Happy New Year!

Go Kings!

The Sacramento Kings nba basketball team won in the last second, literally, last night in their game against the Grizzlies, 100-98, with a halfcourt prayer shot at the buzzer by Tyreke Evans. Memphis and Sacramento are apparently the last place teams, but it was still an exciting game to watch.

I was going back and forth between the nailbiter and an interview on Larry King with the world's richest person (over Bill Gates and Warren Buffett), Mexico's Carlos Slim, who strikes me as a really good, stand-up person. So maybe the Simpson's caricature of capitalists as being loathsome Montgomery Burns types is unrepresentative. I think he has 53.5 billion or something, if I remember correctly. The only thing I can say that I don't like about him is that he has invested in tobacco, which kills someone every 6 seconds, the commercials say.

I just finished listening to all the lectures by Richard A. Walker in this last semester at Cal's Economic Geography of the Industrial World. Good stuff. Despite not seeing any of the visuals, I would still say I learned a fair amount.

I bought an Amtrak ticket to Berkeley, where Sara works, for Sunday, when we will celebrate Christmas with my family in San Francisco. A one-way fare costs 27 bucks from Roseville. I used to take Amtrak alot to the Bay Area from Davis when I was a student there. The Veil Between Heaven and Earth is now open for business! (before the students have returned from break). I read the Tao Te Ching the other day, which they sell there.

Part 5 (there are 81 small chapters) says (in part):

Between Heaven and Earth,
There seems to be a Bellows:
It is empty, and yet it is inexhaustible;
The more it works, the more comes out of it.
No amount of words can fathom it:
Better look for it within you.

Now you can also look for it on 1862 Euclid, in Berkeley, 94709

Merry X-mas

Christ in Greek begins with chi, whose symbol is X, so it's not irreligious...

Other Trivia off of Music Choice:
Mistletoe has been held sacred by the Norse and Celtic Druids
Christmas in Chinese is Sheng Dan Kuai Le
The traditional Christmas instrument in Italy is called a zampagnori, or bagpipes
In1995, the 30dollar tickle-me elmo sold up to 2500 dollars.
There are about 15k christmas tree growers in the US
Each rockette has only 78 seconds to change costume during the Radio City Christmas Spectacular
In the Phillipines, a star made of crepe paper is hung in the window.
JIngle bells was published by James Pierpont in 1857
30% of christmas time consumers use credit cards
On Christmas 1776, George Washington led troops across the Delaware
Americans spend close to 8b on christmas decorations annually.
Christmas tree lights were invented in 1882 by Edward Johnson, Thomas Edison's asst.
Candles were placed on trees before electric lights were invented
LED chrismas lights last 100,000 hours
Clement Moore's Twas the Night Before christmas popularized the idea of santa going from house to house, with reindeer and a sleigh
Thomas Nast, a cartoonist, was the first person to depict Santa as we know him today.
Eskimos like to eat akutaq during the holidays, a mix of fat with sugar and berries.
The Nightmare before christmas was the first stop motion animation film ever made
Peak production only yielded 70 seconds of film per week.
Little Christmas is celebrated in Ireland on January 6th
as is the feast of St. Nicholas Day
THe first ball lowering ceremony in times square took place in 1907
Silent Night was first performed at St. Nicholas church in Austria
Christmas ridge is underwater about 120 miles off of tampa bay
In 1977, Mattel's Slime was the most popular christmas toy gift., transformers in 94
In 1907, Oklahoma was the last state to declare christmas a holiday
THe first state to declare christmas a legal holiday was Alabama in 1836
Norwegian children leave porridge for Nisse,
Miracle on 34th st. was released in May to increase sales
Monopoly was the best selling gift of 1936. The monocled guy is named Rich Uncle Pennybags
In Holland, the gift -giver is Sinter Klas, who has an 8-footed horse
The typical Christmas sevice in India lasts 3 hours
Gaghant Baba comes on Christmas in Armenia (actually on Dec. 31st)
John Francis Wade penned Oh Come all ye Faithful
Christmas cards originated in England in the 1840's
For every christmas tree cut down, roughly 3 are planted
The world's largest christmas tree is 141 feet tall, in Idaho
Rumor has it that Silent Night was penned in 1816 because the church organ was broken
Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas in the 1600's
Matthew and Luke have th emost com[plete christmas story in thebible
WHite spruce is the most popular capitol christmas tree (of the 13 varieties used)
77 million xmas trees are planted annually
THere's a town called Santa Claus in Indiana where letter to Santa are delivered
Pokemon was the best selling gift of 1999
Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience was born on Christmas, 1945
Macy's first had Santa in their store in 1870
Kissing under the mistletoe dates from a 17th century english custom
A yule log takes the place of a christmas tree in Italy
yule comes from romans, celts, and saxons
Candy canes were bent to look like a shepherd's staff in the 1600's.
Grandfather Frost brings the presents in Russia
Myvaa Joulua means merry christmas in finnish
A figure of a goat called a juldukk in Sweden is placed under the tree to protect the presents
German christmas trees in the 1700'a were really just decorated branches hung from the ceiling
Hong Kong surrendered to Japan in WW2 on christmas 1941
How the Grinch stole christmas debuted on cbs in 1966
evergreen, ivy, holly, and mistletoe all symbolize everlasting life
In Guatemala, the gift-bringer is the christ child
The Rockefeller christmas tree uses over 5 miles of lights
THere's a town called Christmas, FL (where a decorated tree is kept year-round)
Mistletoe was known for centuries as the symbol of healing and divine love
Emperor Aurelian declared dec. 25 the celebration of the invincible sun
Matzo balls are held on christmas or xmas eve by the jewish
Glaedelig Jul in Danish means merry xmas
THe Ukrainian christmas eve supper consists of 12 courses (1 for each apostle)
3 million cabbage patch dolls were sold in 1983
In 2008, Elmo Live was the best selling gift
1990, teenage mutant ninja turtles
2001, Bratz dolls
1989, Nintendo game boy
2004, RoboSapien (it could breakdance and burp)
2006, Play Station 3
Unmarried women ate gingerbread 'husbads' in olden times to give them luck in the romance dep.
Tchaikovsky wrote the music for The Nutcracker
Oregon harvest the most christmas trees in the US
30-35 million christmas trees are felled in the us each year
Toy comes from the old english word for tool
Hotelosho brings gifts in Japan (he has eyes on the back of his head)
Bethlehem PA is also known as Christmas city
Calvin Coolidge in 1923 initiated the first public xmas tree lighting ceremony
Dickens' A Christmas Carol has been filmed over 200 times
THe war of 1812 ended xmas eve 1814
The first us postal christmas stamp was issued in 1962
Mikulas brings presents in Hungary (st. nick)
Pere Noel or Le Petit Jesus brings gifts in France
1651-81 Boston outlawed christmas celebrations on the fear people wouldn't be pious enough
Reindeer are in Lapland, Finland (but not in the North Pole)
29B was spent in america in online holiday shopping in '09
Christmas day, 800a.d., Charlemagne was crowned emperor
santa was depicted as a bishop, gnome, or dwarf before Thomas Nast
Scandinavian mythology brought us kissing under mistletoe
In France, mistletoe kissing happens on new year, not xmas
Samichlaus is santa in Zurich, switzerland
Barbie and Ken were named after the kids of Mattel's founder
39-18-33 is Barbie's measurements
1930, Mickey and Minnie handkerchiefs were a top-seller
Jim Carrey played Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber
Jim Carrey was first picked to play the elf in Elf, before
Christindl brings gifts in Germany (the christ child)
Children receive gifts on Epiphany, too, in Puerto Rico
Children receive gifts twice in Poland during the xmas season
Yule is winter solstice, the darkest night of the year
In 1822, Clement C. Moore's gift to his children was the poem A Night Before xmas
Sinterklaas comes by steamboat in the Netherlands
Germans hang mushroom ornaments
Holly berries are actually poisonous
Handel wrote the Messiah in 24 days
Norman Rockwell painted The Day After xmas (santa napping) in 1922
Candy canes weren't striped until the 20th century
1992, Barney the purple dinosaur (top gift)

Find the Meaning

Here's a cool site

http://findthemeaning.org/

(from my friend Dan Paul on facebook)

Jesus Christ-athon

coming up on KALX, Berkeley student freeform radio

Christmas Eve, Friday Dec. 24, from 9am to Noon -music of all genres about Jesus
It's on 90.7fm in the Bay Area, or you can hear it on your computer through http://kalx.berkeley.edu/

Kitty Purry

That's the name of Katy Perry's cat, lol

While I was cuddled up in bed today, I thought of all the bad words I could think of:

wrong, bad, immoral, unethical,
wicked, evil, sinful, turpitude
pain, agony, suffering, torment, misery, anguish,
anxiety, stress, frustration, disappointment
dissatisfaction, discomfort, disquiet, dis-ease, discontent
affliction, sickness, illness, disease, mental illness
criminal, unlawful, illegal, injustice, unfair
improper, error, incorrect, gaffe, mistake, embarrassment
infraction, misdemeanor, felony,
punishment, 3 strikes, life imprisonment, deathrow
terrorism, torture, assault, rape, murder, violence, war
poor, impoverished, needy, undeveloped, backward, squalid
incorrect, untrue, false, lies
inconsiderate, cold, uncaring, mean, unkind
cruel, vicious, savage
unhappy, depressed, sad, sorrow,
mourning , weeping, crying, wailing,
anger, hatred, rage, wrath, fury, ire, apoplexy, madness
unsatisfactoriness, unpleasant, uncomfortable, horrible, hellish
hungry, starvation, craving, delerium tremens, withdrawal,
shit, excrement, vomit, puke, stench
senescence, aging, dying
boring, tiresome, taxing, dull, draining, dead
unhealthy, unwell, sickly, weak,
disgusting, ugly, gross, revolting
dangerous, unsafe, jarring, frightening, horror
zombie, vampires, demons,
satan, devil, lucifer, mephistopeheles, beelzebub
stupid, ignorant, dumb, foolish
tyrannical, despotic, corrupt,
selfish, self-absorbed, spoiled
spite, malice
rotten

onion article, link

-----
okay, switch gears with me-
it's all good:
good, right, correct, true, clean, pure, happy, alive, alive!, pleasant, kind, friendly, funny, loving, joyful, fun, flirtatious, frivolity, frolic, great, terrific, wonderful, beneficent, compassionate, justice, peace, fairness, tranquility, calm, amazing, exciting... healthy, well, thriving, fit, strong, warm, comfortable, satisfied, blissful, ecstasy, entertaining, delightful, delectable, delicious, orgasmic, beautiful, safe, full, content, thankful, understanding, wise, smart, intelligent, knowledgeable, enlightened, awake, aware, victorious, champion, wealthy, thrill, wit, perspective, talent, impressive, appreciative, affection, intimacy, hugs, kisses, tasty, yummy, food, friends, family, friendship, pets, juggling, merriment, mercy, magic, lovely, miraculous...
honor, integrity, value, virtue,
trustworthy, loyal, helpful, courteous, cheerful, thrifty, brave, reverent

sushi, thai, indian, chinese, mexican, ethiopian,
pizza, donuts, fast food, sweets, eggnog...
movies, music, money, dance, romance, travel, kites, play, sports, basketball, dunks, poetry, books, concerts, computers, tv, radio, languages... Nature. hiking, swimming, boating, diving, surfing, skiing, waterskiing, camping, photography, arts and crafts, animation, blogs.

Um, does Buddhism seriously want me drop these aversions/cravings/attachments/thoughts?
Some Buddhist humor:
What's different about a buddhist vacuum cleaner? It has no attachments
What did the buddhist monk say to the hot dog vendor? Make me one with everything.

I thought I was somewhat comprehensive, and then I peeked at my thesaurus...I've only scratched the surface. oh, well.

Ay, Dios!

Dios, 4961
2, Jesus

ay, dios
8, 49 o.s.
God, Jesse Teshara operating system
operating 675912957=6
system=171254=2

operating system =god

I'm immersing myself these days in my spanish-english dictionary and my world atlas (I discovered 'Batman' is a city in Turkey!)

numerology=5345963677=1
ay dios=numerology=1. The bible says God is 1.
one=655=7. uno=5. jesuschrist=7. christ=5.
loco de remate!

1a, j, s
2b, k, t
3c, l, u
4d, m, v
5e, n, w
6f, o, x
7g, p, y
8h, q, z
9i, r

I'm so goofy!

Each Other

If you love someone, and he/she ("they") loves you in return, then:

it is commonly said, they love each other.

This is intended to signify that each one loves the other one, BUT
you can take it literally to mean,
each one loves each other, which means EVERYBODY

Maybe all in all is all we really are.
And love of one is truly love of all.

If you take this to be a virtue, then maybe you should marry the person you detest the most.
Or, you can just love spiders or something.

Let it Grow

Listen to the thunder shout, "I AM" -Grateful Dead
I talk to the wind, the wind cannot hear -King Crimson
Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire -Jerry Lee Lewis

This (last) song is derived from a southern expression, which some Christians consider blasphemous, which refers to the moment the Holy Spirit manifested itself "as cloven tongues as of fire" and the Apostles spoke in tongues.

thunder, wind, and lightning is all very Godly (the face of God moved over the deep)
it feels better when you're bundled up inside, next to a fireplace or something.
I've been getting letters from Unicef, because I'm on their mailing list for giving some money once, and they say:

-this will be a bitterly cold winter for children in Afghanistan, where there is a resurgence of violence. THey need warm woolen blankets for bitter winter snows ($3 each).
-the 2010 Holiday Shopping List includes: polio immunizations, Oral Rehydration Salts to save the lives of children sturck by severe diarrheal dehydration, vaccinations against measles, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, whooping cough, and tuberculosis; water purification tablets, basic family water kits; micronutrient powder, high-protein biscuits especially designed for malnourished children, therapeutic milk; blankets, waterproof tarpaulins for emergency shelter, and sturdy tents for emergency shelters for families.

I've also heard
Gdradio.net also has an appeal by Michelle Obama to support the American red cross to assist with the effort in Haiti.

helping can be tax-deductible, of course.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's the link to the Yale opencourseware class entitled:
the psychology, biology, and politics of food

http://oyc.yale.edu/psychology/the-psychology-biology-and-politics-of-food

Empty

The Smashing Pumpkins say: "God is Empty, just like me"

To use an analogy from another band (the Grateful Dead), I'm a "box of rain"
I've got blood and guts and gristle and bone in there, along with a few items of idealogical content, such as

M.T. =empty or Margaret Teshara
During meditation, you can seek to be empty, just like Billy Corrigan
I'm a little teapot, short and stout, here is my handle here is my spout when you tip me over, tea comes out. something something something...

The vampires have bled us dry
The mosquitoes have sucked us empty
the leaches
Replenish and refuel and refill
the cup
the glass
runneth over
with more leftover to give to others

ah, bloody hell
bloody likely
carnivorous thirst
eat my body and drink my blood, this is the cup of the new and everlasting covenant...
said heyzeus, the L or D (life or death), christ (annointed with oil)
I'm sorry but transubstantiation is a joke
anyone with half a brain knows
a brain half-full, and half empty
a meathead, if you ceso

Indict Bush Now

1)George w. Bush is responsible for the deaths of more than a million people in Iraq
(and many more injuries)

and
2)for five million Iraqis who were driven from their homes and made into refugees
and
3)for the 45oo plus U.S. soldiers who lost their lives
and
4)for the tens of thousands more who became injured.
and
5)He lied to congress and the people.
6)He ordered warrantless wiretaps and spying on the american people
7)Defying the Geneva Conventions, he set up secret torture centers and prisons around the world.
8)He bankrupted the country by spending over a trillion dollars on the Iraq war.

that's the case, according to an email I got from indictbushnow.org, although I heard Dubya on TV, seeming kindly and good-natured, describing how he thinks the world is better off without Saddam in power, which is probably true. Who can say, really. I think the world is better off without Bush in power, I'll tell you that, though.

Nuclear Adoption

I AM...adopted
and it's all good

Speaking of Nuclear (from nuclear family), why can't Barack and Medvedev/Putin agree to eliminate each countries' nuclear stockpiles, instead of just reducing them and agreeing to inspections. It's just silly and stupid. We both have no intention of using them, so wtf??

Come on, fellas. Wake up.

Being and Nothingness

God on existentialism

I've read Sartre's Nausea and L'estranger (the stranger) by Albert Camus.

Time is eternal, going both forward and back, which makes us even less than blip in the history of the universe. I believe there was an eternity of time before the big bang, and there will be an eternity of time after all of us are dead. How can anything have meaning in a context like this?

And space... We are the smallest of small in an incomprehensible vast. The known universe is just speck in an even greater Vast.

We are just animals, the product of evolution, who arose from matter, and remain just matter, if you dare to see it that way. We have thumbs and brains and vocal chords that permit us a great culture, and we have books that create worlds for us, including religious works that tell us we are more special and unique than we really are. I believe we each have the same claim on life as an ant, or even a spider, however repulsive we may find them.

This could be interpreted as a free ticket to act any way you like...you only live once, and people are just like bugs, which we squash without compunction. I actually can't refute this. Only that love is purported to be omnipotent, and there's this concept of hell lurking out there as a potential eternally painful punishment. There are these pesky things called neurons, protecting our fragile bodies, that unfortunately give us pain upon injury. But no God would be that evil, of course. Neurons die at death, too. We just have to do unto others as we would have them do to us, unless other people would prefer it otherwise.
(that's my addendum to the golden rule)

Absurdity is in the bible. All is vanity (translated as frustration, futility, nonsense, or absurdity). Being good is supposed to be it's own reward. Why be good for heaven? You don't have a soul to go there, and your body will decay to dust, so it's just fodder for your imagination that I wouldn't give very much weight to, besides having something to wonder about and look forward to upon one's death.

Did you know that we are mostly empty space? 99.999999999999 % of us empty. that's point with twelve nines. We barely exist. So oblivion isn't really much difference from the current state of affairs. But that's not how we experience ourselves.

"Go out to love and serve the lord", as the priests say at the end of Catholic mass.
or
"You know what your problem is? You need to get more fun out of life", as Hannibal Lecter said in Silence of the Lambs.

I would point out that these are not incompatible. Go out to love and serve Hannibal Lector. (don't worry, he doesn't exist either)

:-)

My Boys

Marcel and Oliver, our French bulldogs

Ahimsa

It's a policy of non-violence to sentient beings

I heard in high school that plants can react to music. I'll have to research this. Are plants sentient? If so, then maybe I can still eat meat, which I really like. I mean, if whatever I eat is sentient, anyway, then it doesn't matter. Maybe eating is inherently bad on some level. Well, my body will be eaten, too (after I die). What goes around, comes around. Hate is like H ate. H is the eighth letter. God sums to 8 (764). So God ate. ate sums to 8, too (125). Why is the world so damned weird? There's obviously a lot going on under the surface of things, like words. To hate god, we eat him (in an act of reverence, perhaps, called communion, which also evokes cum union, or sex). Ah, nuts.

I guess I should stop killing bugs, too -like the Jains.
Maybe all matter itself is sentient. So do what thou wilt.
I don't think so, though. That would be too much pain.

Philosophy of Religion

I just read a lot of it (the link I provide on the right), and here's what I think:

let it be said that I am agnostic on both my own Godhood and the Godhood of any other, external, being or Being.

Agnostic (a, not. gnostic, knowing) means 3 things
1) that evidence both for or against the existence of God doesn't wash, or
2) the evidence can't be found/known,
3)or is equal -that is, balances- the evidence of Atheism with Theism.

I subscribe to #3. Arguments for both are equally convincing.

But I believe love exists.
I believe anyone can play the role
I believe in goodness (and the good book says only God is good)
I heard a physicist on TV say that it is possible to create a universe.

but there's a lot of other stuff that gets attributed to God, that I think is ridiculous: namely, the Omni's: omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence (in time/space), and omni-benevelence.
That seems to be basic to most people's conception; i.e. infinite power, knowledge, and love. I just picture God as being human with the maximum amount of power and influence to lead and change the world. The power to kill is omnipotence, and I'm not about that at all. We need to say God is omnipotent to intimidate the haters. We need to believe in infinite love to overcome adversity.

God is different things to different people. The definition may not even be clear to the people who believe in Him. The logic, I'm saying, can be fuzzy.

But I don't know. Maybe. Maybe anyone's conception is true. I don't know. Why not.

There's virtual reality and objective reality. An operative concept in your head is true for you, but may not be objectively there, in reality. In other words, it can be a delusion.

I agree with Freud that religion can be a response to feelings of helplessness and guilt. We need security and forgiveness. In the face of uncertainty, we resort to imploring a higher power for safety. And we fear death, so the prospect of heaven is a powerful pull. And it's a meme that has staying power, because people survive better in communities that help each other out.

I'm God because I want to instill a morality that will help a world mired in anger, hate, violence, war, disrespect for life, poverty, disease, and sadness. I want to be good. I want to make a difference. That about sums it up.

I'm pro-life, but I don't like it's affiliation with either the Republican party, or religions and religious belief. I'm a democrat, and prefer the secular point of view. But everyone needs love in their lives. That's religion. And 'Be Good' and 'Be nice to others' and 'love one another' and 'kindness is my religion.'

I have a presumption of atheism. I'm agnostic because you can never really know. And I'm a theist because I can embody God myself; i.e. step up and play the role. Be kind, compassionate, and loving. And I'm not alone. I think everybody claims their own authority for their moralities and preferences. People are their own Gods and they don't even know it.

I agree that it is more economical to postulate the existence of any number of finite beings than to postulate the existence of one infinite One. That sentence is taken straight out of the Improbability of God section. This is what I see- lots of individuals, with their own experiences and opinions. Richard Swinburne says that an infinite being is the most probable kind of being. I think this is laughably ludicrous. Does he have ANY idea what infinite means?? Remember what I called the 'jest'. Infinite space goes on FOREVER. It 's not clear what he could possibly signify by an 'infinite being'. I just say, yeah, whatever.

I've been atheist because of the problem of evil, in the past. But I can see the alternative; namely, that God gives us free will to choose evil, so that we can learn from our mistakes and become closer to God; i.e. become more loving. Slaves or automatons to a universal theistic morality wouldn't be much fun at all. (Being bad can be fun, too. Bad can be good, in a way, or sometimes.) We have long lives ahead of us and we need to keep things interesting. Actually, we have free will whether God gives it to us or not, but that's just a fun way of stating it. Fate exists, in that we all are destined to die. So live life how you want, you only live once.

Religion is fun. Clapping hands, dreaming up sermons, keeping the dark side in check. Let there be light!

Happiness Tip

Minimize the wandering of your mind

article link

:-)

Good Stuff

It's 'Adoption Month' !

Other good stuff is:

-the Fetzer institute, http://www.fetzer.org/

http://www.values.com/

-cnn's annual 'heroes'

I liked today's news of Barack and Michelle dancing with some Indian schoolchildren, too.

The Jewish Bible and Buddhist psychology

I just finished the Yale open-courseware class (which I have a link to on the right) on the Old Testament, taught by Christine Hayes.

I'm current, also, with the Psychology 107 (Buddhist psych) at Berkeley being taught this very semester by Eleanor H. Rosch (which you can link to through the 'cal' link on the right).

PLUS, I'm reading Middlemarch, by George Elliot, hailed by one reviewer on the cover as possibly the best book in the english language.

some info from the Buddhism lectures:
-there's a Buddhist bookstore in Berkeley on Channing and Fulton
-the hyper-sensitive (in terms of empathy) frequently withdraw, according to research by Nancy Eisenberg
plus,
-caregivers experience burnout, and
-psychologically, there's what is known as 'compassion fatigue'

There's the biblical maxim 'faith without works is dead'
(so maybe I'm not setting the best example)
It seems I, and many others, need the right kind of motivation to start, and continue, making the world a better place.

A book I read fairly recently was What is the What? about Sudan.
horrifying, edifying, and well-written.

There's a temptation for God to become an assassin of evil men, for surely
reality requires the stick as well as the carrot
to encourage moral behavior.

The rewards of compassion and kindness are the only legal way, of course.

Happy Samhain

oh, and Halloween and All Saints Day and Day of the Dead


I'm not turning the porch light on because I ate all our candy.
Sorry, kids.

God is a man of war

One of the stated missions/purposes of our military is to prevent war, I've recently learned

And that's why God is all about peace.
Pop! (prince of peace)
I have been fairly hard on the military, saying I hate them, so all apologies

But seriously, can't we just -as a planet- agree to cease having militaries?
Why not disarm everybody?
Is this really so foreign to human nature?
Can't we all just get along?

maybe not, but I still think we should just treat all violence as crime, to be dealt with by a world police force. And all violence should be in the form of boxing/martial arts/wrestling (BMW), without weapons and with an agreed upon set of rules.

Actually, upon second thought, that would put a lot of people at a disadvantage to the martial artists. Guns are the great equalizer. I want to say everyone should own a gun, but that doesn't seem right, either. I guess the laws we have make the best of the situation; I dunno.
peace, out -J

Heroin and God

Godsmack

GOD was an Australian band, and Love was a 60's/early 70's American band

Both bands suffered from heroin addictions amongst their members.
I don't know about Godsmack, though

"It's my wife, and it's my life" -Lou Reed (Velvet Underground)

hero win! (beat the addiction)
Stay at the Hair Row Inne. Okay, now I'm just being stupid.

Alice in Chains has a song called 'God Smack' on their album, Dirt

Congratulations, Newlyweds!

Pat Brown and Ron Hall, today (9/25) at 4:00 p.m.

Here's a little something I thought of:

Ron is the brightest star in Pat's sky
As to Ron, oh my
Astronomy

I suppose Emily Dickinson is better.
Go to http://www.bartleby.com/, select Dickinson, then Part Three (Love), then poem 16
(I tried to cut and paste, but was unable)

May your lives be harmonious together, full of joy, happiness, and pleasantry!
(Pat is my mother-in-law)

Pat & Ron belong together:
Patron (of a library, or of the arts)
and Patron (alcohol)

Tell Me All Your Thoughts On God

cause I'd really like to meet her
cause I'm on my way to see her

-Dishwalla

She hates doing dishes, as a matter of fact.

'cause I wanna be someone who believes
-Counting Crows (Mr. Jones)
J 1 s

Teshara (as earth, the Sara, has tear)

On "Veil"

Some research and links regarding Veils

I do this to put the name of the store where Sara works (The Veil Between Heaven and Earth) in religious and cultural context. The store is opening soon in Berkeley, Ca.
I hope I get this right.

Veil anagrams to Live, but also to
Vile or Evil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil
(interesting side note: paroheth anagrams to 'hero path')

Islamic veils graphic: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/europe_muslim_veils/html/1.stm

The 7 bible passages that came up from biblelookup.com are:
Mat 27:51, Mar 15:38, Luk 23:45 ("The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst")

(A literal "rip" when Jesus rested in peace. Interesting..)

and Heb 6:18-19
"On the one hand, a former commandment is annulled because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law brought nothing to perfection; on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God." (New American Bible)

which was earlier translated as:
"hope, which is the anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil."

Veil is also used in Hebrews 9:3 (my birthday), and Hebrews 10:20 (my first initials).
9:3
And after the 2nd veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
10:20
By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.

There you have it: veil means "flesh."

As to "Heavens and Earth", I submit to you: heavens is plural, meaning all the pleasant places in the universe where beings are happy. The earth can be one of those heavens. It can be a heaven. With basic needs met, and peace, security, health, comfort, love.. (or maybe I should say a buddhist attitude of no attachments, cravings, or aversions) presto, change-o: shambala.

peace, out.
here's a weird link: http://www.pbministries.org/ , enter 'Exodus 43' in the search box.

AND, for your amusement...
an anagram for 'The Veil Between Heaven and Earth" is:
Invented Whenever Hateable Hate

God is a Feeling

God is love, and love is...

1.a profoundly tender, affectionate feeling for another person
(some definitions use the word 'intense' feeling of affection)
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend
3.sexual passion or desire
4.a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person, sweetheart

There are 14 total definitions at dictionary.com, but I think these 4 more should suffice:

9. affectionate concern for the well being of others; the love of one's neighbor
10. strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything; a love of reading books
11.the object or thing so liked; the theater was her great love
12.the benevolent affection of god for his creatures; or the reverent affection due from them to god.

play "gut feeling" by Devo on http://www.grooveshark.com/ for my personal soundtrack.
I'm not sure about the lyrics- but I like the energy.
I couldn't find the Beatles' "I've got a feeling" there, unfortunately.

What I am doing

I've been listening to music, reading, and celebrating

http://www.gdradio.net/ has streaming grateful dead music, which I like

I have a plan to read all 1001 recommended books from 'Books You Must Read Before You Die' in 3 years, so my online output is probably going to be minimal.

I just turned 39 on 9/3. Happy Birthday to me!

I am excited about a new age bookstore opening in Berkeley just off campus, on Euclid: The Veil between Heaven and Earth, where my wife will be working, as well as psychics. Sara has dabbled in runes, astrology, aromatherapy, tarot, buddhism, etc. and was told she is psychic around water.. She's an Aquarius. Her mom has a singing bowl and pendulum, and is getting remarried soon.

TV b/w H&E, lol

tangent
I'm not the biggest fan of TV, as you may know already, but I do like how it brings music, though, now, via cable/satellite. In Lake County, there was a tv Grateful Dead station, but not now in Roseville.

Anyway, The Veil sounds like something that I remember was 'rent', from some bible quote. I don't exactly remember it or the circumstances, though. Maybe I'm completely off, lol.

I've been looking at the catalog for Inner Traditions, a source of spirituality books, and it's got some weird stuff in it, like:
-Shambhala is the realization of the long-awaited paradise on earth..

-Reality is All the God There Is, by Avatar Adi Da Samraj

-Hara, the Vital Center of Man; (according to zen masters, by adopting a belly-centered posture and correct breathing, one can culivate inner tranquility and balance: the state called Hara..)

-Shiva, God of All Gods, worshipped for his ability to balance masculine and feminine energies, dances the joy of being and the dance of doom, always breaking through the false ego to reveal the true self within.

-one can obtain immortality through the 3 treasures of Taoism, ching (sexual and physical energy), qi (breath and vital energy), and shen (spirit and mental energy)

-The Naga Baba are an ancient and wild order of naked sadhus who are called the "hell's angels of Indian spirituality"

-"Master Li Ching-yun is reliably chronicled to have lived more than 250 years.."

Different books say there are 5 elements, 8 psychic channels, 9 emotions, 6 healing sounds, and 3 simple paths in the tao of no stress.

Here's a TOTO love quote: Hold the line. Love isn't always on time!

Hubris

What gumption, right?

Seriously, folks- we're all God
'hubris' definition: wanton insolence or arrogance resulting from excessive pride or from passion.

I've got passion, but I'm not insolent or arrogant, no?

Definition of a Vampire

I wrote this, back when I was into vampires

Vampire
blood-sucking foul demon of the night, fanged fiend of the dominion of darkness, satan's minion, lord lucifer's lapdog, the devil's depraved demon of death and darkness, creature of the night, beelzebub's beastly brethren, monster of madness, evil enemy of everyone, hateful hound of hell, ruthless unstoppable merciless killing machine, immortal judge of the unworthy, vicious vanquisher of vapid victims, on the prowl for a gal pal, death incarnate, savage satanic slaughterer of souls, rotten revenant of wrath, crafty cruel craven killer.

kind of funny, I think

Good Books with God in the title

From 2 books of 'best reads'

I read '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die'. Here's the (16) ones from that list that have God in the title:

-Arrow of God, by Chinua Achebe
-On Love, Alain de Botton
-A World of Love, Elizabeth Bowen
-The Lover, Marguerite Duras
-City of God, E.L. Doctorow
-Loving, Henry Green
-Love in Excess, Eliza Haywood
-Women in Love, D.H. Lawrence
-The Apes of God, Wyndham Lewis
-Love in the time of cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
-Enduring Love, Ian McEwan
-Love in a Cold Climate, Nancy Mitford
-The Pursuit of Love, Nancy Mitford
-Love's Work, Gillian Rose
-The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
-God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Kurt Vonnegut, jr.
Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace

I have a list of other recommended books from a source whose title I didn't keep...
Anyway, here are the (35 more) book titles:

-Altered Loves
-Are you there God, it's me Margaret
-The Art Lover
-Beloved
-Brotherly Love
-Child of God
-Dale Loves Sophie to Death
-Geek Love
-God's Pocket
-God's Snake
-The Good Mother
-Good News About the Earth
-Good News from Outerspace
-Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
-Good Times
-Kitchen God's Wife
-The Last Good Kiss
-Love in the Ruins
-Love is Strange
-Love Medicine
-Love Nor Money
-Lovingkindness
-Man who Loved Children
-A mother's Love
-Mother Love
-Nothin' but Good Times Ahead
-Pangs of Love
-The Republic of Love
-The Savage God
-So Far from God
-Surpassing the Love of Men
-Their Eyes were watching God
-The Volcano Lover
-What we talk about when we talk about love
-Women in Love

Virgin birth

I think I've got it figured out

Heard of sleepwalking? Well, there's also sleepsex.

If BOTH partners had sex while they were asleep, well there you have it.
Pretty unlikely, I'll give you that.
With God, all things are possible, lol.
God is all about mind control.

Some (more) good quotes

17 quotes (from my Godfather's 2009 calendar)

-"The big secret in life is there is no secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." -Oprah Winfrey

-It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -J.K. Rowling

-We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. -MLK, jr.

-Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.-Bill Gates

-It's not enough we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required. -Sir Winston Churchill

-I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with freedom. -Bob Dylan

-There's more than one way to look at a problem, and they may all be right. -Norman Schwarzkopf

-Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. -Lou Holtz

-To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when no one else will -Sugar Ray Robinson

-Fools live to regret their words, wise men to regret their silence. -Will Henry

-Keep high aspirations, moderate expectations, and small needs. -H Stein

-Failure is an event, never a person. -William Brown

-Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. -Satchel Page

-The most important political office is that of the private citizen. -Louis Brandeis

-Forget injuries; never forget kindnesses -Confucius

-A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. -William Arthur Ward

-Your expression is the most important thing you can wear. -Sid Ascher

Christ set a bad example

According to the Relaxation and Stress Workbook...

Irrational Idea number 8 is:
-You need something other or stronger or greater than yourself to rely on.
It goes on to say,
This belief becomes a psychological trap in which your independent judgement, and the awareness of your particular needs are undermined by a reliance on higher authority.

Plus, you don't want to suffer for other people's sins.
Passion should be full of ecstasy and loving emotion, and nothing like being nailed to a cross.
Right??

The other (20) irrational ideas are:
-It is an absolute necessity for an adult to have love and approval from peers, family and friends.

-You must be unfailingly competent and almost perfect in all you undertake.

-Certain people are evil, wicked, and villainous, and should be punished.

-It is horrible when people and things are not the way you would like them to be.

-External events cause most human misery- people simply react as events trigger their emotions.

-You should feel fear or anxiety about anything that is unknown, uncertain, or potentially dangerous.

-It is easier to avoid than to face life difficulties and responsibilities.

-The past has a lot to do with determining the present

-Happiness can be achieved by inaction, passivity and endless leisure.

-You are helpless and have no control over what you experience or feel.

-People are fragile and should never be hurt.

-Good relationships are based on mutual sacrifice and a focus on giving.

-If you don't go to great lengths to please others, they will abandon or reject you.

-When people disapprive of you, it invariably means you are wrong or bad.

-Happiness, pleasure and fulfillment can only occur in the presence of others, and being alone is horrible.

-There is perfect love, and a perfect relationship

-You shouldn't have to feel pain, you are entitled to a good life.

-Your worth as a person depends on how much you achieve and produce.

-Anger is automatically bad and destructive.

-It is bad or wrong to be selfish.

G-D

Green Day

Sunday is of course yellow, so Monday is Green, Tuesday blue, Wednesday violet, Thursday red, Friday orange, Saturday whatever (white, black, grey?).

There's also Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days. Grateful Dead. Gray Davis. And Guns-Drugs.
God can be lots of things. G'day, mate. Gandolf, General Disarray, Genetic Drift, the Great Demon, Gadolinium, the Gangster's Disciples, General Dynamics, the Great Depression...
Game of Death, Good ol' days.

There's a Gods, God's Lake, and God's River in Canada. And a Ghod in India.

In South Korea, there's two G-D's: Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do.

Begin Being

The same letters, for a reason

Startup you're godhood, I say, right away.
"Big up yo'self" as Ali G might say.

Too bad about the loveparade tragedy, in Germany.
They say it's cancelled, now.
Since God is love, start a godparade.

Pro and Con

God is for good: happiness, comfort, love
and
against bad: suffering, poverty, evil, war, ignorance, illness

Truth is good. Only God is good.
but, suppose:
There is no God. Therefore, there is no good. Everything is a lie.
how bout that.

om
First, identify what (factors) leads to happiness, and what leads to suffering; then cultivate and eliminate. That is the way, according to the dalai.

The Berkeley Bills

Bill Clinton and Bill Gates, that is

each gave a talk to the UC Berkeley community, which I conveniently provide links to as follows:

Clinton: http://webcast.berkeley.edu/wp/wp/2010/02/24/president-clinton-live-webcast/

Gates: http://webcast.berkeley.edu/event_details.php?seriesid=075f2f0f-71d0-4c37-8af9-b2d044afa8e6&p=1&ipp=15&category=

BILL =2933=8

Ron Haviv

I just watched 'Ron Haviv: Freelance' on the Documentary Channel

He's a war photographer, a World Press Award winner.

It's SO sad what happens..
And what happened. In places like Somalia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Haiti, Vietnam, etc.

The main thing I took from the documentary is the description of what it's like for him to return to American society and how he feels like a misfit because of people complaining about relatively incredibly stupid problems, in a world full of gossip. I would add the obsession with celebrity culture is also incredibly retarded in the face of Reality with a capital R in which the most important topics are swept under the rug and forgotten.

A commentator in the movie says war photographers are compelled to return to these situations to find 'something', and will do so until they find it or they die, whichever comes first.

I already wrote about James Nachtway.
One of Ron Haviv's websites is http://www.photoarts.com/haviv/bloodandhoney/

I hate the military. I hate all of them. I hate war. I don't care if the US commands its forces under the title 'Department of Defense.' War is offensive, period. God is a man of war, but only the psy war against war in the first place. You dig?

To appreciate peace, it's unfortunate that we have to vicariously experience war through war photographers, who sometimes pay too high a price for their moral ventures.

MJ

Michael Jackson, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan

I'm dating myself.
Anyway, now that a year has passed since the gloved one's passing, I thought I'd mention that he has a song called:

I am love

which, of course, should be mentioned in a blog like this.
enter it www.grooveshark.com

Evil Personified

Satan, Mephistopheles, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Antichrist, Devil
Jinn, Eblis, Azazel

People reason that if good is personified as God,
then evil must likewise be personified.

I enjoy The Rolling Stones' -Sympathy for the Devil

Just as every cop is a criminal
and ALL the sinners saints..

I go a little further..
We all wield unbelievable power
but most of us don't know it.

do a good turn daily
it is better to do nothing than to do evil

Hi. God, here.

Update on my life

I'm currently reading Witnessed, by Budd Hopkins

My other library book is The Demon-haunted world, by Carl Sagan.

Witnessed is about a 1989 ufo abduction, that occurred brazenly near Brooklyn Bridge around 3:15 a.m., and the aftermath for it's viewers and participants. I think Carl Sagan didn't believe in ufo's, which should make for an interesting contrast.

I went to a SBC (Southern Baptist Church) last weekend, because I'm sampling different religious services (denominations and religions). They are at http://www.bellroad.org/.

I helped kill a rattlesnake, using a shovel. I feel kind of bad about that. A beautiful animal.

Anyway, my wife and I are watching a lot of Chelsea lately and Family Guy at night.
My pandora online radio experience is a mix of: Grateful Dead, Zappa, Talking Heads, Fiftycent, Beatropolis, Don Caballero, Bob Dylan, Ozric Tentacles, Beethoven, Lou Reed, and Flaming Lips.

That's my super-exciting life.
Rest in peace, for Molly, my wife's mom's English bulldog.

What is God?

God is love, one, a man of war, good.
God is me, you, everyone, everything.
God is jesus, buddha, allah, krishna..
God is the father, son, and holy spirit
God is the wind, the four directions
God is time, space, light, dark
God is Nature

God is...whatever you want him to be.
God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent
God is IT: immanent and transcendent
God is joy, happiness, bliss, nirvana
God is peace, harmony, health, wealth
God is life, and God is death
God is kind, merciful, loving, caring, beneficent, good
God is truth, knowledge, enlightenment
God is dance and romance

God is a word, a concept, an idea
God is
I am
You are

"oooh, God you are so big!" -Monty Python

-And the word was God.
go do good
omg
all in all is all we are
love your neighbor
love all, serve all
what's love got to do with it?

Be all you can be. Kind.
An army of one. Aim high.
The few, the proud.
(Pride is a sin, but all is vanity.)

"Trying to win hearts and minds, but willing to splatter them occasionally."
Thou shalt not kill, remember?
geez.

Anyway, being God is not just a job, it's an adventure.
God is a role to play, and the more, the merrier.
Be good, only God is good, so be God then
Come on, join the fun -a unified multiplicity
plus, maybe only the good go to heaven, right?

Or, don't. (do NT?)
just as dog is god backwards, bad evokes 'dabble.'
It might be good to be a little bad, then..
But purity sounds better, to me.
If God is everything, maybe it really is all good.
Be bad? Live evil? (I think there is a difference)
"Keep the arguments clean, but the sex dirty"
God is a smile.

God's Two Favorite Christian Bible Quotes

John 3:16 and Philippians 4:6-7

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
-John 3:16

Do not worry about anything, But pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks, and God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4:6-7

commentary
re: John, somewhere else it says to believe in his name, as if it were a mystical word, and you didn't have to believe in anything else, like his preachings (although Jesus does mean 'God saves'). It's still not clear what "believe in him" means. In? And also, I thought the 'everlasting life' might have been a trick statement, as if HELL could sneak in there, under the radar. But in light of Philippians, i guess that's nothing to worry about. Personally, I believe everyone has everlasting life, regardless of whether they believe in Jesus, because everything is equally alive (or dead, if you want to look at it that way; we're all just things).

re:Philippians, I suspect that 'God's peace' is the oblivion of death. Death and Jesus are both 2, in english, according to that wacky numerology I find myself doing. We cannot understand death because we are all alive. But maybe by clearing our heads of all the subconscious noise and external distractions, we approach the calmness of death, which should be how meet our deaths; i.e. calmly.

Life After Death

Decomposition

Autolysis is when the body's cells consume themselves, through the action of the digestive enzymes released by the lysosomes into the cell's cytoplasm. Enzymes, however, are not alive. Autolysis is aseptic (free of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites- which ARE alive).

oops. later date insertion here: "Is a virus a living thing?
Not really. A living thing has seven features of life. These are feeding, respiring, excreting, growing, moving, breeding and responding to changes in the surroundings. When a virus is outside the body it does none of these things. In fact viruses can be stored in jars just like crystals of salt or sugar. When the virus is in the body it only breeds and this is just a process in which the DNA is copied. It does not even grow its case. The cell makes that for it. "

The party starts -your "life after death"- when, after autolysis creates an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, your body's normal bacteria consume the body's carbs, proteins, and lipids. Bacteria are life-forms. (Btw, A "synthetic" bacterial life-form, whose parents were a "computer", was just created by Craig Venter (in wikinews).) It is estimated that there are 500-1000 species of microbiota in the human gut, and the same on the skin. Bacterial consumption of a corpse is called putrefaction.

If the body is outside,
Flys, especially blowflies, lay their eggs on the body so the young can consume the rotting flesh, to get a proper start on life.

Scavengers: Coyotes, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, rats, and vultures all eat carrion.

And if the body is on the ground or in the soil, there is considerable activity by:
arthropods ("joint-legged" with exoskelotons, such as insects, spiders, etc. -over 1,170,000 described species; a study says there may be up to 5-10 million extant species) join in.

-Sarcophagidae ("flesh-flies") lay eggs, larvae, which are maggots that live 5-10 days.
-Formicidae (ants),
-Muscidae (house-flies),
-Sphaeroceridae (dung-flies/lesser corpse flies) of which there are over 1,3oo species, all in the section schizophora.
-Silphidae (known commonly as carrion or burying beetles)
-Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies; more than 180,000 species)
-Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, ants, sawflies)
-Histeridae (clown-beetles; 3900 species)
-Staphylinidae (rove beetles; 46,000)
-Piophilidae (cheese flies; they do not take residence in a human corpse until 3-6 months after death)
-Araneae (spiders; 40k species)
-Sepsidae (black scavenger flies/ensign flies; 250 species)

and after bloating comes the 'black stage' of putrefaction, which has:
-Gamasid mites (most mites are microscopic; 48,200 species are described (an estimated 5% of the total)
-Ptomaphila
-Trichopterygidae (aka ptiliidae; 630+ species, found in rotting organic material)
-Dermestes (feed on dry dead animals and vegetable material)
-Tyroglyphid mites (mold mites)
-Tineid larvae (clothes moths)
-and Diptera larvae "in almost all cases" ("True" flies, with only 1 pair of wings; a large order, containing 240,000 species of flies, mosquitoes, midges, and gnats)

Wikipedia's article on decomposition also details all the types of life that can be found around or near a corpse on the ground, as well.

Fungi, too, get some action.

That's a whole lotta Life After Death! A regular city, I should say.
which sheds new light on the expression "are survived by," lol.

The Chemistry and Physics of God

Oxytocin and the Higgs Boson

Now you know.
-Oxytocin is the chemical that washes your brain after sex, and is responsible for bonding with your partner. God is love, and love is oxytocin (?)

-The Higgs Boson is, well, I dunno exactly. Look it up. It's nicknamed "the God particle."
I don't know why. The folks at the lhc (large hadron collider) are hoping to find evidence for it soon, when the machine is up and running.

Codex Sinaiticus

For those of you who are into this sort of thing:

(the oldest version of the New Testament, in greek)
www.codexsinaiticus.org

Harold and the Purple Crayon

A good book for young Gods

It's about Harold, who creates his own reality with a purple crayon.

Yale has an improvisational comedy group called The Purple Crayons.

'Augmented Reality'

i can't wait for this supercool future technology

(like in the movie Minority Report)
It would be glasses or goggles or maybe even contact lenses that

would give data about what you're looking at. I've always imagined little balloons popping up over people's heads saying their names or whatever information I want. Imagine a complete lack of privacy, lol.

It's all a part of our universal wish to be Godly omniscient.
Of course, I could always try just talking to people, right?
Still, this tech sounds fun.

Slavery

It's a sin

I don't want anyone to be my slave, even if you should be, or are willing.

There's a passage in the bible, "do you not know that you are not your own?" or some such thing. I say you are. You own yourself.

Anyway, there are, according to this TED LECTURE (Link), 27 million slaves in our modern-day world (2010). That's quite a number. I'm a slave to eliminating slavery. And they can all be freed -and maintained free- for 10.8 billion dollars, according to Kevin Bales of __.

There is hope.

slaves are "dirt cheap" (as low as 5 bucks, averaging $90) Historically, 40k.
40B dollars of the global economy are derived from slave labor.
We have to do it right this time, not "dumped" like America's botched 1865 emancipation.
India still has hereditary slavery.
Kevin Bales thinks we aren't truly free unless all humanity is.

$10,800,000,000 divided by 27,000,000 slaves is only 400 bucks a person.

For the Priests

God the Father

1) Catholic priests are called Father and Pope means il Papa (regardless of whether they have sired a child)

2) Fathers (either those who have inseminated a mother, or those who take care of their -adopted?- child)

and
3) "our father in heaven", some pie in the sky idea of a (possibly alien?) Creator of the heavens and earth.

So priests are God, too.

Supreme Being

SB, some body

Sara Brown
Sandra Bullock

Movies with 'God' in the title

Apparently, there's over 200

City of God
The God of Small Things
Children of a Lesser God
The Gods Must be Crazy
Gods and Monsters
Letters to God (2010)
God (aka Dogma) ('99)
Oh, God ('77)
Oh, God. Book II ('80)
Oh, God! You Devil ('84)
God's Army
God on my side
Wrath of God
Playing God
Hey, God
God's Early Work ('04)
Phone Call to God ('05)
God and Dave ('06)
Conversations with God ('06)
Oh, My God ('08)
The God Complex ('09)
God Calling Rachel ('04)
God Has a Rap Sheet ('03)
God is on Their Side ('02)
Gohbi and God ('99)
In God We Tru$t ('80)
Dear God ('96)
Agnes of God
In the Name of God ('07)
The Godfather ('71)
God is my co-pilot ('45)
God's Little Acre ('58)
For God and Country ('43)
And God Created Woman ('56) ('88)
Godspell ('73)(the word is an archaic form of 'Gospel.' It came out as a play around the same time as Jesus Christ, Superstar in my birth year, 1971)

Panoramic Views and Scenes at the Garden of the Gods (1903)
God's Country and the Woman (1916)
God's Law and Man's (1917)
God's Country and the Law (1921)
Man's Law and God's (1922)
Without Reservations, aka Thanks God, I'll Take It From Here ('46)
Les Miserables: Gods and Demons ('50) Japan
The Legend of Gods and Goddesses ('67) Hong Kong
Of Gods and the Undead ('70) Brazil
Bamboo Gods and Iron Men ('74)
Thank God It's Friday ('78)
Gods, Gangsters, and Gamblers ('90) Chinese
Thank God I'm a Lesbian ('92)
The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils ('97) Hong Kong
The Lion and the Zebra Make God's Raw Jewels ('99)
Gambling, Gods, and LSD ('02)
Thank God for India ('02)
Of Men and Gods ('02) Haiti
Gods and Generals ('03)
Of Dogs and Gods ('06)
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men ('07)
What Poor Gods We Do Make: The Story and Music Behind Naked Raygun ('07)
Of Gods and Men ('10) french
Of Frogs and Gods ('10)
Gods and Rats ('10)
Gods and Kings ('11)
Vicky and the Treasure of the Gods ('11)
The Man who Sued God ('01), australia

Ancient Astronauts: The Gods from Planet X
God Send Me a Man ('09)
Selling God ('09)
Godkiller ('09)
And God Spoke ('93)
In the Hands of the Gods ('07)
Takra: A Man's Fear of God
Dying God ('08)
Maybe God is Ill ('07)
God of Vampires ('10)
God Money ('97)
God of Wonders ('08)
...And God Spoke
The House of God ('84)
One Nation Under God ('93)

God is Brazilian

and, out in theaters May 11, 2012: God Bless America (by Bobcat Goldthwait)
7-19-13: Only God Forgives
God's Pocket (PSHoffman's last film)
God is not Dead (2014)
White God (2014 Hungarian drama)

...to get you started.
There's a lot more movies where God is a role. Check out imdb.com for more.

If you believe God is love, then you might want to look for movies with 'Love' in the title, too. It's a different post I compiled.

Making Love

is Making God

weird, eh?
Link

If God is all-knowing (in the biblical sense), He has sex with everybody.
Mind blowing sex
spiritual sex
we're all fuct, lol

Acts of God

It's a legal term for (what I'm responsible for??)

The cause and effect linkage is a bit tenuous.

Here's the wikipedia link to 'Acts of God'

Here's a list of things I might have caused (since 1971):

-'71 N. Vietnam Hanoi/Red River delta flood (100k deaths)
-'72 Iran blizzard (4k)
-'73 Bangladesh tornado (681)
-'74 Pakistan earthquake (5300)
-'74 Bangladesh famine (26k-1m)
-'75 Typhoon Nina (210k)
-'75 China dam failure (231k)
-'76 Guatemala earthquake (23k)
-'76 Tangshan earthquake (242,419)
-'78 U.S. blizzard (54)
-'78 Iranian earthquake (15k)
-'81 on, Aids epidemic (25,250,000)
-'83 Mexico earthquake (10,153)
-'84 Cameroon limnic eruption (37)
-'84 USSR tornado (400)
-'84-85 Ethipian famine (1m)
-'85 Columbia volcano (23k)
-'86 cameroon limnic eruption (1746)
-'87 Chinese wildfire (213)
-'88 Armenian earthquake (25k)
-'90 Iranian earthquake (50k)
-'93 Indian earthquake (7928)
-'95 Japanese earthquake (6433)
-'95 Kazakh blizzard (112)
-'96-98 North Korean famine (1,200,000)
-'99 Turkey earthquake (17,217)
-'01 Gujarat India earthquake (19,727)
-'03 Bam Iran earthquake (26,271)
-'04 Indonesian tsunami (230,210)
-'06 Phillippine mudslide (1126)
-'08 Chinese earthquake (68,712)
-'08 Afghani blizzard (926)
-'08 Chinese storm (133)
-'10 Haiti earthquake (230,000)

God is kind of a mass murdering serial killer.
The price of sin is death.
Vengeance is mine, sayeth the lord.
Thou shalt not kill
Shit happens

misotheism link

devil inside, devil inside -every single one of us, the devil inside..
"it's all good"

"...I bring prosperity and create disaster: I, Yahweh, do all these things"
(I'm not Yhwh, though; I'm Jesse)
G.O.D. only stands for Gulf Oil Disaster coincidentally, I might add. It looks like the Gulf of Mexico could turn out to be a regular "lake of fire." Ugh.

Playing God

It's a movie

Playing God is a 1997 film directed by Andy Wilson. It starred David Duchovny in his first starring role after achieving success with The X-Files, Timothy Hutton, and Angelina Jolie.

I haven't seen it.

Is PG PG?
Who decided? Maybe I, God, should have. They edited out the two sex scenes between Angelina and David Duchovny.

Sharing

Share a

Shara a what?

TE.

Click on 'Te' (for the Wikipedia enlightenment)
Just some more of -what's in a name?- (Teshara)

Shara is similar to sharia, too.

To continue with the linguistic multicultural magic: on Asherah, (from Wikipedia)

The archaeologist William Dever commented "We do not know for sure what the belief in the god Yahweh meant for the average Israelite. Although the biblical text tells us that most Israelites worshipped Yahweh alone, we know that this is not true... The discoveries of the last fifteen years have given us a great deal of information about the worship of the ancient Israelites. It seems that we have to take the worship of the goddess Asherah more seriously than ever before."[13]

God can be annoying

You know, let's get to the real nitty gritty basics, here. What is prayer? Prayer is telepathic communication with "God", if it, and God, exist. Personally, I think 'God' is just a jerk in my head who won't leave me alone, and despite being evicted from my head (surely my body is private property?!), is a presence who invades my privacy, and is therefore a criminal. Just because everyone says God is good and love doesn't make it so. He's ANNOYING is what he is. Either atheism or self-deification seems a comparatively friendlier mental experience.

that was my entry on an article on prayer I submitted to the Washington Post online awhile back. "God" (aka the man in my head who hears my "prayers") is annoying so I'm (attempting) taking over the God function in my head.

Schizophrenia can be a bitch.

God's God is now Himself. Are my thoughts my own?

Heaven and Paradise

it's in the linguistics

Heaven is ha, even
It feels good to get even

Heaven is also Neva, eh? (backwards)
Maybe because there are so many slights in life - you will never get even.
Or, simply, because there is no afterlife.

Paradise is a city in California, near Chico. They have a library and public pool.
Heavenly is a ski resort.
Heaven is a nightclub in London.
Hell is a village in Norway.
Anyway, if you win at a toss of the dice, that's Pair o' dice!

Amor, Amor, Amor

Put a little love in your heart
People can you feel it- love is in the air!

http://www.bartleby.com/ has both love quotes and emily dickenson poems on love

I'm busy reading Emily Dickenson and Ernest Hemingway's short stories.

Que te goza!

The Diamond Sutra

Read it at http://www.diamond-sutra.com/ .

It's what Jack Kerouac had brought with him up to his mountaintop. I'm reading his Desolation Angels.

Aside: The three men I admire most: the father, son, and holy ghost, packed their things up for the coast the day the music died... Kerouac is said to be the son, from that song lyric.

In chapter 49, he says he is God, he is Buddha.

William Burroughs warning to Jack Kerouac

From Joyce Johnson's introduction to Kerouac's Desolation Angels:

"A man who uses Buddhism or any other instrument to remove love from his being in order to avoid suffering, has committed, in my mind, a sacrilege comparable to castration."

Galt

Greg And Liz Teshara, that is

Congrats on your nuptials, bro (and Liz!)!
May your life together be happy, healthy, long, loving, and blessed!

aside
Galt is (also) a place in Canada, as well as Mongolia, as well as 5 places in the U.S.A.
Ayn Rand famously opens Atlas Shrugged with 'Who is John Galt?'
Her philosophy is called 'Objectivism'

Objectivism rejects belief in "every 'spiritual' dimension, force, Form, Idea, entity, power, or whatnot alleged to transcend existence."

She says,
"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

She chose "objectivism" as the title for her philosophy because,
"The name "Objectivism" derives from the principle that human knowledge and values are objective: they are not created by the thoughts one has, but are determined by the nature of reality, to be discovered by man's mind. Rand chose the name because her preferred term for a philosophy based on the primacy of existence, existentialism, had already been taken."

Haitian earthquake possibly an Act of God

Sorry. I was jumping rope to get healthier. I enjoy skipping rope.
I mean, was it me, really? I hope not.
I may have also caused the quake in Northern California.

Jump up, jump up and get down. Jump around.



http://www.redcross.org

Mary Moran

"German Gullon es Dios"

If you're out there, Maria, contact me!
-Chuy

God and Nature

People believe God created Nature, and God is in Nature

God IS Nature
Nature is Everything...it encompasses Humanity and Human Nature (we're animals, too). Nature created God, in that it created humans, who speak..

"and the word was God"
We use words, our minds, concepts to "create" the world, our inner worlds...
"The first step to knowing something is to give it a name"
So if God is all-knowing, then "omniscience" is God.
Of course, omniscience is impossible
(Even for me)
lol

God is IN nature, if you believe nature, red in tooth and claw, is pervaded by "love."

Parmenides, Sheryl Crow, and Dr. Bronner

Parmenides was the original Dr. Bronner
Sheryl Crow sings "Love is All There Is" on her 2008 Detours album

All-1, says the shampoo bottle. Parmenides conceived of everything as...

"The single known work of Parmenides is a poem which has survived only in fragmentary form. In this poem, Parmenides describes two views of reality. In The Way of Truth (a part of the poem), he explains how reality is one, change is impossible, and existence is timeless, uniform, and unchanging."

Unfortunately, Grooveshark doesn't seem to have the song available for me to provide the link to it. Ack! It probably does: it's called Love is All There Is, not Love is Everything..

CCC Comment

Catechism of the Catholic Church, that is

What, exactly, is the God of the Catholic church?
Well, Prologue, Chapter 1, Verse 1 of the CCC (written by the current Pope?) seems like a good stab at it. Off the mark, though, in my opinion.

It goes something like this:
"God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplilsh this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life."

Hmm.

-That's a lot of reference to men in there (I count 15).
-Why is God and He and Him and His, etc. not capitalized...
-"Infinitely perfect and blessed in himself" -I like that, lol.
-to know him (biblically?)
-the Church family, Mr. and Mrs. Church.

-I don't draw
-I didn't make anyone to share in my life.

You-niverse

You are your own world

Thus, you are God
comments?