| Friday, July 1, 2005 |  |
| My New CD: Stillpoint | 1 comment |
 1 Jul 2005 @ 21:13 Ordering info. is at the following link: Stillpoint: A Guided Stress Relief Program I'm really happy to offer this CD for those of you that could benefit from a practice of deep relaxation and quietude. A chance to go deep into your body intelligence, release stuck energies tht cause emotional / physical pain and learn to use your breath as a basic element for healing and peace of mind. Many clients have asked me to provide a program that they can use at home that would be similar to some of the methods I use during private sessions. Stillpoint: A Guided Stress Relief Program is the accomplishment of that . Part One takes you into total relaxation and creates an awareness of your body that both energizes and rejuvenates. Part Two helps you to explore the nature of your breath, how to intentionally move energy to create a vital presence in your life. The music I composed will guide you as much as the narration to slow down,come to Stillpoint, and experience Being in your true nature. More > |
| Article by John Sherman | 1 comment |
 1 Jul 2005 @ 21:02 "STOP" -- By John Sherman Let me give you the short version of my story, and what brings me here in this meeting with you this evening. I come to you in a life of abject failure and foolishness. I failed as a child; I was a miserable, self-centered, greedy, grasping, spoiled child. I failed as a student in school; I was thrown out of school in the tenth grade. I failed as a soldier and then as a machinist. I failed as a gambler, as a fraudulent credit card manipulator, as a check writer, as a revolutionary. And, finally, I failed at failure. In this life I have spent eighteen and a half years in federal prison. I have been in gun fights, bank robberies, property bombings, escapes - a couple of years on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list - and then, in 1994, when I had been in prison for about fourteen and a half years, I failed again. By that time I had gotten kind of accustomed to the fact that I had a failure as a life, and it was okay. I think I had come to terms with the fact that my life was a failure, and that there seemed to be nothing I could do about it. And then, in the most unbelievable, most amazing, most miraculous stroke of luck that is imaginable, Gangaji appeared in the prison in which I was spending time. And I failed at failure. In the meeting with Gangaji, the whole life was revealed to be redeemed. Now, for a while, I have been traveling around wherever people will sit still long enough to hear me, and speaking to them from my experience in this meeting with Gangaji. Everything I speak of is what I have discovered in this meeting with her. What I have discovered in listening to her, and following her guidance and instruction. Sometimes the things that I speak about are unrecognizable as having come from her, but that's mostly because it comes through this strange, bizarre and crooked form. What I have discovered in this meeting with Gangaji is that you are perfect. You are absolutely free. Now, in this moment, you are without problems. You are without suffering, without ignorance and without clarity. You are perfect, empty, openhearted consciousness, aware of itself as you. And everything whatsoever that we do with the purpose of finding fulfillment and satisfaction in these lives only postpones the moment when we can discover that there's absolutely nothing to get. Nowhere to go. Nothing to do. Nothing to understand. Everything whatsoever that you have ever wanted, no matter what you might think you have wanted, you already have. Actually, it's less than that. You already are. It's so much closer than having. And all of the practices, all the philosophies, all of the teachings that we fall in love with and imagine will give us what we're looking for have no meaning. You are free. You are absolute, openhearted consciousness itself playing as you. Any discussion that we have as to what might be done to resolve whatever issues or problems or short-comings that you might imagine to be present, any discussion that we have to that end, also is an absolute waste of time. There's nothing for you to do. It really is this simple. There's nothing to get. There's nothing to understand. Therefore, stop trying. All of the great teachers, all of them, have told us the same thing. They have told us we are what we seek. And for the most part, what we say is something on the order of "Oh, I get it. It's you." And then we get busy trying to be what we imagine "you" to be like. This is so simple. Ramana made this startling assertion that I first read, and puzzled over, and was perplexed about, when I was in prison. Ramana said, "The only thing standing between you and Self-realization is the belief that you are not already fully realized." Now, just as you are. Nothing changed. Nothing fixed. Nothing straightened out. Nothing made to go away. Nothing made to come or stay. Just as you are. Unconditionally realized, perfection itself. Just as you are. And this is where it gets to the "tricky" part. Because we say, and I say, "Stop." Stop doing whatever you're doing to get what you think you need. And the tricky part is that there is absolutely no way to tell that any stopping has taken place. The activity goes on just as it always has. You didn't start it, you can't bring it to an end. The mind in its madness, in its conversation with itself, in its monitoring of its behavior, that too can very well continue. Playing. Meaning nothing. You didn't start that, you can't stop that. The negative emotions, the greediness, the lust, the grasping, the wanting…That too may never stop. It may play for the rest of this life. You didn't start that; you can't bring it to an end. The truth is, so far as I can tell, we didn't have anything to do with "leela," none of this play, none of this amazing manifestation. So far as I can tell, we arrive in these lives like plopped down into a virtual reality video game. We don't know what the rules are; we don't know who or what we are; we don't know what the object is; we don't know what pitfalls and obscurations may lay in our path. We have only this impetus, this energy to move, to do, to become, to figure it out, knowing all the time that there's something missing, something wrong. That there is some purpose for me being here, some object to this game. Click her to read More > |
| Organic News Briefs from the Organic Trade Association | 0 comments |
| 1 Jul 2005 @ 05:52 Organic News Briefs from the Organic Trade Association Posted 6/30/05 News update for July 2005 of The O'Mama Report Organic demand continues to rise, increasing the need for more organic farmers. * Organic food and beverage sales are growing faster than those of their natural counterparts, according to the Natural Marketing Institute's (NMI's) 2005 Health and Wellness Trends Report published in March. The report estimates sales of packaged organic foods and beverages grew by 18 percent during the past year, to reach $10.9 billion. Sales of natural foods and beverages were estimated to have grown 4 percent over the same period, to about $11.3 billion. The findings are based on data collected from over 2,000 U.S. households. * The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service has launched a "Help Wanted: Organic Farmers" campaign to raise awareness in the farm community of the need to expand organic production and increase the number of organic farmers to satisfy growing consumer demand for organically produced food. * Demand for organic milk is outpacing supplies in some regions, according to media reports, noting that some stores have put up signs warning consumers that they have been unable to keep enough in stock. Large dairy cooperatives, such as Organic Valley, are actively working with dairy producers to help them convert to organic production to help meet demand. Research continues to find benefits of organic farming and products. ? Mary Chapman and Betty Ishida of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Albany, CA, discovered that organic ketchup contains higher levels of lycopene than conventional counterparts. The scientists tested lycopene levels and antioxidant activity in 13 different ketchup brands, and found the three organic varieties had higher lycopene levels. * A study led by extension researcher Kathleen Delate and USDA soil scientist Cynthia Cambardella at Iowa State University has compared yields, pest status and soil quality during transition from conventional to organic production in Iowa. The results, published in the September-October 2004 edition of the Agronomy Journal (Vol. 96: 1,288-1,298), showed that in the first three years of transition, soybean yields between conventional and organic crops were not statistically different, while yellow dent corn yields were equivalent in organic and conventional plots. In the fourth year, organic corn yield and soybean yield in one treatment surpassed conventional yield. Their conclusion: "Organic grain crops can be successfully produced in the three years of transition to organic, and additional economic benefits can be derived from expanded crop rotations." * Taste tests found organically and conventionally grown potatoes may be told apart by flavor but only if the potato skins are left on, according to research conducted at The Ohio State University. The results were published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (April 15, 2005). ? Rats fed organic food were slimmer, slept better, and had stronger immune systems than those fed conventionally grown produce, according to a team of scientists from the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Dr. Kirsten Brandt of Newcastle University's School of Agriculture. Findings were reported in the Feb. 18, 2005, issue of The Scotsman. * At the international congress Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health, Professor Carlo Leifert of Newcastle University reported findings that organically produced food had higher level of specific antioxidants and lower mycotoxin levels than conventional samples, and that grass-based organic cattle diets reduce the risk of E. coli contamination while grain-based conventional diets increase the risk. Organic products are receiving more attention in additional supermarkets, medical settings, and other venues. * Dominick's has remodeled its grocery store in Northfield, IL, to a Lifestyle format that features an organic food section double the size of that in a traditional Dominick's store. * Cub Foods has been certified as an organic retailer by Quality Assurance International. The certification applies to all 66 Cub West stores. * Kroger was scheduled to begin publishing Optimum Wellness, a monthly magazine featuring stories on health, food recipes and lifestyle management, including a focus on organic, starting July 1, and distributing it in its Ralphs, Quality Food Centers, and King Soopers supermarket chains. * United Supermarkets, which operates 47 stores in West and North Central Texas, is adopting a new labeling system for food products that flags items according to specific attributes. Green labels indicate certified organic. * Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz, CA, has taken steps to serve organic, sustainably grown, in-season food. * Darlington Memorial Hospital in Darlington in the United Kingdom has begun serving organic milk to its patients. * San Diego's Petco Park and St. Louis's Busch Stadium are testing sales of certified organic hot dogs and bratwurst this season. Delaware North Companies Sportservice handles these concessions. * FreshDirect, a New York City Internet-based grocery company, has begun offering organic shrimp as well as organic beef among its products to consumers. * Organic To Go, a retailer of organic and natural meals to go, has signed a lease for a 425-square-foot space in a building in downtown Seattle, WA. The company's first store opened in November in Issaquah, WA. * Independent distributors of Snapple in New England have agreed to carry Steaz Green Tea Soda manufactured by Organic Trade Association member company Healthy Beverage Co. This means the drink will be available in such venues as gas stations and even a Subway sandwich stop in Montpelier, VT. * Horst Rechelbacher has opened up The In, a combination organic restaurant, bar and retail shop, in Minneapolis, MN, to promote healthy living and environmental practices. * Sustain in Chicago has developed a regional organic label to connect consumers with regional organic family farmers. The label includes a FamilyFarmed.org logo, the place of production, and the name of the farmer who grew the product. Meanwhile, additional manufacturers are beginning to offer organic products. * Campbell Soup Co., which entered the organic processed food market with organic tomato juice in September 2003, has since begun rolling out organic V-8 juice, two organic tomato pastes, two organic salsas, two organic versions under the Prego label, and organic Swanson chicken broth and beef broth. A company spokesman in May predicted that other large companies would begin introducing organic versions under familiar brand names. * This is already becoming a trend. Unilever recently introduced a line of organic sauces under its Ragu brand. * In addition, ConAgra Foods announced it will introduce Hunt's® organic tomato products and Orville Redenbacher's® organic microwave popcorn later this year. * House of Bread Franchising has added organic bread to its line of baked goods. Organic products continue to be a hot topic in schools, at universities, and even within churches. * Washington State University is expanding organic production on its three-acre certified organic farm and is offering a six-credit summer course on organic farming and gardening. * In Paris, France, cafeterias in half of the preschools have received subsidies to provide organic beef burgers, potatoes, spinach and carrots, while schoolchildren through age 14 in the Second District are offered a range of organic choices, according to an article in the March 10 issue of The New Zealand Herald. * The Church of England in the United Kingdom is considering adopting environmentally friendly practices, including offering organic wine and bread during communion. * The University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany, is the first university in Europe to offer a master's degree in Organic Food Chain Management. Studies verify that organic products are on consumers' shopping list. * A study by Mintel from 2002 to 2004 showed the number of people purchasing organic products rose to 41 percent, from 34 percent. The largest age-group jump occurred in the 18- to 24-bracket, growing from 28 percent to 47 percent. Use in the 55- to 64-year-old group grew from 24 percent to 37 percent. * Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) has launched a new campaign, entitled Sustainable Table, to help educate consumers on how to shop smarter, eat healthier, and enjoy the abundance of fresh, nutritious meat and produce (www.SustainableTable.org). This web site also links to the Eat Well Guide, an online directory of meat, poultry, dairy and eggs produced using sustainable practices including organic methods, and to the online advocacy film, The Meatrix. * Chefs surveyed by the Center for Culinary Development predicted that organic, whole and natural foods such as fruit, vegetables and animal products would become more popular in mid-size towns due to consumers' growing interest in the origins of the food that they eat. In addition, the market for organic fast food and prepared foods is expected to grow, reported Marc Halperin in an article in the March 2005 issue of Food Creation. * Seventy-three percent of readers taking part in a recent Bon Appetit magazine poll cited organic food as a rising food trend. |
| All About Bio-Diesel | 0 comments |
| 1 Jul 2005 @ 04:39 Here is a great link from Astrid that tells all about the history and manufacturing of bio-diesel. |