The Genographic Project

The National Geographic Society is conducting a study called "The Genographic Project". It is a study of the root of the emergence of human kind to determine the quintessential mystery - where did we come from?

They are following the Y marker, the male marker, which is in our chromosomes. Samples of DNA were taken from peoples all over the globe. The Y marker was traced to 60,000 years ago in Africa, where we all descended from a common father. National Geographic is code naming him Adam.

As the migration from the source started, different markers appeared. Some went to the East, some to the South, some to the North , some to the West, and then so on and so on. The study so far has given scientific evidence of the DNA studied prooves that 99.99% descended from the same Y marker.
https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html

Fascinating stuff here. Very kabbalistic. Anybody can send in their DNA, and find out which marker they descended from. It isn't a way to find relatives, we're going back 35 to 45,000 years here. It costs $100.000
The head of the project is Spencer Wells. I saw the story on Cooper Anderson on CNN.
.....

Whatever is going on with the Ports - that is something beyond my comprehension.
Today's New York Times story :

Dubai Company Delays New Role at Six U.S. Ports
By DAVID S. CLOUD and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: February 24, 2006
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 —
The Dubai company at the center of a political furor over its plans to take over some terminal operations at six American ports said Thursday night that it planned to close the deal next week, but that it would "not exercise control" over its new operations in the United States while the Bush administration tried to calm opposition in Congress.

The statement may provide a little time and political breathing room for President Bush, who has appeared stunned at the opposition from Republicans and Democrats alike over the deal involving one of the country's few close Arab allies.

But it was not clear how long the company was willing to suspend control over its new American properties, or whether its offer would assuage the members of Congress, governors and mayors who have vowed to block the deal.

In a statement, the company, Dubai Ports World, said that its $6.85 billion purchase of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company of Britain spanned 30 terminals in 18 countries.
.....
My only comment is Oy. 30 terminals in 18 countries. At least the controlling forces in this ridiculous facade of chaos and corruption are being brought to light.
What We, as a People, do with this information is up to us.
Again, Oy.
.....
Sasha Cohen won Silver.
The Olympic committee changed the rules for scoring. A lot of the old time skaters are commenting that the new scoring policy takes away from the skater's chance to do artistic interpretation because of all the jumps they need to do in 4 minutes. Figure Skating started as Artistic Interpretation on the Ice. Sasha Cohen manages to artistically interpret.
The Japanese skater won the Gold, and Irina won Bronze. It was Irina's last chance in the Olympics.
.....
Today is Ting's 22nd death anniversary. Ting was my lynx point Siamese cat. He's been dead over twice as long as he was alive - he was only 10 when he died. Can you imagine that I love him every day of my life. He had blue eyes. And he spoke English.
.....
This week's Torah Portion Mishpatim, and blessing of the new month of Adar. Here's a quantum synchronicity. I was just doing my studying for before Shabbat. Mishpatim has to do with the laws, but the metaphor is reincarnation. All this week, my lovely neighbor Ash who has been helping me with the house has been asking about reincarnation, because she is Hindu, and just as in Kabbalah, reincarnation is a basic premise. Not only is this an example of quantum synchronicity, but also an example of how the energies of the Torah portion repeat themselves, and exist in the quantum universe of energy. Ah ha. That's a seeing right through the opaque. :D
I love to do the New Month posts.
:D
One of my passions.

Oh - I've got a new student, B'H. :D

Candelighting 6:04, forward 5 minutes.

Remember -
We're one but we're not the same we have to carry each other carry each other
one - U2.
One of those quintessential enigmas

This is my favourite post on my blog ::
http://esotericspiritualconsciousness.blogspot.com/2006/01/clinton-at-davos.html
Just Because.
I'm presenting an example of differences in energies. The quintessential paradox. How do we tell the difference between what it termed good, what is termed bad. There is a difference. A palpable difference. This is one o them 'xamples. One man sang. One man isn't singing. Different energies.
Also, I got the Liel CD's today. She's absolutely fabulous. She sings in different languages, English, Hebrew,Arabic, Italian, Spanish. Also, I find that as she switches languages so does my brain. Because music is the language of the soul. Wonderful.
I watch this video frequently. It has the energy of meaningfulness. Is that a word? It is now. :D
http://www.liel.net/Liel-ClintonVideo2.wmv

Good Daily Dose :
B"H
Truth Anywhere
Truth can come from anywhere -- there is nothing that does not have its truth.
Because, without a spark of truth, nothing can exist. Not even falseness.
Therefore, the wise man is he who knows how to learn truth from every person and discover the truth of each thing.
hmmmmmm
As we watch History becoming itself
and we
hmmmmmmm


Shabbat Shalom
.....

The Muses of the Ice

Shizuka Arakawa - Japan
Sasha Cohen - USA
Irina Slutskaya - Russia

US Ports story Continues, Sasha Cohen

Oligarchy
noun plural
a form of government in which power is vested in a few persons
a state so ruled
the persons so ruling
. that really should be in E Space.

Sounds like this might be happening in the US of A. Bruce Springsteen used the word in a New York Times editorial. Bruce is one of those prophet types.
This is the concealed becoming revealed. It is to me at least. The Entire East Coast is Being Controlled, and has been. Wow.

Bush won't take no for an answer, won't listen to anybody, and will have his will be done.

From the New York Times today:

Bush Would Veto Any Bill Halting Dubai Port Deal

DAVID E. SANGER and ERIC LIPTON
Published: February 22, 2006
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 — President Bush, trying to put down a rapidly escalating rebellion among leaders of his own party, said Tuesday that he would veto any legislation blocking a deal for a state-owned company in Dubai to take over the management of port terminals in New York, Miami, Baltimore and other major American cities.

Mr. Bush issued the threat after the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, and the House speaker, J. Dennis Hastert, publicly criticized the deal and said a thorough review was necessary to ensure that terrorists could not exploit the arrangement to slip weapons into American ports. Mr. Bush suggested that the objections to the deal might be based on bias against a company from the Middle East, one he said was an ally in fighting terrorism.

If there was any chance that this transaction would jeopardize the security of the United States, it would not go forward," Mr. Bush said, discussing a government review of the deal that began in October and ended on Jan. 16 without producing any objections from officials in his administration.

The president added, "This is a company that has played by the rules, that has been cooperative with the United States, a country that's an ally in the war on terror, and it would send a terrible signal to friends and allies not to let this transaction go through."

The White House was taken by surprise when Mr. Frist and Mr. Hastert joined Democratic leaders in Congress and other prominent Republicans, including Mayor Michael R.Bloomberg and Gov. George E. Pataki of New York, in calling for the government to stop the deal from closing next week as scheduled.

"We have not received the necessary assurances regarding security concerns," Mr. Bloomberg wrote in a letter to the president on Tuesday evening. He said he was joining New York's two Democratic senators, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles E. Schumer, in calling for a 45-day investigation of the deal under a federal law that governs the review of foreign investments.

Mr. Bush rarely makes veto threats, and he has not vetoed a single bill in his more than five years in office. He issued his remarks after calling reporters into his conference room aboard Air Force One while flying back to Washington from Colorado, and then repeated them for television cameras after stepping out of his helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House.

The White House appeared to have considered the deal routine, especially because so many foreign firms — from Singapore, Denmark and Japan — run major port terminals in the United States and have for years. But Senator Schumer, in an interview, said: "I don't think China or Britain or many of the others have the nexus with terrorism that Dubai has. What kind of controls do they have to prevent infiltration?"

.....

And the story goes on.
Bloomberg is a business man first, politician second. I kind of trust his judgement on matters like this.
I never even knew that the East Coast ports were run by a foreign company.
I did get lost in Port Newark and Port Elizabeth more times than I want to remember. The signs at Newark Airport are baaad. Make a wrong turn, and you are in the ports. Not a comforting place to be, let me tell ya.

This is weird. The story is changing. This is what MSNBC is reporting now.

Bush unaware of port deal until after approval
White House: President only learned recently of handover to Arab firm

BREAKING NEWS
Updated: 10:43 a.m. ET Feb. 22, 2006
WASHINGTON -

President Bush was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration, the White House said Wednesday.

Defending the deal anew, the administration also said that it should have briefed Congress sooner about the transaction, which has triggered a major political backlash among both Republicans and Democrats.

Bush on Tuesday brushed aside objections by leaders in the Senate and House that the $6.8 billion sale could raise risks of terrorism at American ports. In a forceful defense of his administration’s earlier approval of the deal, he pledged to veto any bill Congress might approve to block the agreement.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11494815/

All of a sudden he didn't know. He knew. There is a history of connections between the current rulers and this Arab Emigrate Company.
?? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????

.....

Sasha Cohen is First Place in the Olympics after Women's short program.
She was wearing a red string. I found that quite interesting.
I love Sasha Cohen. I think she's a great skater. I hope she gets the Gold . :D
.....

Saturn's Moons

Since Saturn is the ruling planet of Shevat, Aquarius, during which we are connecting to Tzadick, here are some pics.
The news is just too disturbing. I can't even go there.
Oh well.
Better days are coming.
Or not.
They have to be.
Why?
Cause.




Saturn's Rings have their own atmosphere
Saturn's Moon Titan
Saturn's Moon Phoebe


.....

United Arab Emigrates Company to take over 6 US Ports

This is the story.

Don't sound quite right to me.

As a citizen of the USA.

I don't think I want our ports being watched over by a foreign based corporation, whether Arab or whatever.

It is all about the money and greed, ain't it.
Just like Syriana.

This is the story from CNN. Lets see what the Times says tomorrow.
Bush faces pressure to block port deal
Lawmakers voice concerns about takeover by Dubai-based firm
Monday, February 20, 2006; Posted: 9:57 p.m. EST (02:57 GMT)

The Port of Newark, New Jersey, shown here, is one of the facilities affected by the deal.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Monday faced political pressure to block a deal that would give a United Arab Emirates-based company management of six major U.S. seaports.

The deal -- which will affect the ports of New York and New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Miami, Florida; and New Orleans, Louisiana -- has triggered security concerns among some members of Congress and the public.

and blah it goes on.

Jersey always wiggles her way in there.
.....

Hibiscus in bloom
Awesome
isn't it.

Awe

Ileya posted the comment three times, which is what it should be. Right, left and center. She is one of the ones who is totally connected to the reality beyond the facade.
Ileya is one of those enigmas. http://vickebespace.blogspot.com/2006/02/enigma.html
We are but Souls passing each other
Knowing each other with
a knowing that is almost frightening.
Understand and caring.

Ileya mentioned 'awe', which is one of the key concepts of kabbalah and the Sephirot.
To be constantly in awe of the infinite within the variety of creation. In all its forms.
In religion, awe is interpreted as fear. That's a corruption. Something that was twisted and then used as a tool to control. Power and Greed. Even in the dictionary, awe is associated with fear.

dictionary -
awe
noun
verb
a feeling of reverence, fear and wonder.
synonyms
n. wonder
fear
respect
v. astonish
terrify
daunt
command respect

some words that rhyme with awe
caw
draw
flaw
paw
saw
guffau
Esau
law

.....
In kabbalah, awe is the spaces between the Sephirot.
Each Sefira, within it, contains all 10 Sephirot. The awe is the space between, which really isn't space at all, just a differention in energy. So awe is the connection to the endless - where everythingness and nothingness exist at the same moment. Singularity. All energy. All.

The period in Tishrei, from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe.
Metaphorically and spiritually speaking, what it means is that the spaces, the awe, become constricted, the spaces close, therefore the lower planes are closer to the higher planes. Of course, it is also interpreted as those days when you lay all your faults on the table and beg forgiveness. That's the fear part which has become associated with awe.
But in the higher real reality, that isn't awe at all.

A funny story about awe. When I was taking a class in Manhattan on the Sephirot, our teacher, Moshe, was explaining awe, in relation to the Ari's linear theory. We don't have to get into that now, but it is the theory of the point then the line before the sphere. Before the spheres emerged, there was the point - the tip of the yud, as it were, then the thin line of being etched into the nothing everything ness. Point line.
Moshe, with his cute little Israli accent, prounced it "oh". Nobody could understand what he was saying, and the class repeated "oh"????
I knew what he was talking about, so I translated for the class. Not "oh" - " awe " - a - w - e .
Of course, I got into trouble. Firstly, because Moshe was taken aback that I knew what he was talking about. Second, that the class was taken aback because I knew awe.
But, I still don't keep my mouth shut.
Ha.
I may not be good at managing money, but I know what awe is.
Oh well.
Dig today's Daily Dose :
There are universal truths. In them we are all united. But we are not meant to all be the same. Our differences are as valuable to our Creator as our similarities.

The is the consciousness concept that there must be a many in order to comprehend the concept of a one.
Mathematically for the Sephirot : 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10. So 4 had to exist before 10 could exist.

Living with a sense of awe and wonder is where the real connection to the true reality which is beyond the reality lies.
Ileya, being ileya, hit the nail right on the head.

Here in Florida, the geraniums are in bloom. The cypress trees are shedding, pollinating, and it looks like snow.

Awe Without Fear.

Chicken Little? Where is the Sky?

I've been Chicken Littleing for a couple of months now.
But
this is really really strange.
It seems that Disney has the movie, "Chicken Little" opening soon.
I went to the market this morning. They were giving out sample of Fuji apples that were artificially flavoured to taste like grape soda. They are called Grapples, and are advertising the film. They come in a plastic container of 4 grape soda apples. They left that funny feeling in my mouth like I had just sucked on a tissue. Cotton mouth.
That is a little too absurd for me.
And
What are they using for the artificial flavour?
Why should an apple taste like grape soda?
Isn't this just too black comedy?
Has life in general become a farce?
Questions, questions, questions.

Beyond Distraught

I find myself beyond distraught. What does that mean? It means, whatever.

I'm drifting.

Lets see news. So Happy.

Deadly bird flu widens its reach

France has taken steps to try to stop the virus reaching its poultry
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has continued to spread, with India, France and Iran becoming the latest countries to confirm the presence of the virus.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4728632.stm

There is a female wild turkey who has been hanging out in front of my house, and my neighbor's house. She lost her mate. We talk. She's scared, because her species is dying out. Her tail feathers shine golden in the sun. Her name is Mick.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2006/2006021321736.html

February 13, 2006
NEW YORKERS’ WORKWEEK CLOUDS AIR WITH TINY PARTICLES, STUDY FINDS
Can the workaholic patterns of “the city that never sleeps” affect New York City’s weather?

A recent NASA study reports that they do. Researchers have detected for the first time in an American city a workweek pattern of tiny particles in the air called aerosols, believed to be generated by the comings and goings of people working in the city.
The study also finds these urban aerosols, thickest on Wednesdays and lightest on weekends, can influence air temperatures and cloud cover in densely populated cities.

The study, conducted using New York City as its test case, finds that aerosol cycles are affected by city structures, geography, and human activities like vehicle use and construction. The researchers gathered data over four summers from 2000 to 2004 to complete the study.

Specifically, they used aerosol data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard NASA’s Terra satellite, and daily and hourly measurements from NASA’s AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET), a ground-based network of sensors that detect aerosols in the air.

According to researchers, the major rise in human activity over the past century has interrupted the natural relationship between land surfaces and vegetation that contributes to changes in air temperatures and climate.

This is especially true when it comes to construction of buildings and roads. T
his results in small airborne particles called aerosols composed of dust from construction sites, fossil fuel combustion from car and truck exhaust, and power generation. The more dense a city’s residential and commuter populations, the more roads and buildings are built and used.

This in turn leads to a greater concentrations of aerosols in the air.
How might these workweek fluctuations in the thickness of aerosols in the air affect weather in the Big Apple? Will it rain more or less as a result? Do these tiny particles make the sky cloudier or clearer?

The study’s observations have added to our understanding of daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal and annual cycles of aerosols, and how these particles might affect clouds and rainfall in urban areas.

“Though longer observations are needed, the weekly pattern of aerosols can indeed be used to better understand weather. Aerosols affect the formation of clouds. In turn, they also affect how much rainfall there is, and land surface temperatures,” said the study’s lead author Menglin Jin, a visiting scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and a researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park, Md.

“The weekly cycle of aerosols in New York City has been linked to observed weekly cycles in air temperatures and clouds. In particular, rain clouds over the city tend to be thicker and the air temperatures a bit lower on weekends than during the workweek. All of these changes in the air are critical in weather forecasting.”

Aerosols are known to serve as nuclei for water and ice droplets to form around.
Previous research indicates that greater concentrations of aerosols disperse water among more nuclei, leading to higher concentrations of cloud drops that are smaller in size. These smaller drops may fail to grow big enough to fall as rain, therefore, reducing rainfall in urban areas.

Opposite to this, however, heated urban surfaces such as roads, parking lots and buildings cause stronger convection, or the rising of hot air, which can cause more rainfall.
The overall effect on rainfall over New York City is actually a result of these two competing processes. Thus aerosols do indeed play a role in big city weather.

The study distinguished between both distant and local sources of urban aerosols and found a clear weekly cycle in New York City during the summers of 2000 to 2004 for locally-produced aerosols. During New York summers, aerosols were thickest midweek and lightest on weekends. The finding suggests the weekly pattern is caused by the human workweek, since there are no known seven-day natural cycles.

By comparison, clouds were thicker over the weekends. According to the study’s authors, this finding appears to also be connected to aerosols, which may provide nuclei for water droplets to form around, creating more droplets and thicker clouds.

By comparison, clouds had higher concentrations of large droplets over the weekends. According to the study’s authors, midweek aerosols appear to provide higher concentrations of nuclei for water droplets to form around, creating higher concentrations of cloud droplets.

The paper, co-authored by Michael King, NASA’s Earth Observing System Senior Project Scientist and Marshall Shepherd, former NASA Deputy Project Scientist for Global Precipitation Measurement, appeared in the American Geophysical Union’s Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres in 2005. To read the full text of this study on the Web, visit: This text derived from http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/ny_air.html
......
I've been saying this for years. When I left NYC in 2004 to come down to Fla, breathing the air was like breathing in cracked glass. Commuters always knew about Wednesdays. We used to blame it on Matinee day, but it was no air. You can't breathe in NYC. And New Yorkers have developed a Holier than Thou attitude, much worse than every before. Dangerous stuff.

Everybody keeps telling me I'm lying. Sorry for this, but I say fuck you all.

There are different perceptions of reality. I see with a seeing most people do not use.
If I'm different honour my differences and stop with the criticism. You're all a bunch of crackpots anyway.
.....
Enigma
.....
Paradox
.....
Hey
Listen
Listen and see
because you can see
the results.
What you have to do
Is Help somebody else.
Totally unconditionally and with no personal agenda. You have to want it more for the other person than for yourself.
Selfless vs,. selfish
Otherwise
the result
has shown itself to be
war chaos destruction
and all that good stuff depressed poets write about.
care about each other.
.....
Yeah, right.
I'm halluncinating again.
.....

The Sun and the Moon at the North Pole

Thanks to ileya, a true blessing in my life, for this wonderful photo.

Candelighting 5:59, forward 5 minutes.

Parashat Yitro

Shabbat Shalom

.....

that's my brain frying.
pretty.

Is it really a big joke?

The Vice President of the United States of America shot somebody.
That is about the only truth we know.

The media in the US is having fun with the story - jokes abound - but it ain't no joke, this. {David Letterman was brilliantly funny, I have to admit}. W

When I look back through my blog, and I see this little record of history from the perspective of a seeker of truth and knowledge, I wonder a lot.

I had mentioned in a previous post that things are going to be revealed that are beyond our wildest imaginations. In that sense, this fits the bill.
Who would'a thunk.

Sad state of affairs.

From BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4715232.stm

Cheney to give shooting account

US Vice-President Dick Cheney is to make his first public comments since accidentally shooting his hunting companion on Saturday.

Mr Cheney, under growing pressure from politicians and the media to make a statement, will appear on Fox TV.

Harry Whittington, 78, was left with pellets in his body after the shooting on a ranch in Texas, leading to a minor heart attack, doctors said.

He has been moved back into intensive care but is said to be on the mend.

The BBC's Justin Webb says the strange affair has become a potential political liability for the White House.

Democrats have sensed the discomfort of the vice-president and have pounced on it, he says.
'Secretive nature'

Mr Cheney - who visited Mr Whittington in hospital a day after the shooting and telephoned him on Tuesday to offer support - is scheduled to appear on Fox News on Wednesday.

Democratic leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, said on Tuesday he thought it was time the American people heard from Mr Cheney.

CHENEY SHOOTING TIMELINE
Sat 11 Feb 1830*: incident takes place
1930: President Bush informed
2000: Bush told Cheney pulled trigger
2115: Whittington is flown to hospital and put into intensive care
Sun 12 Feb 1400: Cheney's office confirms incident to Corpus Christi Caller-Times
1448: Caller-Times runs Katherine Armstrong's account
Early Sun eve: Cheney visits Whittington in hospital
Mon 13 Feb 1500: Whittington moved from intensive care
Tue 14 Feb 0730: Whittington suffers minor heart attack and moved back into intensive care
1330: Cheney calls Whittington to wish him well
*All times EST (GMT-5)

Mr Reid said the vice-president's failure to make any public comment was part of the secretive nature of the Bush administration.

President Ronald Reagan's former press secretary, Marlin Fitzwater, said he was "appalled" by the White House handling of the incident.

Katharine Armstrong, the owner of the private ranch where the accident occurred, said Mr Cheney had turned round to shoot at a bird, unaware Mr Whittington was behind him, and sprayed him with shotgun pellets.

Mr Whittington, a lawyer, was hit in the cheek, neck and chest.

Despite the heart problem, doctors said Mr Whittington was now on the road to recovery.

He is now sitting up and eating regularly - and even preparing some legal work, according to a spokesman for the Christus Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Mr Whittington was moved to intensive care for privacy rather than medical reasons, the hospital added.

Doctors have said the lawyer will probably have the pellets in his body for the rest of his life.

.....
The story reads like a really really really bad novel.
Sighs.
.....

Wow. And Cheney is taking the blame.

Cheney takes responsibility for shooting

Updated: 6:52 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2006

WASHINGTON -
Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday accepted full blame for shooting a fellow hunter and defended his decision to not publicly disclose the accident until the following day.

He called it “one of the worst days of my life.”

“I’m the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry,” Cheney told Fox News Channel in his first public comments since the shooting Saturday in south Texas.

Fox’s Brit Hume, who conducted the interview, said Cheney told him he had “a beer” with lunch hours before the accident. Hume said Cheney told him “no one was drinking” while hunting.

Regarding the more than 20 hours it took for the incident to be reported to the press, Cheney told Hume, “Accuracy was enormously important. I had no press person with me.”

Katharine Armstrong, who owns the ranch where Cheney was shooting, ultimately reported the story to a local Texas newspaper, not Cheney himself.

“There are a lot of basic important parts of the story that required some degree of understanding,” Cheney said, noting that the reporter Armstrong first spoke with did not know the difference between a rifle bullet and a shotgun shell. “And so we were confident that Katherine was the right one, especially because she was an eyewitness and she could speak authoritatively on it. She probably knew better than I did what had happened since I’d only seen one piece of it.”

Cheney was soft-spoken and somber during the interview.
‘
It was not Harry’s fault’“You can talk about all of the other conditions that exist at the time but that’s the bottom line and — it was not Harry’s fault,” he said. “You can’t blame anybody else.

I’m the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend.”

.....
Wow. A confession. I didn't expect that. Let's see where we go with this.

Anybody wanna adopt a baby boomer American Woman ?
.....

Thanks to the New York Times, you can see the snowflake feathers. Of course, there are the Taxi cabs, but that's New York City.

The Snowflakes were falling feathers.

In New Jersey
During the February Blizzard of 2006
as reported by a person I know

The snowflakes were feathers.

Feathered snowflakes are my favourites.

The feathered snowflakes fluttered
peacefully
silently
then
there was
snow.

30 inches of it :D

The secret of musing on trees is that they are ruach hakodesh. ha. i figured it out.
they're giving me pagan ritual, and religous nonsense, but that's the secret, i figured it out.
trees breathe out oxygen. we breathe in oxygen. we're totally connected. and trees and ruach hakodesh. its all in the letters. you tell me stuff, then you contradict yourself. but ha. that's why they don't want women to study this stuff. cause we're the understanding of the wisdom, whithout which there can be no knowledge, which is da'at.
ha.

Happy New Year of Trees

In every seed there is the promise of new life.
May we, in our lives, plant seeds of wisdom, friendship and peace.
May we in our lives extend our perception from opaque to translucent to transparent so we may behold the true reality of spirit.

Le Shana Tova Uveracha P'ri utenuva.
May the year be fruitful and blessed.
.....

Blizzard '06 Tree in Central Park, NYC Photo courtesy Newsday.

Total snowfall in New Jersey , NYC and Westchester County 24 - 30 inches.
I loved to dive into the snow and make snow angels.
A snow mikve is the best.
Then comes all the gunky clean up, and everybody has to go to work on Monday, and what a hassle. Because we try to fight the Natural Systems instead of acknowledging and entering into the energy ot them.
Tomorow the snow will be black in NYC.
The North East Blizzard of '06 is over, unless another one comes on top of it.
Mark my words, the snow crocuses will be up early this year.
.
..
...
....
.....

snowflake photos patricia rasmussen

Blizzardo in the NorthEast, Bird Flu, Spies and Lies, Wailing Whales

As I write, New Jersey and New York , my old stomping ground, are being hit by the first major snowfall of this Winter season. As of Now, 11:45 AM EST, Central Park has about 23 inches of snow.
Ah those North East Blizzards - what fun.
And the snow falls
silently, of course
and the North Wind a' blows
and everything gets
white.
The Trees get Covered in White.
Beauty in its most pristine.
The Evergreens are weighted with snow, their bottom branches touching the earth. And the falling snow is millions and millions of snowflakes, each one different and magnificent in its own glory, feeling no jealousy or hatred because the snowflake knows, that when it falls along with all the others, they make snow. Snowflakes make snow. THE SUM OF THE PARTS IS GREATER THAN THE WHOLE. SNOWFLAKES KNOW.
What a gift for Tu B'Shevat. I still have the Fiber Optic Tree going. The colours shift as the season s shift. I thought I would take it down after Tu B'Shevat, but I don't know if I can .
I also plugged in the Fiber Optic Snow Village in Honour of the Blizzard. And I'll Wear White Today.
However
The Silence
And the Beauty
are
Fleeting.

Then comes the hard part. Shovelling out. Yuch. Getting 23 inches of snow out of your driveway is neither pleasant nor easy. If you have had any type of cardiac event, snow shovelling is an absolute no no. Absolute. I know.
Since I'm in Florida now, I cannot help but muse upon the difference between blizzards and hurricanes.
The first Hurricane I Experienced was Charlie. My consciousness approached the upcoming storm with the consciousness of a blizzard. When a blizzard is coming, you prepare beforehand. Soup is a necessity. Blankets are a necessity. Usually, in Jersey anyway, you don't worry about power outages - I had them when I was up there, but that's why you have blankets.
Then it snows, and the wind blows, and you watch the silent snow falling, covering eveything with a blanket of white. And you listen to the North Wind Blowing - because the North Wind has a distinct sound - wwoooooooooooww- . And I always had at least 6 more inches than anybody else because my double driveway was a wind tunnel. Today, they're expecting 16-24 inches.
I don't have to shovel out. Ha.
Back to Hurricanes vs. Blizzards.
The most dangerous thing about a blizzard is being stuck in your car. That's how people die, and it is really human stupidity, not Mother Nature. You need shelter and warmth during a blizzard.
Hurricanes are completely different. First of all, Hurricanes are Named. Second of all, the storms are a long time comin' - they sit and spin and gain strength. Third of all, hurricanes are deadly of themselves.
Blizzards
Hurricanes
Both Water Based Storms.
Blizzards are prettier. Hurricanes are deadlier and more destructive.
I prefer blizzards over hurricanes.
hmmmm.

.....
Bird Flu, Avian Flu, is spreading. This is something very dangerous. Don't eat chicken. I stopped eating chicken months ago, but I have had chicken recently because I'm being fed by my neighbors, bless them. NO MORE EATING CHICKEN. Chicken? Little? I also stopped feeding the cats anything chicken based months ago, and wait until you see the whale story.
My opinion is that it is a mutant virus, feeding upon mutant birds. Viruses are smart - they need a host in order to survive. The fowl for food industry has become pretty disgusting over the years. Now there is a new class of fowl, mutated from the original species because the bird was taken out of its original habitat, and a new mutant virus. Good fit.
Nobody can figure out the path this virus is taking, or why. Now, with this new update, it seems that wild birds are being infected. That means that the virus has mutated again. Just like in "The Andromeda Strain", Michael Crichton's first book.

Fascinating.
New York Times says :
Bird Flu Detected in Greece, Italy and Bulgaria
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: February 12, 2006
The lethal A(H5N1) bird flu virus has been detected in wild birds in Italy and Greece, European officials announced yesterday, the first time its presence has been detected in the European Union. It was also detected in Bulgaria.

Swans in Stavros, Greece. The bird flu virus has been detected for the first time in European Union nations, European officials said Saturday.

News Analysis: A Worrisome New Front (February 12, 2006)
"The bird flu virus has arrived in Italy," said Francesco Storace, the Italian health minister, at a news conference, announcing that 17 swans had been found dead in three southern regions, Calabria, Sicily, and Puglia.

Testing at the National Avian Influenza Lab in Padua determined the cause to be the A(H5N1) virus, he said, although it was not clear if all 17 swans had been tested.

The arrival of bird flu in Western Europe had been predicted for some months, since the virus has marched steadily from China, to Russia, to the Balkans and, in the last week, to West Africa.

It is being carried by migrating birds, so all countries on their flight paths are vulnerable.
"In some ways we would have expected it earlier in Italy," said Dr. Juan Lubroth, a senior veterinarian at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.

The Italian outbreak seems to have been a model of early detection, underlining how bird flu can be controlled in countries that have the money and the scientific resources to do it.

Recent outbreaks in poor countries like Nigeria, Turkey and Iraq have percolated for months before they were discovered, allowing the virus to spread widely to commercial chicken flocks and even to humans.
While the A(H5N1) virus currently does not readily spread from human to human, scientists worry that it will mutate into a form that can, setting off a devastating worldwide human pandemic.

That is the first time I've heard it said that the virus is following the migratory bird routes.
BBC :
Last Updated: Saturday, 11 February 2006, 15:31 GMT
Bird flu hits new areas in Europe

Health officials step up precautions near Thessaloniki, northern GreeceThe deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus has reached three new European countries, officials have confirmed.

The virus has been found in wild swans in Sicily, and other cases are suspected elsewhere in Italy, the country's health minister says.
A specialist UK laboratory has identified the virus in dead swans found in northern Greece and Bulgaria.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 80 people since early 2003, mostly in South-East Asia.
QUICK GUIDE
Bird flu
Seventeen migratory birds which had fallen ill or died were recovered from the Italian regions of Puglia, Calabria and Sicily.
Two of them - swans that were found in the Sicilian town of Messina - tested positive for the H5N1 strain, the Italian health ministry confirmed.

Click here for a map of global bird flu outbreaks

Greek health officials have intensified precautions in areas near Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, where three migratory swans tested positive for the H5N1 strain.

Tests carried out in a UK laboratory also confirmed the deadly bird flu virus in wilds swans found in the Bulgarian wetland region of Vidin, close to the Romanian border.
Bird flu journey Watch how the lethal virus has spread

I'm just presenting the data here.

.....
As for spying and lying, what has been concealed is being revealed.
.....
No Wonder the Little Bottle Noses were wailing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4700418.stm

Last Updated: Friday, 10 February 2006, 14:19 GMT

Whale meat 'made into dog food'
Meat from whales caught under Japan's "research" programme is so abundant that it is being sold as pet food, according to a UK conservation group.

Thousands of tonnes of whale meat has been stockpiled as more animals are killed each year, says the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).
.....
That's about all I can read of it myself. If you need more, click on the link.
Whales are mammals. That's cannabilism. Disgusting.
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The seven species for Tu B'Shevat are wheat, barley, grapes, figes, pomegranites, olives and dates.
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I'm zapping myself up to Jersey to watch the Snow.
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Peace
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The Birds in the Trees Sing Songs for the Leaves

pic from www.webshots.com thank you webshots for all your wonderful photos.

The Birds in the Trees Sing Songs for the leaves.

Parashat BeShalach blew my mind. I've never heard the Song of the Sea sung so beautifully.

My soul soared within the inner secrets of the sanctity.

My physical pain is unbearable. A spasm in my left hip and glut muscle last night left me wasted. I was sure it was the end for me. I've never felt such pain. When I saw the muscle twitching and realized it was a spasm, I hurled my body against any available protruding hard surface to break the spasm. It broke, I don't remember how.

This is one of the quintessential paradoxes of existence for me - why the pain and suffering.

The pain is weakening me.

In the meantime, I'll muse through the pain.

Shavuoah Tov.

Peace Please, For the Trees

Tu B'Shevat, The New Year of Trees, is Monday February 13th, 15 Shevat.

When one muses on trees, a whole new dimension of reality, a whole new perspective, is thrust upons one's musing brain.

Here are some links for planting trees.

http://www.treesfortheholyland.com/

http://give-a-tree.com/

http://www.treegivers.com/?AID=9238559&PID=1672832

http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshchodesh/shevat/treeplanting.htm

It would be a lovely Valentine's Day gift, for those who celebrate that day. What better way to show love - to plant your love in the Earth. Lovely metaphor, isn't it?
To give a gift that grows, and replenishes the Planet we are on with love, joy and plentitude.

Personally, I plant 2 trees in Israel in memory of my parents. This year I did regular trees, fruit trees are more expensive. You don't have to pay - you can plant a tree in your own fron or back yard, or even inside the house.
If I were in love with somebody right now, I would plant them a tree. WOW. I just gave myself a brilliant idea. On Monday, I will plant a tree in my own backyard for Love. Ash will help me. YIPPEE!!!! Good work, musing brain.
.....

This week's Torah Portion is Parashat Beshalach, in which the Red Sea Parts.
Moses speaks the words, a 72 letter sequence of Hebrew letters which the Sages teach us is the seventy two letter name of G-d. The triplets of the letters are also used in prayer and meditation. Moses and Miriam Sing the Song of the SeaMiriam plays the drum, the 12 springs and seventy date palms at Eilam, The manna, Shabbat, the Water from the Rock and
Don't Forget To Remember Amalek.

Powerful, powerful energy this week.
I'm going for it.

Candelighting 5:54, forward 6 minutes. Hallelujah, the days are getting palpably longer.
This coincides with the First Blooms on the Trees - the Trees know what season it is. Fascinating.

Let's do a Tree Poem

Lord, the air smells good...
by Rumi
Lord, the air smells good today,
straight from the mysteries
within the inner courts of God.
A grace like new clothes thrown
across the garden, free medecine for everybody.
The trees in their prayer, the birds in praise,
the first blue violets kneeling.
Whatever came from Being is caught up in being, drunkenly
forgetting the way back.
Rumi was a 13th century Sufi mystic.

.....
Peace please
for the trees

Shabbat Shalom
VickeB

No Blame

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce.

You look for reasons it is not doing well.

It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce.Y

et if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person.

But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce.

Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments.

That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just uderstanding.


by Thich Nhat Hahn

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well said.
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if we all understood each other - man, what a concept.
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Sleepless in the USA

This New York Times story is creating a big too doo.

I myself, cannot sleep. Not a good sleeper here. Every since I was a tiny little one.
But it seems that sleep deprivation is a large part of this western culture that has emergeed in the 21st century.

Just a little bit from the Times Story :

Record Sales of Sleeping Pills Are Causing Worries
By STEPHANIE SAUL
Published: February 7, 2006

Americans are taking sleeping pills like never before, fueled by frenetic workdays that do not go gently into a great night's sleep, and lulled by a surge of consumer advertising that promises safe slumber with minimal side effects.

About 42 million sleeping pill prescriptions were filled last year, according to the research company IMS Health, up nearly 60 percent since 2000.
But some experts worry that the drugs are being oversubscribed without enough regard to known, if rare, side effects or the implications of long-term use. And they fear doctors may be ignoring other conditions, like depression, that might be the cause of sleeplessness.

Although the newer drugs are not believed to carry the same risk of dependence as older ones like barbiturates, some researchers have reported what is called the "next day" effect, a continued sleepiness hours after awakening from a drug-induced slumber.

Ten percent of Americans report that they regularly struggle to fall asleep or to stay asleep throughout the night. And more and more are turning to a new generation of sleep aids like Ambien, the best seller, and its competitor, Lunesta.

Experts acknowledge that insomnia has become a cultural benchmark — a side effect of an
overworked, overwrought society.

.....
That's the gist of it. Long . Times stories are loooooong.
.....
I blogged it because it is good blogging material.
.....

Zapped

The post I'd been working on got zapped.
Long post.
Lots of kabbalah musings.
Changed the title 3 times
First Title - Release from Bondage = Exodus
Second Title - Why are we Still Screaming?
Third Title - Releasing Our Selves from Our Selves
That's the one that got zapped.
I do have a print out, because it was too long to edit on the screen.
Bye Bye Post.

There was a lot of gematria midrash that I did in it. Guess it was still to remain secret.

Or Was it the Censorship?

They censored Mick Jagger at the SuperBowl. Duh. I mean, you book The Rolling Stones for Half Time, and then they get censored. Mick himself is like so totally surreal - I mean, remember the tongue poster?
This is dangerous stuff, this censorship business.


Stones' Super Bowl songs censored

The Rolling Stones gave an energetic performanceThe Rolling Stones were censored during their halftime performance at the Super Bowl XL in Detroit on Sunday.

TV censors deemed two lyrics too sexually explicit to be broadcast and they were cut from the three-song show.
{THESE SONGS ARE LIKE 25 YEARS OLD }
Start Me Up and Rough Justice were subject to censorship, while (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction was left intact.

In 2004, Janet Jackson caused outrage in the US when a "wardrobe malfunction" exposed her right breast during a routine with Justin Timberlake.

START ME UP, CENSORED
You, you, you make a grown man cryYou, you make a dead man c***

The incident, which was broadcast to millions of TV viewers worldwide, led to the CBS TV network being fined a record $550,000 (£292,000).

This year TV network ABC broadcast the Super Bowl with a five-second tape delay and a sellout crowd of 65,000 people watched the Rolling Stones, led by 62-year-old Mick Jagger.

They opened their 12-minute performance with Start Me Up, and ended with Satisfaction.

ROUGH JUSTICE, CENSORED
One time you were my baby chickenNow you've grown into a foxAnd once upon a time I was your little roosterAm I just one of your c****?

{I DIDN'T WATCH IT - I MEAN, OH MY CHICKEN LITTLE THE SKY IS FALLING}
ABC said the changes to the Stones' show were made by the US National Football League (NFL) and its producers.

The Super Bowl, which is one of the most-watched events on US TV, has featured music stars in the past, including Sir Paul McCartney and U2.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4684716.stm

Thanks to the BBC for the story.

I'm stickin' to trees.

THE SOUND OF TREES
Robert Frost

I wonder about the trees.
Why do we wish to bear
Forever the noise of these
More than another noise
So close to our dwelling place?
We suffer them by the day
Till we lose all measure of pace,
And fixity in our joys,
And acquire a listening air.
They are that that talks of going
But never gets away;
And that talks no less for knowing,
As it grows wiser and older,
That now it means to stay.
My feet tug at the floor
And my head sways to my shoulder
Sometimes when I watch trees sway,
From the window or the door.
I shall set forth for somewhere,
I shall make the reckless choice
Some day when they are in voice
And tossing so as to scare
The white clouds over them on.
I shall have less to say,
But I shall be gone.

Robert Frost

That gives me the chills.
Shavuah Tov.

Trees Do Speak. Do we Dare Listen?
.....

Interesting - Parashat Bo

Torah Tidbits Audio for Parshat Bo

Listen Now -or- Download*RSS feed

For more A7 Radio visit www.IsraelNationalRadio.com

Very Interesting. I've never listened to him before.

He plays Israeli music also. Cool. I can understand him - he has an American Accent.
I am not in anyway agreeing with anything he says. I just wanted to post it because it is a cool new link for me, I like to hear what is coming out of Israel, this guy Phil is relating Torah portion to current events, which I like. He seems to be an expert on the lunar calendar. He mentions that Shevat and January were in sync, last occurred in 1930. I mentioned that in my blog too.
Again, I'm not in any way agreeing with him.

Also, I won't loose the link if I post it. :D

This week's Torah Portion is Parashat Bo. Bo is spelled Bet Aleph.
Bo means Go and Come.
I keep thinking of Bo Bice. :)

Candelighting 5:48 forward 6 minutes.

Good Daily Dose :
chabad does a good job of combining spiritual and literal theories - although they are religion}
B"H
Infinite Light

A strong light is hostile to the eyes.
An intense light will burn and destroy.
An immense body of light will vaporize anything, turning molecules to atoms, atoms to particles, particles to energy.
But an infinite light can go anywhere, for nothing can say to it, "I cannot bear you! You are too powerful for me!"
Wherever there is a labor of truth, there it shines.

Shabbat Shalom
.....

The Universe of the Mind

The Universe of the Mind
What a fabulous picture. It is from this cool yahoo email group.
I need to rant a bit here, and say that the Judaic email news group had so much fighting and judgment, ego and rudeness, that I had to leave. It made me sad and angry. But then again, I tend to be naive.
I want spirituality. Time and time again I remember why I'm not involved in organized religion. sighs.

Our Original Nature
Examine yourself
so you may understand
who you are, in what
way you exist, and
what will become of you.
For he who has not known
himself has known nothing,
but he who has known himself
has at the same time already
achieved Knowledge about the
depth of the All (Cosmos).

(Book of Thomas the Spiritual Athelte, one of the Gnostic Gospels,see: The Nag Hammadi Library In English, Harper Collins)

Ilike that.
Spirituality and synchronicity have no dogma or religion. I will maintain that truth. And I will fight the dogma of ego centered rules disguised as righteousness.
I believe in knowing about a lot of different paths, then choosing the one that suits you, the one with which you feel the most joy and the strongest connection to the quantum synchronicity of the universe and life in all its forms.
this whole raving is directed totally at this belaila individual who made me see red during Shevat. I want it in writing .
so there.
phew. I feel better.
.....
first our eyes were opened to see with the arousal of righteous indignation, then we are presented with the energy of the tzadik within and without, which is to know all as one and one as all.
.....

tell me there ain't no such thing as quantum synchronicity, and i'll tell you to jump into a body of water .

.....

Trees Blossom.

:D

Almond Blossoms

whilst studying, i'm learning about this tree holiday in the Hebrew calendar and in kabbalah.

It is definitely a nature holdiay, coming within the month of Shevat which is the letter tzadik which is connection to the divine in all 3 worlds, world, souls, and divinity, I think we're able to capture the aspect of the Divine that manifests in nature. I'll have to find a good Henry David Thoreau quote.

The earliest ripening fruit in Eretz Israel is the almond, so to mark the calendar almonds were watched for their blossoming.

Almond = shekadiah in Hebrew

Here is a song about the almonds

First, Hebrew transliteration, then English.

HaShekadiah porachat

VeShemesh Paz Zorachat

Tzipporim me'rosh kol gag

Mevasrot et bo Ha Chag.

The almond has blossomed

And the sun is shining brightly

Birds from every roof top

Welcome the arrival of the holiday.

.....

I knew there had to be birds in it ha.

.....

Hug a Tree. Watch for early blossoms.

.....

P.S.

Red Shoes ballerina Shearer dies

Shearer played a woman who could not stop dancing in The Red Shoes

Ballet dancer Moira Shearer, who starred in movie The Red Shoes, has died aged 80.
The Scottish dancer died in an Oxford hospital on Tuesday, her broadcaster husband Ludovic Kennedy said.

That's the 3rd. Wendy Wasserstein, Coretta Scott King and Moira Shearer. Interesting, isn't it.

These deaths always come in 3's. Always.

.....

Trees - Joyce Kilmer

ummmmm. pretty.
i need to not do news and connect to the energy of tzadick.

this simple piece is poignant. sometimes, simple is best. we used to sing it in grade school.

Joyce Kilmer. 1886–1918

119. Trees


I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

.....
Tu B' Shevat coincides with a lot of holidays relating to the celebration of the coming of spring and therefore growth, both religious and secular holidays.
I try to point out the quantum synchronicity, which is neither secular or religious - huh?
my back is still giving me lots of pain. i'm working hard to downsize and clean up this house so i'll be able to put it on the market and get a good price - i think i might have to paint - and then get something smaller, and be able to have options again. it means another hurricane season in florida.
hmmmm.
i need to muse now because.......
i do.
i missed Rabbi G in Miami. The posting didn't go up until 2 days before, and my back hurt too much to think about driving 4 1/2 hrs . :( His sect is a pretty closed one. I love his wisdom.
.....
one news story. They gave Ariel Sharon a feeding tube. So that means they're keeping him alive.

.....

Trees don't make war.
Peace
.....