Afternoon Haiku.

honey dipped leaves flail

bleached refugees flee heavens
pixels dance inside

By James R. Ure

Gordon's Speech

How did you think Gordon did? The Prime Minister's speech has had a mixed reaction from the press. Many think he has succeeded in strengthening his position in the Labour Party but are not convinced he has persuaded enough of the public to change their opinion of him or his policies. Clearly The Sun's announcement that it will be supporting the Conservatives at the next election is a major blow for the party's morale.

His announcements on electoral reform are particularly interesting. He has promised that a referendum would be held early in the next parliament on the alternative-vote system (something that the conservatives are opposed to). Although supporters of electoral reform are encouraged by this, they point out that Tony Blair made a pledge for reform in the 1997 manifesto which was never followed through.

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~

Chinese Celebrations

Thursday marks the 60th anniversary of the Communist Party's rule in China. This article shows how they have been preparing for the celebrations, and also remarks on how much change has taken place. Clearly there has been significant economic progress as the party has embraced many (capitalist) reforms, but also considerable suffering, as seen during the Cultural Revolution, the Great Famine of the 1950s and the crackdowns after the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989. The Communist Party is now prepared to admit that mistakes were made, and that Chairman Mao was about "70% Correct" but it is unlikely they will encourage a full assessment of China's recent history.

PS: Here is the China Daily's official coverage of the celebrations. For alternative points of view, here is the BBC's Beijing correspondent's final thoughts on the country before he left his post, and Amnesty International's Chinese Issues website.

PS: Here is John Simpson's report on the 60th Anniversary celebrations, and links to other articles on China.

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

Tennessee Coach Pearl Makes A Klan Joke About His Adopted State

Anglo-Saxon Hoards

The Saxons have been in the news this week a bit after a huge hoard of treasure (1500 objects!) was found in Staffordshire. Here, the expert in antiquities at the British Museum explains why this is signficant, and here is more information about a fairly little-known period in English history.

Hugging for a photo opportunity

Hooray! President Obama gave our Prime Minister a hug, so everything must be ok with our special relationship. The White House has viewed with exasperation the UK's media's concern about a lack of a one to one meeting between the two leaders. As Mark Mardell points out in his new blog, Obama has had only special meetings with 5 world leaders (Israel, Palestine, Russia, China, Japan) for quite specific reasons. He has not met with Sarkozy, Berlusconi or Merkel and their have been no howls of anguish from these countries.

PS: It's been an important week for Pittsburgh but, according to the local paper, the big news for many local residents is the arrival of a new Dunkin Donuts outlet.

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~

Question Time comedy moments

Some light relief on Question Time here and for those of you budding politicians out there, some guidance on public speaking here.

Obama on Letterman

President Obama launched a media offensive over the weekend which included a visit to David Letterman's popular "Late Show". You can see highlights of his interview here - check out how the audience reacts to his arrival.

Meanwhile Obama's conservative opposition are beginning to use his campaigning techniques against him, particularly though the use of new media such as blogs and social networking campaigns, encouraged by figures such as Fox's Glenn Beck. More details here.

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~

David Starkey on MP3

Here is a podcast of David Starkey speaking on the events of 1605 (The Gunpowder Plot) for Cambridge University. It would appear that both Oxford and Cambridge have been busy creating mp3s from some of their most eminent academics, so if you spot any other good ones, please let us know.

PS: Here's a list of interesting historical podcasts, including this one on codebreaking by the official historian of MI5

The Last Royal Wizard?

A conference has been held this week in Cambridge to consider the reputation of John Dee (1527-1608/9), one of England's greatest original thinkers. He owned the largest private library in the country, coined the phrase "The British Empire", was an expert on algebra, astronomy and navigation, advising explorers of the Northwest Passage of suitable routes to take. He was a tutor and adviser to Queen Elizabeth, introduced the first English edition of the works of Euclid, and his proposals to modify the calendar were 200 years ahead of their time.

Unfortunately...he has largely been remembered as an astrologer and an occultist - i.e. a bit of a wizard. He cast horoscopes for Mary and Philip and suggested the most auspicious date for Elizabeth's coronation. He had a crystal ball for communicating with angels, and looked into the future using a special black mirror. He fell in with a conman and had a sequence of unfortunate adventures in Bohemia and Poland when he tried to share his angelic communications with several unimpressed monarchs. He returned to England penniless and died in poverty, cared for by his daughter.

However, Dee's reputation, both as a scholar and a mystic has grown considerably. There is a vast amount of information on him on the internet, and you can even read some his own books. So - does he deserve to be called a Royal Wizard, or not?

Is this the Liberal Democrats big chance?

The Liberal Democrats meet in Bournemouth this week, their last conference before the General election. Could this be the election where they make the breakthrough and break the existing two party dominance in UK politics? Philip Stephens argues in the FT that the next election may represent a great opportunity for the Lib Dems to become a significant third force in politics.

Segall Fundraiser Thursday

U.S. Rep. challenger Joshua Segall has a fundraiser in Auburn on Thursday. The price is a mere $50 to help Josh unseat current GOP yes-man Mike Rogers. Here is the info:

Date:	Thursday, September 24, 2009
Time:	5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location:	Home of David and Annie Hinson
Street:	1487 McCurry Ln
City/Town:	Auburn, AL

Phone:	3347824114
Email:	chad@segallforcongress.com

Gorbachev defends his legacy

Mikhail Gorbachev was interviewed by the BBC over the weekend about his role in the events of 1989 that led to the removal of communism in Eastern Europe. He was remarkably relaxed about it, saying that he though that, "1989 was certainly change for the better - no doubt about it. We did not have… the necessary freedom, particularly freedom of speech."

He admits some western leaders, including Margaret Thatcher and President Mitterand, were against German unification, but expected him to block the process on their behalf. Further comments, including his concerns about Vladimir Putin, can be found here.

9/12

A Sad Weekend For Intellectual Conservatives

This past Friday was a sad one for intellectual conservatives (all, say 4 or 5 of them) as Irving Kristol died of "complications from lung cancer" and what little is left of conservatives that aren't proud to be dumb may be soon to follow:

Irving Kristol, writer, editor, and social philosopher, has died in Washington at the age of 89. His wisdom, wit, good humor, and generosity of spirit made him a friend and mentor to several generations of thinkers and public servants.

--The Editors

For a good read on the death of comprehend-able conservatism check out Doc. Taylor's blog here.

***Here is an excerpt from Mr. Kristol's memoirs.***

MIA Tuscaloosa

MIA again this past weekend for the Bama game. In recovery, new posts soon to come.

A Worthwhile Life

The word 'great' is often overused when people pass away (Ted Kennedy, Michael Jackson?) but a truly great man died this week that many of us had never heard of. See the obituary of Norman Borlaug in this week's Economist of a man who saved millions of lives. Post a comment if you think he really deserves the title 'great' or not.

Foggy Temple Morning Haiku.

daybreak fog swirls

temple candlelight twinkles
bell welcomes daylight

-by james r. ure

~Peace to all beings~

Waking Up to Oneness.

-Special thanks to my friend Jamie over at Progressive Buddhism for showing me this video.

~Peace to all beings~

Horrible Histories: The Four Georges

Plenty of material from the Horrible Histories BBC programme has made its way to YouTube. This sketch for example imagines what Georges I II III and IV would be like if they auditioned for the X-Factor... There also plenty of links to other sketches - please recommend the best ones so we can put them on the blog.

PS: Here is an interview with Terry Deary, creator of the Horrible Histories books. He does not consider himself to be a historian, and thinks schools are a waste of time!

Free this weekend? Open House London

A fantastic opportunity for those interested in architecture this weekend - Open House gives you the opportunity to visit buildings all over London for free, some of which are not normally open to the public. Some particularly interesting ones include Apsley House, Benjamin Franklin's House and the Foreign & India Offices. Look here to see what's open in your area or area of interest.

Is "Our Island Story" being told?

Here is a further article (From Dominic Sandbrook in the Telegraph) worrying about the decline of history teaching in schools. He criticises the government's "Yo! Sushi" approach to the subject, "in which schools randomly pick unrelated historical topics like saucers from a conveyor belt, instead of studying our national story as a continuous narrative, which is how any sensible person sees it."

He believes students would be better served by a more narrative approach giving a greater overview of our national story, and recommends H E Marshall's "Our Island Story", although this was first printed in 1905. The complete text is now available here on the internet, so please have a look and tell us what you think!

UPDATE! Too busy to read? You can download the entire book for free and listen to it on your MP3, alongside other classic books. Have a look here!

Ex-President claims anti-Obama mood 'racist'

The level of partisanship in US politics has increased to such a level over the summer that ex President Jimmy Carter claims the mood has turned so ugly that hidden racial slurs are now being used against President Barack Obama. Do you think the level of debate in the US is too negative?

Berlin Wall Exhibition

The Imperial War Museum in Manchester has an exhibition running until March about the Berlin Wall and how it affected the city. There are lots of photographs as well as a Trabant, a searchlight and a piece of the wall itself. Here are a selection of images from the wall's 28 year history, and here is the Times' review of the exhibition, plus other interesting articles, including the Jewish history of the city, and a visit to the headquarters of the Stasi.

Prime Ministerial Debates

Should Gordon Brown take part in a televised debate? Sky News has announced that it will hold one before the next elections, and David Cameron and Nick Clegg have agreed to take part. However, Brown knows there are considerable risks involved - this Economist article gives as an example the debate between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960. Radio listeners thought that Nixon was the better debater that night, but television viewers (of which there were many millions more) thought Nixon looked sweaty and shifty, whilst JFK came across as calm and reasonable.

However, if Brown doesn't take part, Sky says they will go ahead anyway and leave an empty chair to represent him - perhaps they will be tempted to follow Have I Got News for You who once represented Roy Hattersley with a tub of lard when he was unable to turn up...

Playboy Model For Dept. Of Education?

Paul Hubbert is opposing the selection of Playboy "Girl of the SEC" Malissa Valdes as DOE spokeswoman. I say why not? I don't really know how I feel about this, but it is definitely weird. Catch the photo HERE (obviously, it' s nude, so if that turns you off DON'T CLICK).

***And, yes that is the actual issue"

I think I Will Stick With My Tea

This may be my favorite video of all time. Go for it Tea Partiers, support this guy:


Please, somebody Tea Bag this guy.

No Divorce In Cali???

What??? Is it possible the State of California could ban divorce? What would Tammy Wynette think? Well, not to worry divorce happy actors, it probably ain't gonna happen:

John Marcotte, a California man with a history of pulling social pranks, is collecting signatures to get the "California Protection of Marriage Act," which would ban divorce, on the ballot.

Marcotte has tongue firmly in cheek -- his Web site is subtitled, "Safeguarding marriage from the evils of divorce," and supporters can buy a T-shirt of a chained-together bride and groom reading "You said, 'Til death do us part.' You're not dead yet."

But his point is valid -- since many of Prop 8 supporters cited defending traditional marriage as their reason for pushing for the gay marriage ban, shouldn't they also be supportive of the "California Protection of Marriage Act," which eliminates the greatest threat to marriage that exists?

President Obama Speaks His Mind About Kanye West

Presidential Power And The Patriot Act

I generally don't understand why politicians cling to power so much when they reach the Presidency. Here we have a President, who for all intents and purposes, appears to be a lot closer to a civil libertarian than the last one, but yet supports extending provisions of the Patriot Act. Why? Why can't I have a President that isn't concerned with what I do without due process? Here are the provisions set to expire that President Obama wants extended with possibly "some revisions":

*A secret court, known as the FISA court, may grant “roving wiretaps” without the government identifying the target. Generally, the authorities must assert that the target is an agent of a foreign power and/or a suspected terrorist. The government said Tuesday that 22 such warrants — which allow the monitoring of any communication device — have been granted annually.

*The FISA court may grant warrants for “business records,” from banking to library to medical records. Generally, the government must assert that the records are relevant to foreign intelligence gathering and/or a terrorism investigation. The government said Tuesday that 220 of these warrants had been granted between 2004 and 2007. It said 2004 was the first year those powers were used.

*A so-called “lone wolf” provision, enacted in 2004, allows FISA court warrants for the electronic monitoring of an individual even without showing that the person is an agent of a foreign power or a suspected terrorist. The government said Tuesday it has never invoked that provision, but said it wants to keep the authority to do so.

“The basic idea behind the authority was to cover situations in which information linking the target of an investigation to an international group was absent or insufficient, although the target’s engagement in ‘international terrorism’ was sufficiently established,” Weich wrote.

Love'em or hate'em, the ACLU is remaining bipartisan and supporting the expiration of these provisions::

Michelle Richardson, the ACLU’s legislative counsel, said in a telephone interview, “The justification for FISA and these lower standards and letting it operate in secret was all about terrorist groups and foreign governments, that they posed a unique threat other than the normal criminal element. This lone wolf provision undercuts that justification.”

The committee hearing is set for 10 a.m. Sept. 23 and will be webcast live.

Let's hope the administration changes their mind.

HP Society

Many thanks to everyone who attended the meeting at lunch time which introduced the newly re-named "HP Society". Maddy suggested that we had a debate next Tuesday so please leave comments here on suitable titles or pass on your ideas to her.

PS: If you have any good ideas for logos for the society, please bring them along next week!

Secret Kremlin records reveal Thatcher's real intentions

As we gear up for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, secret Kremlin notes of meetings between Thatcher and Gorbachev have been released here. They reveal Thatcher's real feelings on the subject of the reunification of Germany and how she pressed Gorbachev to change course. Does this change or cement your view of Thatcher?! What do you think it says about what politicians say in public and what they do in private?
Watch out for the HP Society's events on this issue in November...

Differing views on the Queen Mother

The official biography of the Queen Mother has just been published. It is based on her own letters and papers so should be quite revealing about what she was like and what she experienced as Queen during World War 2 in particular. More details can be found here, while a writer in the Guardian takes a more controversial view, considering her to be the "Queen of Unkindness". What do you think?

PS: The picture is from 1928, 5 years after her marriage to Albert, the Duke of York (he would become King George VI after his brother Edward's abdication in 1936)

The Empire in Colour

Some fascinating images of the British Empire in the late 19th Century have been uncovered -and they are in colour. Henry Harrison travelled round the globe (including China during the Boxer rebellion) and took plenty of photographs. When he got home he coloured them all in, painstakingly, by hand. You can see examples here and here.

This Weekend

Apologies for being MIA this weekend, but I was in T-Town watching Bama win #2 and going In The Trenches with Tidesports.com. Check out about 3:20 for yours truly:

Rebirth, Karma, Radio Waves, Supernovae and Electromagnetic Fields.

A lot of the questions that I hear most often from non-Buddhists, new Buddhists and/or skeptical westerners is about rebirth and how it happens. To begin this post I'd like to talk about my personal beliefs toward rebirth. I believe in rebirth because even from just a scientific perspective one can see that there is an order, structure and meaning behind the Universe and the patterns of life. On a more subtle level science has proved that nothing disappears but rather it simply changes form. The same applies to energy; Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.

A radio in a car is run by the energy produced by the engine, which is run by the energy of gasoline, which came from the energy of pressure and heat converting decomposing organic matter into oil. The organic matter (mostly plants and animals including dinosaurs) was fueled by the radiation from the sun (plants) and other organic matter (plants being eaten by animals and dinosaurs). Before that the potential organic energy in plants formed as a result of carbon dioxide energy released by other plants and animals, which transformed into chlorophyll that fed the plants via photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process fueled by the transformation of the sun's energy into sunlight. The sun's energy and mass was likely the result of a dying star, which created a supernovae (stellar explosion). This expelled massive amounts of energy and matter, which was reborn as our Sun. So our Sun is nothing more than the rebirth of a star.

Ultimately the energy of all super bodies in the Universe resulted from the powerful, trans-formative energy produced by the Big Bang itself, which is my view was the result of collapsing/dying Universe that existed before the current incarnation of our Universe. This would have been achieved through something called the, "cyclic model" which is basically a model where the Universe goes through an infinite number of self-sustaining cycles or Big Bangs and Big Crunches or collapses.

It's not unlike the energy created as an accordion expands and contracts in the form of sound waves. The power, which fuels our galactic accordion is said to be that of a substance known as "dark energy" which would solve the entropy build up problem and be in keeping with the second law of thermodynamics. I could get even more in-depth with the "cyclic theory" but I'm worried I'll lose you. Thus, if you're interested in reading about it further I'd suggest reading this page and the book mentioned within. So finally, there you have the massive cycle of an infinite number of deaths and rebirths of energy and matter occurring upon our Earth and within our Universe. So seeing how we are literally made from the guts of stars exploding their matter and energy; why would we humans be exempt from that paradigm of cycles, which even the giant, celestial bodies must adhere to?

The same is true of the seasons, which was the first cycle I contemplated that led me toward believing the birth, life, death and rebirth theory. Spring (birth), Summer (mid-life), fall (old age and sickness), Winter (death) and it would seem to end there if rebirth wasn't real or possible. However, it doesn't stop there as we know Spring is reborn anew and the cycle continues until the cycle of Earth's life ends. Then when Earth is absorbed one day by our dying sun before it explodes via new supernovae to expel the seeds and energy needed to be reborn anew as another planet or star somewhere else in our vast Universe. The cycle continues. So again, why would the rebirth of our energy into a new form of being not be possible? The potential energy of the body is absorbed into the earth, air, water and fire of our planet to be reborn as a flower, a tree or a mushroom, which would be eaten by a living being.

However, what of the energy left over in the mind upon the death of the body? In my view, that energy of our mind is nothing less than our karma but how does that karmic energy released find it's way into a new form? This often baffles many western, science based Buddhists. At this point I'd like to borrow an explanation of this from the Venerable S. Dhammika at Buddhanet:

Think of it being like radio waves. The radio waves, which are not made up of words and music but energy at different frequencies, are transmitted, travel through space, are attracted to and picked up by the receiver from where they are broadcast as words and music. It is the same with the mind. At death, mental energy travels through space, is attracted to and picked up by the fertilized egg [or receiver]. As the embryo grows, it centers itself in the brain from where it later "broadcasts" itself as the new personality.

James: The question then arises, "Why does that karmic energy get picked up by a particular egg/embryo?" To answer that I'd refer back to our example of our Solar System.

According to the nebula hypothesis, the Solar System began as a nebula, an area in the Milky Way Galaxy that was a swirling concentration of cold gas and dust. Due to some perturbation, possibly from a nearby supernova, this cloud of gas and dust began to condense, or pull together under the force of its own gravity. Condensation was slow at first, but increased in speed as more material was drawn toward the center of the nebula. This made gravity strong, making condensation faster.

As we saw earlier, supernovae are the expulsion of energy from a dying star. So imagine the supernovae as being the karmic energy of the mind being dispersed upon the death of the body. In our example the swirling spiral arms of the galaxy where all this takes place is the womb (called star nurseries). The dust particles within these nursery clouds are the tiny, unfertilized eggs while the gas is the sperm. This swirling, growing star cloud (now an embryo) is then charged with blasts of superheated energy (karma) from the supernovae (dying mind) thus infusing it with the energy (karma) of the former star (deceased body/mind). The energy released by a supernova is trapped by the gravitational pull of these star clouds (embryos) and converted into new stars (new birth). In this "new life" example the gravitational pull is similar to that from the karmic pull of the parents of our next life. They say that like energy attracts similar energy. So given that understanding it's no wonder that the Great Buddhist Masters teach us that our next rebirth will depend in part upon the karmic energy of our future parents. We will be attracted to the karmic energy that mirrors what our karmic energy demands.

Another possible explanation is electromagnetism. Electromagnetism pervades everything and everyone. It's not unlike an uncountable number of intersecting energy grids of infinite sizes, which permeates and connects all things to the power station (our sun) and to each other's homes (minds). It's possible that our karma travels from old body to whatever new birth occurs via the electromagnetic field that acts like a true Indra's net. The brain is charged with electromagnetic neurotransmitters, which act as pathways for the energy created to reach every cell in our body. Our brains are basically organic batteries and could very easily be emitting energy waves that can be received by a new life form or other type of entity when the death of the body occurs via the electromagnetic field/grid. We certainly know that our brains are good conductors of traditional electricity!!

I'll end with something to keep in mind about rebirth. There are many things like electricity and radio waves, which we can not see but we accept that they are real because we see their effects. Just because we can not see the exact details of rebirth doesn't mean that it we don't see it's effects and thus its reality. Why are some of us born with traits and characteristics that don't seem traceable to the genes or behavior of immediate family members? Why are we born with a fear of water for example and our siblings are not? These could very likely be the effects of karma fueled rebirth. My examples might not fully explain the process but I think they come close and at least show that rebirth is very, very likely.

UPDATE: I will admit whole-heartedly that my examples and ideas are by no means definitive. If rebirth is real then there has to be a missing puzzle piece to bring it all together. I welcome new science to help us fill in the blanks a bit. I have faith in the end that this process is true but it's not blind, unflinching faith. I'm not married to it. I could very well just die and that's it. I have no problem with that scenario. I don't fear annihilation of the body and mind though it's hard to square that with the central Buddhist teachings that nothing every really goes away but that (as science explains) it simiply changes for. Perhaps though the most likely change is on a more subtle level of our ashes become apart of a patch of flowers being fueled by the minerals in our ashes. I am open to many interpretations, which I think Buddhism embraces as a whole unlike many religions, which is partly what attracted me to it in the first place.

~Peace to all beings~

Mixed signals

The weekend has thrown up two contrasting stories about the state of History at the moment. The Booker prize shortlist has been announced and is entirely made up of historical fiction, including "Wolf Hall",Hilary Mantel's account of the rise of Thomas Cromwell. Clearly there remains a great interest in popular history within the general public and amongst more serious literary figures.

However, the same edition of the Observer also announced that the teaching of history as a standalone subject is declining, with 30% of schools now combining it with other subjects to create "humanities" lessons or similar. The Historical Association, which organised the report, has announced that "History faces Extinction" unless action is taken. (Futher comment from the editor of History Today here)

Is this an exaggeration? Should history teachers be worried? Or will the British public always have a fascination with the past, whatever they learn at school?

Changing attitudes to 9/11

Today is the 8th anniversary of "9/11", when terrorists hijacked aircraft to attack the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC. President Obama has attended a memorial service at the Pentagon, and Vice-President Biden laid a wreath at Ground Zero. Today is now known in the US as the "National Day of Service and Remembrance". However, 8 years on, is people's attitude to this event now changing? Can it now be described as an event "from history"? Certainly the new intake of Year 7s at Nonsuch(aged three at the time) have no memory of it. Perhaps the inauguration of President Obama makes it easier to consign 9/11 to a previous "chapter" of history. What do you think, and what are your memories of the day?

On another note, there was a documentary on BBC2 last night about the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. It approached the subject, through its narrative and interviews with key figures, clearly a historical event. Is this too soon, and when is it acceptable to treat events in the past as history?

The Dharma Police

There is a post over at my friend Kyle's new blog about the precepts. I posted a comment, which I wanted to turn into a post of my own here about the subject because it is one that interests me a lot. I firmly believe that one can still drink a beer now and then and still be a very good, kind and serious Buddhist. As well as still take the precepts seriously. I aspire to lose weight but I still eat a cookie now and then. Does that mean all my efforts to eat healthy the rest of the time a waste and insincere? Of course not. Not everyone is able to commit to the precepts completely. So is it fair to say people who don't steal, kill, misuse sex or lie but do drink or smoke a cigar or even a joint from time to time aren't serious Buddhist practitioners??? They may not be eligible for monk hood but how many of us can say that anyway?

If someone isn't ready to give up alcohol completely then leave them be. Wouldn't it be better to encourage their Buddhist practice in other ways where the are making progress? Rather than say it's black and white and since you still drink or smoke you're not a sincere Buddhist? To do so isn't realistic, compassionate and in fact it's hypocritical. How about not eating meat? I keep all the precepts quite well except for the occasional drink, cigar or joint. Yet someone else might keep them all except still eat meat, which in my view isn't in keeping with the first precept of not killing. However, I would never call someone who does eat meat an "insincere" or "bad Buddhist." I have no moral ground to stand on to make such an accusation nor do many in the Buddhist community.

Personally, I dislike eating meat, however, I don't jump into someone else's underwear to chastise them for eating meat. It's none of my business and I know I don't like people being the "Dharma Police" with me. So if we're going to play Dharma Police then pray tell me, which of the two people is a "better Buddhist?" The non-meat eater of the non-intoxicant taker? Neither. We all have struggles with at least one of the precepts. Except maybe the Dalai Lama but even many monks I'm sure can't keep them all. We need to remember that none of us are living how we should because if we were we won't be here in samsara right now. I do think the precepts are good and helpful but they are not commandments except perhaps for monks. Rather they are recommendations on how best to live so that we reduce suffering as much as possible.

The foundation of the fifth precept is about intoxication and not everyone who has a beer or two after work get intoxicated. Not everyone drinks to the point of acting like a fool and in a headless manner. Yes, it's true that it has that potential but there is such a thing as moderation and the majority of people who drink, smoke a cigar or joint do so responsibly. The other issue at hand here is that not everyone's body is the same. Some people can't ingest these substances without doing it to excess, however, many can handle them without acting stupidly. For example, I am able to drink or smoke a joint without going crazy. However, I know that caffeine is one substance that I can't ingest much because the caffeine can increase my bouts of mania or actually trigger one to where I get anxious to the point of real suffering.

So, I stay away from caffeine for the most part but do I condemn the thousands of monks and millions of practitioners who drink tea or coffee? Of course not--It's not my business nor do I believe responsible use of such substances is always bad or a hindrance to our practice. Caffeine is very much an intoxicant and addictive if misused yet traditionally Buddhists not only don't add it to the intoxicant list; It's encouraged to stay alert and awake for meditation. Drugs are drugs so if we're going to condemn people who drink alcohol or smoke marijuana then we need to say the same for caffeine drinkers. If you have a problem with a substance then don't ingest it and get help if you need it. However, not everyone who ingests these things is doing them irresponsibly or dangerously.

And what about people who over-eat, which is damaging their body to the point of risking heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity, which can all be deadly. Food can be an intoxicant because chocolate for example is stimulant with all the sugar in it. Excessive sugar intake can cause diabetes, which is another serious and harmful disease, which like heart disease, etc. causes people a lot of suffering. Yet who amongst us would frown upon obese people from attentinding sangha or trying to practice the Dharma to the best of their abilities? Wouldn't it be better to see people find relief in the Dharma even if it's not total relief than compeltely alienate them by comdeming them and calling them insincere, irresponsible or immoral Buddhists???

It's not realistic or our place to say people don't take the precepts seriously if they can't keep all of them 100% of the time but have a weakness with one or two of them. Even if you think it's a "sin" I would remind you of what Jesus said to the crowd quick to stone a woman who, "sinned" "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." If we are following them as best we can but still falling short like most of us then how can we not be sincere Buddhists? Who can say that they honestly keep them all at every moment of every day? None of us. I'm not encouraging killing by any means but even murderers aren't turned away from the Dharma while they serve their sentence for their crime. There are prison sanghas who embrace these folks. Yet who would call their interest in the Dharma "insincere?" Who wants to cast the first stone? I bet we could look into your life and find some stuff that you're not proud of or that would be objectionable to someone.

If you're not keeping each one of those precepts all the time then you don't have a leg to stand on when being so harsh toward others. Why not spend our time bolstering each other's practice and finding where we can come together and inspire each other rather than going around and keeping track of who's "sincere" and who isn't based on how they live their life? If the precepts were to be followed by the letter of the law then they'd be commandments. We all have to be careful not to think we're squeaky clean when it comes to our behavior. Even IF you keep all the precepts all the time I can assure you that you're doing something else that isn't "Buddha-like." Or will do something like that at some point between now and when you die. If you were doing everything, "right" then you'd be enlightened on the edge of never being reborn. I doubt many of us are in THAT boat. At least those who might not be perfect in your eyes have found the Dharma in the first place, which while they might realize enlightenment in this life at least they are trying their best to better themselves.

We all do what we can and it's not our job to question the sincerity of others unless we're enlightened like Buddha. At the same time I think it's admirable that many keep the alcohol and intoxicant precept. Just don't get too holier-than-thou about it all or I might rescind my admiration. Ha!! The reason that I think that the precepts are recommendations is in part because Buddha knew that not everyone could keep them but he didn't want to turn people away from his teachings that would bring them relief from suffering regardless. Perhaps keeping the precepts 100% and 100% of the time is the ideal and something we should all aspire to. However, moderation is a key in Buddhism too. Buddhism doesn't require us to be perfect nor does it say the asceticism of completely giving up worldly pleasures is skillful either. Buddha taught moderation and those of us who do still enjoy some worldly pleasures should at least get some credit for doing it in moderation rather than condemned as "faux Buddhists" or whatever else nonsense might be said about us. Let's just try and be more kind and compassionate toward each other. We're all doing our best.

~Peace to all beings~

1989: Hungary opens its borders

20 years ago today on 10 Sep 1989, the Hungarian government agreed to allow the thousands of East German refugees who had been flooding into the country to leave for West Germany. This in effect was the beginning of the removal of the Iron Curtain, and the event was the catalyst for the collapse of East Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Mr Coy was living in West Germany at the time, and remembers there being a big street party when his neighbours welcomed their East German and Hungarian friends. Lots of East German cars called Trabants suddenly appeared, often causing traffic jams because they were so slow, had broken down, or had crashed.

More information can be found in this BBC article. Here is a timeline of key events in 1989, and here is some more Hungarian history.