Could AIDS have other causes besides a virus? Jun 30, 2009 12:37 pm Mood: Concerned, 1168 Views Is AIDS more common among miners who inhale toxic dust, and other people who work or live in toxic environments? Could AIDS sometimes be caused by miners' lung contamination, or other environmental or lifestyle hazards, such as drug abuse? Do some mine owners and some of their customers blame workers' supposed "promiscuity," to hide their own liability? If you would like references, please Google exlibhollywood, which will bring up the blog of Clark Baker, or see the website and YouTube clips of Gary Null, PhD, or Peter Duesberg, PhD. 4 Comments

Global Economic Recovery? Jun 27, 2009 11:03 am Mood: Pragmatically Optimistic, 1065 Views India and many parts of the world are emerging stabler than America economically. Unfortunately, the American economy affects most of the world. The recent American upswing is a speculation bubble floating on artificial bailouts and presidential noises toward superficial change (masking a lack of fundamental change). The current upswing has no solid foundation. It will not last. The bailouts and unnecessary wars have squandered our resources that we could have used for creating jobs and rebuilding our infrastructure, schools, training programs, hospitals, and social services, etc. So these foolish expenditures will result in a worse depression soon. The majority of the powers that be will try to get out of the depression by creating a war, instead of by rebuilding sound foundations for a real economy. They will demonize some country, likely Iran, as an excuse to attack. War is big business, profitable for a few, devastating for most. It allows some of the super rich to get richer, but makes most people poorer. Meanwhile, global warming is wreaking havoc on climates, water supplies, food supplies, storms, rising sea levels (that are swamping or salinizing coastal areas), and the general economy. Though we have the science to slow down global warming, and many people are working hard to do so, most governments and large corporations are only pretending to do much about it, but are in fact, for the most part, rapidly making it worse. Unfortunately, American foolishness and lack of ethics affect most of the world. America became prosperous (and powerful) because of productivity, relatively wise and sound planning, investment in infrastructure and public services, and at least some degree of generosity, fairness, and ethics (in some ways if not in others). But during the last 20 or 30 years, the American economy has shifted from production and savings and some degree of practicality, sustainability, fairness, and ethics to convenience services, mergers, restructuring, speculation, borrowing, consuming, making money with money (instead of with production), spending on credit, neglecting infrastructure and public services, and throwing sustainable planning and ethics out the window. Unless these fundamentals are corrected, there will be no substantial American recovery. So the rest of the world would have to rebuild its economy without robust participation of American markets or investments. That might be good for long-term stability, even if stressful in the near future. Fortunately, there are many individuals and groups all over the world, including in America, that are building a sustainable, ethical, genuinely productive and efficient economy (though the mainstream news media don't report it), while many elements within most governments and within many large corporations continue to squander and oppress. What are your thoughts and suggestions? (Link to BegumMagnolia's group: Intuition ~ Our Inner Voice.) (Link to my group: Arts & Artists.) 4 Comments

Do science & spirituality conflict? May 23, 2009 8:10 am Mood: Loving, 1276 Views Is science a set of tools, not absolute truths? Could the same be so of spirituality? Is there any essential conflict between science and spirituality? Do all apparent conflicts between them result from historical power struggles, or fear of one or the other, or rigid adherence to preconceptions, on both sides? Can science include the open-minded observation and study of spirit, and the loving and ethical values of spirit, and can spirituality include the discipline and practicality of science? At their best, can both science and spirituality be searches for truth, and application of truth to the betterment of our lives? Have both religion and science sometimes been misused by the greedy or defensive? Could we predict that science and spirituality will eventually merge into one search for all truth, sometimes misused by the greedy or defensive, and sometimes used by the benevolent for the good of all? Many scientific advances have followed the translations of Vedas into European languages. One example is the theory of evolution. A current example is Western medical interest in Ayurveda. What further scientific advances will follow when more Vedas are translated? And now India is a scientific leader, so translations may not be needed if the same individuals study both Vedas and science. Will spirituality also give heart and soul and conscience to science? Although psychology, sociology, astrology, and numerology include much accurate data, I don't agree with their usual premises or conclusions. In fact, their usual conclusions seem mere restatements of their premises. They usually seem to consider only data that is mechanistic, deterministic, reductionistic. I prefer Dianetics and Scientology. However, we learn as much from what we disagree with. It can help us clarify, correct, focus, and develop our own views, and their propagation. Everything contains some truth and some error to learn from. I like to study, question, and contribute to everything, whether I like it or agree with it or not. My own science and spirituality are partly eclectic and partly original and continually evolving. I respect and support loving, ethical, respectful, tolerant followers of all religions and spiritualities and most philosophies and sciences. I've nothing against Christian or Muslim or Hindu or any religious or nonreligious or political or economic or social or scientific or medical or artistic proselytizing, so long as it heeds Jesus' advice to offer the Gospel to all receptive, but if the aren't interested, to "shake the dust from our feet," and to "cast not our pearls before swine." What are your views? (c) 09 poetdancer (Link to BegumMagnolia's group: Intuition ~ Our Inner Voice.) (Link to my group: Arts & Artists.) 12 Comments

Is this fair? Apr 28, 2009 4:37 am Mood: Peaceable & Loving, 1379 Views when people say middle eastern to mean israeli-palestinian they imply that the rest of the middle east doesn't matter when people list sexism classism racism anti-semitism they imply that anti-semitism is more important than other racism even the term anti-semitism implies that non-jewish semites don't matter how can we say never again while it's happening right now in darfur and a dozen other places around the world how can we say never again while we delay confine restrict rob displace deny health care and supplies starve and murder palestinian civilians now and oppress yemenites and ethiopians i care about jews as much as about anyone else but not more i have as many jewish friends and value them as much as i do anyone else but not more but paranoids will call all my statements above anti-semitic paranoids will label me a one-dimensional anti-semite only and ignore everything i actually say or do jews who honestly want security befriend everyone even me and quit proselytizing eternal victimhood or innocence of themselves or of anyone we have all been victimized and we have all victimized any competition for the greatest victimhood makes oneself repulsive and demeans others and invites further victimhood creating peace is more pragmatic and more delicious than is fighting fighting warring warring stereotyping stereotyping please don't stew us all in your juice please adopt a two-pronged approach and cease and desist all provocation (which happens to belie hypocrisy) i've heard that the majority of israelis want friendship with palestinians and a two-state solution let peace fairness democracy and honest pragmatic security reign in your country and mine and everywhere (my country is no better than yours and in most ways no worse all countries are composed of diverse evolving individuals with diverse evolving strengths and weaknesses) (c) 09 poetdancer 6 Comments

Would you send this to your father? To your mother? Apr 25, 2009 12:56 pm Mood: Loving, 1332 Views Hi Dad / Mom. My favorite friends are not necessarily those who agree with me most, but those who most delight in expressing, and listening to, and collaboratively evolving new and varied ideas. I love two-way conversations with equal mutual respect, equal mutual consideration, and equal mutual authority, celebrating the unexpected, its not mattering whether we agree. I love to listen to another's whole statement, expecting it to evolve somewhere I've never heard or thought before, before I respond. I enjoy it when another listens to my whole statement, expecting it to evolve somewhere they have [natural usage for s/he has] never heard or thought before, before they respond. I like to pause after each statement, to allow another to respond or introduce another idea. I enjoy it when another pauses after each statement, to allow me to respond or introduce another idea. I enjoy it when we both listen to each other, as eager to hear every detail of each other's thoughts as we are to tell our own, as eager to hear as to be heard, as eager to allow each other to be heard and understood as to be allowed ourselves, without its mattering whether we agree. I prefer never predicting what another is going to say, but letting them speak for themself [natural coined word], and hearing them out, before responding. I enjoy another's never predicting what I'm going to say, but letting me speak for myself, and hearing me out, before responding. If I disagree with part of what another says, I like to think and state precisely which details I disagree with, rather than to generalize for rhetorical advantage. I enjoy it when another does the same. I prefer dialog to debate or argument, because I love to learn and evolve, and to invite others to, too. I also respect others' boundaries, and I prefer that they respect mine, if they or I don't want to hear something. Ironically, what we try to silence in each other are very often our own preconceived expectations, very different from what the other is actually trying to say. Wouldn't it be nice if we not only believed we wanted to know each other's thoughts and feelings, but actually behaved so, too? Your son / daughter, [Your name] [Hand-drawn big yellow smiley!] (c) 09 poetdancer (Link to BegumMagnolia's group: Intuition ~ Our Inner Voice.) (Link to my group: Arts & Artists.) 10 Comments

Commune with nature? Apr 16, 2009 7:18 am Mood: serene, 1299 Views Where do you go to commune with nature? Do you go with family and friends or alone? How do you feel there? Do you have any techniques or practices for communing with nature, or is it enough to just be there in it? Do you experience new insights, viewpoints, perceptions, realizations, answers, solutions, resolutions, feelings, freedoms, abilities, states of being, recharging of life energy, presences, communications, or anything else there, or is enjoyment or rest sufficient? (Link to BegumMagnolia's group: Intuition ~ Our Inner Voice.) (Link to my group: Arts & Artists.) 10 Comments

which plants are blooming in your area now? Apr 10, 2009 6:58 am Mood: appreciative, 1130 Views in the south and also along the west coast of my country it's full spring now but here in the northeast only a few plants are blooming yet lots of snowdrops and crocuses shot up first followed by opulent pieris danglings daffodils, forsythia, and hyacinths are taking their time budding and opening patches of vinca are blooming two azaleas have opened before the others two or three other lovelies are new to me or i don't know their names two kinds of attractive flowering weeds are blooming magnolia buds are expanding on their twigs but not yet opening a few shrubs still have leftover berries for the birds many birds sing before sunlight (Link to BegumMagnolia's group: Intuition ~ Our Inner Voice.) (Link to my group: Arts & Artists.) 4 Comments

where's obama's change? Apr 9, 2009 6:28 am Mood: inquisitive, 784 Views where's the change? i like obama's respectful inclusive attitude and many things he is doing but not his war or bailout if a patient is hemorrhaging and a physician gives the patient a transfusion without also staunching the hemorrhage any apparent recovery is likely to be temporary and lead mainly to exhaustion of transfusion supplies and suppliers to mix metaphors we've put wall street pirates and their washington payees in charge of reform separately i agree that healthcare and food safety need reform but the new laws before congress now and similar noises coming from the white house are designed to empower corporate monopolists and to disempower individuals and small businesses and alternative freedoms and are otherwise flawed and dangerous to health and to planetary sustainability and to cultures (Link to BegumMagnolia's group: Intuition ~ Our Inner Voice.) (Link to my group: Arts & Artists.) 3 Comments

Are Women Better Leaders? Dec 31, 2008 7:07 am Mood: Inquisitive, 1253 Views I have always believed that women and men should have equal access and opportunity to participate in all areas of life, based on individual aptitude, talent, ability, character, ethics, discipline, inclination, persistence, merit, etc., but I have never believed in quotas or artificially advancing anyone for "effort" or "fairness." Demonstrably, women, children, families, communities, economies, and environments are happier, healthier, and more sustainable when women participate along with (or at least parallel to) men in planning and decision-making in all aspects of life. So I believed throughout the twentieth century that the world would be a better place if more women were in positions of leadership. Today, when I look at Condoleezza Wright, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin, and look back at Madeleine Albright, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, and Benazir Bhutto, not at their rhetoric and promises, but at their actual voting records and other actions, I am faced with the reality that women, every bit as much as men, can be compromising, nearsighted, foolish, incompetent, selfish, deceitful, hawkish, or destructive, etc., in every way. There are also superb women, as Aung San Suu Kyi, Mother Teresa, Angela Merkel, Cynthia McKinney, Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Joan of Arc, just as there are excellent men, as Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Ralph Nader, Denis Kucinich, and Ron Paul. Both positively and negatively, it depends on the individual. It may be that any group, when in a minority or less powerful position, behaves more peaceably and reasonably, but doesn't necessarily continue to do so when empowered. For example, during the 50s, 60s, and 70s, American liberals worked toward equal freedoms and rights for all, but by the 80s and 90s, calcified orthodox Liberals were attempting to silence all other viewpoints and to impose their ways on all, which invited a conservative backlash. The histories of Christianity and many other groups have followed similar curves. So we need checks and balances. Of course, such terms as liberal and conservative have changed their meanings continually, but that's another discussion. (c) 08 pd (Link to BegumMagnolia's group: Intuition ~ Our Inner Voice.) (Link to my group: Arts & Artists.) 12 Comments

winter wind Dec 23, 2008 8:07 am 1134 Views winter wind at cranked-closed window resonates a slow scale (performer may hum-whistle a slow legato scale of three notes up and back down) (c) 08 pd (Link to BegumMagnolia's group: Intuition ~ Our Inner Voice.) (Link to my group: Arts & Artists.) 0 Comments

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