This is one of the coolest YouTube videos I’ve ever seen. The animator paid such attention to detail he even depicts the wear on the wood of the xylophone blocks. Sit back with your favorite Jimi Thing and check this out!

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He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;

the lives of the poor he shall save.  Psalm 72:13

 In this season of Advent, I see Salvation Army volunteers in front of every grocery store and churches promoting food and toy drives.  Jesus told us the poor would always be among us.  BUT WHY in the richest country in the world can’t we meet the needs of those who struggle to find food, shelter, love? 

Peter Maurin who with Dorothy Day founded the Catholic Worker movement said “ This is what the poor are for, to give to the rich the occasion to do good for Christ’s sake.”  It is not easy to be faced with want and when I am, I feel strongly that I must act.  In recent times I have had to say no to assisting more than I can say YES.  My own financial situation has prevented me from being generous with money.  I have instead given my time & talents.  It is what is available and though the hungry can’t be fed with my hands, I can deliver the meal someone else has provided.  I can wrap the gift someone else has purchased.  I can make a bed for a homeless person to lie down upon. 

Even in my want, I have received so much.  My needs are met and I am grateful to realize that I have been blessed. 

 Today Lord, help me to be your hands to lift up those who are stumbling, your ears to hear and comfort and your mouth to give a word that will cheer those who are less fortunate than myself… For I am rich because I have you!

So, before moving to Korea, I had sort of a basic knowledge of where in Seoul I was moving to. Okay, okay. It was basic at best, but it was knowledge. Kind of.

I knew I was moving to a relatively nice area. I knew I was moving somewhere in Gangnam-gu (sometimes written as Kangnam-gu, either way it doesn’t really matter; k’s and g’s are the same letter in this country), near lots of amenities including the largest underground mall in Asia, and defined in wikipedia as “one of the most affluent areas of Seoul, located in the southeast of the city.”

Great, I thought. At least I’ll be around lots of people. In retrospect, what the hell was I thinking? If there was one thing I had no reason to doubt, it was being surrounded by people. I mean what’s the population of Seoul, anyway?

Umm, yeah. 23 million? Right.

Anyway, the area I’m living in doesn’t seem like a particularly “rich” area. I mean, yes it looks modern, and yes, the people I pass on the streets look like well-dressed business people, but the landscaping isn’t particularly nice, there’s no real greenery, and there aren’t huge luxury homes dotting the landscape, which is what screams “rich” to me back home. The architecture of the business towers, though, is fabulous, but we’ll save that post for another day. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that it seems like a nice area, though it doesn’t seem over-the-top. The school I work at is small. There are only 6 kids in my class, and I have the same six kids every day. I like to call them mine. Let’s be honest; I’d probably steal them if I could, I mean if I could avoid the obvious implications and prison sentence. I digress.

When I arrived at work today, there was a shiny new black Lexus in my way. I’d like to say it was an LS10, but we all know the potential for inaccuracy that has. Bottom line is that it was a bloody nice vehicle, it was in my way, and I was late for school. So when the door opens to completely obscure my entrance through the gate, I obviously had no choice but to wait. Now, who hops out from the back seat? One of the kids from the school.. yes, this is normal. Children normally sit in back seats. But then what? His dad hops out from the back seat too. Yes, and after a brief farewell to his son, he disappears into the backseat again. Before he’s even shut the door, the car is already pulling away from the school.

The kid has a chauffeur.

Yeah. It’s then that I decided I’m not getting paid enough.

Here is a quick color tip that I learned as a professional printer & photo retoucher but use regularly now in my own photography to “boost” color without turning up the saturation. This gives me a beautiful, deep, rich color without touching the saturation slider at all.

Click in for more…

Why not just increase the saturation you ask? It is a perfectly fine method and I do often increase the saturation a little bit but it’s easy to go overboard and the drawbacks of going overboard are far worse than having an image with a little less saturation. For one, too much saturation can cause one or multiple color channels to become “blown out” where the color peaks at 255 and loss of detail occurs. This alone can cause unwanted color phenomenon such as color shifting in highlights in skin tones or color halos in whites. Too much saturation with the saturation sliders can also result in unrealistic colors and skin tones which are hard to correct later.

This method also results in a more RICH looking color with good color density and details. This is what I look for in most of my work. (With some exclusions.)

I’m working with a landscape image here rather than a person just to help demonstrate the difference between adding saturation and adding DENSITY.

Our base image. A bit bland still...

Our base image is a beautiful shot off the side of the road in the Painted Desert, part of the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. But I sure do remember more color to the sediment layers, even the pavement was a rich amber-like color. By adding Saturation only, this image gets more color but it’s really still pretty bland. I’m not feeling it yet.

With 45% saturation, we get color but we get banding and lost detail too.

Instead, duplicate the background layer and then add a Curves Adjustment Layer above the Background Copy layer. Drag the curve down some as shown, as it is this should slightly darken the image. Now change the blending mode of the Curves Adjustment Layer to Overlay. (Soft Light also works nicely but with a little bit less zing.) We duplicated the background layer first so that we can merge the Curves layer to the Background Copy layer for the next step. But we may want to mask something out of our new layer later. (You could use snapshots instead but I prefer working with layers so I can save the original image with the edits on layers.)

Now that we’ve added the Curves Adjustment Layer, go ahead and merge that down with the Background Copy layer. Clearly the colors are starting to come out better, but we’ve lost a bit of the shadows and possibly a bit of the highlights as well. To bring those back, we can either selectively mask that back in, paint with history or use a favorite tool of mine known as the Shadow/Highlight tool. (Under Image > Adjustments > Shadow/Highlight…)

In this case, I used the basic settings with 70% Shadows, 20% Highlights. This brought back the detail in the shadows to the point it was when I started and just about all of the detail in the clouds. Now we have a DEEP blue sky and RICH color without touching the saturation at all! And it doesn’t scream “I cranked the saturation to 110%” either.

Of course if you need to, you can use layer masks or other tricks and tools to reveal areas that are too deep and rich or too contrasty as necessary. Or if you are still begging for more, you could even add touch of saturation to the final image if you need or want more color.

Beautiful DEEP RICH Color!

And here is the video tutorial:
Don’t forget to click the HD button and go Full Screen for the best quality.

Yes, exactly a millennium ago.

 Then the whole Indian subcontinent was a conglomeration of small kingdoms. We belonged to a small one, may be the size of Delhi. It was independent, wedged between two powerful neighbors: the Samoothiripad in the North and some principality belonging to the area, now known as Thiruvithankur (Travancore). Our Cochin state was free from corruption. People were generally happy. One English writer described the India of those times as ‘thousands of villages’, each a republic governed by the village elders. None had money. Gold was used only for making ornaments. Wealth was measured in terms of paddy earned by each family (I am talking in terms known to me). The artisans made clothes, agricultural implements, gold ornaments; made tenements out of mud and hay or palm leaves (cobbler was unknown  as none wore foot wear). Brass and bronze works were excellent, as also wood work. Landlords enjoyed leisure and bonded laborers did the work. The latter were fed even when there was no work. All people were known to each other. Even in my childhood, thefts were limited to coconut and plantain! There was plenty of time for any leisurely activity like literature, sports and arts.

 All were happy, even though epidemics took a heavy toll of men but not animals.

Let us examine, item by item, how life was then and what we have achieved now.

1)      Life was secure then. None was worried about his future. Mostly, traditional vocations were followed, the society being caste-ridden. How will my children live after my time? The question never worried any body. Anxiety on this account was unknown then. Today, every moment we are concerned about it (of course, I am not talking about the Ambanis)

2)      All works were done manually. This kept life style diseases away. People were healthy. The rich people suffered from diabetes, B.P and heart attacks. The poor people were spared. Today, the middle class too have become rich as far as life style is concerned. We don’t exert. Remote control ensured that we need not even move. So we suffer from all diseases of the rich.

3)      The vaidyaji took care of health problems. I don’t remember ever going to a doctor. The Namboodri house stood in the middle of a spacious plot of land. We had our own well and at least one pond. No fencing, we never wounded mother Earth with the pick axe or spade. It was like a forest. Things just grew. Village people scouted for medicinal plants or mangoes in the season. They never asked us. In the month of Karkidagam (Sawan) ladies adorned the hair with “Dashapushpam” (ten flowers). After the land reforms, we too became proletariat, when our only source of earnings was taken away. The land was handed over to the tillers. Today land is fallow because none can afford to grow food. Wages are high and labour is not available in Keralam.

     I have digressed. We were discussing medicine. The vidyaji will only prescribe the medicines. If these cannot be had from the land, there is a shop selling them. Medicines, in soup form, were made at home. People may give some gift like plantain. The belief is that if vidyaji demands compensation, he will lose his ability to diagnose and treat the illness.

 When the people of the West were barbarians (say B.C1000) Ayurvedic system of medicine was well developed in India. At Rajgir in Bihar, I was shown the excavated remains of a hospital where the royal families were treated. Even today Ayurveda can hold its head high in certain fields. But the sanctity of the system was violated when it was commercialized. Now, medicinal soups are bottled and preserved, rendering them sometimes ineffective.

 Today, medical treatment is nothing but shameless exploitation of the masses. Multi speciality hospitals cater to the rich. The poor people survive by grace of God. 50% of the medicines sold in the market are absolutely useless. (It was in the newspapers.) All medicines have side effects. Fees must be deposited in advance (pity the vidyaji). As doctors are “manufactured” in thousands, who can guarantee their quality? (Merit is ignored; caste is the basis for selection of students). Each hospital should earn profit. Or else, it will be closed down. So it must be ensured that people fall ill, as frequently as possible. As soon as a baby is born it is given ten injections, to make sure that its immunity system doesn’t develop. The bird flu was unknown then. Today also desi chickens are not affected. Artificial methods have destroyed the capacity to resist diseases.

 To make people fall ill, fast food culture is deliberately encouraged. To the capitalist, a patient is also a consumer. The only aim is profit. To hell with health! We want every citizen to be in the hospital so that profit can swell.

4) Education was totally free of lucre then. I was thrilled to see rows of neatly made hostel rooms at Nalanda which was just a name until Sir Alexander Cunningham traveled in the foot steps of Huen Tsang and saw small hills covered with grass and shrubs. He suggested excavation of the area which was started in 1914. Even today, a few work men may be seen digging leisurely; it may take another hundred years at this rate, to uncover the whole township. More than four hundred years B.C, it was a beacon of learning, attracting scholars from all over the East. They did not come to get a degree and campus selection for lucrative jobs. They just wanted to learn. Among them was a young man. No body knew he was a prince. He came in tattered clothes and was emaciated like a beggar, after wandering in the forest, begging for food. His name was Gautama. He spent several years in the campus, endlessly discussing the causes of pain and misery and suffering of human beings. (At Bodh Gaya, he is depicted as  well fed and handsome- a real prince charming. His devotees want something pleasing to the eye). I admire him. I like to see Takshashila too!

 In the villages, education was the concern of guruji. There was close, personal relation- ship with Guruji and the students who stay with him. Remember the story of Krishna and Sudama who were ordered by guru patni (wife) to fetch fuel from the forest? (I am reminded of an incident I read in a memoir. An English lady accepts an assignment to teach English to the Crown Prince of Japan. She was going through some notes when she wanted the fan to be switched on. She asked the Prince and failed to understand the hesitation in her pupil’s face. Suddenly the realization came. How can anybody give orders to a Prince? Of course, the pupil obeyed.) No tuition fee.  In the end, some guru dakshina (gift) is given. That is all.

 And today? By any stretch of imagination, can you call it education? True learning should aim at liberating the brain power from the shackles of the body, so it can soar higher and higher towards the heaven, scanning the whole universe and beyond. The questions why and how should continuously and intensely torment the inquisitive mind. Learning is tapasya. (Concentrated study). Total detachment from the worldly chores is an absolute must.

 In the present system, children are being hypnotized to believe that every thing written in the text book is absolutely true. The only aim is to secure maximum marks in the examination, by hook or by crook. Whether you like a subject is immaterial. Money is the supreme god. (Lakshmi is worshiped by all, everywhere. Is there a single temple of Saraswati? I think there is one in Keralam) The best brains are hijacked by capitalism and enslaved to make more and more profit. Is there any wonder that educational standards are going down every year?

 In Russia, when capitalism was abolished in 1917, education became free. Science was made number one priority. (Here MBA is made much of because capitalists want them to work for profit).The results are there, for all to see. From the most backward state in Europe, Russia overtook the US in space research. The first man to go up in space was

a Russian. Production of electricity was taken up as the most urgent task. Heavy industry almost outpaced consumer industry. (Indian students who went to study in Moscow found soaps and blades stolen frequently).The all powerful Germans were defeated by Russians in second world war.Without heavy industry backed by S & T, this would have been impossible.

After 1956, the first science city was established in Siberia. From wilderness intended for exiling undesirable characters, Siberia became a treasure of coal, minerals etc. and fully industrialised, an achievement impossible under capitalism. Science is the instrument of this of this revolution.

 Today here we find education being converted into a lucrative industry, in which millions are invested to reap huge profits. Government schools are for the poor- no equipments, no teachers, and no books.

Order of preference of students seeking higher education is somewhat as given below:

 MBA

IIT

Medicine

Info technology

Commerce

Economics

Geology

Pure science

Geography

 Those who fail to get admission for the coveted courses, go for pure sciences. In communist Russia scientists were given maximum salary. They commanded great influence in decision making. Here in Delhi we do not have a science centre where those interested may gather together for a chitchat. Easy access to science literature is a must.

Many of you may think that modern science originated in the west. This is a total misconception .Some of the things our forefathers have recorded in so many words, are stunningly dazzling.

1) That the earth is a globe

2) Earth attracts objects towards itself

3) Earth is rotating: the sun and stars are stationary

4) Shadow of the earth is cause of lunar eclipse

5) Dalton’s atomic theory

6) that the foetus in the womb recognizes sounds and starts learning mother tongue, much before it comes out of the woumb.(Abhimanyu learned strategy of warfare, while still in Uthara’s woumb, according to Mahabharatam.I first read about it in Bhagawat puran.By sheer coincidence, actual scientific confirmation was reported in the newspapers at that period some 8 years back).

These are just a few instances. As all this is written in Samskrutam. People do not even know about it. It is a pity that we have to learn about such things from foreign sources.

Astronomy originated in India at least 5000 years ago. In Egypt too studies in this field progressed at that time. The Malayalam calendar came into existence 1184 years ago. It is based on the movement of the Sun around the equator .The number of days of each month is calculated every year, so that we are not aware of the leap year.

So, before the Malayalam era came into existence, how did they know their age? Each year was given a name. Only 60 years were given names; thereafter the names are repeated.

Each one  must remember the name of the month and Nakshatra (the name given to the group of stars where the Moon appears each day) and also the name of the year of birth , so that his age can be counted. (Like the week. If I am born on Wednesday my age will be the fourth day.) That is why sixtieth birthday is celebrated. The names of the years are repeated, after 60 years.

Two thousand years ago, an European was unable to tell his age. Intellectually, we were far ahead. The Nalanda Vishvavidyala and library were ransacked and burnt by Muslim invaders sometime in fifteenth century. That was the end of a civilization. Knowledge got fossilized in Samskrutam texts to be explored by European Indologists. If these books were available in Hindi or Dravidian languages, history would have been different.

5) Production of food grains, cloths, agricultural implements, kitchen utensils etc. was regulated according to the needs of the village.Transportation was restricted to the bare

minimum. I am not a historian. Perhaps conveyance was restricted to movement of goods.Today production is chaotic. In any society based on rational lines, the requirements will be calculated and production regulated according to the needs. In a market controlled economy, waste is inevitable. Any number of factories are producing cars. Think of the brain power used in designing. If all this is centalised (in this age it is easy) we can have the best model of cars, buses etc. Expenses on advertisement and sales can be saved. Cars will become cheap. Similarly food and other agricultural products can be produced according to requirement.There will be no shortages nor glut. Why can’t we do it? (See my article: Man is the most foolish animal in the world).

6) For sheer joy and entertainment people were engaged in cultural and sports activities. Competition was healthy and without rancour.

Today, what we saw in the cricket world is the influence of money. Before future historians, we will have to hang our head in shame!

Local festivals, drama , music etc were meant for healthy entertainment and people were not glued to their TV sets !

I don’t want to go back to AD 1008. At the same time, I want to change the system to be reorganized along rational lines. Are we not intelligent creatures?

I have come up with 2 foolproof ways of getting rich.  These 2 genius ideas came to me while I sat and watched FlogIt! (anyone else noticed how crap tv is around 3 pm?), though I’m pretty sure I’ve thought of them before.  Anway, here they are:

Plan number 1:

• Go to a car boot sale/ church fete/ charity shop; buy something for tuppence.
• Depending how good your item is, either take it straight away or wait a few years/centuries, to the Antique’s Roadshow.
• Get item valued by the knobs on telly.
• Take item that is worth a lot of money to FlogIt!
• Let FlogIt! value it and auction it off for you.
• Tell FlogIt! dude what you’re going to do with your vast amount of new found monies (pretend to donate some to charity if you think that makes you special).

Of course one can not always rely on picking up bargains at these car boot sales etc.  So sometimes one has to rely on ones own wit and cunning.  This is where the other plan comes in handy.

Plan number 2:

• Go to the Antiques Roadshow.
• Scout around for an interesting specimen.
• Stand behind specimen while it is being valued (you will not look weird, they do it all the time on telly).
• Listen closely while they tell the owner how much it is worth.
• Follow owner home (make sure they have the item with them).
• They will probably live in a big empty house in the country, so either attack them on a dark winding country road or plan a Midsommer Murders style murder – Take item when you leave.
• If they happen to live in a busy council estate…well there’s plenty of people for you to blame the robbery on.
• Wait till all the hype over the missing item is over, then sell it.
• Or if you are in the know – sell it on the black market whilst the hype is still fresh then you will get more money.

There we have it, 2 foolproof genius ideas to get rich.  I wonder how often the people on these shows get mugged….

What does it take to make honourable men act honourably? When will our leaders learn to act more like leaders and not thieves in Little Red Riding Hood costumes? When will politics become about the people and not the private investment funds of the rich and powerful?

A bunch of questions that ring out from the mouths of hard working middle class people around the world. The lower class have in time learnt to accept their place in society and seem to be the forgotten trouble of this generation, and every generation to come, until the trouble comes knocking on your door, and the crimes of survival are brought unwelcomingly back to our memories as we realise that we’ve been done over by some fool on a bender to score their next fix.

This is my society. This is the reality of the world in which I live. Trying to survive against all odds, trying not to draw any attention to ourselves lest we become the target of the shadows of the night. This is the legacy that I’ve been left and the legacy I know I’ll pass on. Bankers in charge of my money earning more than many of the Small and Medium businesses listed on the balance sheet in their banks turn over in ten years.

This is the world that I wake up to each morning, where the politicians that rule in a grey cloud of diplomacy that makes their work appear out of focus, in their desperate efforts to be as corrupt as possible while chanting an all too familiar mantra about how incapable the opposition really is of doing the job correctly, while our national debt spirals out of control, and credit lines once extended freely, now act as the rope around the throat of the very people who’s money keeps the system afloat.

Spin is the reality of the truth I am expected to swallow no matter how I may choke on the blatant lies of the bureaucracy spinning the yarn. As our communities have learnt that our leaders hide behind fire screens, pointing in any way possible to create a diversion from the original issues, it has become the norm for society to accept that lying is a way of life, and if you tell the truth you are regarded as being as dishonest as anyone else so What I ask is the point of standing out from the crowd, and trying to be honest.

I have come to the realisation that crime is what really pays in life today, and living by the book, trying to make it in this world without resorting to some sort of dodgy activity is really just not worth it. You know the more I look at society around me today the more I realise that I live in one really messed up world. Morality, respect, justice, chivalry and common decency are things of a bi gone era.

What a depressing thought. What has our world come to? Is this all society can show off for itself after 2000 years of mankind here on earth. Yes that would seem to be the case. It is a harsh reminder that life is not all it’s cracked up to be. But the moral of the story is that no matter how hard life is you can still enjoy it, and it’s up to us to find the things in life that make it enjoyable and cherish those moments in our life.

The older I get and the more I begin to understand this life of mine, the more I realise that friendship is one of the most important relationships that we’ll ever develop in our lives. And when I use the term friendship, you find that most adults can count on one hand the people that they value as their real friends. You see friendship is not all about what you can get out of someone, it’s probably more importantly about what you can give to someone. Selfishness aside not many people know how to be a real friend to someone they cannot understand, do not have respect for, and don’t really rate as an individual. In these circumstances I believe it is far better to be honest with yourself and the other person about where your relationship stands and focus your energy on those friendships that really mean something, rather than waist time being friendly when you don’t mean it.

I have also come to accept that unless you are born exceptionally rich, or land with your bum in the proverbial butter, that hard work is a fact of life. Good things don’t come to those that don’t get up and commit themselves to getting what they want. As a society we need to get out of the daydream that fame and celebrity will be the answer to all our woes. An understanding that hard work and focus on a realistic goal is what is going to make life more comfortable for you, unless living in a council flat on the dole is what makes you happy. Get some ambition, and wake up to the challenge of life before it passes you by.

As the world gets smaller, and its more and more easy to keep up with an international spectrum of friends, relatives, acquaintances, business colleagues and others that fill the gaps, it almost seems that you have to reduce the size of the world around you and keep your near and dear close to you in an isolated bubble of protection that allows you all to thrive in your own little environment. We meet and speak with people on a global scale, but like most other people out there, the world as a whole is desperate to make it, and will climb over any obstacle to get there, even if that obstacle is you.

I’ve also learnt that in life to be in the centre of attention, to aim to be the hero, or seeking for celebrity status is only going to set you up for a fall. People are only admired for an instant in life, and then torn apart as the truth about their lives comes out behind the scenes. How often it is that I meet people who are yearning for attention only to hear rumour after rumour behind their back as the reality is that in order to attain their popularity most celebrities have hurt and trodden all over someone on the way up, and I’ve also come to learn that it’s a long lonely fall coming down too.

It is a human instinct to want to be credited for the things we do. It is only natural to want acknowledgment for the things we do. But in this life it is sometimes better to do quietly, without seeking credit, and reap a reward far greater than man’s praise. More is done by those who quietly pass by in the night, changing people’s lives without recognition for their great deeds, than those that cling to their fragile pillar of the spot light. I tell you now, those people come and go and amount to nothing in your life. Those that are quietly there for you, encouraging you to be all you can, listening and saying nothing when you are rabbeting on about nothing, those who quietly pick up the pieces when you crash and burn and stand back holding them till your ready to return and accept their help to put your life back together. Those are the real treasures of your life. Learn to tell the difference between the light hoggers and the light bringers, and give of your time wisely.

Much of what we do in life is judged by others. And having watched our leaders, read the business success stories, and learnt from experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that it matters not what the world thinks of you. What is really important is what you think of yourself. Are you able to sleep at night without the nightmares keeping you awake? Is your conscious clear and most of all are you proud of what you’ve achieved in life? Forget trying to impress the world, stop hanging around with people whose sole ambition in life is to be famous, and learn to enjoy life around those that are important, make you smile, make you feel special, and keep you on the right road of sanity. In doing this the depression of the realities of the world we live in start to fade off into the distance, and while we have to accept that this is part of the world that we call home, we learn and ability to survive and make our survival tolerable with moments of pure happiness and enjoyment and lots of treasures to be thankful for.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

I am intrigued by the very last sentence, “He does not resist you.” It is amazing how the righteous “tolerate” persecution. This non-resistance isn’t passive –they do cry out and their cries reach God. However, a righteous person is focused on eternal things, contrary to the rich person in this passage, who is focused on worldly, materialistic things. The righteous person in this passage is ultimately content in Christ, despite the persecution and unfairness of wage.

It is important for us to be diligent in keeping ourselves focused on eternal things –we can easily be that rich person. Most of us would not consider ourselves to be a “rich person”, but I implore you to be careful in thinking that because being “rich” is a relative term. For example, most third world countries would consider any American to be “rich”. Moreover, it seems to me that a rich person as described in this passage is one who lays up treasures on earth. Treasures is a fancy word for stuff. (ex. TVs, computers, cars, clothing, jewelry, etc.) We buy stuff all the time that has no eternal benefit. The worldly stuff will either wastefully sit in our rooms with no usage at all, or we will be consumed by it,  more and more neglecting the important, eternal things in our lives. After all, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

「RICH 七歲1個月」

我每天都會摸著RICH的臉，覺得好細又好軟唷，真的麻糬也沒這麼好摸吧
於是我問他：Rich，你們班有人會這樣摸你的臉嗎？
Rich說：沒有～只有一號會咻的輕輕拍我的臉
我說：喔～是喔～所以沒有人會像媽媽這樣一直摸你的臉囉？
Rich說：有啦！鄰居的阿婆看到我都會一直摸

……….

「nina 4歲10個月」

這張照片是哥哥罵他，他哭了，好可憐喔！

前幾日幫兩個小孩一起洗澡的時候
RICH忽然大唱：當天是空的地是乾的～我要為你倒進狂熱～～
一副很陶醉的樣子
這時候nina看著他說：後～～～過時了啦！很老掉牙耶～～
結果Rich不服輸的說：哪有？！！
nina就問我說：媽媽～你說這首歌是不是很老掉牙？
我就說：哈哈哈哈….是有點啦！
然後我問 nina：不然現在要唱什麼？

nina唱：我要去哪裡 我哪兒都不能去～我要去哪裡 我哪兒都不能去（請看完整歌詞）

…………
跟大家分享一下這週去了高美濕地
呼～看著夕陽落入海面，心情會大好！！！

更多照片都在我的flickr

追蹤每日生活請加入我的臉書！更新更新！ 或是 噗浪

…….
看一下右邊的購買清單，1.5tb才3999，我就是買那一台，現在都好便宜喔！
…….

Sunday November 29, 2009 By Kevin Morrow

The topic that has come into my awareness at this moment is that of “Wealth beliefs vs. Poor Beliefs.” I’m going to reference money in this blog because that is what most people are familiar with.

Money seems to reverse engineer the belief of wealth. It appears to be a material form of wealth. However, the wealth that the material has comes from how the observer “sees” it.

Events have no meaning until my/your mind decide what’s true in our minds. Take the last statement and apply it to money. Money means nothing until “the mind” decides what is true about it.

A wealth belief is a mind deciding what is true for it. A poor belief is a different truth, but also a decision made by a mind. Whether indirect, or direct, the mind is creating it’s truth through events that have no meaning.

What is a lot of money to you?

$100, $200, $500, $1,000, $1,000,000? It all depends what you decide in your mind is true. I know someone who receives monthly checks of over $900. They don’t have any expenses, their tv,food,room,electricity,and all expenses are covered by someone else. The only thing they have to pay for is anything they want to buy that’s extra. And yet in their mind they are poor. They go to the store already in a lack mindset. Everything seems to be a life or death decision to them.

But the way they see it is just one truth. There are many truths that can be seen from this situation. I see it as a belief in being poor. Read my other posts and you will see that the only reason why I see this is because I have some “poor” beliefs within me.

One way to purge my mind of these “poor beliefs” is to change how I see the person in my mind. This is where forgiveness is key. I have to forgive the fact that what I think I see is real, and then I have to forgive that fact that the person does what they don’t know there doing.

What’s happening is a person operating off of an old form of lack mind programming. The only reason I would see this, and be annoyed by it, is if I’m doing this to my self.

Back to the question about how much money is a lot to you…

To Bill Gates $500 is nothing. He receives it so often that it may seem to be like a nickel to him. An even better way to say it is that $500 is more than normal to him.

To my friend $500 is a lot of money. They don’t see themselves being able to receive that consistently in a normal setting. What they see is really a “poor belief.” They believe poor is a reality for them.

To me I know $500 is not a lot of money. I know I have to believe that I am worth that amount of value in order to experience it. There may still be some “poor beliefs” within me, but as they surface I realize they are no longer true to me.

The beliefs about money actually reveal underlying beliefs about my image of self.

Money is commonly attached to the image of importance. So in the society that I see, money is attached to importance. In the reality that I believe, money is a tool, and importance comes from how you feel about yourself. To me the only way to feel important is to help other people feel important. Like a revolving door of importance.

I view money in the same way. I wouldn’t want to earn millions of dollars and not show people how I did it. That would be lame.

Poor and wealth beliefs apply to any situation that you “think” you see.

Your reactions to things will tell you what your mind is looking for.

At the moment I’m unemployed, and I don’t know how much money is in my bank account. I was once very stressed out about this. It was a “poor belief” of mine. “I’m doomed, I’m unimportant, I’m a low class citizen, I can’t afford to live, I wish I had a billion dollars…”

Those were all poor beliefs that I made true within my mind. But wait a minute…What’s the point in thinking that? I decided to flip my truths. I’m in an excellent position to make myself a multi-millionaire through doing things I love. Now what’s the purpose in thinking that? Seems better to believe that then the “poor belief.” Otherwise I would remain the same.

This blog is the result of my transformation of truth…

 MEMOIRS (Abridged) Includes articles and essays on various topics in SCIENCE, GEOGRAPHY, PHILOSOPHY, STATECRAFT etc. in addition to Travel notes.  Price Rs. 1oo, postage extra.  

                                                                                          By K.K.Subramanian

Waterfriend remembers his childhood

 Kunnathur Mana

My mother was born in a very illustrious family Kunnathur Padinjaredath.You can see the ancestral house near the Peruvanam temple south gopuram (gate)

I have vague memories of sitting upstairs; looking at the road. I must be four at that time.

The family came there in search of livelihood and became the tantry (main priest-they still are) of the temple. I can imagine mother (kali was her name-a goddess) walking towards the temple, holding the hands of the maid servant, almost naked, with only a plantain leaf strip to cover nakedness, not knowing what fate awaited her…tears swell in my eyes, even as I write these lines

She was married off at the tender age of thirteen or so to Subrahmanian Nambudiripad, aged forty plus, already having two wives, one living and the next one and her son still fresh in memory, and a daughter of mother’s age whom her brother married the same day, probably. Mother was dark, uncouth and short; my step sister was fair, lean and very handsome whom mother hated heartily!

I do not remember any one caring for her,  except her younger sister and some cousins. Uncle (eldest) never talked to her or even to her children (in all six, two died early). She had a sharp tongue and was outspoken but had a heart of gold. She was very lazy and father was the laziest!

I digressed…

Around 150 years ago, mother’s ancestor was married to the sister of the king of erstwhile Cochin State who was known as Shaktan Thampuran. He bestowed on the Kunnathur family tax free land. The family became rich.

Maternal grandfather was very intelligent, so too was my uncle. At that time a rich local Nambudiri of Chittoor mana established a school, where we all studied, and uncle was the first student, duly initiated before a lighted lamp etc. Of course the student was without a shirt! I had a few classmates, topless, in primary school. Grandmother was wise, cultured and well versed in puranas (old legends of Hindu religion).When she got angry and shouted like a lioness, her husband shivered like a mouse! She did like my mother, always told me to look after her well but did nothing when she needed assistance. In fact no one accompanied her when she left the house built by father, and we were travelling in a country boat, through the swollen river. Being a fool, I enjoyed the trip!…

Earliest memories centre around a small village Thalore, near Trichur. I was about four. Mother had given birth to a dead baby and so she continued to feed me. I just came in from the spacious orchard where I was playing, lay down in my mother’s lap and started sucking her big breast. (In those days our women folk did not wear blouse.) “Ma, who put sugar in your milk?” -I asked. She just pushed me off and that was the end breast feeding !

I had a playmate Bhagi about eight years or so . She was attached to our maid servant Madhavi. I always thought she was her daughter.

 One day the girl was mopping the kitchen floor. I said something .She didn’t listen and I gave a blow on her back with an iron ladle. The poor girl cried out aloud inviting the attention of mother and paternal grand mother I felt guilty and wretched. Perhaps that was the only time I used violence against any living creature…..

With just a piece of cloth tied like lady’s bikini, I used to accompany Madhavi to the grocery shop owned by a Tamil Brahmin .He would give a piece of jaggery. We never got chocolates in those days.

Father and mother slept in the upstairs bed room. I slept with them. Mother used to tell stories. Elder brother used to sleep with grandmother. He was her favourite. Paternal uncle Krishnaphan was an occasional visitor. We loved him, as he was a good storyteller. About Lilliputs we heard from him. He was dark and fat unlike another p. uncle Vasudevaphan who was slim and fair, the first person to go to school from K.K. family. He was teacher and a close friend of E.M.S. Namboodiripad.

One day an old lady came, covered up to the neck in pure white dhoti (in north India only a widow will dress in white) Do you know her? –they asked. When I blinked, they all laughed . I felt ashamed. It was mother’s ma. As a girl, she was born and brought up in the same house where we were staying temporarily-the great Veembur Kadalayil Mana (which was lying vacant at the time. Mahatma Gandhi visited the house in 1929). Father who was a good architect and astrologer was making our house near the river, about four miles away. One day brother and I accompanied him to see the construction work. My legs were paining like hell. I earned the reputation of having walked four miles when four years old.    

 At that time , another paternal uncle, Parameswaran by name, took me with him to fort Tripunithura where royal family members lived. By custom, only a nambudiri may marry a princess. And, in a nambudiri family only the eldest can marry; others may have legitimate relationship with women of other upper castes, the latter not entitled for a share of nambudiri property. They are not allowed to share meals with us.(My grandfather’s younger brother’s daughter was my schoolmate .I never knew about the blood relationship, though I somehow liked her. Of course I was too shy to talk to her! )

That is how uncle married a real princess and lived in Palace no.11. I was too small to notice the clean bed, the sumptuous food (at home we had it only on birthdays or during Onam) The great festival was going on at the Poornathrayeesha (Krishna) temple and there were any number of elephants (I wanted to become a mahout-I am never tired of watching these majestic animals)

An elephant was being fed. Uncle asked me-do you want to mount it . I shook my head. The mahout lifted me and handed over to his colleague sitting on the elephant. He placed me on its neck. I felt uncomfortable, its hair pricking my naked bottom and I being lifted up and down by the motion of its head while eating; still I enjoyed it .

One day we were taken to Akavoormana near river Periyar. We enjoyed playing in the shallow swift flowing water. I lay down in the water and was carried away some distance. Flapping my arms I managed to remain floating. Thus I learnt the rudiments of swimming. I do not know how to swim really. Like cattle only my head remains above water.

There were two young elephants there. As a baby Ramankutty used to roam about in the house and snatch things from the kitchen. Even now I like to have a baby elephant ….

Vasudevan uncle (the youngest among five brothers, father being the eldest) was working as teacher in Namboori Vidyalaya at Trichur. I would look with admiration  the fat books in his shelf. One day when I grow up I shall read them!

Savithri was born. I refused to see the baby. I wanted a brother. This dislike of girls remained for a long time to come.

When Vas uncle brought a wife I was too shy to meet her. Afterwards the words “cheriamme “automatically escaped from my mouth and all exclaimed “today it will rain” 

   Recently, during morning walk I reached the church and, turning right, easily located the arch, proclaiming entry towards the Shiv temple. I went through it and turned right. A little further, I had hardly turned left when I could easily spot the old gate as it was in 1937! It was something like a flashback in TV screen! The front yard was very small. (in my mind it was very big.)The main building was intact, though concretised. I saw mother’s bedroom upstairs where I slept. Through the left side I traced a few steps and saw the workplace where women husked rice .It was locked. I could easily see the rope swing and Bhagi and I playing there. The reddish brown cow must be somewhere nearby. Bhagi showed me how to pick silky smooth, egg shaped thing (she called it pattunni) from the cow’s skin. She would place it on a stone and crush it with another stone spilling blood. Ma must be in the kitchen. The great surprise was when I turned to the east courtyard and looked to the flight of steps leading to the orchard. I was expecting at least thirty steps. I could count hardly four! To the child everything appears on a mega screen. To the grown up, it is all on TV screen. The surroundings had been cut into plots and sold. There are flats now. But the main structure is unoccupied till now.

Originally, it belonged to Moothedath Kadalayil which was merged with Veembur Kadalayil. On shifting to Pazhai, the house was sold to Akavoor Mana, my paternal grand mother’s maiden house (illam). We were just living there. The Akavoor namboodiri even suggested,” sister, why don’t you live here, why build a new house?” But father wanted to be near our village. 

A couple friends of mine, who’s names I will not mention until a later date, are writing a book together. One of them asked me to do a short write-up about our (Intentional Gatherings) time with the homeless on the streets of Ft. Worth for them to publish in the book. It was so reminiscent to think back two years ago and write out our story. Hope you enjoy…

On Becoming Homeless…

For a group of white, middle-class, suburban kids the journey we were about to embark on would prove to be quite shaping. We had been exploring what life as a follower of Christ should look like based upon what we found in scripture. It was not long after that we “broke it off” with our beloved pew, and said “goodbye” to the church as a building. While we stayed closely connected to the Body of Christ as a people we refused to allow that to hinder us from intentionally spending more time with non-Jesus followers than we did followers. From Starbucks and other “third spaces” to our neighborhoods, schools, and jobs we began exploring a life on mission outside the context of the bubble we had so unknowingly been seduced into previously.

As we devoured the scriptures communally it was not long before we noticed a theme throughout Jesus’ ministry of service to the poor and needy; not to mention His commands to us, as His Body, to take care of them. At this time in our lives ministry to the homeless was not the “hip-&-cool fad” it has become today. As we began seeking ways to live out these Gospel principles found in scripture we learned about what we would soon label the “modern-day leper colony”. About 20 minutes from our comfortable suburban homes, tucked quietly under the intersection of several major highways near the downtown area, we found what would soon become a place our souls longed to be. The majority of Ft. Worth’s homeless population called this area just off East Lancaster Boulevard “home”. For the most part they went unnoticed, and were ignored by society. Those who knew they existed steered clear of the area, or pointed down from the overpass as they attempted to teach their kids a lesson about “responsibility”.

We began taking regular trips to the streets in pursuit of being obedient to what we felt God was instructing us to do. We became students of those who had “worked” there for many years, as well as the homeless individuals we sought to “serve”. We learned very quickly how ignorant we were to the real needs of these people based upon the real reasons they were there in the first place. It did not take long to realize the abundance of tangible resources available to the homeless on East Lancaster. From churches to various non-profit, and government organizations the basic needs of the people on the street were met with excess. They did not need our Wendy’s dollar menu burgers, or our hand-me-down fashion from the closet.

A man named Michael Hatcher became our close friend and mentor. Michael had been “ministering” among these people for years, and taught us everything we know about working among the homeless in Ft. Worth. He and his family had moved into the “hood” several years before, and were dedicated to seeing lives transformed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus. Michael was known on the streets as “The Rev”. He was someone the people trusted, respected, and would give their lives for. Michael walked the streets during the week ministering to these people. He helped them get their ID’s, jobs, bus passes, but most importantly he gave them himself as a friend. We naturally followed in the footsteps of our mentor. We made a commitment early on: while countless others brought material goods to hand out to the people of the streets we vowed only to bring ourselves; a “hand-up” not a “hand-out” if you will. While others handed out food and clothes we sat on the curb to listen. Conversations led to prayer, topped with hugs, and a side of comfort knowing they had made a new friend. You must understand that many of these people had not engaged in conversation with another human being in years.

Things were going well, and we were seeing fruit from our labor. However, there was still something missing. While we had close relationships with our new friends on the street they knew we came from our comfy suburban homes, and would return there after our short time with them on the streets. We could not truly relate to them. Around that time several twenty-something’s from our newly formed “organic” church community felt a strange pull to move in, and “set up shop” among our new friends from the streets. We all began praying that God would provide a house for communal living among the poor…

By the grace of God our little crew of 15 broke college-aged kids began to make quite the impact on East Lancaster. We had organized the annual “Art-n-the Park” celebration, birthed the “Unity in the Community Network” of organizations who served among the homeless in Ft. Worth, and had the attention of many in the city. We still felt we had so much to learn. After all, we were in this for our new friends on the streets, and God’s ultimate glorification, not our own narcissism. Michael Hatcher decided that we needed to know what “life on the streets” was really like. He and his wife put together “Ghetto 101”, and about 10 of us agreed to a weekend we would never forget; a weekend our parents would not be happy to hear about…

We knew that we had to “be in their shoes” to really know how to best serve them. We had no idea what it meant to sleep on cold cement without a wallet full of plastic, or a cell phone to call mommy and daddy when things got rough. Our weekend began with turning in everything we had come with, a cold shower in the Day Resource Center, and a hopeless search through a box of clothes that would be our only possessions for the next two days. For those two days we were on our own in this place we had deemed the “leper colony”. Luckily, we had made many friends who “showed us the ropes” and “had our backs” if things got weird. We ate what they ate, walked where they walked, begged where they begged, slept where they slept, collected cans for money, and endured life disconnected from the rest of the world. The weekend was incredible. We learned a lot, gained the respect of our homeless friends (Who now saw that we were “for real”), and scared the mess out of our parents.

After eight months of praying God decided it was time. We found two duplex’s on the same property. Two of the four units were for rent, and they were cheap. By this point our organization, Intentional Gatherings, had gained its non-profit status, and donations were coming in from people who believed in the vision of the “I.G. House”. We moved two guys into one unit and four girls into the other. It was then that we truly began to learn the in’s and out’s of homelessness, and how to attack the problem at the root. We were in a neighborhood about a mile from the “leper colony”, which was full of the “working poor”. (Those who are not-yet-homeless, but hanging on by a thread) The primary focus shifted from the already homeless to the almost homeless; the work among the already homeless continued, and the relationships that had been made were fostered. The “I.G. House” crew grew close as they lived in tight-knit Gospel centered community, and sought to make a difference in the neighborhood in which they resided. As the crew grew they eventually took over three of the four units on the property. From weekend kickball tournaments to front porch after-school tutoring & Saturday morning breakfast in the yard this group of immigrants was serving Jesus in a way previously foreign to us all.

We had finally learned that in order to make a true impact among a people we had to “incarnate” ourselves among them. We had to put ourselves in their shoes, eat what they ate, sleep where they slept, and live life in their context. It was then that we truly gained a door into their lives. We refused to simply come from the outside bringing in the “answer” to life. We brought our lives to the inside of their lives, shared life, and discovered what the “answer” was with them. Thank you Jesus for “incarnating” yourself among us, sharing in our lives, and teaching us of yourself, the answer.

Photographed by doug88888

Taken through a UV filter at Chiswick, England.

– License

Regulator Follow Up Action

Predictably, this week, ASIC was ordered to pick up the tab for Rich and Silbermann. Not so predictably ASIC got another kick in the teeth with a Victorian Supreme Court Judge delivering a broadside as to the regulator’s handling of its case against former AWB executive Andrew Lindberg. Not surprisingly numerous “we told you so” commentators have come out to advise ASIC that it should change its litigation strategy to avoid mega claims and keep future actions “short and sweet”.  James Hardie has been put forward as an example of ASIC successfully taking a more defined approach.

The ATO hit back at those that criticised its handling of its $678 million dollar claim against international private equiteers TPG, explaining in detail, to those that were interested, the difference between revenue and capital gains.  Tax practitioners say that the ATO is preparing three separate rulings which are expected to redefine the ATO’s treatment of such deals. These rulings are expected to force fundamental changes to the way private equity, and other international finance transactions are structured.

In other regulator news AUSTRAC continued its strong compliance stance accepting an enforceable undertaking from PayPal Australia after its investigations revealed deficiencies in the systems PayPal had in place to assess and manage its money laundering and terrorism financing risk.

Ripoll Report Falls Flat

The Ripoll report into financial products and services was finally released after months of hearings and came up with 11 key recommendations (http://ow.ly/FoWt).  The initial response was a flurry of headlines noting its criticism of ASIC’s handling of Storm and its call for sweeping reforms of the financial planning industry.  Once the commentators had a chance to dig a bit deeper the general consensus appears to be that Bernie and his mates have missed a golden opportunity to actually do something to address the basic conflict of interest in the industry, being the fact that most planners are not being rewarded for providing good advice but rather for flogging products with nice trailing commissions. The fact that the report was almost universally welcomed by the financial planning industry should give up some clues as to who are the winners here.

Workplace Relations

Whilst the politicians and the press focus on the ETS / liberal leadership debate, there has been very little comment or analysis around the new Modern Awards and the National Employment Standards which are due to commence on 1 January 2010.  Given that these new laws will affect nearly every employer in the country is it remarkable that there hasn’t been at least some government advertising of the changes.  A cynic would suggest that the Rudd government doesn’t need to advertise at the moment. It’s ironic that in the background the Fair Work Authority continues to successfully pursue employers who are underpaying workers largely because they didn’t understand their legal obligations under the old award system.

The gender equality debate continued during the week with the traditionally conservative Australian Institute of Company Directors finally coming out and calling for companies to set goals and report annually on policies and progress in increasing gender diversity on boards and at senior management level.  Almost simultaneously the Federal Government Agency for Equal Opportunity for Women published the names of 12 companies including Rivers & Tyrrell’s Wines for breaching national Equal Employment Opportunity laws.  It seems some directors and senior managers simply don’t get it.

But the rich, in that he is made low. That is, because his property is taken away, and he is made poor. Such a transition is often the source of the deepest sorrow; but the apostle says that even in that a Christian may find occasion for thanksgiving. The reasons for rejoicing in this manner, which the apostle seems to have had in view, were these:

(1.) Because it furnished a test of the reality of religion, by showing that it is adapted to sustain the soul in this great trial; that it cannot only bear prosperity, but that it can bear the rapid transition from that state to one of poverty; and,

(2,) because it would furnish to the mind an impressive and salutary illustration of the fact that all earthly glory is soon to fade away. I may remark here, that the transition from affluence to poverty is often borne by Christians with the manifestation of a most lovely spirit, and with an entire freedom from murmuring and complaining. Indeed, there are more Christians who could safely bear a transition from affluence to poverty, from prosperity to adversity, than there are who could bear a sudden transition from poverty to affluence. Some of the loveliest exhibitions of piety which I have ever witnessed have been in such transitions; nor have I seen occasion anywhere to love religion more than in the ease, and grace, and cheerfulness, with which it has enabled those accustomed long to more elevated walks, to descend to the comparatively humble lot where God places them. New grace is imparted for this new form of trial, and new traits of Christian character are developed in these rapid transitions, as some of the most beautiful exhibitions of the laws of matter are brought out in the rapid transitions in the laboratory of the chemist.

— Albert Barnes: Commenting on James 1:10

Hopes suddenly rose that a new global climate pact was within reach after rich nations attending a Commonwealth summit here offered to pay poorer countries to help seal the deal.

“Success in Copenhagen is in sight,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon stated, referring to the climate negotiations to take place in the Danish capital December 7-18.

He and Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, both making exceptional appearances at the Trinidad summit despite not being Commonwealth members, stressed how encouraged they were by Britain and France offering to start a 10-billion-dollar fund for developing nations.

By showing willingness to meet “the need for money on the table,” it was now “realistic” to expect Copenhagen to result in the framework for a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012, Rasmussen said.

“Copenhagen will not be a talk shop,” Ban said. “We will come out with a very concrete foundation for a legally binding treaty.” Success in Copenhagen in sight: UN chief

(L-R) Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon chat during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Port of Spain,

The sudden optimism contrasted sharply with predictions of failure at the climate talks as recently as two weeks ago.

Much of that stemmed from a joint overture by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Commonwealth gathering, whose leaders represent two billion people, or a third of the planet’s population.

The two European leaders proposed to compensate developing countries for the economic disadvantages they would face in cutting carbon emissions.

Britain said it had already set aside 1.3 billion dollars to be paid into the Copenhagen Launch Fund over the next three years.

“Poorer countries must have an understanding that the richer countries will help them adapt to climate change and make the necessary adjustments in their economies,” Brown said on his website.

“We have got to provide some money to help that. Britain will do so, the rest of Europe will do so and I believe America will do so as well.”

Sarkozy, who was also specially invited by Brown to address the Commonwealth summit, did not say how much France would contribute.

But he told reporters the fund would operate for the next three years, beyond which an “ambitious mechanism” for continued payments would be established.

The willingness of developed countries to ante up bolstered other moves that suggested nations were determined to reach an accord.

Important among those were carbon cut pledges by almost all the nations most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.

China, the world’s biggest polluter, has vowed to reduce “carbon intensity” as measured by unit of gross domestic product by 40-45 percent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels.

The United States, the other major contributor to global warming, is looking at curbing carbon emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

The European Union is unilaterally cutting emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, and is offering to go to 30 percent if other industrialised parties follow suit. The Commonwealth: facts

Brazil, the fourth-biggest greenhouse gas contributor because of deforestation, has offered a reduction of 36-39 percent based on its projected economic output in 2020.

India’s prime minister said on Saturday the country was willing to commit to “ambitious” carbon emission reduction targets as long as it was part of an “equitable” burden sharing framework.

Alone of the big polluting nations, India has not revealed any emission cut targets.

But after meeting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Trinidad, Sarkozy said that he was confident “they will put some figures on the table” within days.

Rasmussen said more than 85 heads of state and government had accepted invitations to attend the Copenhagen conference, effectively turning it into a big summit.

Among those who have publicly said they are going are US President Barack Obama, Britain’s Brown, France’s Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Sarkozy, however, criticized Obama’s decision to turn up for just one day at the beginning of the negotiations, on December 9, instead of the crucial final days of summit when all the other leaders would be crunching figures and concessions.

He added that, if an agreement eluded Copenhagen, “it will be a historic failure.”

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I was having a conversation with someone a few months ago, and i casually mentioned that i no longer listened to Prosperity gospel. This went into a long debate that went on for hours. He was like Wyatt Earp, firing off scripture after scripture to support his case of God promising us wealth and riches. One of them was “the cattle on a thousand hills are his” does that sound like a poor God?

Naturally , the logic follows “How can a rich God , that owns the whole world not want his children to be rich”. Another quote brought up was from apostle Paul,

“my God shall supply all your needs ,according to his riches in glory”.Philippians 4:19
The logic, Paul was rich , thus the reason he prayed “YOUR needs” for the people , and not his own needs. Needless to say as i went back to read that verse, from the beginning to the end, that assumption of riches is totally out of context. Paul was thanking them, for the previous times they had sacrificially financially catered for him,in his last visit, and at that point in time we did not need it, but placed a blessing on them, for their willingness and generosity. Please Read the entire passage for yourself and see. 1 Corinthians 9 is also a good read concerning Paul’s income status.

However , the cattle on a thousand hills stuck with me. Taken from Psalm 50:10 , it is extremely popular with the prosperity gospel movement and i decided to take a look at it for what it fully meant, and the context in which it was said.

Does God own the cattle on the hills and the whole world. YES, Is out God rich, of course he is, but i doubt if riches to God, is sitting in his money room, counting gold and diamonds gleefully, as his Angel Gabriel reads his balance sheet out loud for the umpteenth time. This verse is quoted in isolation to justify and promote the desire to be rich, wealthy and seize the promises that a rich God has provided.

So let’s see what it says

v 10 For all the animals of the forest are mine and i own the cattle on a thousand hills
v11 Every bird of the mountain and all the animals of the field belong to me
v12 If i were hungry i would not mention it to you, for all the world is mine and everything in it
v13 I do not need the bulls you sacrifice, i do not need the blood of goats

Here’s a key verse

v14 What i want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfil your vows to to the most high.
v15 Trust me in your times of trouble and i will rescue you and you will give me glory

ZOOMING out of the isolation of verse 10 , an often misinterpreted passage , reading the whole passage , we would realise that God is not saying , “the cattle on a thousand hills are mine , so you get them in the will my child, take it , it’s yours”.

This passage is a chastisement to those that carry out religious ceremony, those playing church so to speak. They cross all the T’s and dot all the i’s , but it’ s all routine. Done out of some sort of obligation rather than love and desire. He was speaking them that did acts and went , “Hey, check out, look at my God badge”, but lived lives of hypocrisy,lives contrasting to the God they claimed. He was speaking to

HYPOCRITES; v16-17 But God says to the wicked “Recite my laws no longer and don’t pretend that you obey me.For you refuse my discipline and treat my laws like trash.
ACCOMPLICES TO THE WICKED; v 18 When you see a thief you help him, and you spend your time with adulterers
LIARS ; v19 Your mouth is full of wickedness and your tongues are full of lies
SLANDERERS :v 20 You sit around and slander a brother, your own mothers son

Verses 21 -22 Go on to explain God’s verdict towards all this , a sound WARNING

When you did all this ,I remained silent, and you thought i didn’t care. But now i will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you. Repent all you ignore me, or i will tear you apart and no one will help you.

This passage is FAR from the endorsement or promise of financial prosperity as it is often used in isolation. It is a warning to those paying God lip service.

Lest i do what they do, the passage ends on a hopeful note

v23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honours me.If you keep to my path i will reveal to you the salvation of God.

Read the entire Psalm 50, to see the introduction God is given ,lest we read in isolation.

SELAH

CATTLE ON THE HILLS

I’m standing in Barnes and Noble on 5^th Avenue, it’a lunch time, and I’m joined  by a throng (what is a “throng” by the way?) of people pouring over books for holiday gifts, romance novels and even a bunch of geeky looking guys, separate from the throng, who are  salivating over books about computers.

But I refuse to let myself be distracted by any of them because I’m searching the shelves for something much more important.

A way to get rich.

A friend mentioned a book called “Think and Grow Rich” and she’d just finished a chapter about how people seem to triumph after their darkest hour.

This brought two immediate thoughts to mind.  One, if thinking is required, I’m screwed.  And two, since I haven’t triumphed yet, does that mean I have even darker hours ahead?   Oh God, please say “no.”

Nevertheless, since I wasn’t making any headway playing Lotto, Lucky 7s or Mega Million, I thought I would give her book a try.   But as I stood in the Money and Finance section of the store, I found myself distracted.

For two good reasons.

First, I had already seen enough dark hours in my life to last a lifetime, and  didn’t really want to face anymore.  I just wanted to be left alone, live one day at a time, try to do the right thing and enjoy my simple life.

And second, I’m a dreamer.

People have always accused me of that each time I thought I’d come up with a good idea, or tried to express myself creatively.  And over the years, I came to believe they were right.

I thought back to my  teenage years when I wrote songs.   People who heard me play, and heard my songs, loved them.  Not just my friends, but strangers.  And for years, I recorded those songs, and took them to every record label in the world where they were rejected.  And I would try again.  I’d work several jobs, write more songs, do a better job of recording them, only to face more rejection.  From Los Angeles, to London, to Nashville to New York, year after year only to have everything that came from my heart be rebuffed.

In fact most of the people who were even nice enough to listen, would hand them back and look at me with something akin to pity, before they sent me on my way.   All I knew was that people liked my songs, except for the people who had the power to record them.

Years later I tried one more time.  A man heard me play an original song at a party, he cried, and told me it was a beautiful song, He wanted to give it to a friend who was the president of a major record label.  He did, and of course the song was dismissed immediately.  When I heard the news, I just stared at the man and I thought to myself,

“They were right.  I’m nothing but a dreamer.”

After I left that business in my early 30’s I began writing; articles, stories, poems, and mainly commentary about the things I noticed in life.  A professor of an advanced writing course at NYU said,

“You are a great writer.  You really have a talent.”

And another professor said,

“I feel every scenario you write about.  Your words are so descriptive, I could even smell the fragrance of the bread in the scene you wrote about your childhood.  You really write with great emotion and empathy.”

And for years I wrote and wrote, and was declined by magazine after magazine, by newspapers and book publishers.

Finally, one year,  after my writing days were basically over, I wrote a story for someone I loved, and wrote it in the format of a children’s story.  To my chagrin, everyone who read it, loved it.  And I thought, uh oh, here I go again.  And I was right, every publisher who read it declined it.   And when I asked people for help, most didn’t even respond.   I was told I needed a network.  That successful people know other successful people.  Kind of like the rich get richer.

But I was a kid from the south side of Chicago.  I didn’t have a network.  I went to a neighborhood grade school, like thousands of others in Chicago.  I didn’t go to a prep school, an Ivy League school, a Big 10 school, or any university where networking was part of the curriculum.  I went to a local junior college  made out of temporary metal buildings erected in an flat, open corn field in the middle of Illinois.   And I had been told for most of my life that I was only really good at one thing.  And that was being

Nothing but a dreamer.

Even in relationships, I have faced the same thing  One woman after another would think I was the nicest, most decent man they had every met.  But there was always a flaw, or a comment I’d make, or the lack of money, or class, or status, or distance, or something I would do.  And sooner rather than later I was spurned by them as well.   And like the music people and the publishers, I would never hear another word from them again.

Who knows why all of this happened.  Who knows why so many people could appreciate the talent, the heart and the decency, and how the only thing they could say was,

“I’m sorry, you’re not good enough.”

So, on that particular day, I stood at Barnes and Noble, surrounded by the “throng,” now half heartedly looking at books on how to be successful.  I remembered all of the record companies and publishers.  I remembered all the people who would sit at the piano bars and say “God those are great songs.”  I remembered all the people who read my writing and said, “you really have a talent.”

But most of all,  I stood looking at those hundreds of books all promising success, and I remembered the rejection.  All of it.

I smiled a sad smile, but also realized that I have been successful in other areas of my life, which to me are more important than who you know or how much money you have.  I have good friends.  People know they can count on me.  I’m honest, loving, faithful, meet all my commitments, love my boys, and do my best to help people when they need it the most.

But on that day I turned my back, and slowly walked out of the store, empty-handed.  I walked down 5th Avenue to my office where I had work to do that would pay my bills and keep me busy.  I thought to myself, accept the life you have today, continue to be decent, and try to treat other with kindness, respect, and affection.  But I couldn’t help thinking,

“A book on how to think and get rich?  What was I thinking?”

“I’m nothing but a dreamer.”

Just when you thought Jeremy Shum was trying to con a rich chick of all of her money she is actually an amazingly hot doctor lol!

So, what college you apart of babe Royal College of Surgeons lol?!