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Six months ago, as some of you might remember, DH and I were on the verge of splitting up. We'd had SO many fights over SO many things, we were both ready to toss in the towel. But we held on. Not merely held on, but we worked really hard to figure out where all the angst and anger and fear was coming from for both of us, and how to look those monsters right in the face and say "NO! We won't let you run our lives anymore!" A lot of ghosts from mistakes our parents made, from events in the past, and/or from mistakes we made. What was the line from Ironman 3? We make our own demons? I truly believe that's the case. But we waded through the worst of it and kept going. Now when a piece of farm equipment breaks down or we have some unexpected health bill (my dislocated collarbone has been a big problem the last few months), we can put that in context and think "yea, but we're still together. And that's something."
I've already gone through one divorce, and yes there are times when both people would be much better off on their own. That was definitely the situation with my first marriage. But this time, we both knew we'd be positively miserable apart, so a breakup wouldn't be in anyone's best interests. Yet we had so many issues to work out, and we STILL have so many issues to work out. But we're plugging away with it. We also have issues of our own to deal with, and sometimes those monsters seem too big to slay as well. It's odd when the financial monsters seem tame by comparison, after having been so focused on the financial monsters for so long. But slay the big dragons and suddenly the little dragons don't seem so bad. They just sort of hiss and spit out sparks, instead of laying waste to entire cities like Godzilla. So we're in the "hissing and spitting out sparks" phase of things. We're not quite to the "laughing at Murphy" yet, but we've moved well away from "the next straw is the LAST straw." Not yet a comfortable place to be, but much improved over where we were.
What's the line from the country song? "If you find yourself going through hell, keep on going!" Because there is a much easier, nice green pasture on the other side. Just keep plugging away and you'll get there. In our case, we've made the decision to get there together. We'll deal with whatever hissing-and-spitting mini-dragons we encounter along the way. And for that, I'm very very grateful.


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Electronics. Things change and move so quickly these days. I can hardly keep up. I can't begin to keep up with all that my children know! It just tickles me that Eliana knows the difference between an ipad and an itouch. And oh boy does she like them both! Often when holding the ipad she will let us know that this is "my ipad".
We have found some fun and educational games for her which I am hoping will be helpful for her learning. She also really likes watching Phineas and Ferb on there too. LOL
Here are some of the apps that she likes.
First Words Deluxe - Great game for learning letters and spelling words. The letters are written and light gray so the child is really matching and then hears the name of each letter and then the word.
Wheels on the Bus - Just a fun, interactive musical game.
Scouts ABCs - A fun game made by Leap Frog.
I Write Words - Great for learning to write letters. Will not let you progress with incorrect writing and guides the child on forming the letters correctly.
Other fun apps enjoyed by a wider audience.
Cookie Doodle - Pick a recipe, make the dough (crack eggs, sift flour, and more), roll the dough, select a cookie cutter shape, decorate it. Just fun!
Cake Doodle - Similar to the one above, but just with cakes.
Game of Life
Angry Birds
If you have found other great apps - for any age - I would love to hear about them! I've done a better job finding things for younger than for the elementary ages and would love some help! I've added some free math games which I hope will be fun, but haven't played them with the boys yet.
You are never too young for this fun new "toy". It's not just Eliana - most of her friends also love the ipad!
Hopefully more soon when I can get to our pictures!
Hope you are having a fabulous week!

subset: commoncrawl


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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Boots Bootsie Bootsy
Bootsy...Nothing Will Stop The Funk
Bootsy Collins, not to be confused with Phil Collins, altho we are all Phil Collins People........
is a Legendary bass player who has just started an online bass guitar school, Funk University.
Bootsy and his bass goes back to the 70s with James Brown. That's right. That's him on "Sex Machine".
Here's my boots...nothing will stop the funkomavintage....
This weeks Newest offerings including awesomey real Motorcycle boots for the Ladies, real Roper Red Wing boots for the fellas, and Lehigh fringe lace-up Roper boots, all made in America.
Real hiking boots, Kastinger with the red laces for being completely authentic.
and of course the other offerings at the funk of vintage......
80s Lehigh fringe vintage Roper boots.
Kastinger 80s vintage padded hiking boots made in Austria where only 30% of the country doesn't have mountains.
Red Wing Roper vintage boots in a size 11.
The Sexiest Man in the Known World......James Brown.
And while we're in the mood for ...Dancing...Prince, Cab Calloway, James Brown..Fred Astaire...and a twit named Michael.
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Ever wish you could visit your doctor and get a prescription, for a pill, that would change your life? What if, that one pill, would improve your self-confidence, make you feel better about yourself, give you the strength, courage and tenacity to go after what you want? What would life be like if you had all of those things?
Well here's the dirty little secret……….EXERCISE.
Yes, you heard it right, exercise has so many benefits that go beyond your physical health. Here are some of the benefits that I've noticed during my trips to the gym.
Benefit of Exercise 1: Successful People Workout in the Morning
When I started working out in the morning, I became friendly with the regulars, who came from all sorts of careers. The connections I made before the start of the work day, most people would love to have. This morning networking event, in shorts and sneakers, will do more for your advancing your career than anything else.
When you're out of town, attending a conference, be sure to get in the gym each morning. You'll be rubbing elbows and meeting the speakers and other successful people in your industry.
Benefit of Exercise 2: Discipline
You may not always feel like getting up early, to get your workout in. There were days I wanted to stay under the warm blankets. But, my discipline was motivated by something I hated…..traffic. I was disciplined, to get to the gym, which was near the hospital I worked at, to avoid the morning rush hour traffic.
Maybe your motivation is weight loss, to not take any heart medications or to be a good example to your children. Find one and use it!
Benefit of Exercise 3: Anti-aging
Let's face it, the beauty industry is taking in millions of dollars with Botox, surgery and fillers. Exercise won't cost you that much and you won't have to come up with an excuse to why your face is swollen and beet red!
Listen to Laurie-Ann's Podcast: The Other Benefit of Exercise
Need more proof that exercise changes EVERYTHING!


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Lesson 9: Dharma
Watch webinar video for this lesson
Because reality is an apparent duality, it is legitimate to look at the self from two perspectives. The absolute perspective…limitless non-dual unconcerned ordinary awareness…is my 'true' or 'ultimate' nature, my Dharma with a capital 'D.' Karma Yoga is acting in accordance with my svadharma with an eye to realizing my true nature. Yes, it is true that if my knowledge of myself as awareness is not subject to doubt I will not practice karma yoga because all my actions will naturally be in harmony with my true nature. But if my self knowledge is not firm I need to assume the stance of the self with reference to action and act accordingly. We call this 'faking it until you make it.' It is not really false to act as if I am the self because I am the self. It just 'feels' fraudulent. So there is an element of awkwardness when I begin to practice karma yoga. It soon dissipates, however, as this yoga gradually produces an incredible lightness of being.
At the same time I have been blessed or cursed, depending on how you wish to look at it, with a relative nature, meaning that my samskaras give rise to specific tendencies and talents. I have loved books from an early age because I have an undying attraction to knowledge. I remember reading under the covers till three or four am when I was very young to make my parents think I was asleep. I have read thousands of books and write prodigiously. When I was growing up one of my best friends was obsessed with money. Every summer he would pick up coke bottles from the side of the road and redeem them at the corner store for two cents and sell lemonade on the street when it was hot. He kept his money in Folgers coffee cans, which he buried in a canyon next to his house. He died recently and it seems he had accumulated a fortune. He had a business samskara obviously. Some incline to art, some to science, some to sports, etc. Your predominant samskara is your relative nature, your svadharma.
Your svadharma, unlike Svadharma, is in samsara and is subject to change. So what lifestyle you followed yesterday, you will not necessarily follow tomorrow. If you act out your predominant samskara to Isvara's satisfaction, It will supply you with another svadharma. Some individuals are lucky…or not…in that they want to 'be something' when they are only five years old…a musician, for example…and happily stick with it all their lives. But others live several lives and play many roles in one life. Others, it seems, never figure out what they are 'supposed' to be doing. If that is the case, consecrate your actions to the dharma field and take what comes with a glad heart and don't worry about who you are on that level and what you are 'supposed' to be doing.
In my case I never wanted to 'be' anything. Of course it was all ego but I thought I was wonderful the day I popped out of the womb and did not listen to anyone who had a different opinion. I just wanted to have a lot of money so I could chase women and travel the world. It was very strange because there were no business people in our family, but owing to this vasana, Isvara supplied the samskara necessary to realize my dream…the entrepreneurial archetype…and I made a lot of money. But once I worked it out...or perhaps it is more accurate to say that once it had run its course...I realized the limitation of money and that samskara receded back into the Causal Body and sits there today, more or less ignored. My next limited identity was seeker. I was not a seeker who fell in love with seeking like so many these days. It was more or less imposed by my suffering. But an epiphany activated the seeking samskara...or the seeking samskara activated the epiphany…and I embraced that dharma. When I got to India I realized that it was possible to do spirituality right because an infrastructure was available to serve that archetype. When I became a finder, a new samskara became active and when I worked that one out to Isvara's satisfaction, It supplied another one. Identities, dharmas, samskaras roles and lifestyles are eternal. They come to the forefront at Isvara's beck and call and recede when they have been done well.
The self is straightforward. It is one thing only. It is simple and ordinary and ever-present. It is not the result of an action. It is always and already accomplished. But karma is not simple. It is 'nuanced,' to say the least. It is complex because so many factors go into the production of results. To know it is to know the mind of God. It is a field of laws that are not published in the newspapers or posted on the street corners. So when I act I need to take the field into account. But when I act, it is absolutely necessary to take my svadharma into account because if I don't act in harmony with it, I will reap conflict.
Who am I on the relative level? What kind of a doer am I? Isvara produces roles, dharmas, according to the nature of the dharma field at any given time. A long time ago you were probably a hunter or a gatherer because Isvara did not need money managers or real estate agents or scientists. All you needed to do was to throw a spear, catch a fish or climb a tree to pick fruit. Yes, there were individuals with spiritual samskaras (witches, shamans, priests) or artistic samskaras (storytellers, dramatists, etc.) and there were thinkers…the seers to whom this knowledge was revealed lived long before the age of agriculture…but basically everyone had the same nature with reference to action. Yes, the myriad tendencies that express themselves today were there in seed form, occasionally breaking out as visionaries, geniuses and mystics who opened up mankind to new possibilities, but the angst associated with action…what should I do with my life?...was largely absent. It was dictated by the situation.
As civilization 'progressed' and agriculture developed, the need for new skills arose and Isvara supplied them. A person born during the age of agriculture had a few more options because life was more complex. Since the industrial revolution life has become exceedingly complex and promises to get more so. Abstracted from the physical, the fruits of man's actions have grown to astronomical heights today in the form of incredible, some would say obscene wealth. With the rise of the nation state, this wealth, concentrated in the hands of a significant fraction of the world's population and administered by liberal democratic governments, basically eliminated hunger and physical insecurity. What young person growing up in a 'developed' economy has to worry about his or her next meal? The advent of peace and prosperity has had its downside, however: individuals need do virtually nothing to look after themselves or, should they wish to act, are presented with such a bewildering array of choices…like the dozens of brands of cereal on the supermarket shelves…that they have no idea what they want to be. And in so far as doing is being in rajasic materialistic societies, the modern world is saddled with a crisis of identity, the likes of which the world has never seen.
Seeking is a 'world' that has its journeymen and its superstars and, like any other, its dharmas, rules. The problem with seeking as an occupation is that it ends abruptly when finding happens. Finding means the hard and fast understanding that being…which is happiness…is not related to doing. In short 'being' is not an occupation. This becomes a real problem for the doer, assuming it has survived finding, because now it needs a new job.
In any case, the dharma of a seeker is to apply self knowledge to his or her mind. But there are various levels of seeking. If you are at the upper end of the evolutionary scale, meaning if your desire for freedom is burning, you have the requisite qualifications and have been blessed with conducive circumstances…a proven means of knowledge, the guidance of a qualified teacher and few tamasic karmas, you can seek properly. When you seek properly you do not listen to that voice in your head that asks you when you are going to get real and get a proper job. In other words you are in harmony with your svadharma as a renunciate. Karma yogis act in harmony with svadharma.
But if you are not one hundred percent committed to enlightenment you will have a conflict. You will listen as the doer ridicules your spiritual impulse. You will be torn between forgoing the possibility of success in the 'real' world and spiritual success, which does not promise to pay the bills. I remember a conversation many years ago with my mother, who represented the 'real' world for me at the time. I told her that I was 'into God' just to keep things simple. She raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, James, that's all well and good but the Lord does not bring in the bacon." I told her that 'the Lord' was the bacon but it went over her head.
In any case if you act in harmony with your svadharma…assuming you know what it is…you will have eliminated one source of conflict. You know if you are acting in harmony with it, if what you are doing in life 'feels' right. If you act contrary to it, you will be unhappy. You will not know, however, that you are unhappy because you are not acting in harmony with your nature. You will think it is because the results of your actions are not what you want. You will not see that the results Isvara is sending are in harmony with your assumed nature and not your svadharma. When you are not clear about who you are as a person, and you do not know you are the self, you will try to 'be' someone that you think is interesting and attractive. Nobody tries to be a phoney. People act inauthentically because their svadharma is hidden from them. The desire for identity is the strongest desire in the human mind and it will not be denied.
In general we say that you need to realize who you are as a person and be OK with that before you are qualified for liberation. Chapter 4 discussed the qualifications at length. This is why Vedanta says that you should stay in the world as the person you are and work out your svadharma with the karma yoga attitude. But what if you don't know what it is? What if you are just knocking about from pillar to post taking odd jobs, taking up one relationship after another, never doing meaningful work, growing older but no wiser?
In other words, why is your svadharma hidden from you? It is obscured by your fears and your desires. They extrovert you so much that you never have time to really get in touch with who you are on that level. They keep you looking for something in the world and sap your self confidence to such a degree that you haven't got the courage to actually let go of your idea of success. You still really want security or love to come from the outside.
Or it may be that you have worked it all out already in some 'past life' and that deep down you somehow know that you really are not anybody on that level. This is a situation that we find to be quite common these days. In the spiritual world these people are called 'old souls.' All that is left is to find out the truth of who they are. If you are in this predicament you are basically consigned to a lot of spiritual suffering because the infrastructure that is available in the West for freedom is undeveloped. The Western spiritual world is just paddling around on the surface of self inquiry, trying to sort out what it is all about, pretending all that while that it knows what is happening.
And although you occasionally hear the word Vedanta bandied about these days, basically nobody, except those associated with Swami Dayananda, the Chinmaya Mission and the few who read my website and my books, have a clue about what it is. It is a shame because Vedanta can give you a provisional identity…karma yogi…that will take up the slack until you have realized your Svadharma, your true nature. And once you are clear about who you really are, who you are on the relative level is no longer an issue. Your svadharma does not change, or if it does, it is OK with you because you know for sure that you are not a doer. The beauty of identifying yourself as a karma yogi…one of Isvara's premier limited identities…lies in the fact that your duty is clear and simple: consecrate your actions to the field with an attitude of gratitude and take the results as a gift. And success in karma yoga brings an increasing sense of well being as it neutralizes your likes and dislikes.
The next thing a karma yogi needs to know is that an action that does not involve a violation of dharma is OK assuming the action is sattvic or rajasic. The number one universal dharma is non-injury so any activity that does not involve injury to others is sanctioned. Obviously if you are looking at reality in terms of injury and non-injury then everything in the dharma field helps and hurts everything else. For example, I might be given a job as a painter. I am suited for it and I like my work. But it so happens the paint is toxic and harms the environment and may cause cancer or some other malady. What should I do? Of course there is no easy answer for this problem because of the nature of the dharma field, so you have to use your discrimination. It may be that you are suited to killing things…it seems Isvara needs killers because there have always been and will always be killers…but killing is obviously not considered a proscribed action for karma yogis. Unless, for example, you find yourself living above the Artic Circle where there are no grocery stores and no vegetables and your survival depends on taking the life of animals. If you find yourself in this situation karma yoga applies; consecrate the action, do it mindfully in the kindest way possible and take the results as a gift. Our scriptures are full of examples of people who did very worldly jobs…even prostitution…in the karma yoga spirit and realized the self.
And finally, there are five proscribed dharmas for karma yogis.
1. Worship of God in Any Form. See the beauty of Vedanta! It is not a religion but it honors the religious impulse. You can be a Muslim, Christian or a Jew and practice karma yoga.
One of the biggest problems with the Western non-duality world is its disdain for religion. Of course it is understandable from a certain point of view, in so far as unbelievable suffering has been inflicted on human beings in its name. But to abandon the religious impulse, which is just the self loving itself, because the church loses sight of the religious spirit from time to time is to throw the baby out with the bath. The desire to worship is as hard wired as the desire for identity. So choose a symbol of the self that is attractive to you and worship it regularly. Worship…which will be discussed later…invokes the self and produces a pure Subtle Body.
Here is a translation of a popular prayer. It should be sincerely spoken with great love daily.
"May all humans be well. May the great souls reveal the path of virtue to us. May there be perpetual joy for those who understand who they are. May all beings in all the worlds, terrestrial and extraterrestrial, be happy and free. May all beings be healthy. May they all have good luck and may none fall into evil ways."
This inexpensive and most extensive prayer travels instantaneously in consciousness to all dimensions of the creation blessing every living being.
2. Unconditional Reverence for Parents. See the wisdom! Most of our stuff, positive and negative, comes from our parents. You can't blame them because they picked up what they handed to you from their parents when they were too young to think for themselves. You have to take responsibility. As long as there is no resentment toward your parents and as long as you can see that they did their best according to what they knew and can see the gifts they gave and honor them in your thoughts daily, this is enough.
3. Worship of scriptures. The purpose of karma yoga is to gain a contemplative disposition so that you can assimilate the meaning of the teachings. But you should not think that you will start inquiry one fine day when you are contemplative. You should set aside a half an hour or an hour, or more, a day for study of Vedanta. You don't become contemplative all at once. You have contemplative moments throughout the day and insights all along. The progression from an outward turned mind to an inward turned mind is gradual. One day you will realize how clear and peaceful your mind has become, even in the midst of a busy life. Karma yoga is for doers who have a strong desire for freedom and who understand the value of knowledge.
4. Service to humanity. When someone wants something from you, see if you can't give them get what they want, assuming it is a reasonable desire. If you are helping others, at least you are not wasting your time indulging tamasic and rajasic habits. Service work cultivates sattva. It is difficult to practice service work because the ego can easily imagine that is it superior to those who only look after themselves. So it is important to keep it simple…no big 'save the world' ideas. Isvara presents opportunities every day to serve others. Service doesn't mean doing what others want you to do, although it may. It means being open to others, not shutting them out. Serving others requires considerable mindfulness because ego, born of a sense of inadequacy and inferiority, looks for opportunities to feel special and virtuous. Service of others should be based on a recognition of the essential oneness of all of us. It is also wise because everything we need comes through others. Service oriented individuals are generally well looked after.
5. Worship of all sentient beings. The appreciation of the oneness of everything should extend to include all life forms. Practice it by respecting the environment. Recycle. Be conscious of your carbon footprint. Go green. Vegetarianism is a good way to worship life.
Two More Dharmas
As you can see, the topic of dharma is very complex. Dharma as appropriate response. Dharma as rules. Dharma as duty. Dharma as true self nature. Dharma as reflected self nature. And now two more dharmas: samanya dharma and visesa dharma.
Samanya Dharma
With reference to my life do I know best or does Isvara know best? In our scriptures there is a wonderful story about a warrior who is an incarnation of the self. He is an exceptional person in every way: kind, intelligent and very popular. His actions are always thoughtful and beneficial and he follows his svadharma to the letter. But nothing in his life goes according to plan. In general when things go wrong we usually blame others but should probably start blaming ourselves because often we make foolish choices that produce unwanted karma. But although he has acted mindfully in every situation in harmony with his nature and the social order, at every turn things go 'wrong.' A few days before he is to be crowned king…an event that he and his wife and family and indeed the whole kingdom fervently desires…he is informed that he will not be king and will be exiled to the forest owing to an unfulfilled promise his father made to his step-mother. When he is told the 'bad' news he is unperturbed, neither happy nor angry, and says, "It is the duty of the son to obey the wishes of his parents" whereupon he goes happily into exile.
The idea, of course, is that there is particular order in society, a universal order that has been established by Isvara, the needs of the total. The family unit, which is the basis of society, functions properly when children respect the wishes of their parents, assuming that the parents follow the social order as well. The social order is based on the psychological order that evolves from the guna structure behind it. The purpose of this order is to bring all the apparently conflicting desires and fears of individuals into harmony so that the total functions properly. When conflicts develop everyone suffers. And the psychological order is based on the non-dual nature of reality, the one principle…consciousness/love…behind everything. If reality is non-dual, it stands to reason that the number one value of all sentient beings is non-injury. If you see a beautiful frog in the garden and you come close to feed it a fly, it will hop away as soon as it becomes aware of your presence.
Because duality…the idea that my gain is your loss…is so ingrained we all have fears for our safety, livelihood, etc. These fears can lead to various behaviors that cause injury to others. Non-injury in our tradition is defined as 'non-injury by thought, word, or deed." So by following the value or dharma of non-injury…the moral law…we put our lives squarely in harmony with Isvara, the giver of the law. All universal values…truthfulness, charity, freedom, non-stealing, etc…are based on the principal of non-injury. I don't steal from you because I understand that you value your possessions and that I inflict emotional duress on you when I deprive you of them. I appreciate your feelings because I know that we are actually one; I would feel the same way were you to steal from me. Although it seems as if we are different we are actually the same…the non-dual self. I don't lie to you because it will cause pain to you. It should not be forgotten that lying causes pain to the liar as well because dharma is built in to every sentient being. It is often called 'conscience.' I don't deprive you of your freedom because I value freedom above everything. Freedom, in fact, is the ultimate non-dual value because even when I am socially, politically and physically free of limitation I am inclined to seek inner freedom.
Dharma Yoga
Universal values are called samanya dharma. The problem with universal values is that that they are 'universal.' They exist in an 'ideal' realm, apparently abstracted from the exigencies of everyday life. They only mean something when they are interpreted and acted on by individuals. Interpreted values are called visesha dharma. Dharma yoga is squaring my life with universal values. It means that Isvara knows best. By yoga we mean to connect or join our actions with the will of the total.
See the downside for the ego! What happens when what I want is not in harmony with the needs of the total? A person brought up in a desire-oriented liberal, materialistic, consumer-oriented society, infected with a strong sense of personal entitlement will have a big problem with this idea. In America especially, the enduring popularity of the rebel archetype…a disdain for rules…is a stark testament to the difficulties we face when we practice dharma yoga.
If I am not keen on the idea of surrendering my will to the will of Isvara, I will be confused about the needs of the total. Some of this confusion is justified because sometimes the particular part of the dharma field that I inhabit is under the spell of adharma and it seems as if the needs of the total are evil. For example, a good law-abiding person brought up in Germany after the First World War could see the invasion of other countries and the concentration camps as the 'needs of the total.' And indeed, the defense of low-level citizens who were given the job of managing the concentration camps used the duty argument because they were conditioned to follow rules without thinking. But it is sometimes important to ignore the needs of the immediate total because its needs are adharmic. The ego, that part of the self that is under the spell of ignorance, is not above using clever arguments to avoid practicing dharma yoga so it is important to define the needs of the total more specifically.
The 'needs of the total' are always manifest in my particular environment. I always find myself in a world of apparently sentient objects…jivas…and obviously insentient objects…matter. I use this environment to get what I want. At the same time, the environment has its own needs. If I am a husband and a father, my family represents the needs of the total. The family unit fits into a bigger picture. It is the outpicturing of the universal need to live and be happy. If I come home after work and switch on the TV to unwind and ignore my children I am putting my needs ahead of my children's needs, which is a violation of dharma. The ego will justify it in various ways…"I sweat and slave all day turning the wheels of commerce to provide for my family and I deserve to 'relax"…but it will not really relax because dharma is built-in; I will feel guilty. Guilt is one of the most disturbing emotions and needs to be purified if the Subtle Body is to be made inquiry worthy. Guilt stems from violations of dharma.
Visesha dharma is a nunaced topic. We need to look into the meaning of the word 'total' in this context because it is a relative term. In the case of an individual in Germany at the time, the society was 'the total.' But German society was just one society in the world social order, which is controlled by Isvara. When the German 'total' came up against the 'total total,' the needs of the dharma field itself for freedom trumped German needs for power and control. When family dharma comes in conflict with the dharma of the society in which it lives, it will be disciplined because the needs of the 'total' come first. The law of eminent domain or the illegality of polygamy is an example.
Which 'total' should determine my behavior? The American government seems inclined to periodic wars. Should I pay my taxes and support those wars? Which wars are dharmic and which wars are not? You cannot argue that all war is adharmic because when adharma gets to a certain level it always comes in conflict with dharma. When adhramic forces in world culture get to a certain level of power, world war occurs and a reasonable balance between dharma and adharma is re-established. The dharma field never perishes because it is eternal but the forces of dharma and adharma are in continual conflict and therefore the human mind is always in conflict. Because all non-human living beings follow their programs implicitly there is no dharma for them. But, owing to free will humans can think and so they are subject to dharma and adharma. Understanding dharma and karma is indeed difficult because the line demarcating them is never completely clear. Sometimes good actions produce bad consequences and sometimes bad actions produce good consequences. Seen from the point of view of awareness there are no good and bad actions or consequences, only the eternal play of the dualities.
Visesha dharma, the application of samanya dharma to daily life is fraught with difficulties because of adharma. But what is contrary to dharma at one time is not necessarily contrary to dharma at another. For example, a robber who sticks a knife in the abdomen of a stranger on the street is guilty of adharmic behavior. But a surgeon who puts a knife to the abdomen of someone with an infected appendix is following dharma even if the patient dies. Both are following their svadharma. It is the nature of those with criminal samskaras to rob and it is the nature of those with saintly samskaras to heal. But the value of the action itself depends on the context. You could argue that killing a man for money satisfies the needs of the criminal for his next meal but it does so at the expense of the life of another. It is not difficult to understand that the value of life trumps the value of the next meal. The point of this discussion, however, lies in appreciation of the fact that there is a continual tension between dharma and adharma in so far as our desires are concerned. This tension is resolved by the practice of dharma/karma yoga.
Dharma is intimately connected to karma because it does not mean anything apart from the actions that support or contravene it. To keep dharma alive, action is required. In any case it is not always clear how to dharmically respond to a given situation. Should I tell the truth and hurt someone's feelings or should I tell a white lie and feel bad because I violated the value of honestly. Incidentally, expressing one's feelings is sometimes dharmic and sometimes not, depending on the context. Particularly insensitive individuals with a strong moral sense often find themselves involved in very unpleasant situations because of their need to 'tell the truth.' How I feel is a truth. It is not the truth.
People whose minds are under the spell of tamas usually want a formula for life. Because their intellects are clouded they lack the discrimination to negotiate the dharma field. They want a black and white movie. But life is shades of grey; there is usually uncertainty as to which actions are right and which actions are wrong both in terms of svadharma and visesha dharma. Therefore, on the topic of action, discrimination is always required, the idea being that an inquirer needs to perform actions that have the most beneficial impact on the Subtle Body. Or, to state it negatively, to perform actions that have the least detrimental impact, taking dharma into account.
In a nutshell, dharma yoga is sacrificing one's personal needs for Isvara, the needs of the total…but only when there is a conflict. Do-gooders are individuals who look for opportunities to sacrifice. This does not qualify as dharma yoga if it is driven by a sense of moral inadequacy or insecurity because it builds a sense of self righteous ego. Dharma yoga is a great opportunity to bring the ego to heel and erase its sense of otherness. However, if it is your nature to help, it is important to follow your nature.
A mature cultured person is someone who is mindful of his or her own needs, but understands the need to maintain dharma as a service to the total. World literature of full of great statements about the importance of dharma and often portrays it as an epic struggle between mythic supernatural forces, but life is not a drama. It is just life. The practice of dharma yoga on a daily basis amounts to little more than the maintenance of traditions of civility or, to put it more prosaically, to observing good manners.
Spiritual practice is little more than resolving the persistent conflicts that disturb the Subtle Body. Conflict comes from not following your svadharma, from improper interpretation of samanya dharma and from anxiety for the fruits of action. Karma/dharma yoga resolves these conflicts. As the practice matures and the mind turns within and becomes peaceful, it becomes established in sattva, the light of awareness shines brightly in it and you will come to identify that 'light' as your own self.
(1) Your svadharma is the tendencies that motivate your lifestyle. If you are seeking freedom and are unsure what you are 'supposed to be doing with your life' should you still practice karma yoga and if so, why?
(2) From the jiva's point of view my actions produce the results that go into creating my svadharma, my character, which in turn drives my actions. But Isvara determines the field that produces the need for various abilities. Which came first, the jiva's need to act or Isvara's need for jivas to complete the creation?
(3) What is the dharma, the duty, of a seeker?
(4) Seeking ends when you discover who you are. What should you do then?
(5) That you know you are not a doer means that you are the self but your identity as the self does not conflict with the part of you that performs actions. What actions should you do once you are free of action and its results?
(6) Why do people not act in harmony with the relative natures?
(7) How does acting in harmony affect you self confidence?
(8) Why is seeking so difficult in Western societies?
(9) What is a good provisional identity for someone seeking freedom?
(10) Non-injury in thought, word and deed is Isvara's number one value and all the actions of a karma yogi should conform to it, but should a karma yogi do an action that may cause unintentional injury if there is no other appropriate response? Why?
(11) Five types of action are compulsory for karma yogis and should be practiced daily.
(12) In general guilt is a useless emotion. Why, however, it is important to understand its cause?
(13) What type of dharma requires constant use of one's discrimination.
(14) How is the constant tension between dharma and adharma resolved?
(15) When a person finds himself in a relationship which causes a conflict between honesty and non-injury, which value should prevail?
(16) If there is no conflict between the needs of others and one's own needs, does fulfilling one's own needs constitute a violation of dharma yoga? If so, why or why not?
(17) Should a dharma yogi act out others desires if they involve a violation of his own svadharma? If so why or why not?
(18) Should a dharma yogi discriminate between the needs of the field and the wants of the field?
(19) What possible psychological danger can dharma yoga cause and why?
(20) List the three sources of conflict that karma/dharma yoga addresses.
(21) Why cannot karma yoga be divorced from dharma yoga?
(1) Yes. Because you can assume that what you are doing is your svadharma. In other words, it does not matter why you are doing what you are doing because you are always doing something. Therefore, if you want moksa you should practice karma yoga because it purifies the mind.
(2) Neither. There is no 'first' as far as creation is concerned. Did the chicken or the egg come first? It is impossible to tell because you can't have one without the other. Creation is out of time. It is a projection of Maya.
(3) To apply self knowledge to the mind.
(4) What you should do is not an issue because you are no longer a doer.
(5) Whatever your karma dictates.
(6) Because they don't know what it is. It is hidden from them because the fears and desires that arise out of the karma that they produce from not knowing their svadharma disturbs the mind so it is unable to 'feel' what it is right for them to do.
(7) You feel confident when you act in harmony with your svadharma and suffer low self esteem when you don't.
(8) Because there is no spiritual infrastructure…no tradition of self knowledge to support inquiry.
(9) Karma yogi.
(10) Because it is impossible to avoid injury in every situation and a situation that is unresolved will return later in another form and demand resolution. Also, the law of unintended consequences shows that sometimes harmful actions have beneficial results. Isvara needs an instrument to deliver unwanted as well as desirble karma.
(11) Worship of one's chosen deity. Worship of one's parents living or dead. Study of scripture. Service to conscious beings, people and/or animals. Service to the environment.
(12) Because it may point to an adharmic thought or action that needs to be addressed.
(13) Visesa dharma. Situational dharma.
(14) By the practice of Dharma Yoga.
(15) All things being equal, the response that will produce the least agitation in the Subtle Body.
(16) No. It is preferable to act out one's own desires than the desires of others if acting out one's own desires does not cause conflict with others because acting out one's own desires in the karma yoga spirit reduces the pressure of binding vasanas.
(17) No. One should not sacrifice one's integrity for the sake of pleasing others.
(18) Yes, definitely. Assuming that a requested action does not violate the doer's svadharma and will not cause injury to others, the dharma yogi should not waste his time acting out the gratuitous desires of others.
(19) Self righteousness. A person with low self esteem may develop a sense of self righteous superiority by helping others.
(20) Not following one's svadharma, improper interpretation of samanya dharma and anxiety for the results of one's actions.
(21) Because there is an ever-present moral dimension to the creation that impacts on one's psychological well being.


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We are very honoured that AWARE has chosen Jolene Tan and Wong Pei Chi, two No To Rape core team members, as its Young Wonders for 2011. As we stressed at the time of the nomination, these awards have been made because of the work of the entire No To Rape team, and its many supporters and volunteers, in seeking the complete repeal of marital immunity for rape. No To Rape would like to thank AWARE for its support of our continuing work to combat sexual violence in the home.
Below is a video interview of Wong Pei Chi, speaking about the importance of addressing marital rape and the support that the campaign has received.
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 at 3:23 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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1939 : Italy invades Albania1939 : Italy invades Albania
On this day in 1939, in an effort to mimic Hitler's conquest of Prague, Benito Mussolini's troops, though badly organized, invade and occupy Albania.
Although the invasion of Albania was intended as but a prelude to greater conquests in the Balkans, it proved a costly enterprise for Il Duce. Albania was already dependent on Italy's economy, so had little to offer the invaders. And future exploits in neighboring nations, in Greece in particular, proved to be disastrous for the Italians.
From: www.History.com


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Ski reviews
Snowboard reviews
Accessory recommendations
Latest 4 & 5 star ratings
Technical ski terms
Sidecut is the collective term of the 3 width measurements of a ski, namely the width at tip, waist and tail. Sidecut is measured in millimetres. The difference in width between tip, waist and tail is one of the most defining elements of a ski characteristics. The more sidecut, the sharper a ski can turn. The narrower the waist, the easier it is to switch from edge to edge. The wider the ski, the more floatation in deep snow.
Another result of sidecut is radius. Every ski-manufacturer will provide an approximate radius measured in metres. When you put a ski on its side, it will automatically make a turn, which would ultimately result in a full circle. Half of the diameter of that circle is called the radius. So the smaller the radius, the sharper the turn will be. The radius of normal skis for sale varies from 11m for very small slalom skis to 25m for big powder skis. In the last case it becomes difficult to make a decent turn. Only professional race skis have a bigger radius. Up to 50m for downhill skis, but those guys are not human.
Flex and torsion
Flex is the term for the stiffnes along the lenght of a ski. It determines how much the ski can bend upwards in powder snow, which helps to stay afloat. Less flex means less lift, but also less vibration, so the ski performs better at high speed.
All traditional skis (i.e. from the beginning of the universe until the mid 1990's) have a full camber profile. Camber means that on a flat surface the ski rests only on tip and tail and arcs up in the middle. This is done to distribute the pressure, applied by the skier in a turn, evenly along the length of the ski.
The effective edge of the full camber ski is maximal. That means you have maximum grip on hard, icy pistes, so your control and ability to stop is very good. It also provides stability at high speed and that pop at the and of a turn, which propels you into the next one.
Reverse camber is what we call rocker. On a flat surface the ski only rests on the middle part of the ski. That way the ski "rocks" back and forth. It was legendary freerider Shane McConckey who came up with the idea of the rocker shaped ski. In 2001 the Volant Spatula became the first rockered ski (which featured reverse sidecut as well).
By diminishing the pressure on the tip and tail, the turning ability of the ski increases dramatically, especially in deep snow. But it diminishes in control and stability on flat surfaces at high speed as well.
There are various combinations of camber and rocker. The terminology of these combinations is not yet universally agreed upon. Let's call it early rise.
The early rise tip and tail ski features a little rocker at the tail as well. That makes the ski much more playful, while it maintains control from the camber section in the middle. This profile increases the versatility even more, but the pop at the end of the turn has gone. It provides playfulnes for park skiers, floatation for powder snow addicts, forgiveness for beginners and versatility for those who only own one pair of skies.
All these elements define the characteristics of a ski. The relationship between all these elements is however very complex. The degree in which one element is used in a ski design, makes a big difference in the influence that the other elements have on the ski characteristics. Therefore just from the dimension figures it is only possible to form a vague notion of the characteristics of a ski. Only by testing the ski you'll be provided with the full picture.
If by any chance you come across a technical ski term in one of our articles that you don't understand, don't hesitate to bring it under our attention via the Facebook Comments Box below and we'll provide you with the necessary information.


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Brusssels, Belgium
In one of my last posts, I spoke about a new Bricsys product - Chapoo. Here is a little more info about it with some slides.
Chapoo is nothing but the new name for Vondle project management software. The full-fledged Vondle product will be called Chapoo Bizz and a stripped down, lean version of the same is going to be called Chapoo. I asked Erik what Chapoo meant and he said "Nothing". It is just a name that they believe is nice and easy to pronounce.
Here are some more slides about Chapoo and its user-interface.
This is what it is primarily intened to do.
Connects using various channels.
The BIZZ version brings in all the functions of the former Vondle product into the Chapoo platform.
Chapoo is under development on other mobile OS platforms like Android, iOS etc.
The product is expected to release by end-2011.
Discover Bricscad, discover GeoTools-AutoCAD & GeoTools-Bricscad, discover TechCenter . Brand new ways to work smarter in CAD!!


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U.S. Senator John McCain is taking to Twitter again to push the highly controversial Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) as a benefit to Arizona and the U.S. economy.
Senate passage of #TPA4USjobs is a victory for #Arizona's economy & US leadership in the world
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) June 23, 2015
Real estate mogul and recently announced 2016 Presidential candidate Donald Trump told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren, "That trade pact is a disaster for jobs in our country."
At first voting for, but now opposing TPA, Senator Ted Cruz wrote Tuesday, "TPA in this Congress has become enmeshed in corrupt Washington backroom deal-making, along with serious concerns that it would open up the potential for sweeping changes in our laws that trade agreements typically do not include."
Potential McCain primary election challenger, Arizona State Senator Kelli Ward told Breitbart News Sunday radio listeners: "We shouldn't be doing government business in secret." She highlighted the shifty voting games that politicians play, confusing voters over their elected officials' actual positions on the issues.
"I think [McCain's support for ObamaTrade is] very important to people in Arizona. I think that they are worried about American jobs. They're worried about making sure that we hold our status in the world," Ward said, indicating McCain's support for TPA could further weaken his standing with Arizonans.
On the presidential front, McCain announced his support of Senator Lindsay Graham's candidacy for President in 2016 before Graham even announced.
Cruz noted that Graham along with Democrat Senator Maria Cantwell (WA) had early on been conditioning support for TPA on the unrelated reauthorization of the corporate welfare Export-Import Bank. Later revelations seemed to indicate a deal had been struck to extend existence of and resulting money flows from the Ex-Im Bank. Tuesday the Senate voted to end further debate on TPA with a 60-37 vote on cloture. A final Senate vote is expected on Wednesday. If passed it will proceed to President Obama's desk.
More than a week ago, McCain Tweeted out the following messages:
Failure on #FastTrack will be seen around the world as a sign of American retrenchment & victory for #China http://t.co/ZFJun2v7pq
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) June 12, 2015
By rejecting #TPA, Nancy Pelosi & House Dems dealt devastating blow 2 American businesses, workers & world leadership http://t.co/ZFJun2v7pq
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) June 12, 2015
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana


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Getting organized with Darryl Pring.
Actor and funny man Darryl joins us in advance of his great show OCD: Obsessive Compulsive DarrylToronto Fringe Festival.
Join Darryl and tva as they sort through the following:
– We solve MRAs, feminism and racism. Not bad for two white guys.
– How do you make your old man cry? Beer.
– The faves!
– The Exes!
Thanks and enjoy!
Go get a free book from one of over 180,000 titles at our sponsors Audible.com.
In partnership with BiteTV and a proud member of The Talkhole Comedy Podcast Network
Help out our podcast network "Talkhole" by supporting us on IndieGoGo by clicking HERE
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Dana Perino Tells Megyn Kelly the Left Comparing the "Shoe Bomber" with the "Undie Bomber" is Wrong - Video
Here is video of Dana Perino - former Press Secretary for President George W. Bush - explaining to Megyn Kelly why comparisons by the Left between the "Shoe Bomber -Richard Reid," and the "Underwear Bomber" - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, are like "comparing apples and oranges." Perino explained that the Shoe Bomber attack happened only two months after 9/11, and there was no apparatus set up to deal with enemy combatants. The Obama Administration deliberately bypassed all the avenues of interrogation and places for holding enemy combatants and chose to mirandize Abdulmutallab with less than an hour of questioning.
Perino said the Bush Administration would have treated Abdulmutallab very differently than they treated Reid - because of all that has been learned during the intervening years. The Obama Administration chose to ignore all of that and go their own way.


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Alumnus John Sepulvado hosts The California Report at San Francisco-based National Public Radio Station KQED. He previously served as host/executive producer of Weekend Edition at Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Sepulvado has earned four prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards and has received Public Radio News awards for investigative reporting, and he helped CNN take home a Peabody Award for coverage of the 2010 Gulf Oil spill. But now we've turned the tables, and he takes time to answer our questions.
Q: Why did you decide to attend community college?
A: It was a necessity. I have two children who are almost grown now, but at the time, they were very young. Their mom and I wanted to do something with our lives and knew education was key. I was accepted to two universities, but Tallahassee Community College offered daycare, academic counseling, financial aid — what we needed to get where we wanted to go.
Q: How did you first learn about Phi Theta Kappa?
A: I had a professor that I'm still friends with — Dr. Tom Waller, who taught sociology. He suggested I get into the honors program and PTK. He said it would open doors for me, that I would find it stimulating.
Q: Did you benefit from being a member?
A: It helped me keep my grades up. At times, I thought I might slack — I was tired, but I wanted to be a leader in my school and be recognized for my grades. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA.
PTK exposed me to different ideas. It was the only extracurricular thing I did, but it really expanded my world. We watched foreign films, we discussed Cuban politics — we did all kinds of activities. At the time, I was working at the Olive Garden. I was thankful for the job, but it's hard to be intellectually stimulated by offering people all-you-can-eat soup, salad and breadsticks.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a journalist?
A: I didn't think I could ever be one, but from a young age I liked writing. I liked going places. I'm curious to the point that I got into a lot of trouble. I questioned everything. I never accepted the standard answer. It was considered antisocial, but in the field, it is standard. Journalism has saved my life.
Q: What career path did you follow?
A: I'm originally from California, and the place I grew up in was not one where you went to college. The three ways you got out of the neighborhood were to get a state job, join the Navy or go to prison. My mom said I should get a state job, but I lucked out. I got a journalism job by accident and hung on tightly. I moved to Florida, but the newspaper I worked for was sold.
At TCC I had a friend who knew someone in public radio, who, coincidentally, also had a friend who worked at Olive Garden. I came in as a news writer for $7 an hour, working as a fact-checker for the news anchor.
I was working there during the 2004 presidential election between George W. Bush and John Kerry. After what had happened with Bush and Gore four years earlier, everyone was watching Florida. So, I just hung out, put in a lot of hours, learned how to voice and eventually got hired by the Tampa station, which is a Top 20 market. I had a brief stint at CNN, but other than that I've been at NPR stations. I don't think I'll ever leave public media.
Q: Do you have any advice for our current members who may want to pursue a career in journalism?
A: It's helpful if you have an idea of what you want to do. Knowing that helped people get me where I needed to go. Look at your passions and be unabashed in pursuing them. If you put your mind to it, the support network at the community college will get you there. Figure out how to shape your intellectual experiences around your passions rather than thinking about money.
Q: Do you feel you're making a difference with the work you're doing?
A: I am in journalism because of people like me. I was one of four kids of a single mom living in a mobile home park. She struggled to feed us mac and cheese. We were not brown enough, not white enough — not represented. When I was growing up, I loved Peter Jennings (longtime anchor of ABC World News Tonight), but he wasn't talking with people like me.
What I try to do is represent those who don't have a seat at the table — homeless kids, those who've gotten cancer from power plants, parents who've had a child killed at daycare and don't know what to do. I really care about the stories of those who don't have a lot of power. The first step in taking away a person's power is to dehumanize them. We have to humanize everyone if civil society is going to exist.
Q: What's your favorite story that you've covered?
A: I covered the militant takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. I didn't necessarily agree with what they did, but I thought it was important to look at who they are, why they did it, and present them as human beings.
Q: Is there anything you'd like to add?
A: I want to thank my community college and Tom Waller. Even though he was a sociology professor, he taught me more about journalism than anyone else. He taught me how to recognize the humanity and the flaws of human beings. I still think about what I learned from him. I was lucky to have a professor who, at that critical time, was able to take me from a knucklehead-know-it-all to a focused and serious person.
Some people think that community college teachers are less qualified than others, but in fact, the opposite is true. And they don't do it for recognition, they do it because they care.
Sepulvado encourages members interested in journalism to reach out to him on Twitter @JohnLGC.


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Charles Edward Phelps (1833-1908)
"Ex-Judge Phelps Dead." The Sun (Baltimore), 27 December 1908.
"Charles E. Phelps." The Sun
(Baltimore), 28 December 1908.
Eisenberg, Gerson G. Marylanders Who Served the Nation: A Biographical Dictionary of Federal Officials from Maryland. Annapolis: Maryland State Archives, 1992, 171.
Schneider, James F. A Century of Striving for Justice: The Maryland State Bar Association 1896-1996. Baltimore: Maryland State Bar Association, 1996, 46.
Committee on Legal Biography. Annual
Meeting of the Maryland State Bar Association: Report of the Committe on
Legal Biography. Baltimore: Maryland State Bar Association, 1909, 107-110.
to Charles Edward Phelps' Introductory Page
|| Search the Archives || Education & Outreach || Archives of Maryland Online ] Governor General Assembly Judiciary Maryland.Gov


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"Her Bones Catch the Sun" by Aiya Sakr
Product Code: 978-1-64092-013-2
Reward Points: 0
Availability: In Stock
Over a picture with my hair
the first thing a friend
says to me in years,
in a small message on
Facebook, at the bottom of my screen—
"I love you
and I'm worried. Don't forget
that hijab is your crown."
She does not see my hijab at all
and I don't know how to tell her
crowns grow heavy—
and hearts can bear the weight
of modesty.
Aiya Sakr was born in the United States but grew up in Amman, Jordan, with Palestinian, Egyptian, and Jordanian heritage. She has a Master's degree in Literature and Writing from Utah State University. Currently, she resides in Amman with her husband and their blind cat, Shams. She teaches English literature.
32 pages. Free shipping to the United States, low-cost shipping everywhere else.
(Available September 1, 2018)
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Varietal Facts
What is Cabernet Sauvignon? Wine Varietal Facts – From Flavour to Grape Variety
What is Cabernet Sauvignon? Where is it grown and what should it taste like? This is a guide is everything you need to know about Cab Sauv wine...
What is Cabernet Sauvignon? Cabernet Sauvignon is a full body wine with moderate acidity and tannin. Dark fruit flavours with leather, bell pepper and baking spice notes. Its parents are Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. In this post, weâll cover some quick facts on the Cab Sauv wine varietal and...
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Celebrate National Cabernet Day With Everything You Need to Know About Cabernet
Celebrating National Cabernet Day? Take some time to learn about the 3 grape varieties in the Cabernet family: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon...
When is Cabernet Day? National Cabernet Day falls on the Thursday before Labour Day. The holiday was thought up in 2010 by Rick Bakas and ever since has been celebrated with the hashtag #CabernetDay! In 2019, Cabernet Day will be celebrated on Thursday, August 29th. Learn about the 3 types of Cabernet...
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About the Producer
Hartwell Vineyards
Napa, California, United States
INCEPTION: AN ACT, PROCESS, OR INSTANCE OF BEGINNINGDear Friends,Welcome to Hartwell Estate Vineyards! The moment I saw this beautiful hillside, I knew this land â along with a lot of hard work! - would yield the caliber of wines I enjoy as an avid collector. After years of exploring vineyard land...
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Regular readers of this blog will know I love short story competitions. The demands of sticking to a specific theme or word count, the inclusion of a special word or phrase, or even just having the focus of a deadline can all help with motivation. In fact, sometimes the more restrictions that seem to be imposed, the harder your story-telling brain seems to work to come up with a idea which will fit the bill.
I've tried my hand at entering lots of short story competitions in recent years – sometimes I've been successful, sometimes less so. But I've usually found that the discipline involved in editing a story to suit the demands of a specific competition has helped me to improve on the original idea or draft.
It seemed an obvious next step to try my hand at judging. I've previously assisted with short-listing for a competition, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and so when the opportunity came to become part of the short story panel on the Hysteria UK 2017 writing competition, I jumped at the chance. Being one of a panel of five seems less daunting for a first timer too!
Of course, short story judging is subjective, so even though we have a clear set of criteria to use while we're judging, I'm sure there will be pieces which impress me but do nothing for another member of the panel, and vice versa. Overall though, I'm confident we'll be able to make a good decision. And during this process, we'll have had the opportunity to read a huge variety of stories – from which I'm sure we'll learn a great deal.
If you're a female writer, writing in the flash fiction, poetry or short story genres, you have until 31st August 2017 to submit your piece – head over to the website for details:
If you've never entered a writing competition before, why not have a go at this one which supports the work of the Hysterectomy Association, helping women worldwide. There are cash prizes, and winners and runners-up will be published in the annual anthology.
And if you aren't successful, it doesn't necessarily mean your story wasn't well-written or enjoyed by the judges. There's still a story which sticks in my mind from my short-listing experience – the story in question didn't make the final selection and, as it was judged anonymously, I have no idea who the author was, but years later I can still remember the quirky writing which I enjoyed tremendously. So keep writing, keep sending out your work, because there is an audience out there who will appreciate it.
If you're interested in entering the competition, and want to find out more about the judges, they will each be interviewed in the coming weeks. You can read my interview on the Hysteria website here:


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As I have noted before, a lot of the "cops" who appear on Faux News and other right wing media – themselves have criminal histories.
David Clarke has been accused of covering up a deputy's misdeeds while Joe Arpaio has been called 'unrepentantly lawless'. Meet the prominent officers who want the businessman in the Oval Office
As chairman of Donald Trump's "Florida law enforcement coalition" and one of the Trump campaign's official pilots, Vincent Caldara is doubly devoted to the Republican presidential nominee and his pledge to crack down on criminality.
A former police officer in New York and Miami, Caldara told supporters at a recent gathering in Florida that he had been flying vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence "from coast to coast to make sure we get the law and order message out to every single person that will be voting on November 8th".
Caldara is simultaneously fighting claims that he is a lawbreaker himself.
The 55-year-old pilot is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, after he allegedly drove a vehicle at another person repeatedly in Pompano Beach in July last year. According to court records, the victim, whose name is withheld, was treated in hospital for leg and back injuries. Caldara has pleaded not guilty.
In a separate case, Caldara is accused of severely injuring a woman in June 2014 by recklessly driving into her with his Harley Davidson motorcycle in Fort Lauderdale. The woman is suing Caldara and seeking a jury trial. According to court records, officials have been unable to find Caldara to serve him with a summons.
Caldara and spokespeople for Trump's campaign did not respond to several requests for comment.
The accusations of wrongdoing against Caldara are only the latest in an eclectic series of claims leveled at law enforcement figures who have publicly endorsed Trump's campaign for the White House.
Amid a spike in crime in some US cities, Trump on Friday received the endorsement of the national Fraternal Order of Police union, whose president, Chuck Canterbury, said: "Our members believe he will make America safe again".
But dark spots on the records of some of Trump's most prominent police backers challenge the credibility of his claim to be the "law and order candidate". In July, a coalition of dozens of police chiefs and prosecutors pleaded with the Republican nominee to abandon his draconian ideas and embrace contemporary policing theory and criminal justice reform.
Here, the Guardian reviews some of the allegations made against a half-dozen lawmen who have lent their support to Trump's presidential campaign:
David Clarke
Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, has been Trump's most visible ally among serving police. Although a registered Democrat, Clarke, 60, accused Hillary Clinton's campaign of "embracing criminality" after mothers of African Americans killed by police appeared onstage at the Democratic National Convention.
But Clarke has been accused of violating rules and regulations himself since being elected in 2002. After one of his deputies broke a woman's neck by crashing his vehicle into her car, Clarke was alleged to have overseen an attempted cover-up that involved framing the woman for drunk driving.
The victim, Tanya Weyker, sued Clarke, several deputies and county authorities in state and federal court in 2014 for compensation and civil rights violations. She said Clarke and his officers continued pursuing charges against her for months even after they knew video evidence showed the officer was at fault.
"Clarke was personally involved in the conspiracy to continue with the baseless prosecution of [Weyker]," the federal lawsuit said, "or, at the very least, was deliberately and recklessly indifferent to his subordinates' unconstitutional actions and related misconduct." Clarke and the officers denied the allegations.
An attorney for Weyker, Drew DeVinney, said Weyker settled her state lawsuit for the state-capped maximum $250,000 in compensation, and then settled the federal lawsuit for more than $95,000 for civil rights violations and attorneys' fees.
Clarke has also come under criticism from within his own ranks. In 2010, deputy Richard Graber, a senior official in the Milwaukee deputies' union, alleged that Clarke aggressively confronted him, called him a "sick fuck" and threatened to "come after him" for questioning an order that deputies must work mandatory overtime after the high-profile death of a local child.
"Clarke's profanity-ridden rant included yelling, pointing, and calling Graber 'waste,' an 'organizational terrorist,' a 'fucker,' and a 'cancer to the agency'," according to an appeals court filing. Clarke denied most of Graber's account of their confrontation. A federal appeals court said Clarke's behavior amounted to an "adverse employment action" but rejected an allegation from Graber that the mistreatment was because of his union activity.
Inspector Edward Bailey, a spokesman for Clarke, declined to comment. "This county office does not involve itself in the current presidential race in any capacity," he said in an email.
Paul Babeu
Sheriff Paul Babeu of Pinal County, Arizona, enthusiastically supports Trump's anti-immigration stance and campaign pledge to build a wall along the US border with Mexico. Babeu is also running as a Republican for a seat in the US House of Representatives and has made border security a key plank of his campaign.
Babeu promises voters on his website that he will tackle the "hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants pouring across our southern borders", warning that at present, "possible terrorists with military training, deliberate plans and lots of money can cross the border".
In 2012, Jose Orozco, a Mexican man and ex-boyfriend of Babeu who worked for the sheriff's election campaign, alleged that he was threatened with deportation by an aide to Babeu when he refused to sign an agreement not to publicly disclose the relationship. Orozco's attorney said she was told Orozco's US visa had expired, making him undocumented. Babeu denied Orozco's allegations. An inquiry by the Arizona attorney general concluded that he committed no criminal violation.
Babeu has also faced allegations made public by his sisterthat as headmaster and executive director of a boarding school for troubled teenagers in Massachusetts, he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. Babeu, who led the controversial DeSisto School in West Stockbridge between 1999 and 2001, responded by publishing his sister's mental health history.
The former student, Joshua Geyer, has not disputed that he had a relationship with Babeu, but insisted that it was not "inappropriate". This week, a spokesman for Babeu sent the Guardian a letter purportedly from Geyer that said he and Babeu had no sexual relationship at all. Asked twice whether Babeu himself denied that the relationship took place, the spokesman did not respond.
State authorities pursued DeSisto for operating illegally without a state license. Over the years, the school became notorious for its severe punishment system, and was investigated repeatedly for allegations of abuse and mistreatment of students. It has since closed.
The Babeu spokesman, Barrett Marson, said in an email: "Paul was in charge of the business operations at the school. He never had any control over student discipline or instruction. He was in charge of ensuring there was food and bathroom supplies and things like that. But Paul was never investigated nor had any knowledge of any alleged abuse at the school while he was employed there."…More Here…


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Our apologies for the inability to reach us. We have had issues with both the phone and the website. Hopefully they have all been resolved. Our cell phone is 517/781-0273.
A quality Clydesdale breeding operation located in south central Michigan. Home to about 12 head of beautiful Clydesdale horses, this farm is internationally known for the excellence of animals produced. Armageddon Clydesdales was honored as Premier Exhibitor at the National Clydesdale Show for eleven consecutive years, that string of successes ending a few years ago. The Clydesdales are exhibited at hitch and halter, showing annually at the National Clydesdale Show, Wisconsin State Fair, the Michigan Great Lakes International and the Michigan Draft Horse Breeders Show.
The herd usually consists of a stallion, several brood mares and on average of four foals are currently being produced annually. Most foals are sold at weaning time. There are usually a yearling, two and three year olds in the show string in addition to the breeding horses. Armageddon's hitch was an all home grown black clydesdale mare hitch. We hitch for pleasure at home and show a cart from time to time currently.
The owners, Dr. Michael and Cheri Moleski, are active in both the state and national organizations. Michael was a long time Board Member of the Clydesdale Breeders of the United States and is a past President. Cheri is a past Board member of the Clydesdale Breeders of the US and past President of the Michigan Draft Horse Breeders Association.
The 2013 show season was an unqualified success. Armageddon's Lord Lazarus (pictured below) was named Grand Champion Stallion at the National Clydesdale Show and the Regional Show at the Wisconsin State Fair. Lazarus has been owned since he was a foal by good friend Steve Jones of Topeka, Indiana, and was exhibited this year by Greenwood Farms. Additionally, we were named Premier Clydesdale Exhibitor at the Wisconsin State Fair for the 14th time. To top that we were awarded first prize Best Three Mares Bred and Owned by Exhibitor at the National Show for the 16th time!
We continue to show on a limited basis, the grandchildren being common participants in various showmanship classes.
Armageddon's Lord Lazarus 2/16/06
Solomon's Tim x Armageddon's Mistress Sabrina
2015 Grand Champion Stallion World Clydesdale Show
Grand Champion Stallion National Clydesdale Show 2013 and 2014
All American Aged Stallion 2013, 2014 and 2015
Grand Champion Stallion 2015 World Clydesdale Show
World Champion Junior Stallion Foal 2018 World Clydesdale Show
Armageddon's Lord Ashur 3/21/18
Westedge Major's Lucky x Armageddon's Mistress Adriel
Armageddon's Mistress Adriel was Reserve Grand Champion Mare at the 2009 National Clydesdale Show
At the 2013 National meeting of the Clydesdale Breeders of the United States, we were honored to be inducted as the newest members of the Heritage Hall of Fame. This honor is accorded to those felt to have made very significant contributions to the Clydesdale breed and it's organization. We were both surprised and more than pleased to be so honored, as you can tell by the picture below.
At the 2019 Michigan Draft Horse Breeders Association annual meeting, we were honored to receive the Service to Industry Award.
Meet the family
Dr. Michael & Cheri Moleski
733 Kinter Road
Bronson, Michigan 49028
Phone: (517) 369-3535


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Dalton, Minnesota
0 Reviews | Review This Place | Photos and Maps
The Political Climate in Dalton, MN is Somewhat conservative.
Otter Tail County, MN is Somewhat conservative. In Otter Tail County, MN 28.7% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 64.4% voted Republican, and the remaining 6.8% voted Independent.
Otter Tail county voted Republican in the previous five Presidential elections. In the last Presidential election, Otter Tail county remained very strongly Republican, 64.4% to 28.7%
Displaying 16 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
How It Works: Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The five elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) would be expressed as five-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa – d r d d r. In the last five elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican candidate in 2016 after voting Democratic in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d) has voted narrowly Democratic in the last three elections.
In the last 4 years (2015-2018), there were 40 contributions totaling $4,175 to Democratic and liberal campaigns, averaging $104 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 5 contributions totaling $1,400 to Republican and conservative campaigns, averaging $280 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)
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find ./ -type f -exec rename 'y/A-Z/a-z/' {} \;
Amarok2: The Weekend at Bernie's 2 of Software
Amarok 1.4 WAS by far the best music player I had ever seen. So many options, a great functional layout with nearly everything you wanted no more than a single click away… I did say was. My recent upgrade to Ubuntu 9.04 automagically left me with Amarok 2. Not only was it not playing out of the box, I seem to have lost all ability to customize it or control it. They say it's the future of media players. Of course they do because, it's sure not the present. I haven't seen a sequel this bad since Weekend at Bernie's 2. [Read more…] about Amarok2: The Weekend at Bernie's 2 of Software
Micro$oft pulls a Folgers switch (kind of).
CNET News.com reports:
Spurred by an e-mail from someone deep in the marketing ranks, Microsoft last week traveled to San Francisco, rounding up Windows XP users who had negative impressions of Vista. The subjects were put on video, asked about their Vista impressions, and then shown a "new" operating system, code-named Mojave. More than 90 percent gave positive feedback on what they saw. Then they were told that "Mojave" was actually Windows Vista.
Sounds a little like the "Folger's Switch" from years ago.
Instead trying this on XP fans, try it with some Mac-vangelists or fellow Linux fans. Then you'll impress me.
Vista woes fuel Mac sales surge – analyst | Register Hardware
And you gotta wonder how many folks are also doing like I did, and going to Linux?
Vista woes fuel Mac sales surge – analyst | Register Hardware
The 3G iPhone may be getting all the attention this week, but let's not forget Apple's other product line, the Mac family, which is enjoying new-found success thanks to… Microsoft.
According to US investment house BMO Capital Markets, cited by AppleInsider, Apple will have shipped up to 2.5m Macs between April and June inclusive – enough for a 39 per cent year-on-year growth rate.
More to the point, that rate of increase is more than three times the industry average of 12.2 per cent.
e-Sword for Linux
Thanks again to the always-has-an-answer Ubuntu Forum. I have E-sword running perfectly in Linux (under Wine). Here's the link
The only thing that would make me happier would be for Rick to release the e-Sword code as Open Source or at least make a full blown Linux version. "Me toos!" and other comments welcome.
Linux Users: Kiss the Itunes store goodbye!
Here's a great fix for those of you missing your Itunes store in Linux.
Now, if they would just have .ogg files 😉 But great start Amazon – take a bow!
Footnote: Convert mp3's to better sounding ogg files with oggconvert.
From terminal: sudo apt-get install oggconvert


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Download The Latest 2020 Franking Postage Rates – Learn more
COVID-19 Franking Ink – Current Policies, Trading Position and status.
Being in the postal sector we supply and service many industries and organisations supporting the fight against Covid-19 that are reliant on us for supplies and service for their franking machine. These include many NHS Doctors, hospitals and other essential organisations that are either on the frontline or supporting / supplying frontline critical operations. We have ample stocks of franking machines and supplies where usual delivery times still apply, more importantly, we're also able to continue supporting customer service requests both onsite and remote. For more information and the latest updates visit our dedicated COVID-19 page – Learn more
View our range of low volume posting envelopes and late meter posting envelopes online for your business.
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My purpose: to keep learning, always.
My strengths:
- warmth, authenticity, imagination and perseverance
- communicating ideas
- facilitating transformational conversations
My training:
- Diploma in Transformational Coaching (Animas Coaching)
- Inquiry-led Learning for Women (YWCA)
- Facilitators Training: Inner Action Workshop (Rising Women Rising World)
- Whole-Hearted Approach to Change (Common Cause)
- Coaching Skills and Models (Advance Coaching)
- Imagining the Future: Systems Leadership (IRISS)
- Art of Hosting Advanced Practice (Art of Hosting Network)
My experience:
My professional experience includes researching, writing and editing educational texts and software; running conferences and seminars; creating websites and developing information and communication networks; facilitating workshops; and setting up a business. My personal experience includes immigrating to Scotland from the US; raising a daughter as a single parent; and surviving/navigating the mental healthcare system.
I am a member of Lapidus UK (promoting writing for wellness) and the International Association of Journal Writers. I also belong to Salon 89, an informal group of artists, therapists and creative practitioners who meet regularly to discuss topics of interest and learn together in a convivial setting.
You can read my cv here. I am based in Edinburgh, Scotland and work collaboratively across the UK and internationally, with small groups and one-to-one: please do get in touch if you'd like to find out more. I look forward to working with you!