Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the Ox!
According to my wonderful book on Chinese Astrology "Susanne White's Original Chinese Astrology Book"... "In these years, everybody has to buckle down and tote those barges. For those who resist work, Ox years can be disastrously infertile. Dictators flourish in the Ox years... Ox years are benevolent for farmers. Harvests are usually not attacked by beetle, flood, drought, or marauding animals. For once, the Ox himself is not at odds with his security."
So enjoy this new year and work hard in the coming year. Abundance will follow!!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
St. Michael’s Guatemala Project – CALL FOR SUMMER 2009 TEAMS
Friends. I went on this summer project to Guatemala in 2006. I had a great 3 weeks hiking and living with mountain villagers and working on this project. You don't need alot of experience, mostly just a willingness to help out and be with people in another country. The following is from an email I got from Ila Abernathy, of Tucson, who is the brains and heart behind this 15 yr old project.
"Guatemala Project lists, Additional information for you: I will be attending a wedding in NC May 30 and so probably won't leave for Guatemala before June 11, possibly not until June 15. If at all possible, I'm also going to Guate for two weeks in March, to attend the annual Asamblea General and work on fiscal stuff. If a medical person could also go at this time, we could do some basic work in communities near Nebaj and possibly arrange for some followup treatment for children. Please get in touch with me immediately if you are interested in doing something in March.
Air fares on major carriers from Tucson presently are running in the + / - $800 range. We'll hope for price breaks. Continental fares from Phoenix, including taxes, are running much less."
ILA ABERNATHY (520) 623-3063
ilaa@mindspring.com
St. Michael’s Guatemala Project – CALL FOR SUMMER 2009 TEAMS
PRELIMINARY MEETING SUNDAY FEBRUARY 22, 3 - 4:45 P.M.
Woods Memorial Library, 3455 N. First Avenue
Volunteers interested in joining small teams to visit the rural Maya of the CPR-Sierra for 2 to 9 weeks, from mid-June through early August, are invited to bring their questions February 22, and / or to contact R.N. Sarah Roberts, (520) 577-1806, or Coordinator Ila Abernathy, (520) 623-3063, ilaa@mindspring.com. Spanish speakers and health professionals are particularly encouraged to participate in this collaboration with local Mayan health promoters.
Everyone helps courier supplies from the U.S. After in-country orientation, teams accompany Mayan health workers and the Coordinator on 2 to 4 week "giras" (circuits). All participants pay their own expenses.
St. Michael’s Guatemala Project is an ongoing, nonprofit, non-sectarian informal partnership with the Maya of the CPR-Sierra [Communities of Population in Resistance of the Sierra] that continues a relationship begun in 1993. Focus areas include community health and health education, advocacy, arts and culture, mutual learning, and commitment to indigenous self-determination. Presently the Project provides economic aid to 30 rural Mayan health workers and helps with other health needs.
For detail and photos, please visit www.cprguatemalaproject.org.
"Guatemala Project lists, Additional information for you: I will be attending a wedding in NC May 30 and so probably won't leave for Guatemala before June 11, possibly not until June 15. If at all possible, I'm also going to Guate for two weeks in March, to attend the annual Asamblea General and work on fiscal stuff. If a medical person could also go at this time, we could do some basic work in communities near Nebaj and possibly arrange for some followup treatment for children. Please get in touch with me immediately if you are interested in doing something in March.
Air fares on major carriers from Tucson presently are running in the + / - $800 range. We'll hope for price breaks. Continental fares from Phoenix, including taxes, are running much less."
ILA ABERNATHY (520) 623-3063
ilaa@mindspring.com
St. Michael’s Guatemala Project – CALL FOR SUMMER 2009 TEAMS
PRELIMINARY MEETING SUNDAY FEBRUARY 22, 3 - 4:45 P.M.
Woods Memorial Library, 3455 N. First Avenue
Volunteers interested in joining small teams to visit the rural Maya of the CPR-Sierra for 2 to 9 weeks, from mid-June through early August, are invited to bring their questions February 22, and / or to contact R.N. Sarah Roberts, (520) 577-1806, or Coordinator Ila Abernathy, (520) 623-3063, ilaa@mindspring.com. Spanish speakers and health professionals are particularly encouraged to participate in this collaboration with local Mayan health promoters.
Everyone helps courier supplies from the U.S. After in-country orientation, teams accompany Mayan health workers and the Coordinator on 2 to 4 week "giras" (circuits). All participants pay their own expenses.
St. Michael’s Guatemala Project is an ongoing, nonprofit, non-sectarian informal partnership with the Maya of the CPR-Sierra [Communities of Population in Resistance of the Sierra] that continues a relationship begun in 1993. Focus areas include community health and health education, advocacy, arts and culture, mutual learning, and commitment to indigenous self-determination. Presently the Project provides economic aid to 30 rural Mayan health workers and helps with other health needs.
For detail and photos, please visit www.cprguatemalaproject.org.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Elephant-Dog friendship in Tennessee
I need to go see this place. I think it may only be a couple of hours from Nashville. Wow, elephants in Tennessee!!
Watch CBS Videos Online
Watch CBS Videos Online
Monday, January 19, 2009
Widgets
Today the 20th of January, 2009 was pretty special. It was moving day in Washington, D.C. Everyone seemed to be pretty caught up in the historic moment. I know I was!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Grateful Dead Tour 2009
Check it out kids. Who wants to rally in Greensboro, N.C. on April 12th????
Video practice for Obama!
Tour info
Video practice for Obama!
Tour info
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Flying Norwegians
This looks unbelievable to me. See what you think. Man can fly like a bird!
wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.
wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Freewill Astrology
I enjoy astrology and my favorite column for it is the weekly FREEWILL ASTROLOGY by Rob Brezsny. I find it quite insightful and with a sense of humor along with it. Below is his forecast for the week of December 25, 2008. It applies to the coming year. For me, Virgo, my task ahead has to do with liberation,through the use of attention, awareness, and discipline. I'm jiggy with that! And if you read some of the other horoscopes, not your own, you will find valuable insights in each and every one.
So good cheer and good tidings to you in the year to come. Have an astrologically great year!
_____________________________________________________________________________
From http://www.freewillastrology.com
Horoscopes for week of December 25, 2008
ARIES:
Most people spend their entire lives immersed in three modes of awareness: waking, sleeping, and dreaming. But there are many other modes that have been explored down through the ages by the pioneers of consciousness. Some of them aren't very interesting to me -- like those sought out by people who use cocaine or methamphetamines, for instance -- while others are states I aspire to inhabit, like lucid dreaming, deep meditation, and a visceral perception of the fact that love is the fundamental law of the universe. I bring this line of thought to your attention, Aries, because I believe that in 2009 you will have excellent opportunities to open up your mind to levels of consciousness that are beyond the basic three. No drugs are necessary to take advantage -- only a driving curiosity to tune in to realities that are currently outside of your field of vision.
TAURUS:
In the original Constitution of the United States, adopted in 1787, each black slave living in America was counted as three-fifths of a person. Seventy-eight years later, the Thirteenth Amendment conferred the missing two-fifths on all who had up until then been regarded as partial humans. I predict that a comparable milestone will come for you in 2009, Taurus. Where in your life have you been marginalized or perpetually unfinished? What fragmented role have you been compelled to play? What situation has prevented you from being all you can be? You will have an excellent chance of completing the circuit in the coming months.
GEMINI:
According to the novelist John Gardner, there are just two kinds of stories in literature: you go on a journey, or a stranger arrives in your world. According to my analysis of your destiny in 2009, you will reap rich rewards by including both of those plotlines in your life story. So let the brainstorming begin, Gemini: What's the best journey you could choose for yourself -- a journey that will educate, challenge, and delight you? And what can you do to attract the best kinds of strangers into your world -- strangers who will educate, challenge, and delight you?
CANCER:
To get ready for 2009, I invite you to fantasize in depth about the fertile alliances that might be possible for you to cultivate in the coming months. These lively, inspiring bonds could be with people you haven't met yet. They could be with acquaintances you barely know but would like to know better. And they could be with friends, collaborators, and loved ones you're already intimate with but want to become even closer to. The coming year has the potential to bring revolutionary advances in the quality and intensity of your relationships, so it will be smart for you to work hard on making that happen.
LEO:
"What do I long for?" should be a core question for you -- always, of course, but especially in 2009. Are you adventurous enough to look beyond the status symbols your ego is attached to and the transitory wishes that constantly flit through your imagination? If so, you'll prime yourself to establish a root connection with your soul's deepest yearnings. And when you're in daily touch with those primal motivators, the obstacles in your life will seem less overwhelming; the lies you tell yourself will dissolve; and you will consistently have crisp intuitions about what your next move must be. Life may not necessarily be a breeze, but it'll be profoundly magical.
VIRGO:
When I predict that liberation will be one of your primary tasks in 2009, Virgo, I'm not speaking about it in the usual way. The definition I'm working with is one that the writer David Foster Wallace articulated: "The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day." I hope you'll be moved to add other nuances and flourishes to that approach as you experiment with it liberally in the coming months.
LIBRA:
"I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free." That was Michelangelo talking about how he approached his work as a sculptor. He didn't build the statue, in other words, but got rid of the unnecessary stuff that was surrounding it. I suggest that you try this approach in 2009. You have the potential to create a great thing -- maybe even two great things -- by chiseling away the extraneous material that's obscuring their unique beauty.
SCORPIO:
In 2009, don't just tune in to your hunches now and then. Be more diligent and intense than that. Check in with your intuition at least three times a day on all 365 days of the year. Be precise in the questions you pose it. Gather its clues craftily. Have fun as you joke and play with it. Conscientiously experiment with the suggestions it provides. This will be the year you can establish a steady, reliable connection with your inner voice. Be devout in your dedication to the cult of your intuition!
SAGITAURIUS:
Want to supercharge your luck in 2009? Get yourself some vivid new superstitions. The more outrageous they are, the more likely it is they'll generate lots of crazy sweet karma. You might want to draw inspiration from pro football player John Henderson, for instance, who swears he can trick destiny into working in his favor if his trainer smacks him in the face before each game. Former hockey player Bruce Gardiner might also be a worthy role model. To rev up his good fortune, he always shoved his hockey stick into a toilet prior to skating out onto the ice. JUST KIDDING, Sagittarius! In fact, I hope you will make 2009 your least superstitious year ever. Let's drink a toast to lucid logic, impeccable objectivity, and cool, clean reason! Add some compassionate sarcasm and loving satire into the mix, and you will generate lots of crazy sweet karma.
CAPRICORN:
The most expensive bat mitzvah in history took place at New York's Rainbow Room in November 2005. David Brooks, a billionaire defense contractor, spent $10 million on his daughter's rite of passage. Among the stars he hired to perform at the bash were Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Nelly, and 50 Cent. Promise me, Capricorn, that if you get wealthy in the coming year, you won't blow your money on ridiculous "luxuries" like that. Here's a secret: The more high-minded you are in cultivating your dreams, the greater the likelihood is that you'll get richer quicker.
AQUARIUS:
Imagine you're driving down a very wide highway that's 50 lanes across even though there are no lines dividing one lane from another. Speed limit signs aren't posted, and some vehicles are zipping along in zigzag paths at over 100 mph while others crawl along like old-lady turtles. Now and then you've got to weave your way through a congested area where many on-ramps all feed into the road simultaneously. You haven't seen an off-ramp yet, and you're not sure where to get off anyway. I figure, Aquarius, that 2008 had some resemblance to the scenario I just described. Luckily, I predict that no later than your birthday, you will find an off-ramp and exit onto an uncluttered backroad with great scenery.
PISCES:
"How do you slay the dragon?" journalist Bill Moyers asked mythologist Joseph Campbell in an interview. By "dragon," he was referring to the dangerous beast that symbolizes the most unripe and uncontrollable part of each of our lives. In reply to Moyers, Campbell didn't suggest that you become a master warrior, nor did he recommend that you cultivate high levels of sleek, savage anger. "Follow your bliss," he said simply. Personally, I don't know if that's enough to slay the dragon -- I'm inclined to believe that you also have to take some defensive measures -- but it's definitely worth an extended experiment. Would you consider trying that in 2009?
So good cheer and good tidings to you in the year to come. Have an astrologically great year!
_____________________________________________________________________________
From http://www.freewillastrology.com
Horoscopes for week of December 25, 2008
ARIES:
Most people spend their entire lives immersed in three modes of awareness: waking, sleeping, and dreaming. But there are many other modes that have been explored down through the ages by the pioneers of consciousness. Some of them aren't very interesting to me -- like those sought out by people who use cocaine or methamphetamines, for instance -- while others are states I aspire to inhabit, like lucid dreaming, deep meditation, and a visceral perception of the fact that love is the fundamental law of the universe. I bring this line of thought to your attention, Aries, because I believe that in 2009 you will have excellent opportunities to open up your mind to levels of consciousness that are beyond the basic three. No drugs are necessary to take advantage -- only a driving curiosity to tune in to realities that are currently outside of your field of vision.
TAURUS:
In the original Constitution of the United States, adopted in 1787, each black slave living in America was counted as three-fifths of a person. Seventy-eight years later, the Thirteenth Amendment conferred the missing two-fifths on all who had up until then been regarded as partial humans. I predict that a comparable milestone will come for you in 2009, Taurus. Where in your life have you been marginalized or perpetually unfinished? What fragmented role have you been compelled to play? What situation has prevented you from being all you can be? You will have an excellent chance of completing the circuit in the coming months.
GEMINI:
According to the novelist John Gardner, there are just two kinds of stories in literature: you go on a journey, or a stranger arrives in your world. According to my analysis of your destiny in 2009, you will reap rich rewards by including both of those plotlines in your life story. So let the brainstorming begin, Gemini: What's the best journey you could choose for yourself -- a journey that will educate, challenge, and delight you? And what can you do to attract the best kinds of strangers into your world -- strangers who will educate, challenge, and delight you?
CANCER:
To get ready for 2009, I invite you to fantasize in depth about the fertile alliances that might be possible for you to cultivate in the coming months. These lively, inspiring bonds could be with people you haven't met yet. They could be with acquaintances you barely know but would like to know better. And they could be with friends, collaborators, and loved ones you're already intimate with but want to become even closer to. The coming year has the potential to bring revolutionary advances in the quality and intensity of your relationships, so it will be smart for you to work hard on making that happen.
LEO:
"What do I long for?" should be a core question for you -- always, of course, but especially in 2009. Are you adventurous enough to look beyond the status symbols your ego is attached to and the transitory wishes that constantly flit through your imagination? If so, you'll prime yourself to establish a root connection with your soul's deepest yearnings. And when you're in daily touch with those primal motivators, the obstacles in your life will seem less overwhelming; the lies you tell yourself will dissolve; and you will consistently have crisp intuitions about what your next move must be. Life may not necessarily be a breeze, but it'll be profoundly magical.
VIRGO:
When I predict that liberation will be one of your primary tasks in 2009, Virgo, I'm not speaking about it in the usual way. The definition I'm working with is one that the writer David Foster Wallace articulated: "The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day." I hope you'll be moved to add other nuances and flourishes to that approach as you experiment with it liberally in the coming months.
LIBRA:
"I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free." That was Michelangelo talking about how he approached his work as a sculptor. He didn't build the statue, in other words, but got rid of the unnecessary stuff that was surrounding it. I suggest that you try this approach in 2009. You have the potential to create a great thing -- maybe even two great things -- by chiseling away the extraneous material that's obscuring their unique beauty.
SCORPIO:
In 2009, don't just tune in to your hunches now and then. Be more diligent and intense than that. Check in with your intuition at least three times a day on all 365 days of the year. Be precise in the questions you pose it. Gather its clues craftily. Have fun as you joke and play with it. Conscientiously experiment with the suggestions it provides. This will be the year you can establish a steady, reliable connection with your inner voice. Be devout in your dedication to the cult of your intuition!
SAGITAURIUS:
Want to supercharge your luck in 2009? Get yourself some vivid new superstitions. The more outrageous they are, the more likely it is they'll generate lots of crazy sweet karma. You might want to draw inspiration from pro football player John Henderson, for instance, who swears he can trick destiny into working in his favor if his trainer smacks him in the face before each game. Former hockey player Bruce Gardiner might also be a worthy role model. To rev up his good fortune, he always shoved his hockey stick into a toilet prior to skating out onto the ice. JUST KIDDING, Sagittarius! In fact, I hope you will make 2009 your least superstitious year ever. Let's drink a toast to lucid logic, impeccable objectivity, and cool, clean reason! Add some compassionate sarcasm and loving satire into the mix, and you will generate lots of crazy sweet karma.
CAPRICORN:
The most expensive bat mitzvah in history took place at New York's Rainbow Room in November 2005. David Brooks, a billionaire defense contractor, spent $10 million on his daughter's rite of passage. Among the stars he hired to perform at the bash were Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Nelly, and 50 Cent. Promise me, Capricorn, that if you get wealthy in the coming year, you won't blow your money on ridiculous "luxuries" like that. Here's a secret: The more high-minded you are in cultivating your dreams, the greater the likelihood is that you'll get richer quicker.
AQUARIUS:
Imagine you're driving down a very wide highway that's 50 lanes across even though there are no lines dividing one lane from another. Speed limit signs aren't posted, and some vehicles are zipping along in zigzag paths at over 100 mph while others crawl along like old-lady turtles. Now and then you've got to weave your way through a congested area where many on-ramps all feed into the road simultaneously. You haven't seen an off-ramp yet, and you're not sure where to get off anyway. I figure, Aquarius, that 2008 had some resemblance to the scenario I just described. Luckily, I predict that no later than your birthday, you will find an off-ramp and exit onto an uncluttered backroad with great scenery.
PISCES:
"How do you slay the dragon?" journalist Bill Moyers asked mythologist Joseph Campbell in an interview. By "dragon," he was referring to the dangerous beast that symbolizes the most unripe and uncontrollable part of each of our lives. In reply to Moyers, Campbell didn't suggest that you become a master warrior, nor did he recommend that you cultivate high levels of sleek, savage anger. "Follow your bliss," he said simply. Personally, I don't know if that's enough to slay the dragon -- I'm inclined to believe that you also have to take some defensive measures -- but it's definitely worth an extended experiment. Would you consider trying that in 2009?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)