date:20130404

Uh oh, sounds like a trip to the hardware store is in order.  To purchase some 
of those child proof latches, etc.  Thank you though for sharing Maya's first 
Easter with us.  Next year however, you do realize that you must man up, put on 
that costume and evoke peals of laughter in her.  And last but not least, post 
pics to FFL  me grinning wickedly.





 From: turquoiseb no_re...@yahoogroups.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 10:09 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: President Barack Monsanto Obama
 

  
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@... wrote:

 grin and chortle but would it be possible to have a 
 few details question mark exclamation point. Were 
 eggs dyed then hidden? 

Better that than in the reverse order, n'est-ce pas? :-)

 Was the Easter Bunny mentioned? 

Not only mentioned but present, as I dressed up in
a large bunny costume and hopped furiously around
the house chasing her and demanding my eggs back.
Not really, but I did toy with the idea. :-)

 Any jelly beans and chocolate happening?

No jelly beans, but chocolate bunnies were present,
and devoured.

 Most importantly, how did she get on with the whole 
 thing?

She liked it, and turned out to be a natural at 
finding the eggs, no matter how clever the hiding
places were. This does not bode well for future
hiding places used to conceal sharp objects and 
early Christmas or birthday presents. 

 
  From: turquoiseb no_re...@yahoogroups.com
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 7:13 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: President Barack Monsanto Obama
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@ wrote:
 
  turq, I was wondering if you and your household did the 
  whole Easter egg thing for Maya. Is that a tradition in 
  Holland? 
 
 It is now. :-)

[FairfieldLife] Fwd: 15 year old girl leaves anti-gun politicians speechless

2013-04-04 Thread wleed3












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Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: President Barack Monsanto Obama

Just fyi, this post from noozguru arrived in my inbox.  However, the previous 
post from MJ, which I can see below, has not.  So definitely yahoo is being 
wonky.  Yet again! 

 From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 7:27 PM
Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: President Barack Monsanto Obama

There are certain things I like to get there but  some of their prices 
have increased just maybe not as much as some of my local supermarkets.

On 04/03/2013 02:48 PM, Michael Jackson wrote:
 Damn! We just got a Trader's Joe's here - its by far the cheapest natural 
 food type place here

   From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
 Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 2:47 PM
 Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: President Barack Monsanto Obama

 The main use of green apples is for baking or cooking such as apple
 sauce.  Years ago in downtown Seattle there was a restaurant that
 specialized in green apple pie.  According to the neighbors the tree
 never bore fruit until a year or two after I moved in.  It was too
 young.  The previous owner also put in a palm tree but it died a couple
 years ago.  I think it was too confined and probably she got a start
 from somebody as they are expensive otherwise.  I have a palm tree out
 front and my new gardener did a nice job of topping it this year.

 I don't think a happy man would enjoy digesting a rock.

 Just got back from Trader Joes.  One has to take out a second mortgage
 to shop there anymore.  I used to go once a week but now it's about once
 a month.  Food inflation is going off the charts but the sheeple don't
 want to discuss it.  I think a lot of our food is going to China because
 they'll pay more for it.  We're probably going to wind up with a
 science diet for humans. Something like kichari and if so there should
 be at least three varieties.  Overpopulation means a bleak future for
 humanity.

 On 04/03/2013 10:36 AM, Share Long wrote:
 I wonder how the apples would turn out if baked.  Anyway, ok, no cukes, no 
 watermelon, no rocks.  Though now I'm remembering something Maharishi 
 supposedly said:  that a happy man could digest a rock.  I think I'm 
 incorrigible.  Must be a pitta thing (-:

From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
 Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 11:08 AM
 Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: President Barack Monsanto Obama

 On 04/03/2013 04:23 AM, Share Long wrote:
 Angels of Yahoo at work.  I actually posted this at 8:43 pm Central on 
 Tuesday but it didn't show up in my inbox til 3:55 am Central on Wednesday. 
  I was expecting and dreading a blizzard of posts about it, especially from 
 Judy and Ann who seemed upset by my questions about Robin's recent postings.

 turq, I was wondering if you and your household did the whole Easter egg 
 thing for Maya.  Is that a tradition in Holland?

 noozguru if I offended you with my comments about the fruit trees, I 
 apologize.  I think of ayurveda as something you and I can joke about since 
 we're both into it.  Just as I think of jyotish as something John and I can 
 joke about because we're both into it.  So John, apologies to you too if I 
 offended you by my recent comment about jokes and jyotish.
 I'm not offended by much of anything.  Line on water.  However the
 apples from the tree ARE green ones and thus a bit sour and not for much
 use other than making pies. :-D

 And though I do like watermelon it tends to sit in my stomach like a
 rock.   Yup, not so good for the kapha.  Cucumbers are even worse.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: The Immortality Project

Buck, we cleaned the Fermilab of the women's Dome yesterday.  Very spiffy now.  
And my muscles are pleasantly sore.  Sorry you couldn't make it to help with 
the foam hoisting.  Hope all is going well out in your Field (-:

 From: Buck dhamiltony...@yahoo.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:41 PM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: The Immortality Project

Great post,authfriend.  We in Fairfied are certainly meditating on the cutting 
edge of this work; The Fairfield meditating community is the spiritual Fermilab 
of the Unified Field as consciousness research.  These are exciting times in 
scientific research and spiritual advancement.
I am telling you all that we who live in Fairfield in the radiance of the field 
effect of the Domes are within the the fore-front of the great research in 
this.   http://istpp.org/ 
Wishing you were here too,
-Buck in the Fermilab of the Dome
http://www.fnal.gov/

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend authfriend@... wrote:

 John Fischer, a philosophy professor at UC-Riverside, has been awarded a $5 
 million grant from the Templeton Foundation to fund essays and empirical 
 research projects related to immortality. Fisher himself doubts there is 
 such a thing, but he thinks studying the possibility from various angles 
 (including beliefs about it) will be relevant to the way we live our lives 
 at present.

 http://www.sptimmortalityproject.com/

 Here's an excerpt from a recent interview with Fischer about the Immortality 
 Project (Xeno, I wrote my posts to you before reading this):

 Q: Is it conceivable that there's a version of immortality that exists as 
 something outside the limits of the known universe, or do you have to be 
 religious to believe that? 

 A: I guess you wouldn't have to be religious. You could believe that there 
 are forces or energies or features of the physical universe which we haven't 
 yet identified or can't yet fully describe—that there was a kind of [true] 
 immortality that wouldn't have to be religious. That's possible. It's kind of 
 an abstract possibility that we can't really grasp concretely right now. But 
 I think it's possible and there's lots that we don't know.

 If you think about quantum mechanics and string theory and you try wrap your 
 mind around the possibility that there are many, many dimensions to reality, 
 not just three or four, it starts becoming very hard to comprehend. We have 
 certain concepts of present, past, future, causation, physical objects, 
 acceleration, velocity, location. We apply those ordinary concepts to our 
 ordinary lives and they work pretty well, you know? But once you start 
 thinking about quantum mechanics, string theory, the ordinary concepts just 
 don't apply anymore. And maybe there is a kind of immortality that we have 
 genuinely as part of the physical universe that we can't yet understand.

 Q: Or even beyond the physical universe…

 A: Yeah, beyond the physical universe that we know about. There are 
 philosophers who are dualists who think that the mind is not identical to the 
 brain. Or, if they're property dualists, they think that mental properties 
 are non-physical properties of our brains. And if you think that maybe the 
 universe has non-physical properties, maybe immortality is somehow related to 
 those.

 Q: Is there a basic incompatibility between free will and immortality? And I 
 mean true immortality, not putting my brain in a jar for extreme longevity. 

 A: Well, I'm going to answer another question first, then I'll get back to 
 your question. I definitely think that immortality in the sense of living 
 forever and not dying is completely consistent with free will. Now, if you 
 add that determinism is true or that god exists then it might rule out 
 certain kinds of freedom but I think it's still consistent with other kinds 
 of freedom and it's consistent with moral responsibility. Now, true 
 immortality, especially as conceptualized in a religious view—I don't think 
 that's typically thought of as involving free will.

 If you think about the standard Christian picture, in which you've been 
 virtuous in life and you go to heaven and you have eternal union with god, 
 that's typically not a context in which you have freedom of the will. You're 
 in a blissful union with god forever, but you don't have the freedom to 
 choose evil. You're not conceptualized as planning and acting in accordance 
 with your plans.

 http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-immortality

[FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily

2013-04-04 Thread seventhray27


The only thoughts that I have had recently is that science has not been
around that long and so it would seem to me that for most of human
existence one had to rely upon a subjective means of gaining knowledge. 
Studying the stars and constellations was certainly a form of scientific
investigation, and some good knowledge came out of that.  But having
read some of the eastern (Vedic texts) as you probably have, I am struck
by some of the detailed descriptions of our body and also our
environment that could only have been gained by a subjective means.

The other thought I had, is that gaining knowledge by a subjective means
is certainly a short cut to learning.  Yes, if there is no means to
validate it, then you can't present it as a fact.  But if you are soley
dependent on what science comes up with, then you must wait each day to
see what new fact comes out.  And that fact that may contradict a fact
that came out the day before.  Of course, this is how science
progresses, but some people may be impatient, and want some answers
right away.

What might be an example of this?  Well, an easy one might be matter and
fields.  I think many ancient text have referred to this concept, of
matter arising out of fields, or vibrations, and now it seems to be
something embraced by modern physics.

That seems to be how it works generally.  Someone has a cognition of
sorts, whether it be about gravity, or electricity and then then they
set about trying to prove or document it.

And of course I go by my own experience and the small cognitions I, and
probably most people have on a daily basis - some big, and mostly small.
I would call this the faculty of intuition, and over time, I have come
to rely on this faculty as a pretty reliable means of gaining knowledge,
and on which I may base my actions.

But again, I suspect you operate in much the same way.   (-:


--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues
curtisdeltablues@... wrote:

 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray27 steve.sundur@
wrote:
 
 
 
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues
  curtisdeltablues@ wrote:
  snip
 
   There is nothing to defend about these subjective experiences
unless
  they are claiming that they are more than that. I am not trying to
prove
  that there is no other world. I don't know. But I am saying that we
have
  not learned something new from this type of experience that should
make
  us more confident about an afterlife than the dreams we may have
enjoyed
  before waking up this morning.
 
 
  Sure. What I have noticed, for me lately, is that the subjective
means
  of gaining knowledge seems to be picking up steam. And of course, it
is
  subjective. It so happens that it seems to also have applications in
  the practical world. But for the most part, I am happy to keep my
mouth
  shut about it, and let it develop as it may.

 We may not be so far apart on this as it might appear. We may just be
drawing different lines. I am also a fan of subjective knowledge, it is
where art comes from. Even in scientific knowledge development the parts
of the brain working on problems often need channels for the creativity
to flow out. So there is a dance between conscious and unconscious that
I believe art accesses to help us use our full creativity.

 You may or may not believe there is a trans-personal component to this
process and I definitely don't see any reason to believe it yet. But it
may well turn out to be a reality in some form.

 Allowing better access to the inner intuition through creative arts is
my biggest interest in education right now. Although my goals are not
spiritual, inner is still inner and I am trying to facilitate it
expressing itself. So if there is a God in there too, he will have a
nice superhighway to roll out pimp'n large with the spinner chrome
wheels on his Escalade.

 Or not.

 But either way there are usually ways to test our knowledge that helps
us fool ourselves a bit less. That seems important.

[FairfieldLife] Confused

The subject of 'belief' has come up recently. Some here seem to think beliefs 
are somehow to be avoided, disassembled, counteracted and resisted as if they 
were negative or counter to what is best in life. I am confused about this. 

To me, a 'belief' can be arrived at by many means. Curtis mentioned the route 
of one's family, ones' upbringing as one means by which we arrive at our 
beliefs. Definitely. Other things that can result in holding a 'belief' can be 
listening to learned or wise or experienced people who we come to respect. And 
best of all, we can arrive at 'beliefs' by living life and using our ability to 
reason and intuit and understand to take what happens to us in our lives and 
transform those events, those actions and reactions, into a meaningful way in 
which we can interpret life and how, in our puny way, we can make sense of it. 
Why this process seems to be demonized here is mysterious to me - as if to hold 
beliefs is to be proof we are held in some sort of ethical or spiritual or life 
bondage; as if beliefs keep us from being open to the world and to the 
potential to really live. They can, but not necessarily.

Beliefs can be the result of a lot of hard work, a lot of hard living. They are 
hard earned nuggets of knowledge which can also be blown to smithereens in a 
moment. Beliefs are not absolute, they are there one minute and can be gone the 
next - and often should be. Stasis is not compatible with beliefs. They can be 
relevant one day and must be thrown out the next, if life or circumstance or 
deeper understanding brings us to this point of rejection of our current 
beliefs. 

Barry posted a little ditty this morning that basically proclaimed that living 
one's life relevantly or well is incompatible with possessing beliefs; it 
implied that somehow what one believes doesn't have any relationship to 
subsequent action by that person. I don't buy it. I do not see, for me, the 
need to abandon belief (they are just affirmations in my world) because they 
blind me to seeing or living life according to truth or reality. Beliefs are 
life markers; they are earned/collected/realized by living, seeing, suffering, 
rejoicing and all the other contortions we go through in a day, a month a 
decade. My beliefs are not ME but they are the result of what I have passed 
through, so far, in my existence here on Earth. I don't guard them or seek to 
preserve them in some sort of mental formaldehyde. They are here one moment and 
can be gone the next to be replaced by something else that appears more true 
than what I formerly believed. They are also inextricably connected to what I 
do, like strings attached to a puppet with the strings being my beliefs and the 
puppet being the actor, the doer. Beliefs animate me but I am not hung up in 
them. There is a relationship between our minds and what we do with this corpse 
we haul around each day and part of what is firing within our minds are our 
beliefs. Beliefs can result in great action/animation/doing they don't need to 
bind or blind or dismember.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Featuring George Fox

Founding Quakers early recognized the spiritual value of the field effect 
[Meissner Effect of the Unified Field] of group meditation.  From the early 
times of Quakerism the Quakers facilitated group meditation as part of the 
essential discipline of spiritual practice by building houses to house the 
group meditation, like we did with TM centers and residence courses.  They were 
a spiritual regeneration movement in their day just like ours was.  It was 
driven and took off by experience like TM once did and TM is in fact doing 
again over in the New TM Movement around Hagelin.  It is interesting to see how 
awakening can spread like wildfire once it is properly lit and fed.
-Buck in the Dome   

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck  wrote:

 Yep, the guy was a meditator and had number one experiences all the time 
 generating quite a 'field effect'.  A saint in his own time like we know them 
 spiritually.  We always end our Quaker Meeting silent meditation/meeting for 
 worship with, Jai George Fox.  
 -Buck
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Yifu yifuxero@ wrote:
 
  http://www.ushistory.org/penn/fox.htm
  
  From Sodom Had No Bible by Leonard Ravenhill, Offspring, 1971, 2012; page 
  162:
  
  Many times Fox prophesied of future events that were revealed to him. 
  Visions often came to him. Once in Lancashire, England, as he was climbing 
  Pendle hill, he had a vision of a coming revival in that very area.  He 
  saw the countryside alive with men, all moving to one place. 
  .
   In personal appearance Fox was a large man with remarkable piercing eyes. 
   His words were like a flash of lightening.  His judgment was clear, and 
  his logic convincing.  His great spiritual gift was a remarkable 
  discernment.  He seemed to be able to read the characters of men by looking 
  at them.  He likened the temperaments of people to a wolf, a serpent, a 
  lion, or a wasp.  He could meet a person and say, I see the spirit of a 
  cunning fox in you.  You have the nature of a serpent. Or, Thou art as 
  vicious as a tiger  Fox was far in advance of any other person in his day, 
  in spiritual matters.
  
  Above all, George Fox excelled in prayer.

[FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray27 steve.sundur@... wrote:

 
 The only thoughts that I have had recently is that science has not been
 around that long and so it would seem to me that for most of human
 existence one had to rely upon a subjective means of gaining knowledge. 

This seems like a false alternative that doesn't describe very well how human 
knowledge advanced before the scientific method was formalized.  I'm not sure 
what you are including in the subjective means?

For most of man's history he was able to also check his theories and amend them 
through feedback. First guy who spots a Mastodon getting taken down by a saber 
toothed tiger and thinks hey, that looks pretty good, I think I'll give that a 
try.  Second guy sees first guy get squashed and thinks, hey I think I'll try 
a stick, and also gets squashed.  Third guy says maybe we should try 
sharpening the sticks and surrounding the big guy with many many sharpened 
sticks.

True story, this was the first Vegas style All You Can Eat buffet that night.

Verifying our ideas through some external verification has been a part of our 
whole intellectual history and allowed for some of early man's best insights 
into how life works.  What the scientific method did was to formalize verifying 
our ideas into a system that took into account how prone we are to fall in love 
with our own ideas before we really know they are true.

But we have many other ways than science to evaluate if an idea has good reason 
to support our conclusions.  Science gets all the glory because it gave us the 
DVR and now I can watch TV shows when I want.  But we don't use the scientific 
method for too much in our daily life.  But we also are not just stuck only 
using the subjective means of gaining knowledge either.  We evaluate reasons to 
support our ideas.


 Studying the stars and constellations was certainly a form of scientific
 investigation, and some good knowledge came out of that. 

More than good, great!  It allowed us to navigate the planet and discover where 
the chocolate was growing.


 But having
 read some of the eastern (Vedic texts) as you probably have, I am struck
 by some of the detailed descriptions of our body and also our
 environment that could only have been gained by a subjective means.

I might have to see what examples you are referring to.  But man's medical 
systems evolved with a lot of trial and error and where ancient medical systems 
are weakest is in areas where it was harder to apply some verification to their 
subjectively generated ideas.  One of the biggest difficulties they had was not 
understanding the counter-intuitive nature of statistics, which has really 
helped us sort out what is true.  They over relied on anecdotal evidence and it 
really hurt them. In the pre-science era it was battle field doctors who were 
really learning about how the body worked through direct observation. And let's 
not discount how quickly knowledge advanced once we started to apply the 
methods of sciences.  Just in infant mortality rates alone.


 
 The other thought I had, is that gaining knowledge by a subjective means
 is certainly a short cut to learning.  Yes, if there is no means to
 validate it, then you can't present it as a fact. 

Again I see a false dichotomy here.  We live in a world of greater and lessor 
probabilities.  It is rare in our life that we go from idea to fact.  So we are 
always in a process of validating our knowledge and aren't waiting around for 
science for most of it.  We just evaluate the reasons to see if they are good 
ones.

 But if you are soley
 dependent on what science comes up with, then you must wait each day to
 see what new fact comes out.  And that fact that may contradict a fact
 that came out the day before.  Of course, this is how science
 progresses, but some people may be impatient, and want some answers
 right away.

The emotional component of how poorly suited we are to getting to facts is one 
of the things I study to help me avoid them.  Being too impatient for finding 
good reasons sounds like a really bad idea to me.  I don't want bad answers 
right away.  My biggest knowledge bin is labeled I don't know.  (Under it in 
small letters in a really cool handwriting font it says And I don't believe 
you do either.)

 
 What might be an example of this?  Well, an easy one might be matter and
 fields.  I think many ancient text have referred to this concept, of
 matter arising out of fields, or vibrations, and now it seems to be
 something embraced by modern physics.

Here I defer to I don't know.  I am inclined to believe that the looseness of 
the language is largely responsible for the so called connections between what 
physics is discovering about a realm of life that is sub sensory and which we 
have no natural intuitions about with what what discussed in the Vedas.  
Figurative language's strength is that we can all plug in the details of our 
own experience and the

[FairfieldLife] Re: Uh-oh...Oprah's off the program



   Here she is hangin' with Thich Nhat Hanh, one of
   them dreaded Buddhists.
  
  All Buddhists are TMers - Thich Nhat Hanh meditates
  every day. You're thinking that 'TM' is a special
  practice, different somehow to Zen meditation? If
  so, *exactly* how is TM different from 'Zen'
  meditation practice?
 
emptybill:
 Equal to saying that all TM'ers are Buddhists 
 because they meditate.

You obviously missed the point: everyone who mediates
is a 'Buddhist' - that's what 'Buddha' means - to 
meditate. All historians agree that Buddha was the
historical founder of the enlightenment tradition in
India.

 The usual inane B.S. from guru willy coyote.

So, let's review what we know:

Mediation, according to MMY, is based on thinking, 
so obviously a person who can't think cannot 
meditate. Go figure.

Charlie Lutes said 'Transcendental' means to go 
beyond; 'meditation' means thinking. Hence, 
'Transcendental Meditation' means to go beyond 
thinking.  

http://www.maharishiphotos.com/tmintro.html

Now, let's check the dictionary for the meaning 
of the term 'meditation'.

meditation

noun

1 to think calm thoughts in order to relax or as 
a religious activity: Sophie meditates for 20 
minutes every day.

2 to think seriously about something for a long 
time: He meditated on the consequences of his 
decision.

Source:

Cambridge University Dictionary:
http://tinyurl.com/dz5ut2

Now, lets see what Buddhist meditation teachers 
say about meditation.

What, then, should we 'do' with the mind in 
meditation? Nothing at all. just leave it, 
simply, as it is. One master described 
meditation as 'mind, suspended in space, 
nowhere.' - Sogyal Rinpoche

  Sitting meditation is like returning home to give
  full attention to and care for yourself.
 
  Deer Park Monastery, Escondido, CA
  http://deerparkmonastery.org/

[FairfieldLife] Re: Confused

I agree with most of what you say about beliefs and really enjoyed reading it.  
I am for beliefs with good reasons to support them, I am not anti belief at 
all.  A solid hard earned belief with good reasons is a wonderful asset to life 
as you described.  But I think you misinterpreted what Barry posted.

The discussion here about beliefs often revolves around people claiming that 
they are experiencing a form of reliable direct knowledge that goes beyond a 
belief.   It is an attempt to rise above the condition of the rest of us where 
our beliefs can be challenged by more evidence, the humble human condition.  We 
are proven wrong a lot so we need to evaluate our beliefs with a sort of 
parental humility that they  may not all grow up to be doctors and marry a nice 
girl.  Some people want to claim that their set of beliefs don't have such 
humble origins.  I am against that.

The way I understood Barry's graphic was directed toward the class of beliefs 
in religion.  Most religions value their belief set as the highest good.  If 
you believe in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross you will gain eternal life.  I 
understood his graphic to be placing the standard on ethical behavior for 
evaluating a person, and this is driven by the cluster of hard earned beliefs 
you described.

And of course I could be wrong but of course I am predisposed to not think so!






--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Ann awoelflebater@... wrote:

 The subject of 'belief' has come up recently. Some here seem to think beliefs 
 are somehow to be avoided, disassembled, counteracted and resisted as if they 
 were negative or counter to what is best in life. I am confused about this. 
 
 To me, a 'belief' can be arrived at by many means. Curtis mentioned the route 
 of one's family, ones' upbringing as one means by which we arrive at our 
 beliefs. Definitely. Other things that can result in holding a 'belief' can 
 be listening to learned or wise or experienced people who we come to respect. 
 And best of all, we can arrive at 'beliefs' by living life and using our 
 ability to reason and intuit and understand to take what happens to us in our 
 lives and transform those events, those actions and reactions, into a 
 meaningful way in which we can interpret life and how, in our puny way, we 
 can make sense of it. Why this process seems to be demonized here is 
 mysterious to me - as if to hold beliefs is to be proof we are held in some 
 sort of ethical or spiritual or life bondage; as if beliefs keep us from 
 being open to the world and to the potential to really live. They can, but 
 not necessarily.
 
 Beliefs can be the result of a lot of hard work, a lot of hard living. They 
 are hard earned nuggets of knowledge which can also be blown to smithereens 
 in a moment. Beliefs are not absolute, they are there one minute and can be 
 gone the next - and often should be. Stasis is not compatible with beliefs. 
 They can be relevant one day and must be thrown out the next, if life or 
 circumstance or deeper understanding brings us to this point of rejection of 
 our current beliefs. 
 
 Barry posted a little ditty this morning that basically proclaimed that 
 living one's life relevantly or well is incompatible with possessing beliefs; 
 it implied that somehow what one believes doesn't have any relationship to 
 subsequent action by that person. I don't buy it. I do not see, for me, the 
 need to abandon belief (they are just affirmations in my world) because they 
 blind me to seeing or living life according to truth or reality. Beliefs are 
 life markers; they are earned/collected/realized by living, seeing, 
 suffering, rejoicing and all the other contortions we go through in a day, a 
 month a decade. My beliefs are not ME but they are the result of what I have 
 passed through, so far, in my existence here on Earth. I don't guard them or 
 seek to preserve them in some sort of mental formaldehyde. They are here one 
 moment and can be gone the next to be replaced by something else that appears 
 more true than what I formerly believed. They are also inextricably connected 
 to what I do, like strings attached to a puppet with the strings being my 
 beliefs and the puppet being the actor, the doer. Beliefs animate me but I am 
 not hung up in them. There is a relationship between our minds and what we do 
 with this corpse we haul around each day and part of what is firing within 
 our minds are our beliefs. Beliefs can result in great action/animation/doing 
 they don't need to bind or blind or dismember.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Will LBS soon publish the words of Guru DEV? Some stand ready 2 assist him in that!!



Share Long:
 What do you think it means when he says that the 
 mind...will withdraw from samsara on its own?

The POV of Adwaita, according to the Adwaita Tradition 
of Shankaracharya, is 'consciousness is the only 
reality', everything else is an appearance based on
the senses. 

According to the founder of Adwaita in India, Adwaita 
is the realization that things and events are an 
*illusion*; and the *dispelling of illusion* by a 
process of experiential yogic transcendental 
meditation. 

Gaudapada:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudapada

In the Adwaita realization, the witness, Purusha, the 
Transcendental Person, stands all by Itself as the 
Self in Pure Consciousness *isolated* from the 
prakriti.

Adwaita is based on pure monism: there is One reality, 
all the perceptions are appearance only. GD taught 
that 'Brahman is Light; it needs no other light for 
illumination'.

The difference is the same as the difference between 
rice and paddy. Remove the skin of the paddy and it 
is rice. Similarly, remove the covering of Maya, and 
the Jiva will become Brahman. - SBS

  Will LBS soon publish the words of Guru DEV? 
 
 In reality, the aim of life is to stop the mind from 
 involvement with this world. If one engages in the 
 spiritual practice of Bhagavan and in thinking and 
 speaking about Him, the mind will start dwelling on 
 Him, and after some time, it will withdraw from 
 samsara on its own. - Swami Brahmananda Saraswati
 
 http://www.paulmason.info/gurudev/gurudev.htm
 
 'Rocks Are Melting'
 The Everyday Teachings of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati 
 [Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Jyotir Math, Himalayas, 
 1941-53] 
 Translation Edited and Annotation by Cynthia A. Humes 
 Edited and Introduction by L. B. Shriver 
 Compiled by Rameswar Tiwari 
 Clear River Press, 2001 
 http://tinyurl.com/6nl5ml

[FairfieldLife] Re: Interspecies marriage?



Yifu:
 O'Reilly exchanged words with Laura Ingraham on 
 the marriage issue

Marriage is a plot against single people to create 
inequality. Go figure.
 

 I support interspecies marriage with elves.:
 http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=1087564utm_source=cgsocietyutm_medium=cgchoiceutm_term=1087564

Re: [FairfieldLife] Confused

Ann, I agree with you.  I interpreted Barry's post as behavioral- the behavior 
of someone who professes certain beliefs and whose actions are not in line with 
said beliefs. 

Chapter 33 - If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at 
least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things. - Rene 
Descartes (1596-1650).

I like thisas *far* as possible.
  




 From: Ann awoelfleba...@yahoo.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 6:55 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Confused
 

  
The subject of 'belief' has come up recently. Some here seem to think beliefs 
are somehow to be avoided, disassembled, counteracted and resisted as if they 
were negative or counter to what is best in life. I am confused about this. 

To me, a 'belief' can be arrived at by many means. Curtis mentioned the route 
of one's family, ones' upbringing as one means by which we arrive at our 
beliefs. Definitely. Other things that can result in holding a 'belief' can be 
listening to learned or wise or experienced people who we come to respect. And 
best of all, we can arrive at 'beliefs' by living life and using our ability 
to reason and intuit and understand to take what happens to us in our lives 
and transform those events, those actions and reactions, into a meaningful way 
in which we can interpret life and how, in our puny way, we can make sense of 
it. Why this process seems to be demonized here is mysterious to me - as if to 
hold beliefs is to be proof we are held in some sort of ethical or spiritual 
or life bondage; as if beliefs keep us from being open to the world and to the 
potential to really live. They can, but not necessarily.

Beliefs can be the result of a lot of hard work, a lot of hard living. They 
are hard earned nuggets of knowledge which can also be blown to smithereens in 
a moment. Beliefs are not absolute, they are there one minute and can be gone 
the next - and often should be. Stasis is not compatible with beliefs. They 
can be relevant one day and must be thrown out the next, if life or 
circumstance or deeper understanding brings us to this point of rejection of 
our current beliefs. 

Barry posted a little ditty this morning that basically proclaimed that living 
one's life relevantly or well is incompatible with possessing beliefs; it 
implied that somehow what one believes doesn't have any relationship to 
subsequent action by that person. I don't buy it. I do not see, for me, the 
need to abandon belief (they are just affirmations in my world) because they 
blind me to seeing or living life according to truth or reality. Beliefs are 
life markers; they are earned/collected/realized by living, seeing, suffering, 
rejoicing and all the other contortions we go through in a day, a month a 
decade. My beliefs are not ME but they are the result of what I have passed 
through, so far, in my existence here on Earth. I don't guard them or seek to 
preserve them in some sort of mental formaldehyde. They are here one moment 
and can be gone the next to be replaced by something else that appears more 
true than what I formerly believed. They are also
 inextricably connected to what I do, like strings attached to a puppet with 
the strings being my beliefs and the puppet being the actor, the doer. Beliefs 
animate me but I am not hung up in them. There is a relationship between our 
minds and what we do with this corpse we haul around each day and part of what 
is firing within our minds are our beliefs. Beliefs can result in great 
action/animation/doing they don't need to bind or blind or dismember.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Simple but profound



turquoiseb:
 If more people understood this, the world would be a 
 better place. What you believe doesn't mean shit. All 
 that matters is what you do.

So, that's your belief? LoL!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_yoga

 [https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/3628_51806380157\
 2630_834551898_n.jpg]

[FairfieldLife] Re: Simple but profound

2013-04-04 Thread Xenophaneros Anartaxius

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@... wrote:

 If more people understood this, the world would be a better place.
 What you believe doesn't mean shit. All that matters is what you do.
 
  
 https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/3628_51806380157\
2630_834551898_n.jpg

Barry, I think (hypotheticaly that is) that this is best stated from a first 
person ontology POV 'What I believe *IS* shit'. And if I impose my belief on 
you, and have this perspective, it might (a big if in the world of belief), 
help me to see what I am attempting to shovel down your throat, and recognising 
this, modify my behaviour.

This is not emphasised much in most spiritual traditions, because they seem to 
have devolved into promoting belief rather than illuminating this aspect of 
spiritual growth.

[FairfieldLife] to Robin 2

Robin, it is my experience that life reality is always making contact with us; 
that any filtering of that contact is also done by life reality though it may 
seem like the individual is doing it!  There are stories of people going 
through trauma and their later reports suggest that the system at least 
partially shut down all by itself for the sake of avoiding overwhelm and 
surviving.  

I think we are all doing this to some degree or another all the time.  If only 
to avoid being overwhelmed by all the sensory data being presented to us at 
every nanosecond.  And I think the decrease of the need for filtering is one 
way to describe human development.  So I am at a certain level of development 
with reference to this.  As is everyone else.  No need to feel sad on my 
account.  I am simply at a less developed stage than you are probably.  

Referring back to Emily's quote from Descartes we could say that I am going as 
far as possible in doubting everything.  Just as is everyone else!

And from Salyavin:  Another explanation is that maybe we just don't know enough 
about the nature of reality yet? 

I did say that it seemed you were expressing a grudge against turq.  I 
apologize for misjudging you about that and about your interaction
 with Curtis.  And I apologize to Doc if it seemed I was mocking him.  Indeed I 
enjoyed his post about this.

It is my experience also that the
 tragic and the beautiful can be exquisitely intertwined.    

PS  I saw your post in one of Ann's and retrieved it from Message View.  It has 
not yet appeared in my yahoo inbox.

Fair enough, Share. Thanks. I was acting in both my analysis of Barry and in my
two posts to Curtis, from a clear conscience and a loving heart. I do not carry
or have grudges--never have. My analysis came from a direct perception, and I
believe it to be something that can be tested against one's experience. No one
with any intelligence could fail to comprehend what I said. Indeed Curtis said
it was formulaic, simple, and unsophisticated.

In my two posts to Curtis I was acting honourably and appropriately, given what
he had written to Ann about me and about his friend and then in his contemptuous
reference to DrD.

You will understand, then, Share, that as far as I am concerned my motives to
write what I wrote were unimpeachable. You will realize therefore that your
characterization of those posts gravely contradicts my conscious intention and
experience--and make a mockery of those posters who chose to respond to what I
have written in terms which coincide with my intention and experience.

What this disagreement turns on then, Share, is the quality of truthfulness I
exercised in writing that analysis of Barry, and in my two posts to Curtis
versus the quality of truthfulness you are exercising in telling me I was in the
case of the analysis of Barry expressing a grudge and that I was
incomprehensible; and in the case of Curtis, that I was sarcastic and accusatory
when he had been reasonable.

You realize that if there is such a thing as truth and justice, one of us--since
we are so polarized in our interpretations of these three events--is mistaken.
Since there is no way to reconcile our respective judgments of this matter.

I have given my explanation for how I understand why you wrote to authfriend
asking why I wrote those posts and why you have written as you have here.
Because the matter of free will is problematic for me metaphysically, I cannot
accuse you of deliberating choosing to act in a way which you know was false.
But I will say, Share, that you have a meta-phobia about making any sort of
contact with life when it wishes to force its own interpretation upon you. You
appear to me to be governed by some profound form of reality denial--and you can
never escape from this.

The sense of the tragic is, as fas I am concerned (Maharishi missed this) built
into the nature of life as we human beings know it. I choose to embrace the
tragic, and believe you can never get close to any kind of truth which means
anything unless you are willing to suffer to know what is the beautiful.
You--perhaps uncontrollably--flee from where reality would wish to hold you.

It is a cause of sadness in me, Share. But you enlist all your resources in the
service of protecting yourself against any chance realty might coercively impose
its meaning upon you, instead of your imposing your philosophy on reality.

My analysis of Barry, and then my two posts to Curtis, create real metaphysical
discomfort in you; and you are compelled therefore to construe those posts in a
form which will insulate you from the experience they were designed to produce.

A hummingbird's wing moves more slowly than does your hidden anxiety, Share, as
you seek to blow out the fire of existence itself and substitute your necessary
sentimentality.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Confused

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... 
wrote:
(snip)
 The way I understood Barry's graphic was directed toward
 the class of beliefs in religion.  Most religions value
 their belief set as the highest good.  If you believe in
 Jesus' sacrifice on the cross you will gain eternal life.

However, most religions have an extensive set of beliefs
concerning right behavior. In fact, many religionists
insist that secularism leaves us without any solid ethical
or moral standards.

(Also, ironically, the saying in Barry's graphic is just
another version of the Golden Rule found at the basis of
virtually every religion.)

 I understood his graphic to be placing the standard on
 ethical behavior for evaluating a person, and this is
 driven by the cluster of hard earned beliefs you described.

Just out of curiosity, Curtis, how would you evaluate a
person who proclaims that the world would be a better
place if more people understood the saying in the graphic,
yet himself consistently engages in profoundly unethical
behavior?

[FairfieldLife] Re: Confused



Ann:
 The subject of 'belief' has come up recently

Everyone believes in something and everyone has beliefs.
I believe in Life, what it does to you, and what you do 
back - that's what I believe. 

Without a belief, a person would be caught in the 
'regressus ad infinitum', where nothing can be known, a 
belief in itself, or fall into nihilism. Go figure.

In India, Sanjaya was neither a theist, an atheist nor 
a non-theist or a tarka, but a skeptic who doubted 
everything. 

And, there was Charvaka, a rank materialist, or 
Gosala, the latter wanted to be having a hair-blanket 
about him at all times. Go figure.

There are two ways of perceiving the same absolute 
reality; there is the transcendental plane and there is 
the active plane, the plane of mass, time, and Maya. 

According Feuerstein, Shiva symbolizes the pure, absolute
consciousness, and Devi, symbolizing the entire content 
of that consciousness, are ultimately one and the 
sametotality incarnate... 

In fact, Shiva and Shakti are interdependent - one 
cannot exist without the other, just like a man and his 
wife are two, yet one.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily

Steve, I am thoroughly enjoying this discussion between you and Curtis.  And 
I'm also enjoying how this topic is appearing in several threads simultaneously.

Anyway, I was remembering that very hot day in August 2012 when I had the green 
light and was crossing the busy intersection at Burlington and 2nd.  A red pick 
up truck was coming from the opposite direction, intending to turn left and 
coming straight at me in the process.  

Of course I realize that it was mainly empty space coming at me.  And I also 
realize that I had the right of way.  Nonetheless I halted and let him drive 
past right in front of me.    


OTOH, here's a story from the old days of the sidhis courses.  A woman told me 
that she and her son were walking across a parking lot and he was a little 
ahead of her.  Suddenly the pick up truck he was walking behind started to roll 
towards him.  What she remembered is that she ran towards the truck.  And she 
passed literally THROUGH it enough to reach the hand brake in time to save her 
son from harm.

Life is mysterious and beautiful and part of that can be the fun of trying to 
figure it out.



 From: seventhray27 steve.sun...@yahoo.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 7:35 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily
 

  
The only thoughts that I have had recently is that science has not been around 
that long and so it would seem to me that for most of human existence one had 
to rely upon a subjective means of gaining knowledge.  Studying the stars and 
constellations was certainly a form of scientific investigation, and some good 
knowledge came out of that.  But having read some of the eastern (Vedic texts) 
as you probably have, I am struck by some of the detailed descriptions of our 
body and also our environment that could only have been gained by a subjective 
means.
The other thought I had, is that gaining knowledge by a subjective means is 
certainly a short cut to learning.  Yes, if there is no means to validate it, 
then you can't present it as a fact.  But if you are soley dependent on what 
science comes up with, then you must wait each day to see what new fact comes 
out.  And that fact that may contradict a fact that came out the day before.  
Of course, this is how science progresses, but some people may be impatient, 
and want some answers right away.
What might be an example of this?  Well, an easy one might be matter and 
fields.  I think many ancient text have referred to this concept, of matter 
arising out of fields, or vibrations, and now it seems to be something embraced 
by modern physics.
That seems to be how it works generally.  Someone has a cognition of sorts, 
whether it be about gravity, or electricity and then then they set about trying 
to prove or document it.  
And of course I go by my own experience and the small cognitions I, and 
probably most people have on a daily basis - some big, and mostly small.  I 
would call this the faculty of intuition, and over time, I have come to rely on 
this faculty as a pretty reliable means of gaining knowledge, and on which I 
may base my actions.
But again, I suspect you operate in much the same way.   (-:  
  
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... 
wrote:

 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray27 steve.sundur@ wrote:
 
  
  
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues
  curtisdeltablues@ wrote:
  snip
  
   There is nothing to defend about these subjective experiences unless
  they are claiming that they are more than that. I am not trying to prove
  that there is no other world. I don't know. But I am saying that we have
  not learned something new from this type of experience that should make
  us more confident about an afterlife than the dreams we may have enjoyed
  before waking up this morning.
  
  
  Sure. What I have noticed, for me lately, is that the
 subjective means
  of gaining knowledge seems to be picking up steam. And of course, it is
  subjective. It so happens that it seems to also have applications in
  the practical world. But for the most part, I am happy to keep my mouth
  shut about it, and let it develop as it may.
 
 We may not be so far apart on this as it might appear. We may just be drawing 
 different lines. I am also a fan of subjective knowledge, it is where art 
 comes from. Even in scientific knowledge development the parts of the brain 
 working on problems often need channels for the creativity to flow out. So 
 there is a dance between conscious and unconscious that I believe art 
 accesses to help us use our full creativity.
 
 You may or may not believe there is a trans-personal component to this 
 process and I definitely don't see any reason to believe it yet. But it may 
 well turn out to be a reality in some
 form. 
 
 Allowing better access to the inner intuition through creative arts is my 
 biggest interest in education right now.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Easter Today, The Christ Resurrected

Enjoyed your poetry Buck, and the song in the link. 

Your poetry brought to mind some of the poetry of George McDonald.
http://www.poemhunter.com/george-macdonald/biography/



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck dhamiltony2k5@... wrote:

 
 They laid him in a tomb..
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr8jPvb6HE8
 
  
  As on the cross the Savior hung,
  And wept, and bled, and died;
  He poured salvation on a wretch
  That languished at His side.
  His crimes with inward grief and shame 
  The penitent confessed,
  Then turned his dying eyes to Christ, 
  And thus his prayer addressed. 
   
   Jesus, Thou Son and heir of heav'n on earth,
   Thou spotless Lamb of the Unified Field!
   I see Thee bathed in sweat and tears,
   And welt'ring in Thy blood.
   Yet quickly from these scenes of woe
   In triumph Thou shalt rise,
   Burst through the gloomy shades of death,
   And shine above the skies.

Amid the glories of that world,
Dear Savior, think on me,
And in the vict'ries of Thy death
Let me a sharer be.
His prayer the dying Jesus hears,
And instantly replies,
Today thy parting soul shall be 
With me in yonder skies.

 
 He dies! the friend of sinners dies!
 And He died on the cross for sinners, 
 Lo! Salem's daughters weep around!
 And He died on the cross for sinners.
 I love my Lord, for He first loved me, 
 And He died on the cross for sinners.
 
  
  A glor'ous band, the chosen few, 
  On whom the Spirit came, 
  Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
  And mocked the cross and flame;
  Through peril, toil, and pain they climbed 
  The steep ascent to heav'n. 
  Om Unified Field, to us may grace be giv'n
  To follow in their train. 
  
   The Unified Field inspires my heart
   To sing redeeming grace;
   Awake, my soul, and bear a part
   In my Redeemer's praise. 
   This is my dear delightful theme,
   That Jesus died for me. 
   Oh, who can be compared to Him 
   Who died upon the tree?
   
   --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wgm4u no_reply@ wrote:
   


--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Yifu yifuxero@ wrote:

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Noel-coypel-the-resurrection-of-christ-1700.jpg
   (in the air version)
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Yifu yifuxero@ 
 wrote:
 
  by Rembrandt:
  
  http://www.museumsyndicate.com/images/1/924.jpg


The implication is awesome, and the last enemy to be overcome 
is death 1 Corinthians 15:26 . Jesus resurrected his 
*physical* body 3 days (periods; physical, astral, causal) 
after death, his supreme sacrifice of love in the face of hate 
and prosecution is truly inspiring, (an example for us to 
follow), Forgive them Father, for, they know not what they 
do. Source-The Second Coming of Christ, Paramahansa Yogananda.

What a great miracle, and the disciples testified to meeting 
him again IN THE FLESH. Read Autobiography of a Yogi to hear 
other miracles of the great masters of the past.

Enlightened being have the freedom to choose to Reincarnate or 
not as pleases the Divine Lord of Creation, they are called 
Avatars.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

Nice.  I particularly like the commentary.  I looked for the Josh Thomas lyrics 
online as I was having trouble hearing them.  Not easy to find, but here is 
someone's translation.  Is this last verse the one you mean?  

At Wintergrass this year, there was a guy Joe Craven who is an amazing artist 
and educator who is forever reinventing himself and plays an incredible array 
of instruments - he has previously done a one man show there, but came with his 
new band - Mamajowali.  This was one of the pieces they played.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXnQpr6oJA 

http://joecraven.com/mamajowali


Roustabout

Oh you banjo roustabout
When you goin to the shore
I got a good gal on that other shore
Baby don't you want to go

If I had an old pairs of wings
I'd go to Nora's town
I'd sail from pine to pine
Looking for my own true love

I'd a listened to what my momma said
I wouldn't be here today
But me being young and foolish too
women lead me astray

Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet
And who's gonna glove your hand
And who's gonna do your rockabye
When your man's in a distant land

My wife left home last night
I'll tell you where I found her
Lying down in the pines
A gang of boys around her
Some was higgin it
Some was kissin it
Some was huggin it
Some was near the dell
There more rascal hangin round
Try to tear my kingdom down

Oh my lord.







 From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltabl...@yahoo.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:55 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis
 

  
I loved everything about it, thanks for posting it.  The lyrics totally rock, 
I love how she shifts from the personal to the philosophical questions. What a 
great model for songwriting.

I especially appreciate her banjo riffs.  I've been working on my African 
gourd banjo lately trying to expand my repertoire,  and it has been really 
hard to find riffs that speak to me.  There is so much what I call diddly 
dee vibe in most American banjo.  I've been going to Mali Africa for 
inspiration but her musical choices really resonate with me.  I could see 
making a song out of a riff like hers so that helps me focus my quest for cool 
riffs I can write over. Big help, thanks.

Here is my beautiful gourd banjo. Pete Ross makes them for museums and 
musicians from paintings of plantation era gourd banjos.  It has natural gut 
strings and the warmest tone.  I plan to record on it for my next CD.

http://banjopete.com/mandebanza.html

Here is the late Mike Seeger who taught me this song which I perform in some 
of my adult shows, playing a gourd banjo. (special attention to the last 
verse).  He learned if from a black man named Josh Thomas from VA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhokO8auCE

Another version with some commentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udSxPjk9EVw

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@... wrote:

 Hi Curtis:
 
 What do you think of this song?  
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQVOvRpI3rElist=ALHTd1VmZQRNqgzJoiD3jr0XCh5QpQKiJa

[FairfieldLife] Is Obama the anti-Christ?

2013-04-04 Thread salyavin808


Among other odd things, a large number of US citizens seem to think so:
* 37% of voters believe global warming is a hoax, 51% do not.
Republicans say global warming is a hoax by a 58-25 margin, Democrats
disagree 11-77, and Independents are more split at  41-51. 61% of Romney
voters believe global warming is a hoax
* 6% of voters believe Osama bin Laden is still alive

* 21% of voters say a UFO crashed in Roswell, NM in 1947 and the US
government covered it up. More Romney voters (27%) than Obama voters
(16%) believe in a UFO cover up

* 28% of voters believe secretive power elite with a globalist agenda is
conspiring to eventually rule the world through an authoritarian world
government, or New World Order.  A plurality of Romney voters (38%)
believe in the New World Order compared to 35% who don't

* 28% of voters believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks.
36% of Romney voters believe Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11, 41% do
not

* 20% of voters believe there is a link between childhood vaccines and
autism, 51% do not

* 7% of voters think the moon landing was faked

* 13% of voters think Barack Obama is the anti-Christ, including 22% of
Romney voters

* Voters are split 44%-45% on whether Bush intentionally misled about
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. 72% of Democrats think Bush lied
about WMDs, Independents agree 48-45, just 13% of Republicans think so

* 29% of voters believe aliens exist

* 14% of voters say the CIA was instrumental in creating the crack
cocaine epidemic in America's inner cities in the 1980's

* 9% of voters think the government adds fluoride to our water supply
for sinister reasons (not just dental health)

* 4% of voters say they believe lizard people control our
societies by gaining political power

* 51% of voters say a larger conspiracy was at work in the JFK
assassination, just 25% say Oswald acted alone

* 14% of voters believe in Bigfoot

* 15% of voters say the government or the media adds mind-controlling
technology to TV broadcast signals

* 5% believe exhaust seen in the sky behind aeroplanes is actually
chemicals sprayed by the government for sinister reasons

* 15% of voters think the medical industry and the pharmaceutical
industry invent new diseases to make money

* 5% of voters believe that Paul McCartney died in 1966

* 11% of voters believe the US government allowed 9/11 to happen, 78% do
not agree




From:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-the-antichrist-gl\
obal-warming-a-myth-lizard-people-controlling-the-world-conspiracy-theor\
y-research-reveals-bizarre-beliefs-prevalent-in-us-8558384.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-the-antichrist-g\
lobal-warming-a-myth-lizard-people-controlling-the-world-conspiracy-theo\
ry-research-reveals-bizarre-beliefs-prevalent-in-us-8558384.html

I'm heartened that only 7% think the moon landing was faked, I heard it
was more than that and that would be depressing from the first country
to manage it.

I'd like to see where the crossover is, whether it's the same, more or
less, 10% that believe BO is the anti-christ as believe in aliens and
Bigfoot.

Would like to see a similar census for Brits too. I don't believe any of
the above, apart from the one about alien lizard people secretly ruling
the Earth. I just want *anybody* to be in charge instead of the fuckwits
we've lumbered ourselves with.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Confused



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... 
wrote:

 I agree with most of what you say about beliefs and really enjoyed reading 
 it.  I am for beliefs with good reasons to support them, I am not anti belief 
 at all.  A solid hard earned belief with good reasons is a wonderful asset to 
 life as you described.  But I think you misinterpreted what Barry posted.

That can only be so if there was some absolute definition of that little 
saying and picture. Barry posted it, he didn't write it but in posting it he 
obviously agrees with it, believes in what it says. You might have to ask the 
original author of the graphic to know exactly what they were trying to convey 
or what they believe what they composed meant. Barry had his interpretation, 
you have yours, I have mine, Emily has hers... Or are you saying that I 
misinterpreted what Barry was saying by the mere act of posting that, or? Still 
confused I guess.
 
 The discussion here about beliefs often revolves around people claiming that 
 they are experiencing a form of reliable direct knowledge that goes beyond a 
 belief.   It is an attempt to rise above the condition of the rest of us 
 where our beliefs can be challenged by more evidence, the humble human 
 condition.

So what some here reject is a belief by others (at FFL) that they are 
enlightened or privy to some absolute or abiding truths and realities? It is 
not the fact that people BELIEVE things (which of course we all do, beginning 
with the belief first thing in the morning upon waking that when you swing your 
feet over the edge of the bed there will be a floor there to stand on) but that 
certain beliefs held by others are the bigger ones like, Hey, I know this 
because I am enlightened or practice the best meditation in the world. and 
that you feel somehow one's stance on something like this is inherently false? 
Is that what you are talking about, those kind of beliefs?

 We are proven wrong a lot so we need to evaluate our beliefs with a sort of 
 parental humility that they  may not all grow up to be doctors and marry a 
 nice girl.  Some people want to claim that their set of beliefs don't have 
 such humble origins.  I am against that.

Yes, we need to be open to and re-evaluate our stance, our structure 
constantly. But then, if you let it, life will certainly smack you down, prove 
you wrong, humble you at every opportunity - at least in my experience. Not 
that that is bad, just I sense a built in 
you-shall-not-get-too-big-for-your-britches agenda that life likes to use on 
me. So, I don't worry too much about consciously staying open to having my 
beliefs dashed, it happens all the time anyway.
 
 The way I understood Barry's graphic was directed toward the class of beliefs 
 in religion. 

Oh not me. But that certainly is one interpretation.

 Most religions value their belief set as the highest good.  If you believe in 
 Jesus' sacrifice on the cross you will gain eternal life.  I understood his 
 graphic to be placing the standard on ethical behavior for evaluating a 
 person, and this is driven by the cluster of hard earned beliefs you 
 described.

I see it as another way to say put your money where your mouth is or words 
are cheap just a slightly different context. Ultimately, I still stand behind 
the belief I have (at the moment) that we will naturally reflect, in our 
actions, our beliefs. It is very exhausting to believe one or two or three 
things and constantly belie those beliefs by acting in a way that does not, in 
one way or another, illustrate them. People who do this will eventually knuckle 
under, implode, collapse under this kind of duality - these forces that oppose 
each other. The interference, the lack of harmoniousness will not be 
sustainable.

 
 And of course I could be wrong but of course I am predisposed to not think so!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Ann awoelflebater@ wrote:
 
  The subject of 'belief' has come up recently. Some here seem to think 
  beliefs are somehow to be avoided, disassembled, counteracted and resisted 
  as if they were negative or counter to what is best in life. I am confused 
  about this. 
  
  To me, a 'belief' can be arrived at by many means. Curtis mentioned the 
  route of one's family, ones' upbringing as one means by which we arrive at 
  our beliefs. Definitely. Other things that can result in holding a 'belief' 
  can be listening to learned or wise or experienced people who we come to 
  respect. And best of all, we can arrive at 'beliefs' by living life and 
  using our ability to reason and intuit and understand to take what happens 
  to us in our lives and transform those events, those actions and reactions, 
  into a meaningful way in which we can interpret life and how, in our puny 
  way, we can make sense of it. Why this process seems to be demonized here 
  is mysterious to me - as if to hold beliefs is to be proof we are held in 
  some sort

[FairfieldLife] See See Um

Must be Russian Propaganda :-D
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/16/national/record-cesium-level-detected-in-fish-caught-near-fukushima-nuclear-plant/

Enjoy that tuna sandwich!
http://paloalto.patch.com/articles/stanford-uses-fukushima-radiation-to-track-tuna

The Hanford downwinders website.  Must be more Russian Propaganda.
http://www.downwinders.com/

[FairfieldLife] Re: to Robin 2

You know, Share, all this is very lovely, but it doesn't
seem to have much of anything to do with what Robin was
saying.

In fact, it appears to me to be an *example* of the very
behavior he describes: using sentimentality as a way to
insulate yourself from the metaphysical discomfort his
post produced in you.



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@... wrote:

 Robin, it is my experience that life reality is always making contact with 
 us; that any filtering of that contact is also done by life reality though it 
 may seem like the individual is doing it!  There are stories of people going 
 through trauma and their later reports suggest that the system at least 
 partially shut down all by itself for the sake of avoiding overwhelm and 
 surviving.  
 
 I think we are all doing this to some degree or another all the time.  If 
 only to avoid being overwhelmed by all the sensory data being presented to us 
 at every nanosecond.  And I think the decrease of the need for filtering is 
 one way to describe human development.  So I am at a certain level of 
 development with reference to this.  As is everyone else.  No need to feel 
 sad on my account.  I am simply at a less developed stage than you are 
 probably.  
 
 Referring back to Emily's quote from Descartes we could say that I am going 
 as far as possible in doubting everything.  Just as is everyone else!
 
 And from Salyavin:  Another explanation is that maybe we just don't know 
 enough about the nature of reality yet? 
 
 I did say that it seemed you were expressing a grudge against turq.  I 
 apologize for misjudging you about that and about your interaction
  with Curtis.  And I apologize to Doc if it seemed I was mocking him.  Indeed 
 I enjoyed his post about this.
 
 It is my experience also that the
  tragic and the beautiful can be exquisitely intertwined.    
 
 PS  I saw your post in one of Ann's and retrieved it from Message View.  It 
 has not yet appeared in my yahoo inbox.
 
 Fair enough, Share. Thanks. I was acting in both my analysis of Barry and in 
 my
 two posts to Curtis, from a clear conscience and a loving heart. I do not 
 carry
 or have grudges--never have. My analysis came from a direct perception, and I
 believe it to be something that can be tested against one's experience. No one
 with any intelligence could fail to comprehend what I said. Indeed Curtis said
 it was formulaic, simple, and unsophisticated.
 
 In my two posts to Curtis I was acting honourably and appropriately, given 
 what
 he had written to Ann about me and about his friend and then in his 
 contemptuous
 reference to DrD.
 
 You will understand, then, Share, that as far as I am concerned my motives to
 write what I wrote were unimpeachable. You will realize therefore that your
 characterization of those posts gravely contradicts my conscious intention and
 experience--and make a mockery of those posters who chose to respond to what I
 have written in terms which coincide with my intention and experience.
 
 What this disagreement turns on then, Share, is the quality of truthfulness I
 exercised in writing that analysis of Barry, and in my two posts to Curtis
 versus the quality of truthfulness you are exercising in telling me I was in 
 the
 case of the analysis of Barry expressing a grudge and that I was
 incomprehensible; and in the case of Curtis, that I was sarcastic and 
 accusatory
 when he had been reasonable.
 
 You realize that if there is such a thing as truth and justice, one of 
 us--since
 we are so polarized in our interpretations of these three events--is mistaken.
 Since there is no way to reconcile our respective judgments of this matter.
 
 I have given my explanation for how I understand why you wrote to authfriend
 asking why I wrote those posts and why you have written as you have here.
 Because the matter of free will is problematic for me metaphysically, I cannot
 accuse you of deliberating choosing to act in a way which you know was false.
 But I will say, Share, that you have a meta-phobia about making any sort of
 contact with life when it wishes to force its own interpretation upon you. You
 appear to me to be governed by some profound form of reality denial--and you 
 can
 never escape from this.
 
 The sense of the tragic is, as fas I am concerned (Maharishi missed this) 
 built
 into the nature of life as we human beings know it. I choose to embrace the
 tragic, and believe you can never get close to any kind of truth which means
 anything unless you are willing to suffer to know what is the beautiful.
 You--perhaps uncontrollably--flee from where reality would wish to hold you.
 
 It is a cause of sadness in me, Share. But you enlist all your resources in 
 the
 service of protecting yourself against any chance realty might coercively 
 impose
 its meaning upon you, instead of your imposing your philosophy on reality.
 
 My analysis of Barry, and then my two posts to Curtis, create real

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

Enjoyed reading this and visiting the links. 

I've now added Sarah Jarosz to my Pandora shuffle.

Enjoyed learning about Mamadou Sidibe. His work with the stringed West African 
instruments brought to mind Mamady Keita and his work with West African drums 
... as far as bringing the instruments international. 
http://ttmintl.org/

I played African drums for awhile (5ish years) and trained under some of 
Mamady's students turned teachers. Even got to play with Mamady on one 
occasion..when he visited and taught some classes locally. It was fun. My kids 
went too...a family affair. :)

Curtis...that gourd banjo...beautiful. 

**

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@... wrote:

 Nice. Â I particularly like the commentary. Â I looked for the Josh Thomas 
 lyrics online as I was having trouble hearing them. Â Not easy to find, but 
 here is someone's translation. Â Is this last verse the one you mean? Â 
 
 At Wintergrass this year, there was a guy Joe Craven who is an amazing artist 
 and educator who is forever reinventing himself and plays an incredible array 
 of instruments - he has previously done a one man show there, but came with 
 his new band - Mamajowali. Â This was one of the pieces they played.
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXnQpr6oJAÂ 
 
 http://joecraven.com/mamajowali
 
 
 Roustabout
 
 Oh you banjo roustabout
 When you goin to the shore
 I got a good gal on that other shore
 Baby don't you want to go
 
 If I had an old pairs of wings
 I'd go to Nora's town
 I'd sail from pine to pine
 Looking for my own true love
 
 I'd a listened to what my momma said
 I wouldn't be here today
 But me being young and foolish too
 women lead me astray
 
 Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet
 And who's gonna glove your hand
 And who's gonna do your rockabye
 When your man's in a distant land
 
 My wife left home last night
 I'll tell you where I found her
 Lying down in the pines
 A gang of boys around her
 Some was higgin it
 Some was kissin it
 Some was huggin it
 Some was near the dell
 There more rascal hangin round
 Try to tear my kingdom down
 
 Oh my lord.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@...
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:55 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis
  
 
 Â  
 I loved everything about it, thanks for posting it.  The lyrics totally 
 rock, I love how she shifts from the personal to the philosophical 
 questions. What a great model for songwriting.
 
 I especially appreciate her banjo riffs.  I've been working on my African 
 gourd banjo lately trying to expand my repertoire,  and it has been really 
 hard to find riffs that speak to me.  There is so much what I call diddly 
 dee vibe in most American banjo.  I've been going to Mali Africa for 
 inspiration but her musical choices really resonate with me.  I could see 
 making a song out of a riff like hers so that helps me focus my quest for 
 cool riffs I can write over. Big help, thanks.
 
 Here is my beautiful gourd banjo. Pete Ross makes them for museums and 
 musicians from paintings of plantation era gourd banjos.  It has natural gut 
 strings and the warmest tone.  I plan to record on it for my next CD.
 
 http://banjopete.com/mandebanza.html
 
 Here is the late Mike Seeger who taught me this song which I perform in some 
 of my adult shows, playing a gourd banjo. (special attention to the last 
 verse).  He learned if from a black man named Josh Thomas from VA.
 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhokO8auCE
 
 Another version with some commentary
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udSxPjk9EVw
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
 
  Hi Curtis:
  
  What do you think of this song? Â 
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQVOvRpI3rElist=ALHTd1VmZQRNqgzJoiD3jr0XCh5QpQKiJa

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

Fantastic. The kora is more harp like than the fretted instruments I am most 
interested in, but I love that sound too. I like the guitarists  like Ali Farke 
Toure who imitate the kora on guitar.  Here is a song I am working on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJUE03aeaQ4

That is such cool percussion Joe Craven was laying down.  That is the kind of 
rhythm that I am having difficulty with since it is so far off from my natural 
blues sense.  I was jamming with a Malian percussion guy one time and he told 
me:  you aren't leaving any space for my rhythm to come out.  It really struck 
home.  I need to regroove rhythms that African kids grow up with like 12/8 time 
if I want to play this style.  I beat the rhythm to death with Delta ax song 
rhythms and it can't breath like this. 

The jury is still out on that happening. 

The lyrics are close.

It is if I had wings like Noah's dove, I'd sail from pine to pine looking for 
my own true love. 

Much more poetic.

The line Some was near the dell should be 
Some was kneeling down.  More sinister or more exciting depending on your 
take. I always interpreted it as sort of a gang rape until my GF suggested that 
she was having the the time of her life and she took it all as consensual.  It 
fascinates me that we can have such a different take on it.  (I am also 
cautious to keep an eye on the pines near my house whenever she stays over.)



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@... wrote:

 Nice. Â I particularly like the commentary. Â I looked for the Josh Thomas 
 lyrics online as I was having trouble hearing them. Â Not easy to find, but 
 here is someone's translation. Â Is this last verse the one you mean? Â 
 
 At Wintergrass this year, there was a guy Joe Craven who is an amazing artist 
 and educator who is forever reinventing himself and plays an incredible array 
 of instruments - he has previously done a one man show there, but came with 
 his new band - Mamajowali. Â This was one of the pieces they played.
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXnQpr6oJAÂ 
 
 http://joecraven.com/mamajowali
 
 
 Roustabout
 
 Oh you banjo roustabout
 When you goin to the shore
 I got a good gal on that other shore
 Baby don't you want to go
 
 If I had an old pairs of wings
 I'd go to Nora's town
 I'd sail from pine to pine
 Looking for my own true love
 
 I'd a listened to what my momma said
 I wouldn't be here today
 But me being young and foolish too
 women lead me astray
 
 Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet
 And who's gonna glove your hand
 And who's gonna do your rockabye
 When your man's in a distant land
 
 My wife left home last night
 I'll tell you where I found her
 Lying down in the pines
 A gang of boys around her
 Some was higgin it
 Some was kissin it
 Some was huggin it
 Some was near the dell
 There more rascal hangin round
 Try to tear my kingdom down
 
 Oh my lord.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@...
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:55 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis
  
 
 Â  
 I loved everything about it, thanks for posting it.  The lyrics totally 
 rock, I love how she shifts from the personal to the philosophical 
 questions. What a great model for songwriting.
 
 I especially appreciate her banjo riffs.  I've been working on my African 
 gourd banjo lately trying to expand my repertoire,  and it has been really 
 hard to find riffs that speak to me.  There is so much what I call diddly 
 dee vibe in most American banjo.  I've been going to Mali Africa for 
 inspiration but her musical choices really resonate with me.  I could see 
 making a song out of a riff like hers so that helps me focus my quest for 
 cool riffs I can write over. Big help, thanks.
 
 Here is my beautiful gourd banjo. Pete Ross makes them for museums and 
 musicians from paintings of plantation era gourd banjos.  It has natural gut 
 strings and the warmest tone.  I plan to record on it for my next CD.
 
 http://banjopete.com/mandebanza.html
 
 Here is the late Mike Seeger who taught me this song which I perform in some 
 of my adult shows, playing a gourd banjo. (special attention to the last 
 verse).  He learned if from a black man named Josh Thomas from VA.
 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhokO8auCE
 
 Another version with some commentary
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udSxPjk9EVw
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
 
  Hi Curtis:
  
  What do you think of this song? Â 
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQVOvRpI3rElist=ALHTd1VmZQRNqgzJoiD3jr0XCh5QpQKiJa

[FairfieldLife] Re: See See Um

Bhairitu, just say, You're right, Judy, that piece on
RT.com was very misleading. It's not the case that a third
of newborns on the West Coast are likely to have thyroid
problems because of Fukushima--more like 0.007 percent of
newborns if you do the math (28 percent of 0.025 percent).
Thanks for pointing out what I missed.

BTW, many of the commenters on that article noted the same
thing.

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote:

 Must be Russian Propaganda :-D
 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/16/national/record-cesium-level-detected-in-fish-caught-near-fukushima-nuclear-plant/
 
 Enjoy that tuna sandwich!
 http://paloalto.patch.com/articles/stanford-uses-fukushima-radiation-to-track-tuna
 
 The Hanford downwinders website.  Must be more Russian Propaganda.
 http://www.downwinders.com/

[FairfieldLife] Re: Confused

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Ann awoelflebater@... wrote:

 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ 
 wrote:
 
  I agree with most of what you say about beliefs and really enjoyed reading 
  it.  I am for beliefs with good reasons to support them, I am not anti 
  belief at all.  A solid hard earned belief with good reasons is a wonderful 
  asset to life as you described.  But I think you misinterpreted what Barry 
  posted.
 
 That can only be so if there was some absolute definition of that little 
 saying and picture. Barry posted it, he didn't write it but in posting it he 
 obviously agrees with it, believes in what it says. You might have to ask the 
 original author of the graphic to know exactly what they were trying to 
 convey or what they believe what they composed meant. Barry had his 
 interpretation, you have yours, I have mine, Emily has hers... Or are you 
 saying that I misinterpreted what Barry was saying by the mere act of posting 
 that, or? Still confused I guess.


I was offering  my POV which included that you were taking it in a direction 
not intended by either the author or Barry.  I could be wrong.

  
  The discussion here about beliefs often revolves around people claiming 
  that they are experiencing a form of reliable direct knowledge that goes 
  beyond a belief.   It is an attempt to rise above the condition of the rest 
  of us where our beliefs can be challenged by more evidence, the humble 
  human condition.
 
 So what some here reject is a belief by others (at FFL) that they are 
 enlightened or privy to some absolute or abiding truths and realities? It is 
 not the fact that people BELIEVE things (which of course we all do, beginning 
 with the belief first thing in the morning upon waking that when you swing 
 your feet over the edge of the bed there will be a floor there to stand on) 
 but that certain beliefs held by others are the bigger ones like, Hey, I 
 know this because I am enlightened or practice the best meditation in the 
 world. and that you feel somehow one's stance on something like this is 
 inherently false? Is that what you are talking about, those kind of beliefs?

If you are talking about Jim he also claims to be living a live without beliefs.

 
  We are proven wrong a lot so we need to evaluate our beliefs with a sort of 
  parental humility that they  may not all grow up to be doctors and marry a 
  nice girl.  Some people want to claim that their set of beliefs don't have 
  such humble origins.  I am against that.
 
 Yes, we need to be open to and re-evaluate our stance, our structure 
 constantly. But then, if you let it, life will certainly smack you down, 
 prove you wrong, humble you at every opportunity - at least in my experience. 
 Not that that is bad, just I sense a built in 
 you-shall-not-get-too-big-for-your-britches agenda that life likes to use on 
 me. So, I don't worry too much about consciously staying open to having my 
 beliefs dashed, it happens all the time anyway.


This would be an example of our innate predisposition to assign conscious 
agency to life.  For me I need to seek out where my beliefs are held for bad 
reasons because I don't have this faith that life will do it for me.  I see 
people all the time how have effectively sheltered their beliefs from feedback 
and never changed them.  It isn't the most natural activity to think about our 
thinking.  But to each his or her own.  I am into philosophy and these 
questions are important to me. 

  
  The way I understood Barry's graphic was directed toward the class of 
  beliefs in religion. 
 
 Oh not me. But that certainly is one interpretation.
 
  Most religions value their belief set as the highest good.  If you believe 
  in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross you will gain eternal life.  I understood 
  his graphic to be placing the standard on ethical behavior for evaluating a 
  person, and this is driven by the cluster of hard earned beliefs you 
  described.
 
 I see it as another way to say put your money where your mouth is or words 
 are cheap just a slightly different context.

I agree with this.


 Ultimately, I still stand behind the belief I have (at the moment) that we 
will naturally reflect, in our actions, our beliefs.

I agree where too with most classes of beliefs.  But not always, especially 
with spiritual ones.  There are a lot of Christian right wingers who see no 
conflict between these beliefs for example.  Thou shalt not kill and give em 
the electric chair.

 It is very exhausting to believe one or two or three things and constantly 
belie those beliefs by acting in a way that does not, in one way or another, 
illustrate them. People who do this will eventually knuckle under, implode, 
collapse under this kind of duality - these forces that oppose each other. The 
interference, the lack of harmoniousness will not be sustainable.


Honestly I don't always see how you show up in your writing

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

Wow!  How cool is that Carol.  Did you find the African rhythms challenging? 
Are you a Djembe player?   I love the sound and have one but can't get into it 
too far because it wrecks my fingers for guitar. 

I also have a large talking drum from Ghana that uses a stick so it is easier 
on my hands.  I have a nice big calabash gourd drum that is cool, but again I 
am somewhat limited in how much I can strike the hard surface with my fist and 
fingers.  I could use sticks but I don't like the sharp sound as much.

I just made my dream Shekere using a big gourd I got on Ebay and I strung it 
with cowerie shells ( the currency we bought African slaves with from African 
kings) and Rudraksha beads I bought in India on the Vedic Science course.  
Rudrakshas make a fantastic percussive sound and joins my personal history with 
the African tradition.  I played it at a show recently to accompany me singing 
a Son House song that he clapped his hand for and it went over very well.  The 
thing looks amazing.







--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@... wrote:

 Enjoyed reading this and visiting the links. 
 
 I've now added Sarah Jarosz to my Pandora shuffle.
 
 Enjoyed learning about Mamadou Sidibe. His work 




with the stringed West African instruments brought to mind Mamady Keita and his 
work with West African drums ... as far as bringing the instruments 
international. 
 http://ttmintl.org/
 
 I played African drums for awhile (5ish years) and trained under some of 
 Mamady's students turned teachers. Even got to play with Mamady on one 
 occasion..when he visited and taught some classes locally. It was fun. My 
 kids went too...a family affair. :)
 
 Curtis...that gourd banjo...beautiful. 
 
 **
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
 
  Nice. Â I particularly like the commentary. Â I looked for the Josh Thomas 
  lyrics online as I was having trouble hearing them. Â Not easy to find, but 
  here is someone's translation. Â Is this last verse the one you mean? Â 
  
  At Wintergrass this year, there was a guy Joe Craven who is an amazing 
  artist and educator who is forever reinventing himself and plays an 
  incredible array of instruments - he has previously done a one man show 
  there, but came with his new band - Mamajowali. Â This was one of the 
  pieces they played.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXnQpr6oJAÂ 
  
  http://joecraven.com/mamajowali
  
  
  Roustabout
  
  Oh you banjo roustabout
  When you goin to the shore
  I got a good gal on that other shore
  Baby don't you want to go
  
  If I had an old pairs of wings
  I'd go to Nora's town
  I'd sail from pine to pine
  Looking for my own true love
  
  I'd a listened to what my momma said
  I wouldn't be here today
  But me being young and foolish too
  women lead me astray
  
  Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet
  And who's gonna glove your hand
  And who's gonna do your rockabye
  When your man's in a distant land
  
  My wife left home last night
  I'll tell you where I found her
  Lying down in the pines
  A gang of boys around her
  Some was higgin it
  Some was kissin it
  Some was huggin it
  Some was near the dell
  There more rascal hangin round
  Try to tear my kingdom down
  
  Oh my lord.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@
  To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:55 AM
  Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis
   
  
  Â  
  I loved everything about it, thanks for posting it.  The lyrics totally 
  rock, I love how she shifts from the personal to the philosophical 
  questions. What a great model for songwriting.
  
  I especially appreciate her banjo riffs.  I've been working on my African 
  gourd banjo lately trying to expand my repertoire,  and it has been really 
  hard to find riffs that speak to me.  There is so much what I call diddly 
  dee vibe in most American banjo.  I've been going to Mali Africa for 
  inspiration but her musical choices really resonate with me.  I could see 
  making a song out of a riff like hers so that helps me focus my quest for 
  cool riffs I can write over. Big help, thanks.
  
  Here is my beautiful gourd banjo. Pete Ross makes them for museums and 
  musicians from paintings of plantation era gourd banjos.  It has natural 
  gut strings and the warmest tone.  I plan to record on it for my next CD.
  
  http://banjopete.com/mandebanza.html
  
  Here is the late Mike Seeger who taught me this song which I perform in 
  some of my adult shows, playing a gourd banjo. (special attention to the 
  last verse).  He learned if from a black man named Josh Thomas from VA.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhokO8auCE
  
  Another version with some commentary
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udSxPjk9EVw
  
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
  
   Hi Curtis:
   
   What do you think of this song?

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily

Ha ha ha.  Curtis, you have not read this book, have you?  You crack me up!  
There is a lot to disagree with in it - it is almost like it is written by two 
different authors at times, but this juxtaposition is one of the interesting 
things about the book.  Here is one quote - Chapter 29 - A Common Experience - 
starts on page 131.
These books, this material (about NDE's), had all, of course, been there 
before my experience.  But, I'd never looked at it.  Not just in terms of 
reading, but in another way as well.  Quite simply, I'd never held myself open 
to the idea that there might be anything genuine to the idea that something of 
us survives the death of the body.  I was the quintessential good-natured, 
albeit skeptical doctor.  And, as such, I can tell you that most skeptics 
aren't really skeptics at all.  To be truly skeptical, one must actually 
examine something and take it seriously.  And I, like many doctors, had never 
taken the time to explore NDE's, I had simply known they were impossible.  


 From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltabl...@yahoo.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:38 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily
 

  
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@... wrote:

 What I liked about this book was that I assumed the author did not have a 
 background or belief system that was guiding his experiences - so it gave 
 his experience a different sort of credibility for me - 

Me:  I don't believe this is an option for any of us.  It gives too much 
weight to our conscious beliefs and not enough to the cultural programming as 
well as our cognitive habits. (Such as instantly ascribing conscious motives 
to even inanimate things.)

We soak in the archetypes, myths and stories of our culture.  I've certainly 
made an attempt to rid myself of many beliefs, but the conditioning runs to 
deep.

And that goes double for any experience like altered brain functioning though 
illness, injury or drugs.  Altered states are altered from our usual mix of 
our conscious attention habits, so we fall back on more primitive images and 
impressions.  Just as people experience God though the filter of their 
exposure culturally to specific versions of the idea, (allowing that Hindus 
might experience Jesus, who they have heard about, but not Zeus if they had 
not.)

And then we have archetypical images that seem to go between cultures and 
about which we understand very little, but have been pretty well described by 
Anthony Campbell as well as imaginatively (some of it unwarranted IMO) 
enhanced by Carl Jung. 

Mother and child love and intimacy is so deep in us.  Father's seemingly 
invincible protective power runs across cultures.  And not surprisingly, under 
the conditions of altered states, they pop up with a full narratives embedded 
in the full blown experience. 

So I am thinking that none of us are innocents and belief-free.  I read about 
a study that showed that atheists are no less vulnerable to ascribing agency 
to coincidence events than religious believers.  That really made me laugh, 
but it is so true.  We may think it through differently after the fact, but in 
the moment the connection emerges unbidden and uninfluenced by our more 
conscious beliefs.  Conception always guides even our experience of a chair as 
a chair.  How much more of an influence there must be under the conditions of 
altered states. 


 Ann - I am glad you are reading the book. Â Now you and I and Curtis and MJ 
 and any other readers can discuss it. Â Ha. Â When I told Curtis I would put 
 my thoughts out there - I had to go back and re-read the book! Â Â 
 
 The book showed up as a gift to me from a friend - so I read it. Â I read it 
 at face value. Â I have no background in NDE experiences and haven't read 
 much on them - interesting phenomenon though.Â 
 
 I don't want to say too much yet as you are reading it, but, as a first 
 impression, it is, in my view, a story of one man's journey from one place 
 to another and I found it interesting in several respects (don't you love 
 how I just said absolutely nothing?). Â It is not a book of great spiritual 
 or philosophical import; he scratches the surface of a lot of topics, but he 
 makes some bold statements. Â His personality, his beginning process of 
 recovery, his struggle to understand and process his NDE and experience - 
 all this comes through. Â 
 
 What I liked about this book was that I assumed the author did not have a 
 background or belief system that was guiding his experiences - so it gave 
 his experience a different sort of credibility for me - but it is clear he 
 struggled to put the non-scientific aspects of it (the parts not related to 
 his medical illness) on paper, struggled to find the words. Â 
 
 Given this assumption that I made/make - I thought his elementary and simple 
 statements somewhat astonishing. Â But, given also, the

[FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily

-- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@... wrote:

 Ha ha ha. Â Curtis, you have not read this book, have you? 

I told you I did a while back.  Why would I lie about that? Who cares how 
carefully I read it a long time ago. I have read 100 books since then.  I am 
giving my opinion on the topic from the perspective I have now, and not giving 
a book report on it since it was a while back.


Â You crack me up! Â There is a lot to disagree with in it - it is almost like 
it is written by two different authors at times, but this juxtaposition is one 
of the interesting things about the book. Â Here is one quote - Chapter 29 - A 
Common Experience - starts on page 131.
 These books, this material (about NDE's), had all, of course, been there 
 before my experience. Â But, I'd never looked at it. Â Not just in terms of 
 reading, but in another way as well. Â Quite simply, I'd never held myself 
 open to the idea that there might be anything genuine to the idea that 
 something of us survives the death of the body. Â I was the quintessential 
 good-natured, albeit skeptical doctor. Â And, as such, I can tell you that 
 most skeptics aren't really skeptics at all. Â To be truly skeptical, one 
 must actually examine something and take it seriously. Â And I, like many 
 doctors, had never taken the time to explore NDE's, I had simply known they 
 were impossible. Â 


Everything I wrote is my opinion that still applies to his not matter what he 
claims in your quote.  I think you have missed my point completely if you are 
offering this as a contrasting POV on what I wrote.  He wasn't raised by 
wolves, he was raised in our culture. 

I am not the kind of skeptic he is talking about so I don't get your point.

It is great that you got a lot out of the book.  There are a lot of books out 
there on this topic from different points of view that I encourage you to read.





 
 
  From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@...
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:38 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily
  
 
 Â  
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
 
  What I liked about this book was that I assumed the author did not have a 
  background or belief system that was guiding his experiences - so it gave 
  his experience a different sort of credibility for me - 
 
 Me:  I don't believe this is an option for any of us.  It gives too much 
 weight to our conscious beliefs and not enough to the cultural programming 
 as well as our cognitive habits. (Such as instantly ascribing conscious 
 motives to even inanimate things.)
 
 We soak in the archetypes, myths and stories of our culture.  I've certainly 
 made an attempt to rid myself of many beliefs, but the conditioning runs to 
 deep.
 
 And that goes double for any experience like altered brain functioning 
 though illness, injury or drugs.  Altered states are altered from our usual 
 mix of our conscious attention habits, so we fall back on more primitive 
 images and impressions.  Just as people experience God though the filter 
 of their exposure culturally to specific versions of the idea, (allowing 
 that Hindus might experience Jesus, who they have heard about, but not Zeus 
 if they had not.)
 
 And then we have archetypical images that seem to go between cultures and 
 about which we understand very little, but have been pretty well described 
 by Anthony Campbell as well as imaginatively (some of it unwarranted IMO) 
 enhanced by Carl Jung. 
 
 Mother and child love and intimacy is so deep in us.  Father's seemingly 
 invincible protective power runs across cultures.  And not surprisingly, 
 under the conditions of altered states, they pop up with a full narratives 
 embedded in the full blown experience. 
 
 So I am thinking that none of us are innocents and belief-free.  I read 
 about a study that showed that atheists are no less vulnerable to ascribing 
 agency to coincidence events than religious believers.  That really made me 
 laugh, but it is so true.  We may think it through differently after the 
 fact, but in the moment the connection emerges unbidden and uninfluenced by 
 our more conscious beliefs.  Conception always guides even our experience of 
 a chair as a chair.  How much more of an influence there must be under the 
 conditions of altered states. 
 
 
  Ann - I am glad you are reading the book. ÃÂ Now you and I and Curtis and 
  MJ and any other readers can discuss it. ÃÂ Ha. ÃÂ When I told Curtis I 
  would put my thoughts out there - I had to go back and re-read the book! 
  ÃÂ ÃÂ 
  
  The book showed up as a gift to me from a friend - so I read it. ÃÂ I 
  read it at face value. ÃÂ I have no background in NDE experiences and 
  haven't read much on them - interesting phenomenon though.ÃÂ 
  
  I don't want to say too much yet as you are reading it, but, as a first 
  impression, it is, in my view, a

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

2013-04-04 Thread emilymae.reyn

Yahoo is so bogged down!  Back to receiving posts late and out of order - 
email-wise.

The link doesn't work - send another?  

Joe does some incredible things - he is a master of rhythm and plays many 
genres of music.  Thanks for clarifying the lyrics.  Interesting take from your 
girlfriend - I was curious as I wasn't sure how to interpret what I was reading 
and my first take was a more sinister nature.  I prefer your girlfriend's 
thought and the last line = try to tear my kingdom down leaves room for 
exactly what she's talking about.  Ha.  

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... 
wrote:

 Fantastic. The kora is more harp like than the fretted instruments I am most 
 interested in, but I love that sound too. I like the guitarists  like Ali 
 Farke Toure who imitate the kora on guitar.  Here is a song I am working on:
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJUE03aeaQ4
 
 That is such cool percussion Joe Craven was laying down.  That is the kind of 
 rhythm that I am having difficulty with since it is so far off from my 
 natural blues sense.  I was jamming with a Malian percussion guy one time and 
 he told me:  you aren't leaving any space for my rhythm to come out.  It 
 really struck home.  I need to regroove rhythms that African kids grow up 
 with like 12/8 time if I want to play this style.  I beat the rhythm to death 
 with Delta ax song rhythms and it can't breath like this. 
 
 The jury is still out on that happening. 
 
 The lyrics are close.
 
 It is if I had wings like Noah's dove, I'd sail from pine to pine looking for 
 my own true love. 
 
 Much more poetic.
 
 The line Some was near the dell should be 
 Some was kneeling down.  More sinister or more exciting depending on your 
 take. I always interpreted it as sort of a gang rape until my GF suggested 
 that she was having the the time of her life and she took it all as 
 consensual.  It fascinates me that we can have such a different take on it.  
 (I am also cautious to keep an eye on the pines near my house whenever she 
 stays over.)
 
 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
 
  Nice. Â I particularly like the commentary. Â I looked for the Josh Thomas 
  lyrics online as I was having trouble hearing them. Â Not easy to find, but 
  here is someone's translation. Â Is this last verse the one you mean? Â 
  
  At Wintergrass this year, there was a guy Joe Craven who is an amazing 
  artist and educator who is forever reinventing himself and plays an 
  incredible array of instruments - he has previously done a one man show 
  there, but came with his new band - Mamajowali. Â This was one of the 
  pieces they played.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXnQpr6oJAÂ 
  
  http://joecraven.com/mamajowali
  
  
  Roustabout
  
  Oh you banjo roustabout
  When you goin to the shore
  I got a good gal on that other shore
  Baby don't you want to go
  
  If I had an old pairs of wings
  I'd go to Nora's town
  I'd sail from pine to pine
  Looking for my own true love
  
  I'd a listened to what my momma said
  I wouldn't be here today
  But me being young and foolish too
  women lead me astray
  
  Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet
  And who's gonna glove your hand
  And who's gonna do your rockabye
  When your man's in a distant land
  
  My wife left home last night
  I'll tell you where I found her
  Lying down in the pines
  A gang of boys around her
  Some was higgin it
  Some was kissin it
  Some was huggin it
  Some was near the dell
  There more rascal hangin round
  Try to tear my kingdom down
  
  Oh my lord.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@
  To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:55 AM
  Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis
   
  
  Â  
  I loved everything about it, thanks for posting it.  The lyrics totally 
  rock, I love how she shifts from the personal to the philosophical 
  questions. What a great model for songwriting.
  
  I especially appreciate her banjo riffs.  I've been working on my African 
  gourd banjo lately trying to expand my repertoire,  and it has been really 
  hard to find riffs that speak to me.  There is so much what I call diddly 
  dee vibe in most American banjo.  I've been going to Mali Africa for 
  inspiration but her musical choices really resonate with me.  I could see 
  making a song out of a riff like hers so that helps me focus my quest for 
  cool riffs I can write over. Big help, thanks.
  
  Here is my beautiful gourd banjo. Pete Ross makes them for museums and 
  musicians from paintings of plantation era gourd banjos.  It has natural 
  gut strings and the warmest tone.  I plan to record on it for my next CD.
  
  http://banjopete.com/mandebanza.html
  
  Here is the late Mike Seeger who taught me this song which I perform in 
  some of my adult shows, playing a gourd banjo. (special attention to the 
  last

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: See See Um

Oh, tell me what to say, uh? Look, I grew up around nuclear energy a
mere 50 miles from that Hanford facility. I know what kind of danger
nuclear energy provides. In fact I'd say that earthlings won't be ready
for it until the average IQ is around 1000. And that might take a few
years.

Back in the 1980s when Chernobyl happened one of the Hanford engineers
in our computer club traveled there. When he returned he presented a
fascinating slide show from the area. There were several reactors
scheduled to be built for northwest power but after Chernobyl those got
shot down. The retired manager of the Hanford N reactor (the one that
made the Manhattan Project plutonium) was also a member of the club and
attended the programming class I gave. He also taught me some
information about nuclear energy. I recall that he pointed out that
cesium is very dangerous but can be shielded with a piece of paper. It
also has a short half-life.

Also around Hanford hunters have long been warned not to hunt wildlife
near there because they're often contaminated.

I just posted some articles. You're welcome to your opinion of them but
calling RT Russian Propaganda sounds a little 1950s McCarthyish. :-D

On 04/04/2013 09:31 AM, authfriend wrote:
Bhairitu, just say, You're right, Judy, that piece on
RT.com was very misleading. It's not the case that a third
of newborns on the West Coast are likely to have thyroid
problems because of Fukushima--more like 0.007 percent of
newborns if you do the math (28 percent of 0.025 percent).
Thanks for pointing out what I missed.

BTW, many of the commenters on that article noted the same
thing.

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote:
Must be Russian Propaganda :-D
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/16/national/record-cesium-level-detected-in-fish-caught-near-fukushima-nuclear-plant/

Enjoy that tuna sandwich!
http://paloalto.patch.com/articles/stanford-uses-fukushima-radiation-to-track-tuna

The Hanford downwinders website. Must be more Russian Propaganda.
http://www.downwinders.com/

[FairfieldLife] Re: See See Um

Let me make a point here. Your attempted mockery is so
off-base that it just makes you look ridiculous, as well
as ignorant.

I don't know whether it's age or whether you've always been
like this, Bhairitu, but you fail to *discriminate*. You
fell for an obvious propaganda piece on RT.com, but that
doesn't mean that all stories about radiation are
propaganda pieces. Yet you try to make it seem as though
that's what I think. And in the process you make yourself
look as though you believe every story about radiation is
cause for general alarm.

Radiation from Fukushima is certainly a concern, but we
don't do ourselves any good if we don't discriminate
between well-founded, evidence-based reports that need
to be taken seriously, and the kind of scare story that
is intended to mislead.

For example:

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote:

 Must be Russian Propaganda :-D
 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/16/national/record-cesium-level-detected-in-fish-caught-near-fukushima-nuclear-plant/

Since this is from the Japan Times, I rather doubt it's
Russian propaganda. Sounds authentic to me, especially
since Japan has generally been into minimizing the dangers
of Fukushima radiation rather than exaggerating them.

But does what they found in fish near the plant have
anything to do with the bluefin tuna available in the U.S.?

 Enjoy that tuna sandwich!
 http://paloalto.patch.com/articles/stanford-uses-fukushima-radiation-to-track-tuna

From this article:

The Fukushima radiation found in bluefin tuna is
significantly lower than naturally occurring radioactive
isotopes normally found in the fish.

The point of tracking the radiation levels in bluefin
tuna is to learn more about their migratory habits:

Pacific bluefin tuna are a valuable part of the global commercial fishing 
industry, and particularly in the world of sushi: In January, a buyer at a 
Tokyo auction paid a record $1.76 million for a 500-pound tuna, to be sliced 
into fine sushi. And although the species isn't endangered, its worldwide 
numbers are down 96 percent from unfished levels, according to a December 
report.

'They haven't been described as a troubled species until about two months ago, 
but they've been shown to be heavily overfished,' Madigan said. 'Understanding 
the proportions of different sizes of fish that come east and at what point 
they return to Japan can help fisheries on both sides of the ocean manage 
stocks.'

The technique should also prove useful for tracking migrations of other 
species, Madigan said, including albacore, sea turtles, sharks and seabirds. 
Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years, so Madigan expects that measurable 
amounts will be present in tuna, and other species, for at least the next 
several years, which will provide ample time to reveal these animals' migratory 
habits.

I guess you didn't actually read the article to see what it
was about, did you? In any case, it hardly looks like Russian
propaganda either, now, does it?

 The Hanford downwinders website.  Must be more Russian Propaganda.
 http://www.downwinders.com/

Hanford is a disaster, no question about it. Very serious
problems there, including the nuclear waste tanks that are
leaking into the groundwater and potentially contaminating
the Columbia River.

See what I mean about discrimination? You don't do it, and
so you assume nobody else does either. Because you're so
credulous and so ready to condemn others for discriminating,
folks don't give your dire alarms and predictions much
credence.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily

O.K.  I apologize.  In the bigger picture, I think I found it kind of 
fascinating that his experience was a catalyst for a complete shift in beliefs 
(at least those that he is consciously aware of), culminating in his surety of 
the existence of God.  One man's journey to a faith in God (as he understands 
God based on his experience).  I thought it interesting as well that his 
attempts to translate his experience most closely follow the theory of 
oneness - although, like you say he wasn't raised by wolves and by the time 
he wrote the book, he most certainly was looking for paradigms that best 
represented his experience.  But, that one clearly does/did.  

There are some things about the book that I don't like - I think whoever edited 
it fell down on the job in many respects (or he ignored good feedback) as 
content-wise, he makes many bold statements that don't read as well thought out 
or supported.

For me, however, it reminds me not to shut any doors to the possibility that 
there is a God.  His recovery is a virtual miracle - not explainable by anyone, 
including himself.  Smile.  





 From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltabl...@yahoo.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 9:58 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily
 

  
-- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@... wrote:

 Ha ha ha. Â Curtis, you have not read this book, have you? 

I told you I did a while back.  Why would I lie about that? Who cares how 
carefully I read it a long time ago. I have read 100 books since then.  I am 
giving my opinion on the topic from the perspective I have now, and not giving 
a book report on it since it was a while back. 

Â You crack me up! Â There is a lot to disagree with in it - it is almost 
like it is written by two different authors at times, but this juxtaposition 
is one of the interesting things about the book. Â Here is one quote - Chapter 
29 - A Common Experience - starts on page 131.
 These books, this material (about NDE's), had all, of course, been there 
 before my experience. Â But, I'd never looked at it. Â Not just in terms of 
 reading, but in another way as well. Â Quite simply, I'd never held myself 
 open to the idea that there might be anything genuine to the idea that 
 something of us survives the death of the body. Â I was the quintessential 
 good-natured, albeit skeptical doctor. Â And, as such, I can tell you that 
 most skeptics aren't really skeptics at all. Â To be truly skeptical, one 
 must actually examine something and take it seriously. Â And I, like many 
 doctors, had never taken the time to explore NDE's, I had simply known 
 they were impossible. Â 

Everything I wrote is my opinion that still applies to his not matter what he 
claims in your quote.  I think you have missed my point completely if you are 
offering this as a contrasting POV on what I wrote.  He wasn't raised by 
wolves, he was raised in our culture. 

I am not the kind of skeptic he is talking about so I don't get your point.

It is great that you got a lot out of the book.  There are a lot of books out 
there on this topic from different points of view that I encourage you to read.

 
 
  From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@...
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:38 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily
  
 
 Â  
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
 
  What I liked about this book was that I assumed the author did not have a 
  background or belief system that was guiding his experiences - so it gave 
  his experience a different sort of credibility for me - 
 
 Me:  I don't believe this is an option for any of us.  It gives too much 
 weight to our conscious beliefs and not enough to the cultural programming 
 as well as our cognitive habits. (Such as instantly ascribing conscious 
 motives to even inanimate things.)
 
 We soak in the archetypes, myths and stories of our culture.  I've 
 certainly made an attempt to rid myself of many beliefs, but the 
 conditioning runs to deep.
 
 And that goes double for any experience like altered brain functioning 
 though illness, injury or drugs.  Altered states are altered from our usual 
 mix of our conscious attention habits, so we fall back on more primitive 
 images and impressions.  Just as people experience God though the filter 
 of their exposure culturally to specific versions of the idea, (allowing 
 that Hindus might experience Jesus, who they have heard about, but not Zeus 
 if they had not.)
 
 And then we have archetypical images that seem to go between cultures and 
 about which we understand very little, but have been pretty well described 
 by Anthony Campbell as well as imaginatively (some of it unwarranted IMO) 
 enhanced by Carl Jung. 
 
 Mother and child love and intimacy is so deep in us.  Father's seemingly 
 invincible protective power

[FairfieldLife] Re: Confused

2013-04-04 Thread turquoiseb

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... 
wrote:

 I was offering  my POV which included that you were taking 
 it in a direction not intended by either the author or 
 Barry.  I could be wrong.

I don't think you're wrong. I'm not going to try to
defend reposting a found graphic with my one-line
comment on it; what I meant stands on its own for
me, and I see no need to expand upon it. I see even
less need to argue about it just because some people
seem to want -- or need -- to argue. :-)

snip to
 I agree where too with most classes of beliefs. But 
 not always, especially with spiritual ones. There 
 are a lot of Christian right wingers who see no 
 conflict between these beliefs for example. Thou 
 shalt not kill and give em the electric chair.

This kind of contradiction between how one talks
the talk of what they believe and how they walk
their walk is certainly one way of interpreting
this graphic. I have no idea what its author meant
by it, but when I saw it and felt like reposting
it here, I guess I was thinking more along the
lines of people like Christians claiming that 
they are better people than those who don't believe
the things they believe. Or, more close to home,
Buck or others claiming that TMers are better than
other people because they believe the things that
TMers believe. 

My emphasis, as you so rightly sussed in earlier
posts, was along the lines of what I think I said
originally. *It simply doesn't matter* what a person
believes or claims that they believe. Their worth
as a good person or a better person is evaluated
solely on the basis of what they DO. 

If it were otherwise, killers like Son Of Sam would
walk free, because he *believed* that what he was
doing was the will of God.

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

I own an ashiko drum, which is similar to the djembe in size but it has a 
different shape and slightly different sound. I have played djembes and the 
dunun dumr varieties too. Dununs are a bit different from talking drums (I 
think...going form recollection), but they use sticks and often a bell.

Yes, some of the songs were challenging, in fact very challenging...especially 
the dununs. 

We played traditional West African songs and sometimes incorporated dance and 
song. Bill (the head instructor) usually always shared the stories about the 
songs. 

We also played meditative drumming, but mainly we focused on traditional 
rhythms. 

I am still fascinated when the different drum rhythms are played together, how 
the harmony and music can take on a string-like quality. I swear there have 
been times I heard strings...but there were no strings. ;)

Here is a link to the school where I played and learned.
http://www.ttmws.com/ I was there in the early/mid 2000s when it was known as 
Living Rhythms and was much smaller. It has grown a lot in the past 5ish years. 

It's always in the back of mind to go back at some point; which I can do at any 
time. Maybe someday. :) 

I've only performed for crowds a couple times. I don't like performing; I get 
nervous. Bill would say, Just pretend you are playing. Playing in the sense 
of a child at play. Ha!

Rich memories.

Cool about the gourds. *thumbsup* I taught preschool music for years (and 
occasionally still do some sub work) so I own quite a few percussion 
instruments. 

I had to look up Son House. :) Cool. (Now I see why your name is deltablues.):)

***

Here's a prose I penned about the djembe and the drum circle. Not much, but at 
the time, it meant much to me. 
http://www.poetrypages.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=50569#108eight

*

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... 
wrote:

 Wow!  How cool is that Carol.  Did you find the African rhythms challenging? 
 Are you a Djembe player?   I love the sound and have one but can't get into 
 it too far because it wrecks my fingers for guitar. 
 
 I also have a large talking drum from Ghana that uses a stick so it is easier 
 on my hands.  I have a nice big calabash gourd drum that is cool, but again 
 I am somewhat limited in how much I can strike the hard surface with my fist 
 and fingers.  I could use sticks but I don't like the sharp sound as much.
 
 I just made my dream Shekere using a big gourd I got on Ebay and I strung it 
 with cowerie shells ( the currency we bought African slaves with from African 
 kings) and Rudraksha beads I bought in India on the Vedic Science course.  
 Rudrakshas make a fantastic percussive sound and joins my personal history 
 with the African tradition.  I played it at a show recently to accompany me 
 singing a Son House song that he clapped his hand for and it went over very 
 well.  The thing looks amazing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@ wrote:
 
  Enjoyed reading this and visiting the links. 
  
  I've now added Sarah Jarosz to my Pandora shuffle.
  
  Enjoyed learning about Mamadou Sidibe. His work 
 
 
 
 
 with the stringed West African instruments brought to mind Mamady Keita and 
 his work with West African drums ... as far as bringing the instruments 
 international. 
  http://ttmintl.org/
  
  I played African drums for awhile (5ish years) and trained under some of 
  Mamady's students turned teachers. Even got to play with Mamady on one 
  occasion..when he visited and taught some classes locally. It was fun. My 
  kids went too...a family affair. :)
  
  Curtis...that gourd banjo...beautiful. 
  
  **
  
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
  
   Nice. Â I particularly like the commentary. Â I looked for the Josh 
   Thomas lyrics online as I was having trouble hearing them. Â Not easy to 
   find, but here is someone's translation. Â Is this last verse the one you 
   mean? Â 
   
   At Wintergrass this year, there was a guy Joe Craven who is an amazing 
   artist and educator who is forever reinventing himself and plays an 
   incredible array of instruments - he has previously done a one man show 
   there, but came with his new band - Mamajowali. Â This was one of the 
   pieces they played.
   
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXnQpr6oJAÂ 
   
   http://joecraven.com/mamajowali
   
   
   Roustabout
   
   Oh you banjo roustabout
   When you goin to the shore
   I got a good gal on that other shore
   Baby don't you want to go
   
   If I had an old pairs of wings
   I'd go to Nora's town
   I'd sail from pine to pine
   Looking for my own true love
   
   I'd a listened to what my momma said
   I wouldn't be here today
   But me being young and foolish too
   women lead me astray
   
   Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet
   And who's gonna glove your hand
   And who's gonna do your rockabye
   When your man's in a

[FairfieldLife] Re: Simple but profound



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Xenophaneros Anartaxius 
anartaxius@... wrote:

 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@ wrote:
 
  If more people understood this, the world would be a better place.
  What you believe doesn't mean shit. All that matters is what you do.
  
   
  https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/3628_51806380157\
 2630_834551898_n.jpg
 
 Barry, I think (hypotheticaly that is) that this is best stated from a first 
 person ontology POV 'What I believe *IS* shit'. And if I impose my belief on 
 you, and have this perspective, it might (a big if in the world of belief), 
 help me to see what I am attempting to shovel down your throat, and 
 recognising this, modify my behaviour.
 
 This is not emphasised much in most spiritual traditions, because they seem 
 to have devolved into promoting belief rather than illuminating this aspect 
 of spiritual growth.


Om so,
Your beliefs don't make you a better person,
Your behavior does.

I played the blues on street corners.

Yes, so some people are [better] than others.
   On the vanguard of consciousness;  Uncle, what were you doing in the days 
of the great step forward of consciousness?  Well, Nephew I stayed in a rooming 
house in Paris writing code while it was all happening. 

Hope for the Best in People with Kind Regard,
-Buck in the Dome

[FairfieldLife] Re: President Barack Monsanto Obama

2013-04-04 Thread emilymae.reyn

OMG - I laughed so hard at this post and prayer that I am scared to even admit 
it, for fear I will be struck down by the wrath of God.  

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend authfriend@... wrote:

 Dear Robin,
 
 Once again you have helped me see the light. I cringe
 in remorse at the recognition of my rotten attitude.
 I can only hope that Ann is able to undergo a similar
 change of heart.
 
 The sincerity with which you write to Share here is a
 beacon illuminating the authenticity of her objective
 and innocent questions about the reasons for your 
 recent posts.
 
 If you will permit me, I hereby offer up a prayer for
 healing for all of us that I found on the Web (very
 slightly edited):
 
 For all our relationships, all our ancestors and all their relationships 
 through all time, through all our lives, for
 all hurts and wrongs: physical, mental, emotional,
 spiritual, sexual and financial through thought, word or
 deed--please help us all forgive each other, forgive
 ourselves, forgive all people and all people forgive us,
 completely and totally, no matter what.
 
 I think that should handle it.
 
 Thank you, Robin.
 
 
 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robin Carlsen maskedzebra@ wrote:
 
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@ wrote:
  
   Angels of Yahoo at work.Â  I actually posted this at 8:43 pm Central on 
   Tuesday but it didn't show up in my inbox til 3:55 am Central on 
   Wednesday.Â  I was expecting and dreading a blizzard of posts about it, 
   especially from Judy and Ann who seemed upset by my questions about 
   Robin's recent postings.
  
  Dear Share,
  
  I think your questions to Judy about why I wrote that analysis of Barry, 
  and those two responses to Curtis, were valid questions. I just don't get 
  Judy's answer to you.
  
  The thing is, when I saw that you were perplexed as to why I would post 
  something like this (Barry  Curtis), I realized: Goddam it! *I* don't even 
  know myself why I did this!
  
  So, contrary to what Judy's post seemed to indicate (you will have to ask 
  her about *her* post; it needed way more explanation even than mine re: BW 
  and then CM did) I believe you opened me up to some self-examination--as to 
  my actual motives.
  
  And having searched my heart, Share, I will have to admit: There was no 
  bloody good reason for those posts whatsoever.
  
  I only wish I could have felt the impact of  your remarkable objectivity 
  before I posted them; because if I had, I would not now experience the wish 
  that I had not posted.
  
  Just make sure you realize one thing, Share: There is at least one other 
  person--besides Steve--who perfectly understands you.
  
  Indeed I think I have gone even beyond Steve in this instance.
  
  Thank you, Share. In a sense you undid me in just the right way.
  
  You are much superior to any Zen Roshi I have studied under.
  
  In a way that is perhaps only meaningful to you and to me, what you 
  initially posted to Judy amounts to a Share Koan--and the Satori it 
  produced in me, therefore, will have to remain a secret between you and me.
  
  I realize most everyone at FFL will not comprehend this, Share; but the 
  real point here is: I loved that post of yours to Judy.
  
  And I was disappointed at her defensiveness and negativity--Ann does the 
  same thing, I believe. I think in some way they would both deny (raunchy 
  and Emily have some issues here too; as I think you know) you threaten 
  them. But you probably understand women better than I do.
  
  For once, Barry got it right when he responded in sympathy to you today.
  
  I certainly wish I could revise that analysis now.
  
  Know this, Share: You did a good deed for me. Martyrdom, as you know, can 
  sometimes be secretly triumphant. I believe that is the case in your 
  contretemps with authfriend--and AWB.
  
  And let the unbelievers think I am being ironic here. You will know the 
  difference.
  
  At least I pray you will.
  
  Robin
   
   turq, I was wondering if you and your household did the whole Easter egg 
   thing for Maya.Â  Is that a tradition in Holland? Â Â  
   
   
   noozguru if I offended you with my comments about the fruit trees, I 
   apologize.Â  I think of ayurveda as something you and I can joke about 
   since we're both into it.Â  Just as I think of jyotish as something John 
   and I can joke about because we're both into it.Â  So John, apologies to 
   you too if I offended you by my recent comment about jokes and jyotish.
   
   
   
From: turquoiseb no_re...@yahoogroups.com
   To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
   Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 4:16 AM
   Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: President Barack Monsanto Obama

   
   Â  
   --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@ wrote:
   
No, Ann this is how IMO we differ: I was making an 
ayruvedic joke with noozguru that I thought he would

[FairfieldLife] Re: See See Um

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote:

 Oh, tell me what to say, uh?

Point being, none of what you said in that post was 
relevant to the fact that the RT.com article you linked
to was wildly misleading.

 Look, I grew up around nuclear energy a 
 mere 50 miles from that Hanford facility.  I know what kind
 of danger nuclear energy provides.

Yeah, yeah. I grew up a mere 20 miles from Indian Point,
and I'm now living around 40 miles from Oyster Creek. That
doesn't make me some kind of expert.

I'm not a fan of nuclear energy. But I try not to go
off half-cocked about its dangers.

(snip)
 I just posted some articles.  You're welcome to your opinion
 of them but calling RT Russian Propaganda sounds a little
 1950s McCarthyish. :-D

Russian propaganda didn't exactly stop with McCarthy,
Bhairitu. And I'm by no means the first to point out
that RT.com indulges in it.

None of what you just posted was from RT.com anyway.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Feedback to the TM Movement

Trouble?  For the community?
 Well yes, things evidently went backwards recently with the movement 
guidelines.  Talked to someone just recently, an old movement campaigner who 
was denied employment up there because would not sign a paper pledging to never 
see saints again.  This is a highly competent long time movement person in the 
community that they had sought out for employment in to a position.  After the 
discussion the person turned around and called the course office people to 
check the guidelines and it was confirmed the guidelines are back again to old 
governors not seeing saints to be involved with the movement.


Thanks for taking the time and having the courage to post this here.
  your last six words bothered me just a little. In what way? As in fearful 
  of repercussions for expressing one's opinions? If so, do you really feel 
  this way?
  
 
 Trouble?
 Yes, someone in the course office could view [judge] Trowbridge as being 
 negative and un-stressing in the act of posting his letter.  As JT  values 
 coming back to the group meditation he could have created trouble for 
 himself.  Tru-believers in the middle easily could see Trowbridge being 
 disloyal and lacking in fealty.  
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, laughinggull108 no_reply@ wrote:
 
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck  wrote:
  
   Beautiful.  Thanks for taking the time and having the courage to post 
   this here.
   -Buck in the Dome
   
  
  Ditto. In fact, worth saying again: *Beautiful*, Mr. Trowbridge. Perhaps it 
  will be read by people with the ability to affect the changes of which you 
  write.
  
  your last six words bothered me just a little. In what way? As in fearful 
  of repercussions for expressing one's opinions? If so, do you really feel 
  this way?
  
   --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, jwtrowbridge johnwtrowbridge@ 
   wrote:
   
I would like to give feedback from the perspective of one who loves TM, 
but not how the organization is run. I have wanted to do so for many 
years. I feel I have a unique perspective to do so. I am not angry. I 
am not dependent on TM other than my wonderful program I practice. I 
have no ax to grind other than a genuine desire to see the organization 
succeed. I wish to help this organization from the point of view of one 
who is a family man, a professional who sees the divinity of my 
practice, and the missteps of the organization.

My TM program is the only time during the day that I know my activity 
is perfect. It is a perfect program. It is a perfect activity. It is 
perfect knowledge. I have recently obtained all of the advanced 
techniques. I have missed maybe five meditations in 40 years only 
because I enjoy it. There is no other reason. Not for health, not for 
enlightenment, such is the joy and power of my program. 

I have just finished 34 years as a public school teacher in North 
Carolina, and I am still teaching. I have been married 30 years. I have 
two children. My wife meditates. My two children have been initiated. 
From the beginning, I have provided support to the TM Movement through 
the use of my house for lectures, initiations, and whatever I have to 
offer all these years. I am your biggest fan.

I started TM on November 13th, 1971 and got the sidhis in `80 or `81 at 
MUM. I practiced my program by myself over the decades until 5 years 
ago, when I went to MUM to fly in the dome for a 7-week visit. I have 
gone ever 2 years during the summer thereafter. I have never taken one 
dime of grant money. 

I mention specific names and impressions in this letter, not to target 
individuals, but to show relevant examples of what concerns me. I also 
want to describe what could be done differently, especially if you want 
to have credibility with Americans. The goal of this organization is 
not to appeal to a particular leader or person, but to the widest 
possible audience who will appreciate and practice the TM program in 
its purity. 

2007: This incident exemplifies so many of the elements of what is 
wrong with how the TM organization is managed. When I came 5 years ago, 
I was in the dome for the IA course for just a few days when the men's 
group had to move because workmen were replacing the roof. We moved to 
a flying hall near the swimming pool. Unfortunately, a mistake had been 
made in preparing the new hall. The floor and walls had been painted 
with a toxic, oil-based paint, and the odor was awful, awful. The air 
in the new hall was extremely noxious. Fans in the eaves of the 
building were run night and day. Sidhas pleaded with Dr. Doug Birx not 
to move us into this situation. He said it could not be helped. I spent 
one day in the new hall experiencing bliss with an underlying headache. 
I never have headaches.

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@... wrote:

 I own an ashiko drum, which is similar to the djembe in size but it has a 
 different shape and slightly different sound. I have played djembes and the 
 dunun dumr varieties too. Dununs are a bit different from talking drums (I 
 think...going form recollection), but they use sticks and often a bell.

I am familiar with Dununs and played them in Malian drum circles to save my 
hands.  They are very cool but I don't have a set.  I have this kind of talking 
drum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4oQJZ2TEVI

 
 Yes, some of the songs were challenging, in fact very 
 challenging...especially the dununs. 
 
 We played traditional West African songs and sometimes incorporated dance and 
 song. Bill (the head instructor) usually always shared the stories about the 
 songs. 
 
 We also played meditative drumming, but mainly we focused on traditional 
 rhythms. 
 
 I am still fascinated when the different drum rhythms are played together, 
 how the harmony and music can take on a string-like quality. I swear there 
 have been times I heard strings...but there were no strings. ;)


Beautiful description you were really into the deep end of this pool!


 
 Here is a link to the school where I played and learned.
 http://www.ttmws.com/ I was there in the early/mid 2000s when it was known as 
 Living Rhythms and was much smaller. It has grown a lot in the past 5ish 
 years. 

What a great resource.  I love that they do corporate drumming, that is genius.


 
 It's always in the back of mind to go back at some point; which I can do at 
 any time. Maybe someday. :) 
 
 I've only performed for crowds a couple times. I don't like performing; I 
 get nervous. Bill would say, Just pretend you are playing. Playing in the 
 sense of a child at play. Ha!
 
 Rich memories.
 
 Cool about the gourds. *thumbsup* I taught preschool music for years (and 
 occasionally still do some sub work) so I own quite a few percussion 
 instruments. 


Educational music is how I make my living.  I couldn't be a full time musician 
any other way. I have a residency in a school next week where I will be using 
blues to help Kindergarteners with reading though the blues.  I love that age 
group.


 
 I had to look up Son House. :) Cool. (Now I see why your name is 
 deltablues.):)


Preserving the acoustic Delta blues has been my musical mission for the last  
20 years, full time for about the last 7.  I play a bass hi hat and sideways 
snare drum with my feet in my shows as a one man band with guitar and 
harmonica, so percussion is very important to my approach to this music. 


 
 ***
 
 Here's a prose I penned about the djembe and the drum circle. Not much, but 
 at the time, it meant much to me. 
 http://www.poetrypages.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=50569#108eight


Now THAT is art's integration!  Nice work thanks for sharing it.








 
 *
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ 
 wrote:
 
  Wow!  How cool is that Carol.  Did you find the African rhythms 
  challenging? Are you a Djembe player?   I love the sound and have one but 
  can't get into it too far because it wrecks my fingers for guitar. 
  
  I also have a large talking drum from Ghana that uses a stick so it is 
  easier on my hands.  I have a nice big calabash gourd drum that is cool, 
  but again I am somewhat limited in how much I can strike the hard surface 
  with my fist and fingers.  I could use sticks but I don't like the sharp 
  sound as much.
  
  I just made my dream Shekere using a big gourd I got on Ebay and I strung 
  it with cowerie shells ( the currency we bought African slaves with from 
  African kings) and Rudraksha beads I bought in India on the Vedic Science 
  course.  Rudrakshas make a fantastic percussive sound and joins my personal 
  history with the African tradition.  I played it at a show recently to 
  accompany me singing a Son House song that he clapped his hand for and it 
  went over very well.  The thing looks amazing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@ wrote:
  
   Enjoyed reading this and visiting the links. 
   
   I've now added Sarah Jarosz to my Pandora shuffle.
   
   Enjoyed learning about Mamadou Sidibe. His work 
  
  
  
  
  with the stringed West African instruments brought to mind Mamady Keita and 
  his work with West African drums ... as far as bringing the instruments 
  international. 
   http://ttmintl.org/
   
   I played African drums for awhile (5ish years) and trained under some of 
   Mamady's students turned teachers. Even got to play with Mamady on one 
   occasion..when he visited and taught some classes locally. It was fun. My 
   kids went too...a family affair. :)
   
   Curtis...that gourd banjo...beautiful. 
   
   **
   
   --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
   
Nice. Â I particularly like the

[FairfieldLife] RIP Roger Ebert

No details yet on his death, but here's the AP obit:

http://news.yahoo.com/sun-times-famed-movie-critic-roger-ebert-dies-194432507.html

http://tinyurl.com/cyoxeaq

Re: [FairfieldLife] A graceful but not unexpected leave-taking

On 04/03/2013 12:50 PM, turquoiseb wrote:
 My favorite film critic, and in fact the *only* film critic
 I regularly bother to read, is and has been for many years
 Roger Ebert. That said, it was impossible to not notice his
 presence dwindling somewhat on his website in recent weeks,
 as other reviewers took more and more of a lead role in
 reviewing the lesser films. Yesterday he announced why.
 His cancer is back, and he has to focus his energies on
 fighting it.

 http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2013/04/a_leave_of_presense.html

 Roger and I *often* agree in our takes on movies, but that's
 not really why I love him. It's that after 46 years of doing
 this he has never lost his love of and enthusiasm for movies.
 He's possibly seen more movies than all of us combined on
 this forum, and yet he has never grown jaded and cynical and
 descended into that oh-so-superior New York kinda film crit
 that only seems to be happy when it's ragging on something
 or someone.

 I wish him luck. He's been as formidable a presence and an
 influence on world cinema as most filmmakers. I hope he is
 able to continue being both for many, many years.

Well he didn't make it:
http://news.yahoo.com/sun-times-famed-movie-critic-roger-ebert-dies-194432507.html

Frankly I wouldn't have wanted to live in the condition he was in the 
last few years.  That would not have been very enjoyable.  Life is 
nothing but a blip in the scheme of things anyway and time for him to 
move on to better things.

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

Wow...Bisi Adeleke is a master at that! I am left smiling.

I think the only time I heard a talking drum played was by a storyteller. I 
can't remember his name now. He traveled the US and I saw him on one of his 
tours.

I have played around with steel drums too...but very limited. I used to help at 
a children's music camp. A couple years a steel drummer shared at the camp. 
That was where I first heard about the history of the steel drum. (The drummer 
had lived in Tobago.) Another rich story. 

Oh my... the stories. 

A one man band! Oh my. I would think that being a one man band with all those 
instruments simultaneously is great for mind and body...keeping one's mind 
(especially) agile. Do you have any videos of your perfomance(s) or teaching? 

In my preschool teaching my favorite(?) age group are the 3-year olds. (I 
don't really like to use that word teaching. I don't feel like I am 
teaching. I prefer to say we make music and dance together. I think I learn 
more than the children do.)

I like to listen the little ones while they are still learning to speak and 
express. I have to listen with different ears and heart. And I have to think 
literally when listening to them, because that is how they communicate.  

What a wonderful contribution you live Curtis. It's good to read that schools 
incorporate the arts. I find it sad(?) though that our culture has to convey 
that the arts promote the other skills (like math and reading)in order to have 
a purpose for teaching the arts. I wish the arts could simply be and we could 
recognize their contribution without having to justify their use.

I hope that makes sense. I think of a child's play...imagineering and creating. 
It all helps in the other areas (math, etc.), at least from the studies I've 
read. Somewhere along the way I read that assembling puzzles help in language 
skills because of recognizing shapes that go together.

Maybe I'm rather old school in that way. Preferring tree houses over computer 
keyboards. But, I recognize that the modern world runs from these computer 
keyboards. Yet with the little people (children), I am of the opinion that 
keyboards can wait until they are older.

Are you familiar with John Holt (now deceased) and unschooling? Some of his 
philosophy comes to mind as I think about this stuff (children and education). 

It's been at least 16 years since I read Summerhill by A.S. Neil...just another 
tangent thought along the same tangent.

Thanks for the kudos on the poem. It seems kind of dead to me now. :/ And that 
brings a tear to my eye...not a good tear. But maybe one that will motivate me 
to start to explore again.

Gawd, what a ramble. Oh well...

***

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... 
wrote:

 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@ wrote:
 
  I own an ashiko drum, which is similar to the djembe in size but it has a 
  different shape and slightly different sound. I have played djembes and the 
  dunun dumr varieties too. Dununs are a bit different from talking drums (I 
  think...going form recollection), but they use sticks and often a bell.
 
 I am familiar with Dununs and played them in Malian drum circles to save my 
 hands.  They are very cool but I don't have a set.  I have this kind of 
 talking drum:
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4oQJZ2TEVI
 
  
  Yes, some of the songs were challenging, in fact very 
  challenging...especially the dununs. 
  
  We played traditional West African songs and sometimes incorporated dance 
  and song. Bill (the head instructor) usually always shared the stories 
  about the songs. 
  
  We also played meditative drumming, but mainly we focused on traditional 
  rhythms. 
  
  I am still fascinated when the different drum rhythms are played together, 
  how the harmony and music can take on a string-like quality. I swear there 
  have been times I heard strings...but there were no strings. ;)
 
 
 Beautiful description you were really into the deep end of this pool!
 
 
  
  Here is a link to the school where I played and learned.
  http://www.ttmws.com/ I was there in the early/mid 2000s when it was known 
  as Living Rhythms and was much smaller. It has grown a lot in the past 5ish 
  years. 
 
 What a great resource.  I love that they do corporate drumming, that is 
 genius.
 
 
  
  It's always in the back of mind to go back at some point; which I can do at 
  any time. Maybe someday. :) 
  
  I've only performed for crowds a couple times. I don't like performing; I 
  get nervous. Bill would say, Just pretend you are playing. Playing in the 
  sense of a child at play. Ha!
  
  Rich memories.
  
  Cool about the gourds. *thumbsup* I taught preschool music for years (and 
  occasionally still do some sub work) so I own quite a few percussion 
  instruments. 
 
 
 Educational music is how I make my living.  I couldn't be a full time 
 musician any other way. I have a residency in a school next

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

I interpreted the lyrics the same as Curtis had...a gang rape. 

I like Curtis' girlfriend's interpretation better. 

**

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, emilymae.reyn emilymae.reyn@... wrote:

 Yahoo is so bogged down!  Back to receiving posts late and out of order - 
 email-wise.
 
 The link doesn't work - send another?  
 
 Joe does some incredible things - he is a master of rhythm and plays many 
 genres of music.  Thanks for clarifying the lyrics.  Interesting take from 
 your girlfriend - I was curious as I wasn't sure how to interpret what I was 
 reading and my first take was a more sinister nature.  I prefer your 
 girlfriend's thought and the last line = try to tear my kingdom down leaves 
 room for exactly what she's talking about.  Ha.  
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ 
 wrote:
 
  Fantastic. The kora is more harp like than the fretted instruments I am 
  most interested in, but I love that sound too. I like the guitarists  like 
  Ali Farke Toure who imitate the kora on guitar.  Here is a song I am 
  working on:
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJUE03aeaQ4
  
  That is such cool percussion Joe Craven was laying down.  That is the kind 
  of rhythm that I am having difficulty with since it is so far off from my 
  natural blues sense.  I was jamming with a Malian percussion guy one time 
  and he told me:  you aren't leaving any space for my rhythm to come out.  
  It really struck home.  I need to regroove rhythms that African kids grow 
  up with like 12/8 time if I want to play this style.  I beat the rhythm to 
  death with Delta ax song rhythms and it can't breath like this. 
  
  The jury is still out on that happening. 
  
  The lyrics are close.
  
  It is if I had wings like Noah's dove, I'd sail from pine to pine looking 
  for my own true love. 
  
  Much more poetic.
  
  The line Some was near the dell should be 
  Some was kneeling down.  More sinister or more exciting depending on your 
  take. I always interpreted it as sort of a gang rape until my GF suggested 
  that she was having the the time of her life and she took it all as 
  consensual.  It fascinates me that we can have such a different take on it. 
   (I am also cautious to keep an eye on the pines near my house whenever she 
  stays over.)
  
  
  
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
  
   Nice. Â I particularly like the commentary. Â I looked for the Josh 
   Thomas lyrics online as I was having trouble hearing them. Â Not easy to 
   find, but here is someone's translation. Â Is this last verse the one you 
   mean? Â 
   
   At Wintergrass this year, there was a guy Joe Craven who is an amazing 
   artist and educator who is forever reinventing himself and plays an 
   incredible array of instruments - he has previously done a one man show 
   there, but came with his new band - Mamajowali. Â This was one of the 
   pieces they played.
   
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXnQpr6oJAÂ 
   
   http://joecraven.com/mamajowali
   
   
   Roustabout
   
   Oh you banjo roustabout
   When you goin to the shore
   I got a good gal on that other shore
   Baby don't you want to go
   
   If I had an old pairs of wings
   I'd go to Nora's town
   I'd sail from pine to pine
   Looking for my own true love
   
   I'd a listened to what my momma said
   I wouldn't be here today
   But me being young and foolish too
   women lead me astray
   
   Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet
   And who's gonna glove your hand
   And who's gonna do your rockabye
   When your man's in a distant land
   
   My wife left home last night
   I'll tell you where I found her
   Lying down in the pines
   A gang of boys around her
   Some was higgin it
   Some was kissin it
   Some was huggin it
   Some was near the dell
   There more rascal hangin round
   Try to tear my kingdom down
   
   Oh my lord.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@
   To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
   Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:55 AM
   Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

   
   Â  
   I loved everything about it, thanks for posting it.  The lyrics totally 
   rock, I love how she shifts from the personal to the philosophical 
   questions. What a great model for songwriting.
   
   I especially appreciate her banjo riffs.  I've been working on my 
   African gourd banjo lately trying to expand my repertoire,  and it has 
   been really hard to find riffs that speak to me.  There is so much what 
   I call diddly dee vibe in most American banjo.  I've been going to 
   Mali Africa for inspiration but her musical choices really resonate with 
   me.  I could see making a song out of a riff like hers so that helps me 
   focus my quest for cool riffs I can write over. Big help, thanks.
   
   Here is my beautiful gourd banjo. Pete Ross makes them for museums and 
   musicians from

[FairfieldLife] Re: A graceful but not unexpected leave-taking

2013-04-04 Thread turquoiseb

Sad. I feel like I've lost a friend. Here's the obituary 
from his own newspaper:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-roger-ebert-dead-20130404,0,4666901,full.story

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote:

 On 04/03/2013 12:50 PM, turquoiseb wrote:
  My favorite film critic, and in fact the *only* film critic
  I regularly bother to read, is and has been for many years
  Roger Ebert. That said, it was impossible to not notice his
  presence dwindling somewhat on his website in recent weeks,
  as other reviewers took more and more of a lead role in
  reviewing the lesser films. Yesterday he announced why.
  His cancer is back, and he has to focus his energies on
  fighting it.
 
  http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2013/04/a_leave_of_presense.html
 
  Roger and I *often* agree in our takes on movies, but that's
  not really why I love him. It's that after 46 years of doing
  this he has never lost his love of and enthusiasm for movies.
  He's possibly seen more movies than all of us combined on
  this forum, and yet he has never grown jaded and cynical and
  descended into that oh-so-superior New York kinda film crit
  that only seems to be happy when it's ragging on something
  or someone.
 
  I wish him luck. He's been as formidable a presence and an
  influence on world cinema as most filmmakers. I hope he is
  able to continue being both for many, many years.
 
 Well he didn't make it:
 http://news.yahoo.com/sun-times-famed-movie-critic-roger-ebert-dies-194432507.html
 
 Frankly I wouldn't have wanted to live in the condition he was 
 in the last few years. That would not have been very enjoyable.  
 Life is nothing but a blip in the scheme of things anyway and 
 time for him to move on to better things.

[FairfieldLife] Re: A graceful but not unexpected leave-taking

2013-04-04 Thread turquoiseb

Actually, that's the obit from Gene Siskel's paper. 
Here's the one from his own paper:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/17320958-418/roger-ebert-dies-at-70-after-battle-with-cancer.html

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb no_reply@... wrote:

 Sad. I feel like I've lost a friend. Here's the obituary 
 from his own newspaper:
 
 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-roger-ebert-dead-20130404,0,4666901,full.story
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@ wrote:
 
  On 04/03/2013 12:50 PM, turquoiseb wrote:
   My favorite film critic, and in fact the *only* film critic
   I regularly bother to read, is and has been for many years
   Roger Ebert. That said, it was impossible to not notice his
   presence dwindling somewhat on his website in recent weeks,
   as other reviewers took more and more of a lead role in
   reviewing the lesser films. Yesterday he announced why.
   His cancer is back, and he has to focus his energies on
   fighting it.
  
   http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2013/04/a_leave_of_presense.html
  
   Roger and I *often* agree in our takes on movies, but that's
   not really why I love him. It's that after 46 years of doing
   this he has never lost his love of and enthusiasm for movies.
   He's possibly seen more movies than all of us combined on
   this forum, and yet he has never grown jaded and cynical and
   descended into that oh-so-superior New York kinda film crit
   that only seems to be happy when it's ragging on something
   or someone.
  
   I wish him luck. He's been as formidable a presence and an
   influence on world cinema as most filmmakers. I hope he is
   able to continue being both for many, many years.
  
  Well he didn't make it:
  http://news.yahoo.com/sun-times-famed-movie-critic-roger-ebert-dies-194432507.html
  
  Frankly I wouldn't have wanted to live in the condition he was 
  in the last few years. That would not have been very enjoyable.  
  Life is nothing but a blip in the scheme of things anyway and 
  time for him to move on to better things.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A graceful but not unexpected leave-taking

Thank you, loving what he wrote recently about Siskel and himself:
How meaningless was the hate, how deep was the love.

Condolences too.

 From: turquoiseb no_re...@yahoogroups.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 3:17 PM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: A graceful but not unexpected leave-taking

Sad. I feel like I've lost a friend. Here's the obituary 
from his own newspaper:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-roger-ebert-dead-20130404,0,4666901,full.story

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote:

 On 04/03/2013 12:50 PM, turquoiseb wrote:
  My favorite film critic, and in fact the *only* film critic
  I regularly bother to read, is and has been for many years
  Roger Ebert. That said, it was impossible to not notice his
  presence dwindling somewhat on his website in recent weeks,
  as other reviewers took more and more of a lead role in
  reviewing the lesser films. Yesterday he announced why.
  His cancer is back, and he has to focus his energies on
  fighting it.

  http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2013/04/a_leave_of_presense.html

  Roger and I *often* agree in our takes on movies, but that's
  not really why I love him. It's that after 46 years of doing
  this he has never lost his love of and enthusiasm for movies.
  He's possibly seen more movies than all of us combined on
  this forum, and yet he has never grown jaded and cynical and
  descended into that oh-so-superior New York kinda film crit
  that only seems to be happy when it's ragging on something
  or someone.

  I wish him luck. He's been as formidable a presence and an
  influence on world cinema as most filmmakers. I hope he is
  able to continue being both for many, many years.

 Well he didn't make it:
 http://news.yahoo.com/sun-times-famed-movie-critic-roger-ebert-dies-194432507.html

 Frankly I wouldn't have wanted to live in the condition he was 
 in the last few years. That would not have been very enjoyable. 
 Life is nothing but a blip in the scheme of things anyway and 
 time for him to move on to better things.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A graceful but not unexpected leave-taking

However in the last few years I bet he had to feel pretty bad about the 
state of Hollywood.  Long gone are the moguls who even though 
temperamental knew entertainment and now it's all run by clueless MBAs.

On 04/04/2013 01:17 PM, turquoiseb wrote:
 Sad. I feel like I've lost a friend. Here's the obituary
 from his own newspaper:

 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-roger-ebert-dead-20130404,0,4666901,full.story

 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote:
 On 04/03/2013 12:50 PM, turquoiseb wrote:
 My favorite film critic, and in fact the *only* film critic
 I regularly bother to read, is and has been for many years
 Roger Ebert. That said, it was impossible to not notice his
 presence dwindling somewhat on his website in recent weeks,
 as other reviewers took more and more of a lead role in
 reviewing the lesser films. Yesterday he announced why.
 His cancer is back, and he has to focus his energies on
 fighting it.

 http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2013/04/a_leave_of_presense.html

 Roger and I *often* agree in our takes on movies, but that's
 not really why I love him. It's that after 46 years of doing
 this he has never lost his love of and enthusiasm for movies.
 He's possibly seen more movies than all of us combined on
 this forum, and yet he has never grown jaded and cynical and
 descended into that oh-so-superior New York kinda film crit
 that only seems to be happy when it's ragging on something
 or someone.

 I wish him luck. He's been as formidable a presence and an
 influence on world cinema as most filmmakers. I hope he is
 able to continue being both for many, many years.
 Well he didn't make it:
 http://news.yahoo.com/sun-times-famed-movie-critic-roger-ebert-dies-194432507.html

 Frankly I wouldn't have wanted to live in the condition he was
 in the last few years. That would not have been very enjoyable.
 Life is nothing but a blip in the scheme of things anyway and
 time for him to move on to better things.

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

Hey Carol,

Please contact me through my email here so I can send some links to your email. 
 I can't post them here because some people here are untrustworthy with that 
information.

I definitely would like to continue our discussion off the board.

I'll comment on your post below.



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@... wrote:

 Wow...Bisi Adeleke is a master at that! I am left smiling.
 
 I think the only time I heard a talking drum played was by a storyteller. I 
 can't remember his name now. He traveled the US and I saw him on one of his 
 tours.
 
 I have played around with steel drums too...but very limited. I used to help 
 at a children's music camp. A couple years a steel drummer shared at the 
 camp. That was where I first heard about the history of the steel drum. (The 
 drummer had lived in Tobago.) Another rich story. 
 
 Oh my... the stories.

I have a friend who takes about 50 steel drums into schools at a time and 
teaches kids to play in groups like that.  He made them all himself.  It is a 
great program.  I work with kids who build cigar box guitars in shop (they call 
it the technology class now) and teach them to play them as well as use it for 
teaching math.
 
 
 A one man band! Oh my. I would think that being a one man band with all those 
 instruments simultaneously is great for mind and body...keeping one's mind 
 (especially) agile. Do you have any videos of your perfomance(s) or teaching? 

Performing everything together is a peak experience state that I am very 
addicted to.  I'll send you some links.

 
 In my preschool teaching my favorite(?) age group are the 3-year olds. (I 
 don't really like to use that word teaching. I don't feel like I am 
 teaching. I prefer to say we make music and dance together. I think I learn 
 more than the children do.)

I know what you mean.  There is a lot of back and forth flow.  Some of my best 
experiences are with kids who are out of the mainstream school system because 
of emotional or developmental problems.  They also connect on a very raw 
emotional level.  I am about to teach a week long residency in a high school 
for these kids. It was one of my most moving shows last year and they invited 
me back for a longer course.  These are discarded people in society, but their 
humanity shines through their problems. And they DO have problems.  I am 
humbled by the teachers who work with them every day.  It isn't easy, and this 
group of teenagers can be dangerous.

 
 I like to listen the little ones while they are still learning to speak and 
 express. I have to listen with different ears and heart. And I have to think 
 literally when listening to them, because that is how they communicate. 

Every developmental stage has its charms for me so I get what you are saying.  
One of my goals with 4th through 6th graders is to help them make the cognitive 
jump into figurative language through writing blues songs.  It can really help 
them understand as they gain the cognitive skills for it.  You must be a great 
teacher to have such an appreciation for young ones.
 
 
 What a wonderful contribution you live Curtis. It's good to read that schools 
 incorporate the arts. I find it sad(?) though that our culture has to convey 
 that the arts promote the other skills (like math and reading)in order to 
 have a purpose for teaching the arts. I wish the arts could simply be and we 
 could recognize their contribution without having to justify their use.

Thanks and back atchya!  I do believe in art for art's sake but honestly I see 
this integration into the curriculum as no hindrance to my artistic goals.  
Remember how the Griots in West African are also historians?  I think of my 
role that way. Or the bards spreading literature.  

 
 I hope that makes sense. I think of a child's play...imagineering and 
 creating. It all helps in the other areas (math, etc.), at least from the 
 studies I've read. Somewhere along the way I read that assembling puzzles 
 help in language skills because of recognizing shapes that go together.

Totally agree. I hope with more brain research that we will get the arts back 
in a big way in schools.  The connections are getting stronger in hard science. 
 That is what it will take.  I am involved in a project that is doing some 
analysis of the test improvement and in my area that could be a game changer if 
we accomplish what we hope.

 
 Maybe I'm rather old school in that way. Preferring tree houses over computer 
 keyboards. But, I recognize that the modern world runs from these computer 
 keyboards. Yet with the little people (children), I am of the opinion that 
 keyboards can wait until they are older.

I am so with you here.  They are overdoing this too early and it is stunting 
other growth that cannot be duplicated through a screen.  I think they are 
gunna have to dial all this back once they understand how much brain 
development requires movement and manipulation of objects.

[FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

Yes, I enjoyed the rap too. 

Wonderful read...and moving.

I sent a message via the yahoo email thingee.

Thank you Curtis!

:)


--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@... 
wrote:

 Hey Carol,
 
 Please contact me through my email here so I can send some links to your 
 email.  I can't post them here because some people here are untrustworthy 
 with that information.
 
 I definitely would like to continue our discussion off the board.
 
 I'll comment on your post below.
 
 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@ wrote:
 
  Wow...Bisi Adeleke is a master at that! I am left smiling.
  
  I think the only time I heard a talking drum played was by a storyteller. I 
  can't remember his name now. He traveled the US and I saw him on one of his 
  tours.
  
  I have played around with steel drums too...but very limited. I used to 
  help at a children's music camp. A couple years a steel drummer shared at 
  the camp. That was where I first heard about the history of the steel drum. 
  (The drummer had lived in Tobago.) Another rich story. 
  
  Oh my... the stories.
 
 I have a friend who takes about 50 steel drums into schools at a time and 
 teaches kids to play in groups like that.  He made them all himself.  It is a 
 great program.  I work with kids who build cigar box guitars in shop (they 
 call it the technology class now) and teach them to play them as well as use 
 it for teaching math.
  
  
  A one man band! Oh my. I would think that being a one man band with all 
  those instruments simultaneously is great for mind and body...keeping one's 
  mind (especially) agile. Do you have any videos of your perfomance(s) or 
  teaching? 
 
 Performing everything together is a peak experience state that I am very 
 addicted to.  I'll send you some links.
 
  
  In my preschool teaching my favorite(?) age group are the 3-year olds. (I 
  don't really like to use that word teaching. I don't feel like I am 
  teaching. I prefer to say we make music and dance together. I think I 
  learn more than the children do.)
 
 I know what you mean.  There is a lot of back and forth flow.  Some of my 
 best experiences are with kids who are out of the mainstream school system 
 because of emotional or developmental problems.  They also connect on a very 
 raw emotional level.  I am about to teach a week long residency in a high 
 school for these kids. It was one of my most moving shows last year and they 
 invited me back for a longer course.  These are discarded people in society, 
 but their humanity shines through their problems. And they DO have problems.  
 I am humbled by the teachers who work with them every day.  It isn't easy, 
 and this group of teenagers can be dangerous.
 
  
  I like to listen the little ones while they are still learning to speak and 
  express. I have to listen with different ears and heart. And I have to 
  think literally when listening to them, because that is how they 
  communicate. 
 
 Every developmental stage has its charms for me so I get what you are saying. 
  One of my goals with 4th through 6th graders is to help them make the 
 cognitive jump into figurative language through writing blues songs.  It can 
 really help them understand as they gain the cognitive skills for it.  You 
 must be a great teacher to have such an appreciation for young ones.
  
  
  What a wonderful contribution you live Curtis. It's good to read that 
  schools incorporate the arts. I find it sad(?) though that our culture has 
  to convey that the arts promote the other skills (like math and reading)in 
  order to have a purpose for teaching the arts. I wish the arts could simply 
  be and we could recognize their contribution without having to justify 
  their use.
 
 Thanks and back atchya!  I do believe in art for art's sake but honestly I 
 see this integration into the curriculum as no hindrance to my artistic 
 goals.  Remember how the Griots in West African are also historians?  I think 
 of my role that way. Or the bards spreading literature.  
 
  
  I hope that makes sense. I think of a child's play...imagineering and 
  creating. It all helps in the other areas (math, etc.), at least from the 
  studies I've read. Somewhere along the way I read that assembling puzzles 
  help in language skills because of recognizing shapes that go together.
 
 Totally agree. I hope with more brain research that we will get the arts back 
 in a big way in schools.  The connections are getting stronger in hard 
 science.  That is what it will take.  I am involved in a project that is 
 doing some analysis of the test improvement and in my area that could be a 
 game changer if we accomplish what we hope.
 
  
  Maybe I'm rather old school in that way. Preferring tree houses over 
  computer keyboards. But, I recognize that the modern world runs from these 
  computer keyboards. Yet with the little people (children), I am of the 
  opinion that keyboards

[FairfieldLife] Re: Feedback to the TM Movement

2013-04-04 Thread nablusoss1008



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck dhamiltony2k5@... wrote:


  Well yes, things evidently went backwards recently with the movement 
 guidelines.  Talked to someone just recently, an old movement campaigner who 
 was denied employment up there because would not sign a paper pledging to 
 never see saints again.  This is a highly competent long time movement person 
 in the community that they had sought out for employment in to a position.  
 After the discussion the person turned around and called the course office 
 people to check the guidelines and it was confirmed the guidelines are back 
 again to old governors not seeing saints to be involved with the movement.


Very good news Buck, thanks for posting.

[FairfieldLife] Beware on April 26, 2013

2013-04-04 Thread John

Given the tense situation in North Korea, the US military should be extra 
vigilant on this day for possible attack from the rogue nation.  On this day, 
Mars will be in very close opposition with Saturn.

There are several planets involved in this opposition, including the Moon and 
Venus.  It is likely that the malefic opposition can be mitigated by the 
involvement of women in the situation.  Perhaps, the president of South Korea 
should keep close contact with the wife of Kim Jong Un.  They could possibly 
prevent a nuclear war.

JR

[FairfieldLife] Re: Feedback to the TM Movement

2013-04-04 Thread jwtrowbridge

Level 1 experiences are counted for percentages everyday in the dome, men, 
women, vedic city, special groups, etc. It is the experience of bliss becoming 
blissful.

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson mjackson74@... wrote:

 I am not familiar with what Level 1 experiences mean - I haven't been to 
 Fairfield since I was on staff at MIU in the 1980's
 
 
 
 
 
  From: jwtrowbridge johnwtrowbridge@...
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 6:33 PM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Feedback to the TM Movement
  
 
 Â  
 Thanks Michael. I will just keep going on doing what I do. I love my program, 
 but I have never been financially dependent on anyone from the TMO. I feel I 
 have the best of both worlds. I am grounded and enjoy my work. I contribute, 
 and the knowledge, my experiences have always been fantastic. If I did not 
 get anything from the technique I would not practice it a week. The truly 
 devoted are the ones in the Dome who are part of the 50% who keep coming back 
 and report daily no level 1 experiences.
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson mjackson74@ wrote:
 
  Having read your ideas about the Movement it gives me a good feeling that 
  there are people with common sense who want something that has been good 
  for them to blossom and prosper. Even having left TM years ago, I do 
  understand the feeling doing program gives one, I recently did my TMSP 
  after years of not doing so and it felt good.
  
  I sincerely believe the only way for you to fulfill the desires you have 
  for the Movement is to walk away from the TM Movement and create one of 
  your own. Others have done so, thereby giving a fresh venue for teaching 
  and promoting the technique that is so meaningful to you. 
  
  The TM Movement has never really existed to do what you want it to do. I 
  spent years wondering why something that felt so good to me and had such 
  high goals and spoke about itself in such glowing terms could produce such 
  unkind, unhelpful people who administered the Movement - how could the 
  practice of the TM technique not create a group of individuals who 
  administered the Movement intelligently, lovingly, and efficiently? 
  
  As long as I believed that Maharishi was enlightened and somehow in some 
  unknown way, the excesses and omissions of the people who ran the Movement 
  were some sort of aberrant anomalies and that one day it would all balance 
  out, the Movement would straighten itself out and people would actually be 
  well taken care of in all phases and aspects of their dealings with the 
  TMO, much of what Maharishi did and none of what the TMO did made any sense.
  
  When I realized that Maharishi was not enlightened, and used his Movement 
  to further his desires to, in essence, be a big shot, gain wealth and have 
  a revolving door of sex partners, it all fell into place. This means that 
  the people who ran and still run the Movement learned at his feet and 
  realize that anything they want to do is alright as long as they remain in 
  charge and get paid. 
  
  The idea that Bevan, Tony and the rest will ever give any authority to a 
  Board of Directors is something that will never happen. They will not give 
  up powerÃÂ  - the TMO gives them everything. When is the last time any of 
  them had to worry about paying rent? How to pay the utilities? When is the 
  last time they had to wash their own clothes? Make their own meals? These 
  guys live like princes and they won't give it up.
  
  They will never put others needs and desires above their own need to be in 
  charge and keep getting paid, just like their former leader - and just like 
  M putting these guys in charge, who do you think these guys will pick to 
  follow them? The exact same energy will be passed on in the next generation 
  of leadership. 
  
  Get together with all the responsible teachers with common sense who feel 
  the way you do, organize your own Movement and get out while the getting is 
  good. 
  
  I have mentioned once or twice before that Girish, and the Srivastavas 
  brothers still run the Maharishi Group which I believe still owns all the 
  property that MUM is occupying, both the land and buildings. If the day 
  comes when they feel the revenue coming to them from MUM isn't satisfying 
  them, they will sell off the university holdings in a heartbeat, and you 
  will be without the Domes anyway. They have already begun this process in 
  India, and I believe they are doing so because they know the Movement is 
  running out of steam and won't give them the money they are used to. So 
  create your own Movement - why continue to trust people and a Movement that 
  have betrayed your trust for decades?
  
  
  
  
  
   From: jwtrowbridge johnwtrowbridge@
  To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Monday, April 1, 2013 8:25 AM
  Subject:

Re: [FairfieldLife] Beware on April 26, 2013

2013-04-04 Thread Mike Dixon

could this be the Mouse That Roared, a suicidal attack, in the hopes that the 
US would rebuild a new North in a unified Korea?

 From: John jr_...@yahoo.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 2:42 PM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Beware on April 26, 2013

Given the tense situation in North Korea, the US military should be extra 
vigilant on this day for possible attack from the rogue nation.  On this day, 
Mars will be in very close opposition with Saturn.

There are several planets involved in this opposition, including the Moon and 
Venus.  It is likely that the malefic opposition can be mitigated by the 
involvement of women in the situation.  Perhaps, the president of South Korea 
should keep close contact with the wife of Kim Jong Un.  They could possibly 
prevent a nuclear war.

JR

[FairfieldLife] Re: to Robin 2

2013-04-04 Thread Robin Carlsen



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@... wrote:

SL: Robin, it is my experience that life reality is always making contact with 
us

RC: There is no evidence that this is an 'experience' of yours, whatsoever, 
Share. This is imagined via your philosophy, a philosophy whose purpose is to 
insure there is a fire wall between you and reality at all times. Reality? The 
reality, Share, which would make you seek to find the actual point of tension 
which results in the disagreement about the truthfulness and appropriateness of 
those disputed posts of mine. Your platitudes here cannot be a substitute for 
finding out WTF REALITY THINKS OF THIS DIFFERENT WAY YOU AND I ARE INTERPRETING 
HER. Does it matter to reality which one of us more closely represents her 
(reality's) point of view about those posts, Share? Was your construal more 
innocent and sincere (therefore more convincing) than DrD's judgment of those 
same posts?

Is there, does there exist, some means of adjudicating between different claims 
about what is more real, what is more truthful? I believe there is, although 
this is not set out in any book I have read or lived out by any person that I 
have known.

SL: That any filtering of that contact is also done by life reality though it 
may seem like the individual is doing it! 

RC: What is the empirical or experimental basis of this knowledge you present 
here, Share? You have actually experienced inside your being the simultaneity 
of free will and reality being expressed in the actions of an individual human 
being?  No one that I have ever known (or who has existed as a human being) has 
ever had such an experience--For if they had this experience, Share, they would 
be able to solve the problem of free will and determinism.

Don't you see, Share, you are making an idea take the place of an existential 
encounter with your own personally felt experience? This is what confounds me, 
that you settle for a pure abstraction in the place of a required experience. 
There is no experience here, Share; therefore what you propose is just Hindu 
philosophy disjoined from your own existence.

SL: There are stories of people going through trauma and their later reports 
suggest that the system at least partially shut down all by itself for the sake 
of avoiding overwhelm and surviving.

RC: Fine, Undoubtedly true. What has this to do with those three posts of mine, 
your question to authfriend, or anything I have written to you since then? 
There is, Share, a real place of exact location where life is going on in this 
argument we are having. Why not see where we can go by bearing as much of what 
is happening here as we can--and see where we end up? I want to bring all of 
myself, all of my history, along with me in any serious debate--and I don't 
mind being humbled in the discovery that indeed my analysis of BW was 
ill-conceived, that my posts to CM were scornful and petty. But you have not 
entered into any form of experience whereby you could deliver up such a 
verdict--because then, Share, SOME OF REALITY WOULD BE COMING THROUGH YOU WHEN 
YOU DID THIS. 

And I would feel this. This is where what really is the case (objectivity) gets 
into our subjectivity (what we *experience* is the case, or what we would 
*like* to be the case). 
 
SL: I think we are all doing this to some degree or another all the time.

RC: Are we, Share? Where is the data you have collected on this issue, in terms 
of recording it on your nervous system? Don't you see, Share, if you really 
believed this, there should be some evidence--even unconscious--that your life 
reflects the legitimacy of drawing such a conclusion. Whereas the fact is, you 
are a zero (in terms of the legacy of your life) in any connection you are 
making here between this idea and reality. Like right in this very moment, 
Share, what is your experience of what I just said?

I submit to you, Share, you are dominated by a subjective experience that tells 
you what I am writing must be answered *in order to allow you to survive with 
your philosophy and modus operandi intact*. Whereas what I would have liked is 
for you to see what the effect is of what I say upon you as a living soul in 
the universe. Hell, you might be right about everything, Share, but the irony 
is: YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO KNOW THIS. 

SL: If only to avoid being overwhelmed by all the sensory data being presented 
to us at every nanosecond.

RC: Just a concept, Share.  

SL: And I think the decrease of the need for filtering is one way to describe 
human development.

RC: Intriguing idea here, Share. Does it go to anything relevant to what we 
have been discussing? The need for filtering: that could be a concept 
interestingly enough which is pertinent here (to our dispute). Again, Share, 
you are going from an idea, a sentiment, a principle back to life, instead of 
the other way around. What just astonishes me, Share, is that all I get from 
you (besides

[FairfieldLife] Re: 1,331 Pandits Chant at the Brahmasthan of India

Merlin, There are a lot more than 1300 pundits there in India, aren't there?  
It's an amazingly large program of the TM movement there and the Maharishi 
schools in and around India.

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, merlin vedamerlin@... wrote:

 1,331 Pandits Chant at the Brahmasthan of India 
  
  http://vedicpandits.org/newsletter/2013_04_video09.html
 
 
  
 1,331 Pandits Chant at the Brahmasthan of India 
 http://vedicpandits.org/newsletter/2013_04_video09.html
 
 
 ***
 ***

[FairfieldLife] Next Senator of California-- Kamala Harris

2013-04-04 Thread John

A lot of people think that she could be the next governor of the state.  But 
that's not likely since she is a friend and former subordinate of Gavin 
Newsome, who is planning to run for governor after Jerry Brown leaves.  
Therefore, it's a good bet that she will run for senator if Diane Feinstein 
decides to retire from government service.

Could she be the first woman president of the USA?  A lot of people think so 
too.  Even Obama likes her.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-calls-californian-kamala-harris-best-looking-attorney-211610335--abc-news-politics.html

[FairfieldLife] Re: 1,331 Pandits Chant at the Brahmasthan of India

There were supposed to be 1,300 or more pundits up there on the compound 
outside of Vedic City, Iowa too.  Are there that many in Iowa anymore?  That 
program seems to have dropped off the radar.  What is the status report there?



 Merlin, There are a lot more than 1300 pundits there in India, aren't there?  
 It's an amazingly large program of the TM movement there and the Maharishi 
 schools in and around India.
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, merlin vedamerlin@ wrote:
 
  1,331 Pandits Chant at the Brahmasthan of India 
   
   http://vedicpandits.org/newsletter/2013_04_video09.html
  
  
   
  1,331 Pandits Chant at the Brahmasthan of India 
  http://vedicpandits.org/newsletter/2013_04_video09.html
  
  
  ***
  ***

[FairfieldLife] Movie Review: Olympus has Fallen

I had been wanting to see this film after some critics thought that it 
is the best Die Hard movie ever.  It's got a good cast with Gerald 
Butler taking the Bruce Willis role.  Aaron Eckhart plays the President 
of the United States when the White House comes under attack by North 
Korean terrorists.  This is a very timely movie given current events.  
Morgan Freeman plays the Speaker of the House who takes the helm after 
the President is taken hostage.  Antoine Fuqua directed this film and I 
liked The Shooter which he also directed.

It's a good action film, a little cornball and manipulative in places.  
I looked up what Roger Ebert had to say about it but Bill Zweker 
reviewed the film on Ebert's site.  Since it is a Film District and 
Millennium production I suspect the disc and streaming releases will 
show up in about 3 months.  Worth a rental at least if you like these 
kind of films.  Rated Not for Buck because of violence.

[FairfieldLife] For Equal Rights in Fairfield, Iowa


Such Underground activities were kept secret for years, but in
January, 1860, all Fairfield was suddenly awakened to the realization
that slavery had a long arm ready to grab victims even there.

On the last Sunday morning that month, two young white men passed
through going south.   They had with them two Negro girls, about 11 and
14 years old.  They were soon followed by a young man named Allen, at
whose home they had stopped for breakfast.  The more he had thought
about them, the more he suspected that the men were carrying off the
children as slaves.

In Fairfield Allen secured warrants for their arrest, and they were
pursued, arrested at Iowaville, and brought back.  One was put in jail
and one released on a bond signed by Colonel James Thompson, Samuel
Jacobs, and William H. Hamilton, all highly respect citizens, but all
pro-slavery democrats.  The preliminary hearing was hardly over when the
sheriff of Jefferson County appeared and took the men into custody on
the charge of kidnapping.  They were taken to Iowa City for trial, but
they had brought the issue of slavery sharply before the people of
Fairfield.  Sadly, opinion on it was bitterly divided.




A Fair Field, by Susan Fulton Welty, 1976, page 107

[FairfieldLife] Lady with Unicorn

2013-04-04 Thread Yifu

by Raphael
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Lady_with_unicorn_by_Rafael_Santi.jpg

[FairfieldLife] Re: Is Obama the anti-Christ?


http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/are-cats-spies-sent-by-aliens-motherboard-examines-a-favorite-internet-conspiracy-theory

http://tinyurl.com/ccfy9u8



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, salyavin808 fintlewoodlewix@... wrote:

 
 Among other odd things, a large number of US citizens seem to think so:
 * 37% of voters believe global warming is a hoax, 51% do not.
 Republicans say global warming is a hoax by a 58-25 margin, Democrats
 disagree 11-77, and Independents are more split at  41-51. 61% of Romney
 voters believe global warming is a hoax
 * 6% of voters believe Osama bin Laden is still alive
 
 * 21% of voters say a UFO crashed in Roswell, NM in 1947 and the US
 government covered it up. More Romney voters (27%) than Obama voters
 (16%) believe in a UFO cover up
 
 * 28% of voters believe secretive power elite with a globalist agenda is
 conspiring to eventually rule the world through an authoritarian world
 government, or New World Order.  A plurality of Romney voters (38%)
 believe in the New World Order compared to 35% who don't
 
 * 28% of voters believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks.
 36% of Romney voters believe Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11, 41% do
 not
 
 * 20% of voters believe there is a link between childhood vaccines and
 autism, 51% do not
 
 * 7% of voters think the moon landing was faked
 
 * 13% of voters think Barack Obama is the anti-Christ, including 22% of
 Romney voters
 
 * Voters are split 44%-45% on whether Bush intentionally misled about
 weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. 72% of Democrats think Bush lied
 about WMDs, Independents agree 48-45, just 13% of Republicans think so
 
 * 29% of voters believe aliens exist
 
 * 14% of voters say the CIA was instrumental in creating the crack
 cocaine epidemic in America's inner cities in the 1980's
 
 * 9% of voters think the government adds fluoride to our water supply
 for sinister reasons (not just dental health)
 
 * 4% of voters say they believe lizard people control our
 societies by gaining political power
 
 * 51% of voters say a larger conspiracy was at work in the JFK
 assassination, just 25% say Oswald acted alone
 
 * 14% of voters believe in Bigfoot
 
 * 15% of voters say the government or the media adds mind-controlling
 technology to TV broadcast signals
 
 * 5% believe exhaust seen in the sky behind aeroplanes is actually
 chemicals sprayed by the government for sinister reasons
 
 * 15% of voters think the medical industry and the pharmaceutical
 industry invent new diseases to make money
 
 * 5% of voters believe that Paul McCartney died in 1966
 
 * 11% of voters believe the US government allowed 9/11 to happen, 78% do
 not agree
 
 
 
 
 From:
 
 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-the-antichrist-gl\
 obal-warming-a-myth-lizard-people-controlling-the-world-conspiracy-theor\
 y-research-reveals-bizarre-beliefs-prevalent-in-us-8558384.html
 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-the-antichrist-g\
 lobal-warming-a-myth-lizard-people-controlling-the-world-conspiracy-theo\
 ry-research-reveals-bizarre-beliefs-prevalent-in-us-8558384.html
 
 I'm heartened that only 7% think the moon landing was faked, I heard it
 was more than that and that would be depressing from the first country
 to manage it.
 
 I'd like to see where the crossover is, whether it's the same, more or
 less, 10% that believe BO is the anti-christ as believe in aliens and
 Bigfoot.
 
 Would like to see a similar census for Brits too. I don't believe any of
 the above, apart from the one about alien lizard people secretly ruling
 the Earth. I just want *anybody* to be in charge instead of the fuckwits
 we've lumbered ourselves with.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: to Robin 2

I'm quite sure that my definition of sentimentality is different from Robin's.  
In almost 65 years of living, no one has ever accused me of being sentimental, 
nor do I think of myself that way.  In this post I begin by addressing Robin's 
assertions in the 6th paragraph of his post wherein he talks about contact with 
life and alleged reality denial.  As for metaphysical discomfort, I did not 
experience such in reading Robin's post.    





 From: authfriend authfri...@yahoo.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 11:16 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: to Robin 2
 

  
You know, Share, all this is very lovely, but it doesn't
seem to have much of anything to do with what Robin was
saying.

In fact, it appears to me to be an *example* of the very
behavior he describes: using sentimentality as a way to
insulate yourself from the metaphysical discomfort his
post produced in you.

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@... wrote:

 Robin, it is my experience that life reality is always making contact with 
 us; that any filtering of that contact is also done by life reality though it 
 may seem like the individual is doing it!  There are stories of people going 
 through trauma and their later reports suggest that the system at least 
 partially shut down all by itself for the sake of avoiding overwhelm and 
 surviving.  
 
 I think we are all doing this to some degree or another all the time.  If 
 only to avoid being overwhelmed by all the sensory data being presented to us 
 at every nanosecond.  And I think the decrease of the need for filtering is 
 one way to describe human development.  So I am at a certain level of 
 development with reference to this.  As is everyone else.  No need to feel 
 sad on my account.  I am simply at a less developed stage than you are 
 probably.  
 
 Referring back to Emily's quote from Descartes we could say that I am going 
 as far as possible in doubting everything.  Just as is everyone else!
 
 And from Salyavin:  Another explanation is that maybe we just don't know 
 enough about the nature of reality yet? 
 
 I did say that it seemed you were expressing a grudge against turq.  I 
 apologize for misjudging you about that and about your interaction
  with Curtis.  And I apologize to Doc if it seemed I was mocking him.  Indeed 
 I enjoyed his post about this.
 
 It is my experience also that the
  tragic and the beautiful can be exquisitely intertwined.    
 
 PS  I saw your post in one of Ann's and retrieved it from Message View.  It 
 has not yet appeared in my yahoo inbox.
 
 Fair enough, Share. Thanks. I was acting in both my analysis of Barry and in 
 my
 two posts to Curtis, from a clear conscience and a loving heart. I do not 
 carry
 or have grudges--never have. My analysis came from a direct perception, and I
 believe it to be something that can be tested against one's experience. No one
 with any intelligence could fail to comprehend what I said. Indeed Curtis said
 it was formulaic, simple, and unsophisticated.
 
 In my two posts to Curtis I was acting honourably and appropriately, given 
 what
 he had written to Ann about me and about his friend and then in his 
 contemptuous
 reference to DrD.
 
 You will understand, then, Share, that as far as I am concerned my motives to
 write what I wrote were unimpeachable. You will realize therefore that your
 characterization of those posts gravely contradicts my conscious intention and
 experience--and make a mockery of those posters who chose to respond to what I
 have written in terms which coincide with my intention and experience.
 
 What this disagreement turns on then, Share, is the quality of truthfulness I
 exercised in writing that analysis of Barry, and in my two posts to Curtis
 versus the quality of truthfulness you are exercising in telling me I was in 
 the
 case of the analysis of Barry expressing a grudge and that I was
 incomprehensible; and in the case of Curtis, that I was sarcastic and 
 accusatory
 when he had been reasonable.
 
 You realize that if there is such a thing as truth and justice, one of 
 us--since
 we are so polarized in our interpretations of these three events--is mistaken.
 Since there is no way to reconcile our respective judgments of this matter.
 
 I have given my explanation for how I understand why you wrote to authfriend
 asking why I wrote those posts and why you have written as you have here.
 Because the matter of free will is problematic for me metaphysically, I cannot
 accuse you of deliberating choosing to act in a way which you know was false.
 But I will say, Share, that you have a meta-phobia about making any sort of
 contact with life when it wishes to force its own interpretation upon you. You
 appear to me to be governed by some profound form of reality denial--and you 
 can
 never escape from this.
 
 The sense of the tragic is, as fas I am concerned (Maharishi missed this)

[FairfieldLife] Post Count Fri 05-Apr-13 00:15:02 UTC

2013-04-04 Thread FFL PostCount

Fairfield Life Post Counter
===
Start Date (UTC): 03/30/13 00:00:00
End Date (UTC): 04/06/13 00:00:00
475 messages as of (UTC) 04/04/13 20:08:30

44 authfriend 
39 Share Long 
38 Michael Jackson 
36 Buck 
34 turquoiseb 
28 Ann 
26 seventhray27 
21 Bhairitu 
17 curtisdeltablues 
17 Richard J. Williams 
16 Emily Reyn 
15 card 
12 John 
10 srijau
10 merudanda 
 9 salyavin808 
 9 jwtrowbridge 
 9 Alex Stanley 
 8 Xenophaneros Anartaxius 
 8 Robin Carlsen 
 7 nablusoss1008 
 7 feste37 
 5 Yifu 
 5 Ravi Chivukula 
 4 wleed3 
 4 merlin 
 4 doctordumbass
 4 PaliGap 
 4 Carol 
 3 emilymae.reyn 
 3 Goddess Ninmah 
 3 Dick Mays 
 2 wgm4u 
 2 sparaig 
 2 laughinggull108 
 2 Susan 
 1 raunchydog 
 1 martyboi 
 1 emptybill 
 1 azgrey 
 1 Rick Archer 
 1 Mike Dixon 
 1 FairfieldLife
 1 Duveyoung 
Posters: 44
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[FairfieldLife] Monsanto Mafia reports huge profits

Obviously more Russian Propaganda. :-D

http://rt.com/usa/monsanto-protection-act-profit-346/

Where is Elliot Ness when we need him?  Though he might need help from 
Kali to slay this asura.

[FairfieldLife] Re: For Emily

2013-04-04 Thread seventhray27


Thank you Curtis for elaborating on the ideas below.  I can't really
disagree with the points you make.  I believe I have it right that the
areas of science and psychology that interest you most have to do with
brain functioning and how we draw conclusions.  It appears to me that
your approach to knowledge is through a more scientific means.  And I
don't think you can go wrong with that.

Perhaps what I am saying, is that my approach is more subjective.  One
example would be the experience of NDEs.  As I mentioned, to me they
indicate something beyond what we might be able to explain through
conditioning or beliefs.  But no matter, I think we have staked out our
positions on that.

And at the risk of venturing into woo woo territory, I have come to
believe that the course of human history has had cycles of great
technological achivement and great depravity.  And during these cycles
different, remarkable faculties of human potential have come to the
fore. How I wish evidence could be uncovered to prove this.  But until
it does,  I will have to be content to keep it as my little fantasy.

Thanks again, for taking the time to elucidate your position on things.


--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues
curtisdeltablues@... wrote:

 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray27 steve.sundur@
wrote:
 
 
  The only thoughts that I have had recently is that science has not
been
  around that long and so it would seem to me that for most of human
  existence one had to rely upon a subjective means of gaining
knowledge.

 This seems like a false alternative that doesn't describe very well
how human knowledge advanced before the scientific method was
formalized. I'm not sure what you are including in the subjective means?

 For most of man's history he was able to also check his theories and
amend them through feedback. First guy who spots a Mastodon getting
taken down by a saber toothed tiger and thinks hey, that looks pretty
good, I think I'll give that a try. Second guy sees first guy get
squashed and thinks, hey I think I'll try a stick, and also gets
squashed. Third guy says maybe we should try sharpening the sticks and
surrounding the big guy with many many sharpened sticks.

 True story, this was the first Vegas style All You Can Eat buffet that
night.

 Verifying our ideas through some external verification has been a part
of our whole intellectual history and allowed for some of early man's
best insights into how life works. What the scientific method did was to
formalize verifying our ideas into a system that took into account how
prone we are to fall in love with our own ideas before we really know
they are true.

 But we have many other ways than science to evaluate if an idea has
good reason to support our conclusions. Science gets all the glory
because it gave us the DVR and now I can watch TV shows when I want. But
we don't use the scientific method for too much in our daily life. But
we also are not just stuck only using the subjective means of gaining
knowledge either. We evaluate reasons to support our ideas.


  Studying the stars and constellations was certainly a form of
scientific
  investigation, and some good knowledge came out of that. 

 More than good, great! It allowed us to navigate the planet and
discover where the chocolate was growing.


  But having
  read some of the eastern (Vedic texts) as you probably have, I am
struck
  by some of the detailed descriptions of our body and also our
  environment that could only have been gained by a subjective means.

 I might have to see what examples you are referring to. But man's
medical systems evolved with a lot of trial and error and where ancient
medical systems are weakest is in areas where it was harder to apply
some verification to their subjectively generated ideas. One of the
biggest difficulties they had was not understanding the
counter-intuitive nature of statistics, which has really helped us sort
out what is true. They over relied on anecdotal evidence and it really
hurt them. In the pre-science era it was battle field doctors who were
really learning about how the body worked through direct observation.
And let's not discount how quickly knowledge advanced once we started to
apply the methods of sciences. Just in infant mortality rates alone.


 
  The other thought I had, is that gaining knowledge by a subjective
means
  is certainly a short cut to learning. Yes, if there is no means to
  validate it, then you can't present it as a fact. 

 Again I see a false dichotomy here. We live in a world of greater and
lessor probabilities. It is rare in our life that we go from idea to
fact. So we are always in a process of validating our knowledge and
aren't waiting around for science for most of it. We just evaluate the
reasons to see if they are good ones.

  But if you are soley
  dependent on what science comes up with, then you must wait each day
to
  see what new fact comes out. And that fact that may

[FairfieldLife] Re: to Robin 2

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@... wrote:

 I'm quite sure that my definition of sentimentality is different
 from Robin's. In almost 65 years of living, no one has ever
 accused me of being sentimental,

Well, now they have.

 nor do I think of myself that way. In this post I begin by 
 addressing Robin's assertions in the 6th paragraph of his
 post wherein he talks about contact with life and alleged
 reality denial. As for metaphysical discomfort, I did not 
 experience such in reading Robin's post.

I told you what it seemed like to me. Now you get to find
out what it seemed like to Robin.


 
  From: authfriend authfriend@...
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 11:16 AM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: to Robin 2
  
 
 Â  
 You know, Share, all this is very lovely, but it doesn't
 seem to have much of anything to do with what Robin was
 saying.
 
 In fact, it appears to me to be an *example* of the very
 behavior he describes: using sentimentality as a way to
 insulate yourself from the metaphysical discomfort his
 post produced in you.
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long sharelong60@ wrote:
 
  Robin, it is my experience that life reality is always making contact with 
  us; that any filtering of that contact is also done by life reality though 
  it may seem like the individual is doing it!Â  There are stories of people 
  going through trauma and their later reports suggest that the system at 
  least partially shut down all by itself for the sake of avoiding overwhelm 
  and surviving.Â  
  
  I think we are all doing this to some degree or another all the time.Â  If 
  only to avoid being overwhelmed by all the sensory data being presented to 
  us at every nanosecond.Â  And I think the decrease of the need for 
  filtering is one way to describe human development.Â  So I am at a certain 
  level of development with reference to this.Â  As is everyone else.Â  No 
  need to feel sad on my account.Â  I am simply at a less developed stage 
  than you are probably.Â  
  
  Referring back to Emily's quote from Descartes we could say that I am going 
  as far as possible in doubting everything.Â  Just as is everyone else!
  
  And from Salyavin:Â  Another explanation is that maybe we just don't know 
  enough about the nature of reality yet? 
  
  I did say that it seemed you were expressing a grudge against turq.Â  I 
  apologize for misjudging you about that and about your interaction
   with Curtis.Â  And I apologize to Doc if it seemed I was mocking him.Â  
  Indeed I enjoyed his post about this.
  
  It is my experience also that the
   tragic and the beautiful can be exquisitely intertwined. Â Â  
  
  PSÂ  I saw your post in one of Ann's and retrieved it from Message View.Â  
  It has not yet appeared in my yahoo inbox.
  
  Fair enough, Share. Thanks. I was acting in both my analysis of Barry and 
  in my
  two posts to Curtis, from a clear conscience and a loving heart. I do not 
  carry
  or have grudges--never have. My analysis came from a direct perception, and 
  I
  believe it to be something that can be tested against one's experience. No 
  one
  with any intelligence could fail to comprehend what I said. Indeed Curtis 
  said
  it was formulaic, simple, and unsophisticated.
  
  In my two posts to Curtis I was acting honourably and appropriately, given 
  what
  he had written to Ann about me and about his friend and then in his 
  contemptuous
  reference to DrD.
  
  You will understand, then, Share, that as far as I am concerned my motives 
  to
  write what I wrote were unimpeachable. You will realize therefore that your
  characterization of those posts gravely contradicts my conscious intention 
  and
  experience--and make a mockery of those posters who chose to respond to 
  what I
  have written in terms which coincide with my intention and experience.
  
  What this disagreement turns on then, Share, is the quality of truthfulness 
  I
  exercised in writing that analysis of Barry, and in my two posts to Curtis
  versus the quality of truthfulness you are exercising in telling me I was 
  in the
  case of the analysis of Barry expressing a grudge and that I was
  incomprehensible; and in the case of Curtis, that I was sarcastic and 
  accusatory
  when he had been reasonable.
  
  You realize that if there is such a thing as truth and justice, one of 
  us--since
  we are so polarized in our interpretations of these three events--is 
  mistaken.
  Since there is no way to reconcile our respective judgments of this matter.
  
  I have given my explanation for how I understand why you wrote to authfriend
  asking why I wrote those posts and why you have written as you have here.
  Because the matter of free will is problematic for me metaphysically, I 
  cannot
  accuse you of deliberating choosing to act in a way which you know was 
  false.
  But I will say, Share, that

[FairfieldLife] Re: Featuring George Fox

Dr.Yifu, about this spiritual 'field effect' of group meditation, can you find 
any artwork of old Quaker Meeting houses?  Quaker group meditation was a huge 
spiritual practice movement with meeting houses to host the group meditations 
being built widely all around the country side then at the time of the founding 
of the Country and well in to the 19th Century.  Thanks in advance. -Buck   

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck wrote:

 Founding Quakers early recognized the spiritual value of the field effect 
 [Meissner Effect of the Unified Field] of group meditation.  From the early 
 times of Quakerism the Quakers facilitated group meditation as part of the 
 essential discipline of spiritual practice by building houses to house the 
 group meditation, like we did with TM centers and residence courses.  They 
 were a spiritual regeneration movement in their day just like ours was.  It 
 was driven and took off by experience like TM once did and TM is in fact 
 doing again over in the New TM Movement around Hagelin.  It is interesting to 
 see how awakening can spread like wildfire once it is properly lit and fed.
 -Buck in the Dome   
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck  wrote:
 
  Yep, the guy was a meditator and had number one experiences all the time 
  generating quite a 'field effect'.  A saint in his own time like we know 
  them spiritually.  We always end our Quaker Meeting silent 
  meditation/meeting for worship with, Jai George Fox.  
  -Buck
  
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Yifu yifuxero@ wrote:
  
   http://www.ushistory.org/penn/fox.htm
   
   From Sodom Had No Bible by Leonard Ravenhill, Offspring, 1971, 2012; 
   page 162:
   
   Many times Fox prophesied of future events that were revealed to him. 
   Visions often came to him. Once in Lancashire, England, as he was 
   climbing Pendle hill, he had a vision of a coming revival in that very 
   area.  He saw the countryside alive with men, all moving to one place. 
   .
In personal appearance Fox was a large man with remarkable piercing 
   eyes.  His words were like a flash of lightening.  His judgment was 
   clear, and his logic convincing.  His great spiritual gift was a 
   remarkable discernment.  He seemed to be able to read the characters of 
   men by looking at them.  He likened the temperaments of people to a wolf, 
   a serpent, a lion, or a wasp.  He could meet a person and say, I see the 
   spirit of a cunning fox in you.  You have the nature of a serpent. Or, 
   Thou art as vicious as a tiger  Fox was far in advance of any other 
   person in his day, in spiritual matters.
   
   Above all, George Fox excelled in prayer.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Monsanto Mafia reports huge profits

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@... wrote:

 Obviously more Russian Propaganda. :-D

Why do you want to continue making yourself look stupid,
Bhairitu?

 
 http://rt.com/usa/monsanto-protection-act-profit-346/
 
 Where is Elliot Ness when we need him?  Though he might need help from 
 Kali to slay this asura.

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Feedback to the TM Movement

2013-04-04 Thread Michael Jackson

I don't think Buck consider that good news - who would except TM fanatics?

 From: nablusoss1008 no_re...@yahoogroups.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 5:28 PM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Feedback to the TM Movement

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck dhamiltony2k5@... wrote:

  Well yes, things evidently went backwards recently with the movement 
 guidelines.  Talked to someone just recently, an old movement campaigner who 
 was denied employment up there because would not sign a paper pledging to 
 never see saints again.  This is a highly competent long time movement person 
 in the community that they had sought out for employment in to a position.  
 After the discussion the person turned around and called the course office 
 people to check the guidelines and it was confirmed the guidelines are back 
 again to old governors not seeing saints to be involved with the movement.

Very good news Buck, thanks for posting.

[FairfieldLife] Blast from the Past

2013-04-04 Thread Michael Jackson

From the Village Voice

The Maharishi Makes the Scene
January 25, 1968, Vol. XIII, No. 15

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: The Politics of Salvation
by Richard Goldstein

The question of the hour is: can an honest man still be a fraud?

The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi arrived in New York last Thursday, fresh 
from triumphs in all the pop capitals of the West. The Beatles sent pink tulips 
and carnations to his suite at the Plaza. The Beach Boys -- long fascinated by 
mystic meditation -- accompanied him from Los Angeles. 
And the New York press establishment greeted him with equal measures of 
suspicion and relief. They were, after all, tired of the hippies.

On Friday morning, he received reporters in the Plaza's State Suite, a generous 
room decorated in Versailles Nouveau. It smelled of flowers 
and cologne. Chic ladies and gentlemen from the fashion slicks scurried 
around television cables for a glimpse of the guru's smile. Hippies with 
credentials formed a breaded wedge along the gold draperies. The 
ballsier reporters squatted around a white satin couch on which the 
Maharishi was sitting. His reflection filled every piece of crystal in 
the chandelier. 

The Maharishi is a practical man. That is the only defense he offers 
for his particular meditative technique. Maybe, it works, he shrugs at the 
end of a lecture, leaving his audience to ponder their needs and 
alternatives. And in organizing his Spiritual Regeneration Movement, he 
has shown the same sense of transcendent pragmatism. 


While his eventual 
plans call for universal participation, he extends an immediate 
invitation to the fortunate possessors of resources. He wants to train one 
teacher for every population of 100,000. This network of sub-gurus 
would be composed almost entirely of people who are powerful, important, or 
rich.

The Maharishi makes no attempt to disguise his elitism. He considers 
wealth and achievement important signs of spiritual advancement. 
Success, he reasons, is the logical result of inner peace, and failure 
cannot occur except through inner strife. Thus, he who is wealthy is 
usually healthy and potentially wise.

Wherever he has gone, the Maharishi has taken his movement to the 
taste-makers. In London, he fond the Beatles; in San Francisco, the 
Grateful Dead; in Hollywood, a bevy of searching starlets. 


When he 
brought his technique to Germany, der guru approached factory bosses; 
after they discovered that transcendental meditation could increase 
production, they embraced the movement  as a national asset.

In New York, the Maharishi wanted to meet the media. A large 
theatrical agency, which also handles public relations for the Ringling 
Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, arranged his press conference, 
circulated in the audience with flowers in their stiff lapels, and 
surrounded their client like steel-gray columns.

Jesus didn't have any public relations men around him, noted one 
reporter. That is why he took so many hundreds of years to be known, 
the Maharishi replied in a small, tinkling voice. He cradled a hyacinth 
bud in one hand and gestured with the other. His eyes shone under the 
klieg lights like sunny water.

Your Holiness, do you ever suffer?

I don't remember the last time I was depressed.

Your Holiness, nine years ago you left your hermit's cave in the Himalayas. 
Why did you leave?

To come out.

Your Majesty, how old are you?

As you look at me.

What do your beads symbolize...what didi you do for the Beatles...Was your 
father a wise man?

He must have been.

What did he do?

Work...as all men.

Ahh, he's not gonna tell you.

The Maharishi does not enjoy talking about himself. When a personal 
question arises, his smile dims to a perplexed frown. He usually 
circumvents his own history, but he is reported to be about 56 years 
old, the son of a government revenue collector named Mahesh (Maharishi 
means great sage, an a yogi is a teacher). He is a university graduate 
who worked in a factory before he became a holy man. In recent days, his cave 
has been replaced by a palatial ashram with soundproof walls and 
indirect lighting.

...This country is facing its most impolite summer in more than 100 
years. Are we to teach the National Guard bliss consciousness so they 
can perform their duties with inner peace? Are we to meditate between 
strafings? Can we ever transcend America?

That is the solution this year's guru offers. He belongs on the cover of 
Life-Look. His message is one we are desperate to believe: that 
guilt is a futile emotion. My heart is bouncing with bliss, he said 
last Sunday, to a capacity crowd at the Felt Forum of the new Madison 
Square Garden. It is this afternoon that I am to announce that without a 
doubt, transendental meditation, if carried throughout the world, will 
create peace for generations to come.

His audience of teenyboppers who had heard him on the Gary Stevens 
Show, and matrons who had seen him on Johnny Carson, sighed and smiled 
at the small

[FairfieldLife] The Old Ashram

2013-04-04 Thread Michael Jackson

http://jimandatravels.wordpress.com/about/northern-india/rishikesh/maharishi-the-beatles/

Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

Yes, I interpreted it the same as well - stated with a poetic twist.  Wasn't 
sure why Curtis asked me to pay particular attention to the last verse.  I did 
like the song though and the lyrics and the title roustabout.  Roustabouts 
like it rough.  (O.K., I'd better stop while I'm ahead - that sentence had no 
class whatsoever.)  The lyrics I posted (not exact) end with the phrase Oh 
Lord.  Smile.  






 From: Carol jchwe...@gmail.com
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 1:12 PM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis
 

  
I interpreted the lyrics the same as Curtis had...a gang rape. 

I like Curtis' girlfriend's interpretation better. 

**

--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, emilymae.reyn emilymae.reyn@... 
wrote:

 Yahoo is so bogged down!  Back to receiving posts late and out of order - 
 email-wise.
 
 The link doesn't work - send another? 
 
 Joe does some incredible things - he is a master of rhythm and plays many 
 genres of music.  Thanks for clarifying the lyrics.  Interesting take from 
 your girlfriend - I was curious as I wasn't sure how to interpret what I was 
 reading and my first take was a more sinister nature.  I prefer your 
 girlfriend's thought and the last line = try to tear my kingdom down 
 leaves room for exactly what she's talking about.  Ha. 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ 
 wrote:
 
  Fantastic. The kora is more harp like than the fretted instruments I am 
  most interested in, but I love that sound too. I like the guitarists  like 
  Ali Farke Toure who imitate the kora on guitar.  Here is a song I am 
  working on:
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJUE03aeaQ4
  
  That is such cool percussion Joe Craven was laying down.  That is the kind 
  of rhythm that I am having difficulty with since it is so far off from my 
  natural blues sense.  I was jamming with a Malian percussion guy one time 
  and he told me:  you aren't leaving any space for my rhythm to come out.  
  It really struck home.  I need to regroove rhythms that African kids grow 
  up with like 12/8 time if I want to play this style.  I beat the rhythm to 
  death with Delta ax song rhythms and it can't breath like this. 
  
  The jury is still out on that happening. 
  
  The lyrics are close.
  
  It is if I had wings like Noah's dove, I'd sail from pine to pine looking 
  for my own true love. 
  
  Much more poetic.
  
  The line Some was near the dell should be 
  Some was kneeling down.  More sinister or more exciting depending on 
  your take. I always interpreted it as sort of a gang rape until my GF 
  suggested that she was having the the time of her life and she took it all 
  as consensual.  It fascinates me that we can have such a different take on 
  it.  (I am also cautious to keep an eye on the pines near my house 
  whenever she stays over.)
  
  
  
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote:
  
   Nice. Â I particularly like the commentary. Â I looked for the Josh 
   Thomas lyrics online as I was having trouble hearing them. Â Not easy to 
   find, but here is someone's translation. Â Is this last verse the one 
   you mean? Â 
   
   At Wintergrass this year, there was a guy Joe Craven who is an amazing 
   artist and educator who is forever reinventing himself and plays an 
   incredible array of instruments - he has previously done a one man show 
   there, but came with his new band - Mamajowali. Â This was one of the 
   pieces they played.
   
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXnQpr6oJAÂ 
   
   http://joecraven.com/mamajowali
   
   
   Roustabout
   
   Oh you banjo roustabout
   When you goin to the shore
   I got a good gal on that other shore
   Baby don't you want to go
   
   If I had an old pairs of wings
   I'd go to Nora's town
   I'd sail from pine to pine
   Looking for my own true love
   
   I'd a listened to what my momma said
   I wouldn't be here today
   But me being young and foolish too
   women lead me astray
   
   Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet
   And who's gonna glove your hand
   And who's gonna do your rockabye
   When your man's in a distant land
   
   My wife left home last night
   I'll tell you where I found her
   Lying down in the pines
   A gang of boys around her
   Some was higgin it
   Some was kissin it
   Some was huggin it
   Some was near the dell
   There more rascal hangin round
   Try to tear my kingdom down
   
   Oh my lord.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
From: curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@
   To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
   Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:55 AM
   Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: To Curtis

   
   Â  
   I loved everything about it, thanks for posting it.  The lyrics totally 
   rock, I love how she shifts from the personal to the philosophical 
   questions. What a great model for songwriting.
   
   I especially

[FairfieldLife] Re: The Old Ashram



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson mjackson74@... wrote:

 http://jimandatravels.wordpress.com/about/northern-india/rishikesh/maharishi-the-beatles/


What a cool, fun, fanciful place.

[FairfieldLife] Re: Feedback to the TM Movement

It's very unfortunate news for the Fairfield Dome community that they have 
returned to the strict anti-saint policy, considering how many people went over 
to India and saw saints just recently.  Purusha in India continues to see 
saints.  Down in Boone meditators see saints.  So much for the flower of the 
movement.  John Douglas comes to Fairfield in just a few days.
 http://www.spirit-repair.com/shop/workshops 



 Trouble?  For the community?
  Well yes, things evidently went backwards recently with the movement 
 guidelines.  Talked to someone just recently, an old movement campaigner who 
 was denied employment up there because would not sign a paper pledging to 
 never see saints again.  This is a highly competent long time movement person 
 in the community that they had sought out for employment in to a position.  
 After the discussion the person turned around and called the course office 
 people to check the guidelines and it was confirmed the guidelines are back 
 again to old governors not seeing saints to be involved with the movement.
 
 
   Thanks for taking the time and having the courage to post this here.
   your last six words bothered me just a little. In what way? As in fearful 
   of repercussions for expressing one's opinions? If so, do you really feel 
   this way?
   
  
  Trouble?
  Yes, someone in the course office could view [judge] Trowbridge as being 
  negative and un-stressing in the act of posting his letter.  As JT  values 
  coming back to the group meditation he could have created trouble for 
  himself.  Tru-believers in the middle easily could see Trowbridge being 
  disloyal and lacking in fealty.  
  
  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, laughinggull108 no_reply@ wrote:
  
   --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck  wrote:
   
Beautiful.  Thanks for taking the time and having the courage to post 
this here.
-Buck in the Dome

   
   Ditto. In fact, worth saying again: *Beautiful*, Mr. Trowbridge. Perhaps 
   it will be read by people with the ability to affect the changes of which 
   you write.
   
   your last six words bothered me just a little. In what way? As in fearful 
   of repercussions for expressing one's opinions? If so, do you really feel 
   this way?
   
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, jwtrowbridge johnwtrowbridge@ 
wrote:

 I would like to give feedback from the perspective of one who loves 
 TM, but not how the organization is run. I have wanted to do so for 
 many years. I feel I have a unique perspective to do so. I am not 
 angry. I am not dependent on TM other than my wonderful program I 
 practice. I have no ax to grind other than a genuine desire to see 
 the organization succeed. I wish to help this organization from the 
 point of view of one who is a family man, a professional who sees the 
 divinity of my practice, and the missteps of the organization.
 
 My TM program is the only time during the day that I know my activity 
 is perfect. It is a perfect program. It is a perfect activity. It is 
 perfect knowledge. I have recently obtained all of the advanced 
 techniques. I have missed maybe five meditations in 40 years only 
 because I enjoy it. There is no other reason. Not for health, not for 
 enlightenment, such is the joy and power of my program. 
 
 I have just finished 34 years as a public school teacher in North 
 Carolina, and I am still teaching. I have been married 30 years. I 
 have two children. My wife meditates. My two children have been 
 initiated. From the beginning, I have provided support to the TM 
 Movement through the use of my house for lectures, initiations, and 
 whatever I have to offer all these years. I am your biggest fan.
 
 I started TM on November 13th, 1971 and got the sidhis in `80 or `81 
 at MUM. I practiced my program by myself over the decades until 5 
 years ago, when I went to MUM to fly in the dome for a 7-week visit. 
 I have gone ever 2 years during the summer thereafter. I have never 
 taken one dime of grant money. 
 
 I mention specific names and impressions in this letter, not to 
 target individuals, but to show relevant examples of what concerns 
 me. I also want to describe what could be done differently, 
 especially if you want to have credibility with Americans. The goal 
 of this organization is not to appeal to a particular leader or 
 person, but to the widest possible audience who will appreciate and 
 practice the TM program in its purity. 
 
 2007: This incident exemplifies so many of the elements of what is 
 wrong with how the TM organization is managed. When I came 5 years 
 ago, I was in the dome for the IA course for just a few days when the 
 men's group had to move because workmen were replacing the roof. We 
 moved to a flying hall near the swimming pool.

[FairfieldLife] HITLER'S VALENTINE

2013-04-04 Thread Robin Carlsen

Robin:I think you would like to send Hitler a Valentine's Card and make 
everything all
right again. 

Share:  Perhaps if someone had sent Hitler a valentine, he would have become a 
happy architect.

Robin: If you said this ironically then you have essentially defied my analysis 
of you--or at least in coming up with this response (assuming, again, that it 
is ironic) you have proven to me you can resist your primary tendency 
(sentimentality = a failure of real feeling). If, however--you must tell me 
which it is, dear Share,--you meant this non-ironically, then you have 
demonstrated just how true my essential idea of you is, dear Share.

So, either way I win. Because if you meant it in a deliberately ironic way, 
then you have jumped out of your mould and have said something easily as good 
as anything I could have said. And if you meant it sincerely (really believing 
in the truth of what you say here; namely, that the course of history could 
have been changed by one valentine) then you have rendered my last three posts 
to you superfluous.

I won't ask you to clarify whether you were being ironic or not, Share; I will 
just pray that if you were serious you will see that what you have said means 
you have knocked yourself out with one roundhouse to the brain. And I wonder 
whether you will ever get up off the canvas.

That said, I have to contemplate that the joke is on me; and in that case I 
declare you the victor here. It is that good, your self-mockery--and in a way 
you are making fun of me brilliantly.

Roger I believe had less of a problem in facing what is there (as he had to 
today) than did Adolph--but then, if all it would have taken was one valentine, 
then perhaps God thought Hitler was just one valentine short of going to heaven.

Thank you for writing with the intention to do your best, Share. It was pretty 
good, all things considered.

But the motive for Hitler's valentine: on that hangs a fearful judgment!

[FairfieldLife] Re: Feedback to the TM Movement



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck dhamiltony2k5@... wrote:

 It's very unfortunate news for the Fairfield Dome community that they have 
 returned to the strict anti-saint policy, considering how many people went 
 over to India and saw saints just recently.  Purusha in India continues to 
 see saints.  Down in Boone meditators see saints.  So much for the flower of 
 the movement.  John Douglas comes to Fairfield in just a few days.
  http://www.spirit-repair.com/shop/workshops 

I would love to know what your definition of saint is. Or at least the 
definition of those who go to see these people.
 
 
 
  Trouble?  For the community?
   Well yes, things evidently went backwards recently with the movement 
  guidelines.  Talked to someone just recently, an old movement campaigner 
  who was denied employment up there because would not sign a paper pledging 
  to never see saints again.  This is a highly competent long time movement 
  person in the community that they had sought out for employment in to a 
  position.  After the discussion the person turned around and called the 
  course office people to check the guidelines and it was confirmed the 
  guidelines are back again to old governors not seeing saints to be involved 
  with the movement.
  
  
Thanks for taking the time and having the courage to post this here.
your last six words bothered me just a little. In what way? As in 
fearful of repercussions for expressing one's opinions? If so, do you 
really feel this way?

   
   Trouble?
   Yes, someone in the course office could view [judge] Trowbridge as being 
   negative and un-stressing in the act of posting his letter.  As JT  
   values coming back to the group meditation he could have created trouble 
   for himself.  Tru-believers in the middle easily could see Trowbridge 
   being disloyal and lacking in fealty.  
   
   --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, laughinggull108 no_reply@ wrote:
   
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck  wrote:

 Beautiful.  Thanks for taking the time and having the courage to post 
 this here.
 -Buck in the Dome
 

Ditto. In fact, worth saying again: *Beautiful*, Mr. Trowbridge. 
Perhaps it will be read by people with the ability to affect the 
changes of which you write.

your last six words bothered me just a little. In what way? As in 
fearful of repercussions for expressing one's opinions? If so, do you 
really feel this way?

 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, jwtrowbridge 
 johnwtrowbridge@ wrote:
 
  I would like to give feedback from the perspective of one who loves 
  TM, but not how the organization is run. I have wanted to do so for 
  many years. I feel I have a unique perspective to do so. I am not 
  angry. I am not dependent on TM other than my wonderful program I 
  practice. I have no ax to grind other than a genuine desire to see 
  the organization succeed. I wish to help this organization from the 
  point of view of one who is a family man, a professional who sees 
  the divinity of my practice, and the missteps of the organization.
  
  My TM program is the only time during the day that I know my 
  activity is perfect. It is a perfect program. It is a perfect 
  activity. It is perfect knowledge. I have recently obtained all of 
  the advanced techniques. I have missed maybe five meditations in 40 
  years only because I enjoy it. There is no other reason. Not for 
  health, not for enlightenment, such is the joy and power of my 
  program. 
  
  I have just finished 34 years as a public school teacher in North 
  Carolina, and I am still teaching. I have been married 30 years. I 
  have two children. My wife meditates. My two children have been 
  initiated. From the beginning, I have provided support to the TM 
  Movement through the use of my house for lectures, initiations, and 
  whatever I have to offer all these years. I am your biggest fan.
  
  I started TM on November 13th, 1971 and got the sidhis in `80 or 
  `81 at MUM. I practiced my program by myself over the decades until 
  5 years ago, when I went to MUM to fly in the dome for a 7-week 
  visit. I have gone ever 2 years during the summer thereafter. I 
  have never taken one dime of grant money. 
  
  I mention specific names and impressions in this letter, not to 
  target individuals, but to show relevant examples of what concerns 
  me. I also want to describe what could be done differently, 
  especially if you want to have credibility with Americans. The goal 
  of this organization is not to appeal to a particular leader or 
  person, but to the widest possible audience who will appreciate and 
  practice the TM program in its purity. 
  
  2007: This incident exemplifies so many of the elements of

[FairfieldLife] Re: HITLER'S VALENTINE



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robin Carlsen maskedzebra@... wrote:

 Robin:I think you would like to send Hitler a Valentine's Card and make 
 everything all
 right again. 
 
 Share:  Perhaps if someone had sent Hitler a valentine, he would have become 
 a happy architect.

Funny, this reply stopped me in my tracks. It was like a glimpse into something 
that really amazed me. I was going to mention it when I read it but didn't. 
Seems it doesn't matter that I didn't, you did instead. I had no analysis of 
it, I merely noted it - and wondered.
 
 Robin: If you said this ironically then you have essentially defied my 
 analysis of you--or at least in coming up with this response (assuming, 
 again, that it is ironic) you have proven to me you can resist your primary 
 tendency (sentimentality = a failure of real feeling). If, however--you must 
 tell me which it is, dear Share,--you meant this non-ironically, then you 
 have demonstrated just how true my essential idea of you is, dear Share.
 
 So, either way I win. Because if you meant it in a deliberately ironic way, 
 then you have jumped out of your mould and have said something easily as good 
 as anything I could have said. And if you meant it sincerely (really 
 believing in the truth of what you say here; namely, that the course of 
 history could have been changed by one valentine) then you have rendered my 
 last three posts to you superfluous.
 
 I won't ask you to clarify whether you were being ironic or not, Share; I 
 will just pray that if you were serious you will see that what you have said 
 means you have knocked yourself out with one roundhouse to the brain. And I 
 wonder whether you will ever get up off the canvas.
 
 That said, I have to contemplate that the joke is on me; and in that case I 
 declare you the victor here. It is that good, your self-mockery--and in a way 
 you are making fun of me brilliantly.
 
 Roger I believe had less of a problem in facing what is there (as he had to 
 today) than did Adolph--but then, if all it would have taken was one 
 valentine, then perhaps God thought Hitler was just one valentine short of 
 going to heaven.
 
 Thank you for writing with the intention to do your best, Share. It was 
 pretty good, all things considered.
 
 But the motive for Hitler's valentine: on that hangs a fearful judgment!

[FairfieldLife] Re: Beware on April 26, 2013

2013-04-04 Thread John

Mike,

Kim Jong Un is mentally disturbed as can be seen in his natal chart.  That's 
why his decision making is erratic and dangerous.  Unfortunately, the US will 
have to take all of his threats seriously.  If he acts on his threat, the US 
will have to retaliate accordingly to defend itself.  It could be a very ugly 
scenario for the history books.

JR



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6569@... wrote:

 could this be the Mouse That Roared, a suicidal attack, in the hopes that the 
 US would rebuild a new North in a unified Korea?
 
  
 
 
  From: John jr_esq@...
 To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 2:42 PM
 Subject: [FairfieldLife] Beware on April 26, 2013

 Â   
  
 Given the tense situation in North Korea, the US military should be extra 
 vigilant on this day for possible attack from the rogue nation.  On this day, 
 Mars will be in very close opposition with Saturn.
 
 There are several planets involved in this opposition, including the Moon and 
 Venus.  It is likely that the malefic opposition can be mitigated by the 
 involvement of women in the situation.  Perhaps, the president of South Korea 
 should keep close contact with the wife of Kim Jong Un.  They could possibly 
 prevent a nuclear war.
 
 JR

[FairfieldLife] Re: Beware on April 26, 2013



--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, John jr_esq@... wrote:

 Mike,
 
 Kim Jong Un is mentally disturbed as can be seen in his natal chart. 

You don't need no natal chart to figure that one out.

 That's why his decision making is erratic and dangerous.  Unfortunately, the 
US will have to take all of his threats seriously.  If he acts on his threat, 
the US will have to retaliate accordingly to defend itself.  It could be a very 
ugly scenario for the history books.
 
 JR
 
 
 
 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6569@ wrote:
 
  could this be the Mouse That Roared, a suicidal attack, in the hopes that 
  the US would rebuild a new North in a unified Korea?
  
   
  
  
   From: John jr_esq@
  To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2013 2:42 PM
  Subject: [FairfieldLife] Beware on April 26, 2013
 
  Â   
   
  Given the tense situation in North Korea, the US military should be extra 
  vigilant on this day for possible attack from the rogue nation.  On this 
  day, Mars will be in very close opposition with Saturn.
  
  There are several planets involved in this opposition, including the Moon 
  and Venus.  It is likely that the malefic opposition can be mitigated by 
  the involvement of women in the situation.  Perhaps, the president of South 
  Korea should keep close contact with the wife of Kim Jong Un.  They could 
  possibly prevent a nuclear war.
  
  JR

[FairfieldLife] Re: HITLER'S VALENTINE