the private sector) and also contribute 5.8 percent of salary to their pensions. The changes will save the school board an estimated $1.2 million this year, according to board President Todd Arnoldussen. Of course, Wisconsin unions had offered to make benefit concessions during the budget fight. Wouldn't Kaukauna's money problems have been solved if Walker had just accepted those concessions and not demanded cutbacks in collective bargaining powers? The monetary part of it is not the entire issue, says Arnoldussen, a political independent who won a spot on the board in a nonpartisan election. Indeed, some of the most important improvements in Kaukauna's outlook are because of the new limits on collective bargaining. In the past, Kaukauna's agreement with the teachers union required the school district to purchase health insurance coverage from something called WEA Trust -- a company created by the Wisconsin teachers union. It was in the collective bargaining agreement that we could only negotiate with them, says Arnoldussen. Well, you know what happens when you can only negotiate with one vendor. This year, WEA Trust told Kaukauna that it would face a significant increase in premiums. Now, the collective bargaining agreement is gone, and the school district is free to shop around for coverage. And all of a sudden, WEA Trust has changed its position. With these changes, the schools could go out for bids, and lo and behold, WEA Trust said, 'We can match the lowest bid,' says Republican state Rep. Jim Steineke, who represents the area and supports the Walker changes. At least for the moment, Kaukauna is staying with WEA Trust, but saving substantial amounts of money. Then there are work rules. In the collective bargaining agreement, high school teachers only had to teach five periods a day, out of
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: 'Republicans Want the USA to Default, why?'...
On 07/01/2011 03:50 PM, Bhairitu wrote: On 07/01/2011 01:47 PM, wgm4u wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robertbabajii_99@... wrote: The Republicans want the United States to default, Rather that add more taxes for the richest and greediest amoung us... Hiding behind a wall of supposed 'Christianity'... These are the same dudes that Jesus chased out of the Temple... And for the same charge, as they level against President Obama, That of 'Sedition'... If they no longer inflict the pain of 'He really wasn't borned here...' And other lies and nonsense... So, now, that will go to any evil lengths, in their psychopathic plow... To undermine our own country and the world's economy... Just to make their silly point, of complete lack of spiritual reverence... And, they're complete subversion of 'Chist-Like values'... They are a disgrace, and only reveal the 'Darker Side' of humanity... The compassionless, cold and calculating egoic, cold cold logic, for Unbridled Lust and Greed and Cowardess gone mad! r. I think the Republicans want to actually honor the idea of a *debt limit*, like...why have one if we don't actually use it? I think the Republicans are the adults in the room...sorry! But Republicans won't cut the war spending and end the Bush tax cuts. So they aren't adults either. I think we've gotten to the point where we've legislated the US out of existence (speaking from the soon new Republic of Ecotopia). Often quoted text on the fall of democracies: When the thirteen colonies were still a part of England, Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian republic over two thousand years previous to that time: A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage. Alexander Tyler Oh I forgot that this is a disputed piece of text (gotta beat you know who to saying so linking to snopes) but I think conceptually it seems to play out.
[FairfieldLife] Post Count
Fairfield Life Post Counter === Start Date (UTC): Sat Jun 25 00:00:00 2011 End Date (UTC): Sat Jul 02 00:00:00 2011 701 messages as of (UTC) Fri Jul 01 23:43:14 2011 50 nablusoss1008 no_re...@yahoogroups.com 50 authfriend jst...@panix.com 44 whynotnow7 whynotn...@yahoo.com 43 Ravi Yogi raviy...@att.net 38 turquoiseb no_re...@yahoogroups.com 37 seventhray1 steve.sun...@sbcglobal.net 34 Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net 29 RoryGoff roryg...@hotmail.com 28 richardjwilliamstexas willy...@yahoo.com 27 Bob Price bobpri...@yahoo.com 23 sparaig lengli...@cox.net 23 Robert babajii...@yahoo.com 22 curtisdeltablues curtisdeltabl...@yahoo.com 21 cardemaister no_re...@yahoogroups.com 19 maskedzebra no_re...@yahoogroups.com 18 Xenophaneros Anartaxius anartax...@yahoo.com 18 Tom Pall thomas.p...@gmail.com 18 Rick Archer r...@searchsummit.com 17 wayback71 waybac...@yahoo.com 16 raunchydog raunchy...@yahoo.com 12 Vaj vajradh...@earthlink.net 12 Sal Sunshine salsunsh...@lisco.com 11 Alex Stanley j_alexander_stan...@yahoo.com 10 emptybill emptyb...@yahoo.com 9 do.rflex do.rf...@yahoo.com 7 wgm4u wg...@yahoo.com 7 John jr_...@yahoo.com 7 Denise Evans dmevans...@yahoo.com 5 merlin vedamer...@yahoo.de 5 azgrey no_re...@yahoogroups.com 5 PaliGap compost...@yahoo.co.uk 4 feste37 fest...@yahoo.com 4 Mike Dixon mdixon.6...@yahoo.com 3 danfriedman2002 danfriedman2...@yahoo.com 3 at_man_and_brahman at_man_and_brah...@sbcglobal.net 3 wle...@aol.com 3 Buck dhamiltony...@yahoo.com 2 raviyogi2009 raviy...@att.net 2 Jean jeanjes...@q.com 1 sittingduck165203 no_re...@yahoogroups.com 1 shanti2218411 kc...@epix.net 1 obbajeeba no_re...@yahoogroups.com 1 mleroygoffiv roryg...@hotmail.com 1 merudanda no_re...@yahoogroups.com 1 jr_esq jr_...@yahoo.com 1 eustace10679 no_re...@yahoogroups.com 1 babajii_99 babajii...@yahoo.com 1 anartaxius anartax...@yahoo.com 1 FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 1 Duveyoung no_re...@yahoogroups.com 1 Dick Mays dickm...@lisco.com Posters: 51 Saturday Morning 00:00 UTC Rollover Times = Daylight Saving Time (Summer): US Friday evening: PDT 5 PM - MDT 6 PM - CDT 7 PM - EDT 8 PM Europe Saturday: BST 1 AM CEST 2 AM EEST 3 AM Standard Time (Winter): US Friday evening: PST 4 PM - MST 5 PM - CST 6 PM - EST 7 PM Europe Saturday: GMT 12 AM CET 1 AM EET 2 AM For more information on Time Zones: www.worldtimezone.com
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sign Senator Sanders Share the Sacrifice letter to Obama
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote: Senator Bernie Sanders has a letter to Obama that you can sign on his web site. Currently it is at 96K+ signatures: http://sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=c1fd7f9b-abd8-4e7a-a370-1867881259d8 Obama uses his bully-pulpit to give the Republicans hell for about two minutes, then he caves. Blaming the Republicans, They suck worse is a lousy campaign slogan. If Obama wants to win in 2012 he has to stop acting like a Republican selling out to rich people, and start standing up for the elderly, working class, the poor and women. Bernie Sanders on Youtube: Dear Mr. President http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4axvr3n-ABU Meanwhile, Randians are hell bent on defaulting on our debt. They want to see total economic collapse so they can replace our current system with a libertarian paradise. Stephen Colbert asked libertarian, drown government in a bathtub Grover Norquist, about his don't raise taxes pledge he had Republican lawmakers sign, and whether he'd allow grandmothers across the country be terrorized or allow higher taxes. Norquist responded by saying that I think we console our self with the fact that we have pictures. http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/stephen-colbert-asks-grover-norquist-choos
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sign Senator Sanders Share the Sacrifice letter to Obama
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote: Senator Bernie Sanders has a letter to Obama that you can sign on his web site. Currently it is at 96K+ signatures: http://sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=c1fd7f9b-abd8-4e7a-a370-1867881259d8 Obama uses his bully-pulpit to give the Republicans hell for about two minutes, then he caves. Blaming the Republicans, They suck worse is a lousy campaign slogan. If Obama wants to win in 2012, he has to stop acting like a Republican, selling out to rich people and start standing up for the elderly, working class, the poor and women. Bernie Sanders on Youtube: Dear Mr. President http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4axvr3n-ABU Meanwhile, Randians are hell bent on defaulting on our debt. They want to see total economic collapse so they can replace our current system with a libertarian paradise. Stephen Colbert asked libertarian, drown government in a bathtub Grover Norquist, about his don't raise taxes pledge he had Republican lawmakers sign, and whether he would allow grandmothers across the country be terrorized or allow higher taxes. Norquist responded by saying that I think we console our self with the fact that we have pictures. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/390707/june-27-2011/grover-norquist
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Sal Sunshine salsunshine@... wrote: On Jul 1, 2011, at 10:56 AM, curtisdeltablues wrote: snip But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. Not to mention arrogant and controlling. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course... Of course not. How could there be? Your Maximum Leader does it all the time. And here Sal is, joining Curtis in doing it as well. (To his credit, Curtis was able to recognize the hypocrisy when it was called to his attention. Sal won't be, needless to say. And I fully expect Barry to launch a rant against Steve and everyone else whose posts he doesn't like off of Curtis's post.)
[FairfieldLife] In the Beginning
http://abstrusegoose.com/79
[FairfieldLife] Re: Sneltrein Musings
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ wrote: I put this in the category of: so and so poster should post differently than they do because it is not my preference. Rather than trying to change Barry, I suggest you post the kind of posts you prefer and let like minded posters riff off your creative stuff. IOW, Steve should post differently than he does because it is not my preference? Did I get that right? That IS pretty funny. No one is a victim of anyone's POV here. Express your own and show us why your POV should be considered. But the whole you need to change whatever... routine is not only lame, it is doomed from the start. Curtis is obviously making a bid here for Barry's Master of Inadvertent Irony title. Yeah, I guess there is no way to make this point and not have this hypocritical angle. Sure there is. Just omit the scolding and criticism, and then you won't be contradicting yourself when you make the positive suggestion.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Brain, Spirituality, Science, Metaphysics, Enlightenment, Aquinas, MZ
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Xenophaneros Anartaxius anartaxius@... wrote: snip Wayback71: Response:Yes, one of these paradigms does seem to win out - and I continue to hope that one paradigm does not have to preclude the other. Our generation is the first to have had these very real metaphysical experiences and then years later found that science is able to point to the brain and say this caused that seemingly metaphysical experience. Frankly, it is hard to take, even if totally fascinating. Judy (authfriend): Let's not forget that for all science has discovered about the brain, it hasn't yet begun to solve the hard problem of the nature of consciousness itself. There are lots of theories but no consensus, not even on a definition of consciousness. As long as that most fundamental of all issues remains a mystery, I don't think science is in a position to claim to have trumped metaphysics. Xeno:The hard problem, is a kind of odd problem. I suspect it is because of the way we define the situation that the problem exists. The hard problem: a) how does a physical system interact with a non-physical system, because these two aspects are like oil and water. How can any theory bridge the gap between something that has definite properties, and one that has no properties whatsoever. How can I prove to you that my invisible, fire-breathing (but heatless) metaphysical teddy bear exists, having no physical properties at all? Then there are these two sub questions b) does consciousness cause the brain, or c) does the brain cause consciousness. I am stuck on asking myself b and c. snip With spirit and material, or consciousness and brain, we observe they always go together, but maybe there is no causality at all, just in the same way a coin has heads and tails, a front and back side, but no one would say the front side of a coin causes the back side of the coin or vice versa -- they always come together, they are inseparable, they have a specific relationship to one another, but they do not create one another or cause one another. Thus if you have a brain, and the neurons etc., are all working in a specified way, you have consciousness. The consciousness does not come from somewhere or go somewhere, it is a property of the relationship when matter is in a certain configuration. Consciousness and matter are not mutually exclusive in the same way matter and gravitation are not mutually exclusive. They are two faces of the same coin. Yes, but if consciousness does not cause the brain, then when the brain dies, so does consciousness. That is not what most spiritual people want to think. snip large snip about philosophy snip The purpose of the metaphysical aspect of the system is to fool you into culturing the physical world in such a way to set up the proper correlations by giving you a desire that outweighs doing something else, by giving a system of belief that makes this quest important. This belief system is supposed to be temporary and serves to motivate you to get from point A to point B, or state of experience from state A to state B and so on. However only if the journey is successful, or largely successful will the metaphysical component of the journey be undone and seen for the nonsense it is. The only way to tell experientially if this has happened is if an experience occurs that results in seeing the path one has traveled never really was there. If the experience is clear enough, the desire of seeking goes away. Something new happens: you have to learn how to live your life in this world that no longer is constrained by the ideas that you previously thought were real, or true. There are no new ideas about what is real. You do not replace what goes away when this experience occurs with another set of ideas and goals. You are basically a blank slate, you are free, but the world goes on. You have to live it, you have no choice, but that no-choice is the freedom. Now you know, but cannot really explain it. I like this blank slate, no-choice knwo but not explain description. This is a very interesting the idea that the purpose of these systems of belief and meditation is only to motivate you to get from your ordinary state of awareness to enlightenment, from A to B. MMY said that, too, that the path was only the path and was meaningless once the goal was reached. And some of us buy in to that getting to B, we want what we are told enlightenment will bring. But with the science out there these days and into the future, I am betting that enlightenment will be measurable and then people will have the option to decide if they want to do something to get their brain in to that state. It might be that when the mystique of enlightenment is erased by science - no cosmic reality you are hooking up to, no reincarnation, no brownie points in future lives for being so spiritual, just a few years here on earth - people
[FairfieldLife] Nerd
http://www.hallopino.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/comix.jpg
[FairfieldLife] Is the Masked Man for real?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/Moore-LoneRanger.jpg
[FairfieldLife] Heaven is Totally snack Hell
http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/2011-03-22/index.html
[FairfieldLife] Re: Republicans protect Millionaires - Minnesota government shuts down
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, John jr_esq@... wrote: The Republicans are becoming more aggressive in pursuing their agenda. It's the American version of suicide bombing. The Minnesota government shutdown is just a preview of what the Republicans will do at the national level. In general, both major parties at the national level need to forsake their ideologies in order the solve the bigger problem of national government deficit spending and the mounting national debt. That isn't the bigger problem. The bigger problem is unemployment and its consequences throughout the economy. We need *more* government spending--MUCH more--not less, for the economy to be strong enough to fix the deficit.
[FairfieldLife] trailer trash pet taxi
http://www.missouritrailertrash.com/misc2.htm
[FairfieldLife] Re: Republicans protect Millionaires - Minnesota government shuts down
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@... wrote: We need *more* government spending--MUCH more--not less, for the economy to be strong enough to fix the deficit. Krugman has been saying this for months and he finally got support for his ideas from a hedge fund manager. The Wall Street Journal, Barton Biggs, managing partner at multibillion dollar hedge fund Traxis Partners, painted a bleak outlook for the developed world with only huge government intervention likely to improve things. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/hedge-fund-hippies/
[FairfieldLife] Re: trailer trash pet taxi
http://myredneckworld.com/ --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Yifu yifuxero@... wrote: http://www.missouritrailertrash.com/misc2.htm
[FairfieldLife] Spinning head posessed baby
http://www.thingsyouneverknew.com/product/spinning+head+possessed+baby.do#
[FairfieldLife] art that would do Salvador Dali proud
http://www.tinyurl.com/3uxpyh5
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Republicans protect Millionaires - Minnesota government shuts down
On 07/01/2011 06:21 PM, authfriend wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Johnjr_esq@... wrote: The Republicans are becoming more aggressive in pursuing their agenda. It's the American version of suicide bombing. The Minnesota government shutdown is just a preview of what the Republicans will do at the national level. In general, both major parties at the national level need to forsake their ideologies in order the solve the bigger problem of national government deficit spending and the mounting national debt. That isn't the bigger problem. The bigger problem is unemployment and its consequences throughout the economy. We need *more* government spending--MUCH more--not less, for the economy to be strong enough to fix the deficit. They don't seem to have much trouble spending on blowing up things.
[FairfieldLife] photo of an Enlightened person
http://www.smashingbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/85.jpg
