Afternoon Haiku.

honey dipped leaves flail

bleached refugees flee heavens
pixels dance inside

By James R. Ure

Mitchem (D) Contemplates Switch

According to The Parlor, State Sen. Hinton Mitchem (D - Union Grove) is thinking of going turncoat and switching to the GOP, or has at least discussed the idea with Marshall County GOP Chair Jean Brewer. From election as a Democrat to the post of Pro Tem, to swapping parties in a matter of months, Alabama's legislature at it's finest.

Why Passing The Public Option Won't Hurt Democrats In 2010

Regardless of what GOP strategist Todd Harris says, the passage of a 'public option' will not hurt Democrats in 2010. Why you ask? Because they are going to get blamed for it anyway. The negative thing about controlling the WH is that your party is going to catch flack from the "leader guy," especially in mid-term elections. I just feel like they are going to get tarred with this anyway, so why not show some backbone and do something?

Democrats In The Senate Kill Public Option

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Also on the 'health care debate', I always find Howard Dean enthralling:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Vietnamese Bat Nha Monastery Raid Update.

From Help Bat Nha Monastery: All the brothers and sisters have been shipped to a temple Chùa Phước Huệ (address: Đường Trần Phú, Bảo Lộc, Lâm Đồng, Việt Nam). Our Brothers Thay Phap Hoi, Phap Sy, and Phap Tu have been taken away to other areas unknown. For their safety, if anyone who is in Vietnam now or knows of anyone there, please gather at Phuoc Hue Temple to give them support and to show that we are united and have no fear. This invitation goes out to especially international practitioners who are there.

We can not be divided. When we are together, nothing can harm us. The temple Phuoc Hue is in Bao Loc on the National Road from HoChiMinh City leading to Dalat City (map). There is large statue of the Bodhisattva of Compassion on the side of the road. (photos of temple) Please be present there. Please help us get the word out through FaceBook, MySpace, or any other means at your disposal.

James: It is clear that the Vietnamese government is crushing the religious experiment in the Communist country instituted by long exiled Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. It is a dramatic turn-around of events since Nhat Hanh was allowed to return to his native Vietnam after nearly 4o years in exile. During his visit and another recent one in 2007 Nhat Hanh was welcomed by even the Communist authorities and lauded in the Communist state run media of all places. It was a sign by many that Vietnam was easing restrictions on religion.

"The Vietnamese government has won," said Sister Dang Nghiem, speaking by telephone Monday from a monastery in San Diego, California, where Nhat Hanh is visiting. "Their 'victory' is that Bat Nha is completely destroyed. Everything is smashed."

James: My heart aches deeply for not just the monastics and the loss of a foothold in Thich Nhat Hanh's home country for his tradition of Zen but I also grieve for the average people in Vietnam. It is always a great loss when the Dharma is crushed in this manner. That said, it is never fully lost as long as it lives in the hearts of those touched by it during the short time Nhat Hanh's tradition blessed the many seekers in that noble, proud country. I have confidence that the Dharma will return to Vietnam one day to flower into giving Vietnamese Buddhists a full, restoration of the Buddha's teachings. I say full restoration because while Buddhist monasteries are allowed to exist in Vietnam I have been told that they are severely limited in how purely they can practice the Dharma.

~Peace to all beings~

Maui Island Excursions

During the week in Maui we bought a few guided excursions. One was for snorkeling. Unfortunately due to high surf we were stuck snorkeling in sub prime areas and the tour pretty much turned into a wildlife cruise. Whales were breaching the water all over the place, massive schools of dolphins were swimming along with the boat, and we even saw a couple of sea turtles, something new for me.


You don't have to travel to the Amazon or Borneo to see something like this, we've already got it in the United States of America.

We took a helicopter tour to Molokai. I wanted to see the cliffs on that island, which are supposed to be the highest sea cliffs in the world. My experience with the small helicopter in Panama had me stoked for the "doors-off" tour offered by a company called AlexAir. This turned out to be a bad idea. The helicopter they put us on was a different, much larger model than the one pictured on the website for the doors off tour. The larger sized aircraft created huge amounts of turbulence in the cockpit that buffeted us all over the place. It was extremely difficult to hold yourself steady, i even had to hold my glasses onto my head so i could see properly.







Additionally, the tour was very rushed. The pilot seemed to be in a hurry, never slowing down, certainly never stopping, and turning around pretty quickly after we got to the cliffs. In general i felt like the whole operation was pretty shoddy and misleading every step of the way. I would advise against using AlexAir.

Molokai itself was a pretty neat island. It's to the west of Maui, long, narrow and far less populated. The cliffs on the west side of island are indeed enormous, and there's really no way to see them other than by the air or by boat. One surprise was that we got to see the second highest waterfall in Hawaii pouring down those cliffs.






The cliffs of Molokai are 3,000 feet high.


I didn't catch the name but this is the second highest waterfall in Hawaii.

Although the buffeting was pretty annoying and even uncomfortable, i was still having a good time with the scenery. I didn't notice though, that Maree was scared to death about what was going on. Apparently she was horrified every time the helicopter would tilt sharply on it's axis during a sharp turn.


I wanted to see where this canyon led and the creek in the bottom of it.

One of our last days on the island i just couldn't take it anymore and decided i needed to go investigate what the "real" Maui was like. There was a pretty cool trail system on the top of Haleakala. You can hike from the very top of the volcano, at 13,000 feet, down through the crater system, through the high steppe, and down all the way to the ocean. They have a few cabins you can stay in too. I didn't have the time or equipment to do that, but looking down into the summit crater made it look like an attractive idea. Instead i decided one afternoon to try and hike cross country down this canyon on the southwest side of the island.



We'd driven by it numerous times. There was an undeveloped neighborhood that got close to the bottom of the mountains. From a water tank on top of a hill you could look up this canyon, and it looked like on the other side of the canyon was an old stone wall. I assumed there must be a trail over there. First i tried walking down the canyon, crossing the bottom and then going up the other side. Turns out the grass down there was up to my shoulders and hiding all kinds of loose treacherous rocks and logs. So i went back up, drove down the hill to the main road and tried to find the highest point i could get to on the other side of the canyon. Continuing on foot i followed an old overgrown jeep trail until it petered out, then angled my way over to where i thought the wall and theoretical trail would be.


The views were getting very nice on top of the ridge. The canyon lies at the bottom of the opposite hillside and in the foreground you can see those annoying chaparral like thorny bushes.

I don't know about the jungle, but these grassy fields were much more difficult than meets the eye. The ground was still completely covered in loose rounded lava rocks of random size. The grass was prickly and bushy enough to obscure all those stones. But the worst thing out there were these scraggly bushes covered in long thorns. They had a way of reaching out and grabbing you from 3 feet away and made a great support beams for tons of occupied spider webs stretching out between them. I'm told these plants are not native, but another example of a plant introduced for some other purpose that ended up ruining paradise.


From here you could keep going right up the mountain. Not visible in this small picture is a waterfall pouring off the side of that mountain in the clouds.

I couldn't believe it, but i never found the stone wall. I think i misinterpreted part of the old exposed lava flow. Once i got over there i realized i was making terrible time. The canyon was long and my best chance for seeing something was to go straight up the side of a nearby ridge that would get me up out of the deeper grasses and away from all the annoying bushes. It took a bit of effort but was well worth it once on top. I realized right away i should have just gone up the ridge from the very beginning. The view was great and the ridge continued for a very long way, potentially offering a route halfway up the mountain to much higher ridge. Once up there things were pretty nice but the sun was setting, so i had to hurry back. After a three hour excursion without seeing anybody else at all i was in a very good mood when i got back to the car at the end of twilight. Finally some relax time! But man, my ankles were super itchy from all the burrs and seeds stuck in my socks. Fortunately there were nice beaches and ocean waves that could remedy that particular condition very quickly....

Work in Progress

I've been working on this for a week or so and think I'm finally getting there. It's the biggest painting I've done in a few years and certainly the most challenging. It is a larger version of the London Sunset I posted a month or so ago. I'll keep working on it until I get it where I'm happy but here it is so far.
24" X 30" oil

Urgent! Help! Bat Nha Monastery Emergency Happening in Vietnam.

Dear Friends,

Please pray for the monastic brothers and sisters at Bat Nha Monastery in Vietnam right now Sept.27,2009. They are being physically forced to vacate the monastery. Please intervene in anyway that you can!

LIVE REPORT:
WWW.PHUSAONLINE is giving updated information on the situation at BatNha.

9:45 a.m. (VN time, September 27, 09):
*We are on the telephone with Bat Nha Monastery. The situation at the monastery is quite urgent and life threatening to the monastics.
*At the start of this current crisis, attackers gathered at 9:30am then began to destroy properties to this moment.
*Police in civilian clothes have been present the whole time, but they do nothing to intervene. It seems that they are there to direct the attack, and the attackers have been hired to do so?
*The monks are doing sitting meditation on the 3rd floor of their building, sending energy to the people who are blinded by ignorance, praying to the Bodhisatva of Deep Listening to cool the fire of ignorance in their hearts with the nectar of her compassion.
*We are hearing very loud banging sounds over the phone line.
*They are throwing meditation cushions outside the building.
*There are about 150 people attacking and destroying properties up to the second floor of the monks’ residence.

10:30 a.m. (VN time, September 27, 09):
Our communication is having difficulties, but we know that right now:
*The attacking mob has told the Monastic community that they have to leave the monastery within 2 days.
*The monks have been forced to go outside of their dormitories; they stand outside, chanting in the corridor.
*Two monks are in their ceremonial robes doing sitting meditation in front of their room.
*All community and personal belongings of the monks have been thrown outside.

10:50 a.m. (VN time, September 27, 09):
*The police have dragged Brothers Phap Hoi and Phap Tu outside (2 elder monks of the monastic community); they are dragging the monks by force like they would to animals.
*One Buddhist lay woman is being chased by the police; she is running and crying, calling out “We are in danger, dear teacher!”

11:06 a.m. ((VN time, September 27, 09):
*It’s raining in Bat Nha. The monks have to sit under the cold rain.
*The police is calling for large trucks to come and transport the monks away.
*All roads to the monastery are monitored. Lay friends try to come to help, but they are turned around from afar.
*The number of policemen present has increased. They have occupied all the monastic rooms; gathered all the monks to the field outside.
*The police has forced the monks to carry their backpacks outside and wait for trucks to come transport them away. Don’t know where they will be going.
*It’s still calm in the nuns’ hamlets.

11:23 a.m. ((VN time, September 27, 09):
*A large construction truck is heading towards the monks’ building named, “the Beginner’s Mind.”
*The monks are sitting together in circles under the cold rain.
*The attacking mob continues to curse and yell without stopping.
*Bells, Sutra books, clothings, personal belongings… are in disordered piles under the rain.

12:02 pm (VN time, september 27, 09):
*The monks are still being forced to sit outside in the rain, nothing to cover them. It’s still raining and very cold.
*Traffic police (in uniform) are controlling all the roads leading to Bat Nha Monastery. Police in civilian clothes are also on the scene to observe.

12:20 p.m. (VN time, September 27, 09):
*they are breaking all the doors and trying to get all the sisters to outside of the building. It continues to rain here.
*Sisters lock themselves inside.
*The mob, led by the police, are moving towards the sisters’ hamlet “May Dau Nui” (Clouds on the Mountain).
*4 taxi are going towards the main gate; can’t tell who’s inside.

James: Please forward this information to any and all practitioners of Thay, fellow Buddhists, non-Buddhists and anyone who might be in a position to help. We need immediate assistance from the international community, international media, the United Nations, Amnesty International and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASA. I emailed ASEAN/ASA via the email for the Political and Security Directorate at: ps.dir@asean.org If you are apart of any of these groups or a non-governmental organization (NGO) please help in anyway that you can think of. I'm worried that a Burma-like purge of the monasteries associated with Thay in Vietnam is coming and the best way to prevent that is to shine the media light upon this emergency.

So as soon as I finish this I am going to fire off emails to as many organizations as possible. We also need to mail the media--CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and FOX news or whatever news agencies you know about in your country. The focused attention of the world is powerful and even if we can't stop these crimes from happening we need to be as loud of a witness as possible. Some of these monks and nuns are mere teen-agers but all of the monastics are innocent, peace-loving people who are devoted to bettering the lives of everyone. Yet they are being treated like criminals and animals for doing nothing more than practicing their non-confrontational religion.

The Communist government has been trying to remove the monks for two months now claiming tension between the abbot and the monastics. However, the monastics say there is no such tension. They say the Communist government is trying to evict them because they are associated with the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh who recently called for religious controls to end and the religious police be disbanned in that country. This at a time when the U.S. has decided to remove Vietnam from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) regarding religious freedom!! We need everyone to urge the U.S. to change that status and put more pressure on the repressive government. You can email the U.S. President at www.whitehous.gov. If you'd like to sign a petition on this emergency please click here.

My guess is that the government is concerned with their growing popularity inside Vietnam and thus see them as a threat to their strangle-hold on the people just like the sangha in Burma and Tibet. Please, spread the word so that we can bolster our brave monastics and take up their cause as they are further and further restricted from doing so themselves. As we meditate please take a moment to concentrate upon the freedom that allows you to practice the Dharma. This incident in Vietnam is a timely reminder that our freedoms, joys, sorrows and overall lives in this moment are but a candleflame in the wind that will snuff out just as easily as it ignited.

~Peace to all beings~

Employees Sue Lowder, Dye, Others

Employees of Colonial Bank have sued Bobby Lowder and others saying that they are liable for their lost retirement savings:

The lawsuits filed in federal court in Montgomery claim the ill-advised investments were wiped out when the value of the company's stock dropped from almost $25 a share in 2007 to less than 10 cents a share with the bank's federal takeover in August.

The eight lawsuits name as defendants Lowder and other members of the board of directors, including former Auburn football coach Pat Dye and dog track magnate Milton McGregor.

Mallett Ducks Mt. Cody

Fotos de Clelia Francesconi casi desnuda

... RBC Canal (m)Once - Episodio IV: el post perdido (parte 1 de 2)

Tras unas merecidas vacaciones, Crónicas de la Farándula Kitsch regresa al ruedo -con la pezuña recargada- trayéndole a su fiel lectoría pajera el tantas veces postergado especial dedicado a la modelo y conductora de televisión Clelia Francesconi Charpentier: ni más ni menos que el esperadísimo post titulado "Fotos de Clelia Francesconi casi desnuda", el mismo que debió haber visto la luz en abril del presente año pero que fue abortado a última hora por razones que resulta pertinente volver a detallar.
Muchos de ustedes conocen la historia. Luego que la gerencia de RBC - Canal 11, cual quinceañera ultrajada, se postrara servilmente ante el tribunal de ética del portal YouTube exigiendo, con lágrimas en los ojos, la censura de mi exitoso video titulado "Pelao Cabeza de Pinga - 10 Insultos en El Tribunal de la Tele" (ocasionando de esta manera, y para perjuicio nuestro, la inmediata eliminación del material en cuestión), resolví tomar la decisión de no volver a promocionar en este sagrado blog ni un solo programa más de tan despreciable y delincuencial señal (para mayor información, visitar el post YouTube elimina video de Pinganoza por queja de RBC Televisión y este otro sobre el historial criminalístico del hermanón). Hoy, después de varios meses de resistirme a su publicación, me veo en la obligación de hacer una excepción, cediendo finalmente a favor del post gracias a la noble gestión de los siempre exigentes lectores pajeros, quienes son, a fin de cuentas, los que llevan la voz cantante de este putañero blog.

En fin, basta ya de tanta paja mental y démosle pase a las artes...

- Ficha Técnica -

- Nombre: Clelia Francesconi Charpentier - Edad: 29 años - Estatura: 1.65 mts - Peso: 57 Kg. - Medidas: 86-62-94 - Nacionalidad: Peruana - Profesora de inglés e italiano - Lleva 6 años en el modelaje - Ex promotora de Lucky Strike y Heineken - Participó en numerosos desfiles de modas - Es imagen de importantes marcas peruanas - Fue locutora de radioinsomnio.com - Se inició como actriz en 1,000 oficios - Protagonizó la cinta Soledad.com - Debutó como conductora en Punto de Quiebre - Fue elegida Chica del Año por la revista Gente

A inicios del 2008, y tras una reestructuración que duró más de 7 años, "Punto de Quiebre" regresó a las pantallas de televisión presentando a la nóvel Clelia Francesconi, una modelo medianamente conocida que debutaba en la conducción televisiva con este clásico de los deportes de aventura. Luego de una exitosa temporada en "Punto de Quiebre", y a pedido expreso de Ricardo Belmont Casinelli, Clelia Francesconi fue promovida a la co-conducción de "El Angel del Deporte", el popular noticiario deportivo de RBC transmitido en horario estelar y conducido por Giancarlo Vacchelli. A partir de ese momento, Clelia se convertiría en uno de los rostros más conocidos de la televisión local, siendo elegida "Chica del Año" por la revista Gente y ocupando un honroso segundo lugar en el concurso "Las Malcriadas" organizado por Ajá.

Voy a dejar las cosas en claro de una buena vez. Si bien la modelo y conductora Clelia Francesconi es persona de mi agrado, el hecho de haber permanecido al servicio de un canal tan sucio e indecente como RBC dice mucho de su catadura moral y la descalifica de plano para un post concesivo y complaciente. Si acaso dicha televisora existe hoy en día, se debe única y exclusivamente al dinero aportado por cientos de humildes peruanos de a pie, jubilados en su mayoría, quienes depositaron su entera confianza (y ahorros de toda una vida) en las manos de un miserable ladrón conocido en el mundo del hampa, la política y la televisión como Ricardo Belmont Casinelli, una infeliz sanguijuela que no dudó en embaucar a estas pobres personas con el viejo truco del "accionariado difundido", un timo a gran escala por el que se embolsicó más de 3 millones de dólares libres de impuestos.

Para desgracia de todos los peruanos, este inútil comemierda llamado Ricardo Belmont Casinelli se ha visto convertido repentinamente, por esas inexplicables vueltas del destino, en congresista de la República, por lo que hablar de él ya es referirse a un criminal consumado, un hampón en todo el sentido de la palabra, un truhán que tiene por costumbre utilizar su malganada televisora para propalar su falso discurso moralista y alabar su inexistente labor congresal.

Nuestro sagrado deber, mientras nos mantengamos en pie de lucha, es cantarle sus cuatro verdades a esta sarta de imbéciles oportunistas, cómplices todos de uno de los más grandes ladrones que el Perú vio nacer durante el siglo pasado. Por esa simple razón, los amorales besaculos que lidera Ricardo Belmont Casinelli, a saber: el gordo Alfredo González, el pelao Angel Pinganoza, la colombiana Lucecita Ceballos, la calata Mónica Cabrejos, el padrecito Guillermo Oviedo y el tierno Bebé Sinclair, entre otros siniestros personajes, seguirán siendo los platos predilectos de este vulgar espacio masturbatorio.
Considero oportuno aclarar que no guardo la más mínima relación con las víctimas de este inmundo atraco masivo, y que la presente lucha es librada únicamente por un altruísta afán de justicia. Mi sincero deseo es ver que el pestilente canal RBCino se termine de ir al carajo de una buena vez, pero sobre todo, que el vengador anónimo vuelva a reencontrarse con Belmont para finiquitar el trabajo que dejó inconcluso en el '86.


Galería de Fotos de Clelia Francesconi

  
  
  
  
  
- clic en las fotos para ampliar -


Y digo que me agrada Clelia, además de evidentes razones, porque entró a RBC con la pierna bien en alto, dispuesta a bajarse de un tacle a las principales 'estrellas' del canal. El texto presentado a continuación es una fiel transcripción de un diálogo acontecido en vivo. Durante meses intenté conseguir una copia videográfica del hecho, e incluso hasta llamé a RBC para ver si me podían prestar el tape... pero todos los esfuerzos resultaron en vano. De todos modos dejo constancia que la conversación efectivamente existió. Si alguien por ahí tiene grabada esta hermosa joya, que me avise por favor. Sin más preámbulos, los dejo con Giancarlo Vachelli (mejor conocido como el 'Angelito del Deporte'), el periodista Elejalder Godos y la modelo Clelia Francesconi en el capítulo titulado: "Feliz Día, Angelito".

Programa en vivo: El Angel del Deporte
Fecha de transmisión: 16 de octubre del 2008
(footage perdido)

Elejalder: "Angelito, yo no sé que tanto espera el Chemo, la situación se ha vuelto insostenible. Hace rato que debería haber renunciado a la selección".
Angelito: "Totalmente de acuerdo contigo, Elejalder. Ya es hora que José Guillermo Del Solar dé un paso al costado por el bien del fútbol peruano... Pero bueno, no es momento de ponernos tristes con el tema de la selección, porque ahora viene una persona que nos va a alegrar la noche".
Elejalder: "Uy señor, cómo no".
(Angelito sonríe, se agita y mueve los bracitos como si quisiera volar)
Angelito: "¡Así es, maestro! Démosle todos la bienvenida a la única, a la incomparable, al sueño imposible de todos los peruanos, a mi amor prohibido, a la mujer más hermosa de la televisión... la be-llí-si-ma Cleeeelia Franceeeeescooooniii, vaaaamos Peerúuuuu, ¡¡aplaudan carajo!!, eeeeehhh". Angelito, con sonrisa tiesa, salta incontrolable sin despegar el culo de la silla, moviendo cabeza, brazos y cuerpo en medio de lo que parece ser un frenético ataque de epilepsia.
Clelia: "Gracias Angelito, muchas gracias. Estoy muy emocionada por tu recibimiento, tú siempre tan amable conmigo. Y quería felicitarte Angelito porque hoy es tu día".
Elejalder: "Pero Clelia, ¿qué cosas dices?, si el cumpleaños de Angelito fue hace 3 meses..."
Clelia: "Ya lo sé, Elejalder (Clelia mira hacia la cámara y sonríe). Estoy felicitando al Angelito porque hoy es el Día del Discapacitado. Así que muchas felicidades pues Angelito, que la pases bien en tu día".
Winnie Puh: "..." (detiene la música)
Angelito: "..." (cara de desconcierto, mira hacia la gente de producción)
Elejalder: "..." (baja la mirada, cierra los ojos, mueve lentamente la cabeza en señal de desaprobación)
(Silencio general en el estudio)
Angelito, resignado: "Gracias Clelia. Veamos ahora imágenes del entrenamiento de la selección en La Videna, adelante señor director".


El video de la semana
El que no se corre la paja con este video es ñoco*. Clelia Francesconi en hilo dental. No quedan más perversiones por decir.


Clelia Francesconi en hilo dental

[Continuará...]

_________________________________________________________________

"El Habla Culta", por Martha Hildebrandt
Sección A, página 5 - El Comercio

(*) Ñoco: Dícese del individuo que mantiene relaciones sexuales con personas de su mismo sexo. Ejm:



Próximo post: Rosario Pezuñasieta protagoniza "Pecorina", una telenovela que te robará el corazón.

Próximo post: Clelia Francesconi al desnudo - Episodio IV: el post perdido (parte 2). Además, mi opinión sobre el infame video "Quiero ser un blogstar" de PuréBlogs.


Posts Relacionados:
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Tennessee Coach Pearl Makes A Klan Joke About His Adopted State

Bentley Advocates Debt Default

GOP gubernatorial candidate Robert Bentley has come out in favor of Birmingham defaulting on it's sewer debt and seeking Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection***:

State Rep. Robert Bentley of Tuscaloosa said filing for bankruptcy is the most reasonable way to begin discussions to end the financial crisis in Jefferson County.

He said the crisis over the sewer debt must be resolved because Jefferson County, which includes Alabama's largest city, Birmingham, is the state's economic center.

I would be interested to see where some of the other candidates stand on encouraging the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of this country. I'm not saying whether Rep. Bentley is wrong or right, but an interesting question indeed.

***Footnote: On Rep. Bentley's side is Alabama investment mogul David Bronner who also advocates bankruptcy.***

The Irrelevancy Of Steve Flowers

When I pick up my local paper(s) and look for a good column about Alabama, What do I find? Steve Flowers, that's who. Now, I hate to knock Steve, afterall he does HAVE a column, but where is Bob Ingram when you need him? Take this week's for instance:

‘Big Jim’ went to people

Why this column is trash:

It offers nothing new to the conversation about Alabama politics. I am 25-yrs. old and I know how Jim Folsom campaigned. I mean, my parents were barely born, and I know that he went around on a truck with a broom and a band. I know that he was elected twice (1946 & 1954) and I could expound on what he ran on and what he did as Governor. We actually have competitive races for both parties nominations and I am reading a fairly bland and undetailed column about Jim Folsom Sr. I don't want Steve to lose his column, because then I would get practically nothing, but he is desperately in need of some competition.

Census Worker Hanged

I don't even know what this means, but is absolutely disgusts me:

Cancer, Meat and Vegetarianism. Also, We are Our Own Judges in Buddhism.

Interesting article on the association with meat based diets and cancer:

Although the initiated cells are not considered to be reversible, the cells growing through the promotion stage are usually considered to be reversible, a very exciting concept. This is the stage that especially responds to nutritional factors. For example, the nutrients from animal based foods, especially the protein, promote the development of the cancer whereas the nutrients from plant-based foods, especially the antioxidants, reverse the promotion stage. This is a very promising observation because cancer proceeds forward or backward as a function of the balance of promoting and anti-promoting factors found in the diet, thus consuming anti-promoting plant-based foods tend to keep the cancer from going forward, perhaps even reversing the promotion. consequences.

James: In Buddhism vegetarianism isn't a requirement partly because not everyone lives in an area where vegetables are abundant such as in Tibet. That said, many practitioners are indeed vegetarians especially in the west. I have found that the main reason for doing so is often out of compassion for animals. This is in part because Buddhism teaches that we are all interconnected and interdependent, which includes animals of course. This means that it is very possible that the cow we would eat might have been our mother in a past life. That realization was a big reason I finally made the switch to a vegetarian diet awhile back. I just couldn't look at a plate of meat ever again in the same way once I heard that.

The second reason I most commonly hear for a vegetarian diet is out of health concerns and this report backs that up even more. Just something to think about but no one should commit to something that they aren't ready to do or think is necessary especially out of guilt, which is a big reason I like Buddhism. There aren't many strict "rules" to live by in Buddhism and using guilt as a tactic to get people to do what you want is very much frowned upon from what I have studied. It's a very accepting religion for the most part. It accepts you where ever you are in life as it understands and teaches we are all in different places due to different karmic needs. The Dharma allows people to practice on various levels of commitment and experience, which I found refreshing when I really started looking into Buddhism.

There isn't much need for leaders to "punish" followers as Buddhism doesn't believe in a "God" or a Savior. There is no such thing as "sin" as understood in the Judeo-Christian sense. That is left up to our karma so that in essence we will be our own judges of how well (or how not so well) we lived our lives. It's like an accurate, non-feeling, non-biased computer giving us a read out of how well we accomplished a task. It is void of emotional judgments and simply renders data from the information that was input from outside experiments (Karma--or how we lived our lives. The cause and effect of our past actions whether they were helpful or not to both us and others).

Usually when an issue of reform needs to be addressed in Buddhism it is due to the practitioner seeking out an experienced teacher on their own for advise and advisement on over-coming a problem or obstacle. Outside monasteries it is nearly unheard of from my understanding of monks chastising people for their actions other than to give them general advice in a Dharma discourse on how to live a happy life free of less suffering. Usually this is delivered to many people and individuals in the audience decide if what was said was applicable to them or not and if so how they go about changing is up to them.

However, even in stricter monasteries disobeying rules is done in a very compassionate and open manner by the community of monks so that there is less chance of personal vindictiveness being apart of it. Some might find rebirth a tiresome notion of having to go around and around until they realize total oneness but I find it compassionate. It allows us to make mistakes and learn from them through long experience over incalculable lifetimes rather than saying you only have one life to "get it right."

~Peace to all beings~

Healthcare Future Twit Style

Our Moderator

@Moderator: Future Twits is proud to bring you the first ever online debate about national health care reform! We would like to thank our honored guests, all of whom took time out of their busy schedules to be present at this event.

@Moderator: Lets get started. Gentlemen, we have a crisis facing our nation. There are an estimated 60 million people living in the United States of America who currently have either no health insurance or inadequate health insurance. What can we as a nation do to help these people and end this crisis?

@BigBillO: I don't see that there is a “crisis” like everyone is claiming. I have health insurance, my friends have health insurance, everyone I associate with has health insurance – where is the problem here? Why can't these people just move to Canada, Mexico, or Russia or something.

@Moderator: Those countries because of . . . their health programs?

@BigBillO: No, mainly so that I'll have more spots to park my Bently when I go to the mall.

@Moderator: Bill, a bastion of compassion, as always. But, seriously, Bill # 2, you must have some ideas as well about how to fix this broken system.

@GodlessWonder: My answer is simple – just outlaw religion. Everything that is wrong with this world can be traced to religion. The energy crisis – religion. The AIDS epidemic – religion. World hunger – religion. The asteroid coming to hit our planet in 20 years – religion. My last boy friend breaking up with me – religion. It's all religion . . . religion . . . religion . . . religion . . .

@Moderator: Can someone hit his reset button?

@GodlessWonder: Religion . . . religion . . . relig--- ahhhh, lets go smoke a fat blunt!

@Moderator: That's . . . better, I guess. But, what about you, Rush? Surely, as the de facto voice of the Republican party, you must have some good ideas about how to fix health care.

@WideLoad: I think that we need to take America back to a much more simple time, away from the liberal agenda. The only people getting health care now are the terrorists and the welfare Octomoms. We need to take America back to the simpler times before greedy liberals taxed the poor, struggling drug companies to the edge of bankruptcy and forced them to stop making their delicious Vicodin, Lortab, Percocet, Demerol . . .

Um, I have to take a quick bathroom break – be right back!

@Moderator: I think we've lost Rush for the rest of the night, so we'll wrap up this debate by talking to Michael. So, what do we do to get ourselves out of this mess?

@Docudrama: Simple – we follow the example of our enlightened neighbors to the South, wonderful Cuba, and socialize the hell out of everything.

@Moderator: But, how shall I put this delicately, CUBA SUCKS ASS! Their country is horrible, and all of the Cubans want to leave and come here.

@Docudrama: Don't yell! Oh, great – you made Glenn cry now!

The Laughing Lama.

That video was brought to my attention by Budding Buddhist and it has become one of my favorites. I watch it often. Recently His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama visited Taiwan and this was my favorite moment of the event, which I read in this article.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the Dalai Lama asked that a small table in front of his seat be removed. However, as officials were in the process of removing it, it collapsed, to a complete silence in the audience. The Dalai Lama broke the silence with loud laughter, which triggered more laughter and applauses from the crowd.

James: I can't get enough of the DL's smiling, laughing and relaxing demeanor. Every time I see his warm, cheery face I can't help but smile too and the same goes when I see or hear him laugh. His laugh is infectious and sincere like the unstifled belly laughs you hear from kids. They (like he) are usually unencumbered with feelings of low self-esteem or a compulsive neurosis over their laugh and body language. That said, at the same time he's that big brother who has seen a lot and traveled many places both in our physical world and within the dungeons of the mind. The older brother who gives you the exact advice needed without being condescending, mean or grumpy.

In fact I can't think of a time when I've seen or heard of the Dalai Lama being grumpy--have any of you? He seems like the kind of person who can give you criticism with a smile and a laugh to where you thank-him for it. He truly is a great master and I really like that he goes against a common view of a Buddhist master as being stern, cold and always intensely serious. I'm not anywhere near the understanding of the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh but I'd say that laughter and enlightenment go hand in hand. It's certainly a great way to reduce stress and suffering and besides that; in the end (as Shinzen said recently)what's their to do but laugh at this silly world?

~Peace to all beings~

Kanye West: Superzero or Supervillian?

I be so bad


It has been a hard couple of weeks for Kanye West. After stealing the spotlight from Taylor Swift at an awards ceremony that few watched or cared about, West has been the subject of hatred and ridicule from no less than Mr. Obama himself. Future Twits looks into the future and reveals that things are about to get worse for West before they get better.

Future Twit for October 22, 2009


@KanyeEast It's been a hard couple of months since I stole the thunder of Taylor Swift at the MTV music awards. I have been shot, stabbed, hung by the neck until almost dead, burned, maimed, mocked, and called a jackass by the President of the United States (takes one to know one). Women scream when I approach, men vomit and
ask God to die, and little kids run up and kick me in the crotch.
I be pimpin'

I've changed my name to one that's much more incognito. I feel safer now.

@AngryWhiteWoman: Kanye, you are the devil incarnate! How dare you hurt that poor . . . what-her-face-country-singer-girl. You are what is wrong with America! People have died because of you!



Yeah, dat right

@KanyeEast: Oh no, they found me!

@AnnoyingLittleGirl: My doggy had a puppy, and that puppy died. When I asked mommy what happened to the puppy, she said that it died because it was sad because Kanye West was mean to Taylor Swift and made her cry. Mr. West, why did you kill my puppy?
In trainin'

@AngryWhiteMan: West, you are a sick man! If I weren't so fat from years of eating Burger King, I would kick your ass! As it stands, I'll have to try to cut you off in traffic instead.

@KanyeEast: Why do you people hate me? What did I do to you? Sure, I was a jerk at a contrived television award ceremony. But, so what? All it did was make that Swift girl famous (for a few weeks at least), made me relevant again, and made Obama shove his foot in his mouth (not the first time; not the last time).

Don't you people have better things to do with your lives than to hate celebrities you've never even met before (and aren't likely to meet either)?

@AngryWhiteWoman: You know, Mr. West, you're right. We should find better things to do with our time. Let's go attack that child molester, Michael Jackson!

@AngryWhiteMan: No wait! He's dead.

@AngryWhiteWoman: That's right. He's not a villian anymore – he's a hero! Lets go buy his albums and lots of useless memorabilia crap.

@AnnoyingLittleGirl: Mommy, mommy, can Michael Jackson touch me too?

@AngryWhiteWoman: No, but we'll go see if Keith Olbermann is home.


Give me sum suga!