I saunter this morn, toward the rooms
of gardens within the,
palace.
Clad in lustrous saffron tinctured sari.
Soft fluttering
silk, more radiant and ethereal by
sparkle and sheen
of diamond or pearl
with vivid golden threads beaming
bright.
Slippers afoot of telmont yellow,
Jewels abounding my, wrists and ankles.
I hear the soft rhythm of little bells jingle
about
with each step on my, foray.
My veil covering about
that of
me.

The colour saffron, reminds me
of heritage past and of present
circumstance.
From Europa to Gomatak.
Hidden am I, from view it seems, just
colour that moves along the corridors,
room by room,
down long halls around, and about.
I enter the rooms of gardens.
Windows welcome within the air. 

I hear the lilt, touching that dwelling within
my beating heart.
Alone and missive, am I this morn.
Far am I, from my birth land.
Time is at a relative standing with quiet
stillness.
Routine has begotten of me as,
I gaze out upon the gardens that are
in rapturous harmonic colouring.
I listen and become one within my mere
mortal presence. 

I feel her and I hear her desires.
she sings to me, rapturous in melody,
with a voice, seldom heard.
I observe of her in her glade. She and her friends flaunt
their finery about, dancing and singing to
garner the attention of the men in wait.
Her movement from place to place,
is quizzical.
I feel as though, she comes with the lyrical voice
to sunder my soul to depths untouched as of
yet in my time. 

I observe the strength and determination
of the warrioress
within.
Her colour so pleasing, to my vision. For she is not
contrived of
ordinaries, at all.
Beauty and grace,
such exotic fluidity abundant
with
graceful moves in motion, she
shows with such delicate ease.
She hinders not to show of herself, fearless she is. 

Her lilt is languorous and touching and she keeps
my heart within bounds, in moments of time
when I feel as though the world is at bay.
Eye to eye, we seem to dwell. Accessing each others
will.
Eyes that call, beckon me fore. Desire comes
to burn to touch that of her. To comfort the aloneness
she must feel, within herself imposed confines. 

This day, I am a maiden caught within the
grasp of her attention.
My soul can mellow with the gift of sunlight that glimmers with
an escapade,
like a million diamonds tossed across the scape
of the calm, Arabian Sea,
streaming through the window on this spring
day.
Soft languid ethereal air whispers, drifts,
with the sweet scent of flowers bloom
through in a riotous journey to taunt the sense
of smell. 

My heart feeling sullen walks closer to that of her.
Closer to see those eyes that capture of my soul
as of now.
I have no fears, no qualms but to feel of her within
my hands.
I desire to understand, allow her to feel of me.
To allow our hearts to connect within the here and
now.
I am desirous of her understanding of who I am, as
we have truly not met in a proper way.
I walk towards that of her, of such delicacy with wood
of thinness and wire that seem to be a dividing line between
two hearts that want to learn as well as share.
I peer at her as she sits so regal, with such proper manner of pose.
She dares of me to cross the line.
she as well, desires to feel
touch upon that of her.
Again, that stare of what is it I, seek of her. What
can she give to me? What shall I want of her? 

Questions could escalate with justifications brought forth
each one with deep validity.
I, brave of heart of the unknown, with slow intent place
my hand inside of the door. I greet with words of slow sweetness
and ask of her to come with me.
she peers up at me and answers not. 

I again, offer my hand in greeting and ever so slowly, the soul
comes my way with slow intent with a few missive steps of fear.
I can see the nervous walk as she starts to walk away.
She is scared of that of me. I hence forth
call of her in a native tongue
she should identify. Turning her head,
she sings in that harmonious lilt.
Closer now she comes, my hand is suggestive with
my desire that quells within my heart,
that is to truly know of her.
she understands it seems, all of a sudden
that I bring no harm at all.
I am guileless and a safe haven for that of her.
Closer she comes as with intent to greet of me,
I see the knowing take place within her eyes.
Coming closer now she sits upon my hand and then
leaps away as if poisoned by thought of wrongdoing. 

I call to her, ask of her to join that of me.
Once more, she comes towards me. She hop’s up into
the confines of my hand and again struts her enigmatic
body all over my hand as though in search.
Search she does trying to figure out this hand and if it
is home or land found anew.
I talk with low of voice with words of love shared
spontaneously. I tell her how I so love of who she is.
I let her know that in the bounds of these hands she is
safe. I reach to place her back into safe haven.
She seems to not, desire to go back. She looks at me and
at the same time, we both realize that the window is open
right within reach. 

I became the bird.
My heart concerned for her safe haven as I tell her of
her luck of where she is this day, she looked at me
and flapped her wings a few times, taking flight within the air.
Her colours so radiant, so beautiful
for she is beauty in disguise,
and quickly,
out the window
she flew!
Her wings took her far with a joyous
heart full of love. 

From that day
forward, Mademoiselle d’Abanville, never
plied her veil to be hidden from view, she was free,
as free as could be, letting the past
go completely.
Ready to travel fore with a heart
joyous,
ready for the virtues true in life
to arrive to that of her. 

Mira Faraday December 20, 2009 

My pirate, has been rescued, this day after battle
to free him from confines of enemy hands.
Now, he is upon my vessel and within my trust
for safe keep.
He did not mind a princessa, coming to
the rescue of him.
Let him know of the heart that dwells within
the depths of the princessa
He thought it rather bawdy, that she did dare
to do so . Radical she can be
 

I’ve been working on my game-plan for 2010. I’m following the bad game-plan is better than no game-plan rule. I am very determined to improve my working homeless status in 2010. I have never been much on doing new years resolutions, but I thought I would this coming year. I’ve determined that my biggest overall problem is procrastination. I have a very big “I’m incredibly busy but getting absolutely nothing done problem”. I’m not sure why, but as my situation has deteriorated, my desire to procrastinate has become worse. Also, I don’t understand why, but it is a very unconscious thing. I never seem to realize I’m procrastinating until I look back and examine my behavior.

So my one resolution for 2010 is “Do It Now!”, and the one question to constantly ask myself is “Am I doing the most productive thing possible right now?” (Joe Verde’s “How to Sell a Car Today” #11 on “Your Daily Dozen Checklist” – http://www.joeverde.com/Site/noflash.html)

Comments are always welcome. I’d like to know what your resolution is for 2010 or maybe you don’t do the resolution thing.

Bouncing back is a nice concept. It’s one that I’m having difficulty with. Two years ago the the bottom dropped out for me. I was an on-line seller Amazon & eBay. I did ok for a few years, but there were changes that I did not adapt well to, causing me to go broke. I was ok with that nothing last forever. When I started looking for a job I was 60 years old with enough savings to make it about 6 months. No problem I can find a job. Well it was a problem. One year later I took a commissioned sales position in absolute desperation, knowing in advance that my history in commission sales was not good. I simply don’t have the disposition for the business. My first year has not been good. I guess I could blame the condition of the auto industry for my plight, but I won’t. I accept full responsibility for my condition. It’s been two years now and my condition continues to deteriorate. I’m not bouncing back successfully.

So my objective in joining the community is to work on my optimism level. I find it difficult to be upbeat and positive. I’m currently consider myself working homeless, because my home has been foreclosed on but I have not been evicted yet. I am currently not living in my home because it is in poor condition and not livable.

I’ve given up on the job search for now and decided to put my attention into solving my many legal issues and in rebuilding my Amazon business. For now I have shelved my posting to eBay.

For some strange reason I feel optimistic about 2010. Maybe 2010 is the year things change for the better.

Please feel free to join me at http://www.letsbounceback.com/ It’s a new on-line community. The twitter address is http://twitter.com/LetsBounceBack

The Veil

                                        I saunter this morn, toward the room

                                               of gardens within the,
                                                 

                                                      palace.

Clad in lustrous saffron tinctured sari.

Soft fluttering

silk, more radiant and ethereal by

sparkle and sheen

of diamond or pearl

with vivid golden threads beaming

bright.

Slippers afoot of telmont yellow,

Jewels abounding my, wrists and ankles.

I hear the soft rhythm of little bells jingle

about

with each step on my, foray.

My veil covering about

that of

me.

The colour saffron, reminds me

of heritage past and of present

circumstance.

From Europa to Gomatak.

Hidden am I, from view it seems, just

colour that moves along the corridors,

room by room,

down long halls around, and about.

I enter the rooms of gardens.

Windows welcome within the air.

I hear the lilt, touching that dwelling within

my beating heart.

Alone and missive, am I this morn.

Far am I, from my birth land.

Time is at a relative standing with quiet

stillness.

Routine has begotten of me as,

I gaze out upon the gardens that are

in rapturous harmonic colouring.

I listen and become one within my mere

mortal presence.

I feel her and I hear her desires.

she sings to me, rapturous in melody,

with a voice, seldom heard.

I observe of her in her glade. She and her friends flaunt

their finery about, dancing and singing to

garner the attention of the men in wait.

Her movement from place to place,

is quizzical.

I feel as though, she comes with the lyrical voice

to sunder my soul to depths untouched as of

yet in my time.

I observe the strength and determination

of the warrioress

within.

Her colour so pleasing, to my vision. For she is not

contrived of

ordinaries, at all.

Beauty and grace,

such exotic fluidity abundant

with

graceful moves in motion, she

shows with such delicate ease.

She hinders not to show of herself, fearless she is.

Her lilt is languorous and touching and she keeps

my heart within bounds, in moments of time

when I feel as though the world is at bay.

Eye to eye, we seem to dwell. Accessing each others

will.

Eyes that call, beckon me fore. Desire comes

to burn to touch that of her. To comfort the aloneness

she must feel, within herself imposed confines.

This day, I am a maiden caught within the

grasp of her attention.

My soul can mellow with the gift of sunlight that glimmers with

an escapade,

like a million diamonds tossed across the scape

of the calm, Arabian Sea,

streaming through the window on this spring

day.

Soft languid ethereal air whispers, drifts,

with the sweet scent of flowers bloom

through in a riotous journey to taunt the sense

of smell.

My heart feeling sullen walks closer to that of her.

Closer to see those eyes that capture of my soul

as of now.

I have no fears, no qualms but to feel of her within

my hands.

I desire to understand, allow her to feel of me.

To allow our hearts to connect within the here and

now.

I am desirous of her understanding of who I am, as

we have truly not met in a proper way.

I walk towards that of her, of such delicacy with wood

of thinness and wire that seem to be a dividing line between

two hearts that want to learn as well as share.

I peer at her as she sits so regal, with such proper manner of pose.

She dares of me to cross the line.

she as well, desires to feel

touch upon that of her.

Again, that stare of what is it I, seek of her. What

can she give to me? What shall I want of her?

Questions could escalate with justifications brought forth

each one with deep validity.

I, brave of heart of the unknown, with slow intent place

my hand inside of the door. I greet with words of slow sweetness

and ask of her to come with me.

she peers up at me and answers not.

I again, offer my hand in greeting and ever so slowly, the soul

comes my way with slow intent with a few missive steps of fear.

I can see the nervous walk as she starts to walk away.

She is scared of that of me. I hence forth

call of her in a native tongue

she should identify. Turning her head,

she sings in that harmonious lilt.

Closer now she comes, my hand is suggestive with

my desire that quells within my heart,

that is to truly know of her.

she understands it seems, all of a sudden

that I bring no harm at all.

I am guileless and a safe haven for that of her.

Closer she comes as with intent to greet of me,

I see the knowing take place within her eyes.

Coming closer now she sits upon my hand and then

leaps away as if poisoned by thought of wrongdoing.

I call to her, ask of her to join that of me.

Once more, she comes towards me. She hop’s up into

the confines of my hand and again struts her enigmatic

body all over my hand as though in search.

Search she does trying to figure out this hand and if it

is home or land found anew.

I talk with low of voice with words of love shared

spontaneously. I tell her how I so love of who she is.

I let her know that in the bounds of these hands she is

safe. I reach to place her back into safe haven.

She seems to not, desire to go back. She looks at me and

at the same time, we both realize that the window is open

right within reach.

I became the bird.

My heart concerned for her safe haven as I tell her of

her luck of where she is this day, she looked at me

and flapped her wings a few times, taking flight within the air.

Her colours so radiant, so beautiful

for she is beauty in disguise,

and quickly,

out the window

she flew!

Her wings took her far with a joyous

heart full of love.

From that day

forward, Mademoiselle d’Abanville, never

plied her veil to be hidden from view, she was free,

as free as could be, letting the past

go completely.

Ready to travel fore with a heart

joyous,

ready for the virtues true in life

to arrive to that of her.

       Mira Faraday              December 18, 2009

     My pirate, has been rescued, this day after battle

to free him from confines of enemy hands.

Now, he is upon my vessel and within my trust

for safe keep.

He did not mind a princessa, coming to

the rescue of him.

Let him know of the heart that dwells within

the depths of the princessa

He thought it rather bawdy, that she did dare

to do so.Radical she can be.

.

Well I can’t say I’m sorry to see 2009 slip into history. 2009 was by far the worst year of my 63 years. This is the year I became working homeless. There is no particular reason I should be optimistic about 2010 based on the challenges I am facing, but for some reason I am optimistic about the coming year. I’m not exactly sure why. I doubt there will be any improvement in my situation, but there is always hope.

These sound vibrations are a profound way to empower your own healing journey & self-development. They assist you to build stress resilience; generate healthy sleep patterns; develop positive mental health; and access those deep states of relaxation that bring healing to our minds and bodies.

Credits: Illuminessence.

The binaural beat effect is the result of two slightly different audio waves with one wave hitting your left ear, and the other hitting your right ear. Your brain is then forced to create one, unified brain wave pattern, and, as a result, the two hemispheres of your brain create a third “beat” frequency.

Our brainwaves are categorized into five different frequency types: delta, theta, alpha, beta, & gamma, and each of these tell us our mood, behavior, consciousness, state of mind, etc. So, through binaural beats, we can alter our states of mind simply by hitting play!

Here are some useful binaural beats links:

• Large collection of free and downloadable beats:  http://diydharma.org/keywords/binaural-beats
• Free streams of binaural beats:  http://www.i-dose.us/
• More free and downloadable beats: http://healingbeats.com/play.html

It’s important to note, however, that binaural beats should be used in a meditative state, so that consciousness of the body and outside world are gone. While listening, try just closing your eyes and relaxing, letting go of all tensions, muscle (physical) or emotion (mind). Also, you need stereo headphones!

I myself have been using these on and off all of yesterday, and, for the most part, I just felt extremely relaxed and calm. Before I went to bed I played a “lucid dream” beat, and actually had some crazy dreams that I remembered. I even took a nap today and had another dream.

Happiness is often described as a state of mind; it makes us wonder in quite’er times why is that state not permanent, in other words, why are we not always happy? When it is so important to be called as ultimate aim of life, then why don’t we stick to what made us happy a moment back so we continue feeling good.
And why is it then, when we struggle to keep everything like the way it made us happy are able to keep it but, happiness gradually still fades away.
Happiness is a state of mind, but what can we do to keep the state once we have got it. So is the question really how to keep it, or how to get it again and again, so as to not have big gaps between the happy states of mind.

And this is my point here – what do people who seem to always be happy do?
They definitely don’t cling on things which make them happy. If we ‘think’ quitely we’ll realize that its not some physical things and setups which makes us happy, happiness is rather a reaction of our mind to the state of things when it first percieves them in one form or another within a moment. It is a moment a small moment which has enough power to make one happy, and the experience of that moment which us happy. And moment always just passes away, and leaves us ‘happy’ for a good amount of time, until other moments of feeling override the happy feeling in our minds.
Physically, the mind takes this experience through one or combination of our ‘indri’ or perception receptor ie it could be a sight of young kid smiling at you, could be a first sip of hot cappuccino at your fav cafe on a cold but bright morning, could be a first time you are holding your baby, could be scent of your lady love when you getting close for the first kiss, and multitude of moments like these. These moments could be as simple as a squirrel climbing up the tree, or as special as holding your first baby. These moments of happiness can come from anywhere.
It could be a sound of ring from an old friend, and news that he’s visiting, totally unexpected but highly longed for.
It could just well be a regular train commute to work, and the girl sitting next to you, of whom you are not even able to clearly see the face , and that feeling in the stomach, that may be she’s the one – a big may be, but its the settings which makes you feel good about it.
There are numerous things which can generate these feelings within one’s life conext.

So – should we wait for something big to happen or achieve so you can become happy – as even if it happens the happiness would still be momentary, and eventually fade away? Also should we be clinging on to a state of things, which made us happy once?

Our mind keeps looking for fresh moments all the time.
The key would be to find happiness in small things, to try and behold these moments in the heart and move on, to find more.

What has our Kingdom come to when a man and members of his family are tied up by knife-wielding masked intruders and threatened with death, some of the victims escape, get help, chase the perpetrators and beat up badly one of them, only to be jailed for excessive use of force…?!?!?

This is effectively what has happened to Munir Hussain and his brother Toker who were jailed this week for 30 months and 39 months respectively. Walid Salem, the intruder they caught, suffered such injuries (including, it is claimed, a permanent brain injury) in what  was clearly a sustained attack by the Hussains that he was considered unfit to be tried on a charge of unlawful imprisonment and was merely put on a supervision order. In sentencing the Hussain brothers, Judge John Reddihough described the assault on Salem by the Hussain brothers as “a dreadful, violent attack”.

It undoubtedly was. Among the implements the Hussains and 2 other neighbours used to beat Salem were a cricket bat and a metal pole, (Reportedly the cricket bat was used to strike Salem with such force that it broke in 3!)

“This case is a tragedy for you and your families,” the judge told Munir Hussain. “Sadly, I have no doubt that my public duty requires me to impose immediate prison sentences of some length upon you. This is in order to reflect the serious consequences of your violent acts and intent and to make it absolutely clear that, whatever the circumstances, persons cannot take the law into their own hands, or carry out revenge attacks upon a person who has offended them.”

If the judge feels required by the law to pass such sentences, then the law is the proverbial ass!

Reddihough may know his law books but I suspect he’s not that familiar with human psychology.

The psychological scenario
Munir Hussain and his family returned from worship at their mosque during Ramadan. Devout Muslims, they will have been part-fasting for several days so the chemical balances – blood sugars, hormones, neurotransmitters, etc, will have been at different levels than is their norm – thus making it more likely that the Hussains would respond to trauma in an abnormal or exaggerated way.

Whether a court of law should be able to take into account the psycho-physiological effects of religious observance is a moot point. But undoubtedly the abrupt withdrawal of food over a short period of time will have affected the Hussains’ state of mind.

In their house, the Hussains found 3 masked intruders waiting for them. They were tied up, with their hands behind their backs, and forced to crawl from room to room. They were threatened with death. Shaheen Begum, Mr Husssain’s wife, told the court she feared the intruders had killed her youngest son. She said: “They were hitting my husband. When I asked them to stop or looked up they started hitting him again. They told us to lie face down and not speak, or they would kill us. It was very terrifying.”

It is rare for people in such terrifying circumstances to think coolly and rationally as Judge John Reddihough and his ‘law’ seem to expect. In most people the amygdala, the emotional centre of the brain, will become highly aroused, causing the hypothalamus to trigger the mechanisms which flood the body with the ‘fight or flight’ hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. Munir Hussain was geared to action and reaction, not logical thought. Psychiatrist Dr Philip Joseph told the court Munir was normally a calm man who kept himself under control; but, on this occasion, in what defending QC Michael Wolkind called “the extreme moment of stress”, his body took the ‘fight rather than flight’ option.

This intense physiological arousal led in part to Munir Hussain freeing himself and, with the help of his brother, turning the tables on the intruders. That they then gave chase to intruder Walid Salem and assaulted him viciously is hardly surprising. It’s why soliders will carry on slaughtering the enemy when the enemy are helpless or desperately trying to surrender. They are far too caught up in the moment – amygdalas aroused – to think rationally. Many commentators – eg: Peter Foote & David Wilson (1970) have commentated on this ‘beserker rage’, originally lionised in Viking lore but still featuring in frequent accounts of battle, including those of recent US Congressional Medal of Honour winners.

Of course, what the Hussain brothers did in the end to Salem cannot be condoned. But it should be understood.

There is another factor in this tragedy; and that is the role of the RED vMEME. Doubtless, RED was behind much of the no-consequences actions of Salem and his confederates. However, there is also strong evidence this vMEME contributed to a strong and possibly overwhelming psychological impetus on Munir Hussain’s emotions and actions. According to The Times (15/12/09), Munir is reported to have felt that he was letting down his wife and children in not being able to defend them from the criminal attack of Salem and his accomplices. RED will not take such shame lying down; rather it will seek to put right the wrong of his shame in not being able to protect his family. Not only does the dominance of the RED vMEME in Munir’s selfplex at that moment in time need to  be recognised but so do the cultural memes which will have been influencing him. In Munir’s Asian/Islamic tradition – just as it was not that long ago in the European/Christian traditions – men are supposed to look after and protect their women and children. By not protecting them or being unable to protect them, they lose both self-respect and status in their community.

Walid Salem, also a Muslim and presumably familiar with the effects of Ramadan, chose to invade Munir Hussain’s house, tie up Munir and his family and subject them to death threats and other abuses. It can be argued that actions of Salem and his confederates precipitated the extreme arousal of Munir Hussain’s amygdala and the stimulation of his RED vMEME. As he was in a period of religious observance, it would be reasonable to expect Munir Hussain’s selfplex to be dominated by the decidedly more deliberate BLUE vMEME. Due to the actions of Salem and his cronies, different vMEMES were at play.

Thus, while Munir Hussain’s assault on Salem cannot be condoned, it is understandable and to some degree predictable. Thus, it can be argued Walid Salem chose knowingly to put himself in harm’s way.

A different story
Many commentators are comparing the case to that of Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who, in 1999, shot dead a teenage hoodlum who had been breaking into his property and terrorising him repeatedly.

This comparison would seem to be not entirely fair. Martin’s ‘manslaughter’ of his tormentor, lying in wait with a pump action shotgun, was clearly premeditated whereas Munir Hussain’s assault on Walid Salem could be considered ‘hot pursuit’. According to early reporting of the trial in This is London (25/08/09), Salem was punched repeatedly in the face while one of his assailants demanded “Who sent you?”

It would seem that the attack on Munir and his family was not in any way random but was directed at them in a very personal way. Prosecuting QC John Prine told the court: “Whatever the motivation of the attack, it was something of a personal kind. It didn’t seem to have been done out of a desire to steal anything, rather that it was directed at the people who lived there.”

How additionally terrifying must that have been, knowing that it was you and your family specifically under attack and not knowing who was behind it! (It would appear Munir Hussain has made a powerful enemy somewhere but no evidence has come to light of him being involved in any shady dealings – business or personal. Indeed, he is regarded as a proverbial pillar of the local community and has been offered the personal support of Chief Inspector Colin Seaton of the Thames Valley Police.)

Returning to Tony Martin, it’s worth noting that his original conviction for murder was reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of suffering from Paranoid Personality Disorder – hardly surprising given the persistent abuse he had suffered! As Battered Wives Syndrome is a permissible defence for women who cold-bloodedly kill their husbands perhaps years after abusive crimes against their person, Martin’s appeal on the grounds of being in an abnormal mental state could hardly be refused.

But how can Munir Hussain’s case be compared when his assault was immediate upon a ‘very terrifying’ ordeal whereas Martin’s was cold-blooded after months of abuse? While a psychiatrist would need to confirm this, I would hazard that Munir Hussain’s assault on Salem was driven by the RED vMEME’s desire to eradicate his shame while in a state of high physiological arousal due to the life-threatening ordeal he and his family had been subjected to and the fear that they were being targeted deliberately and personally to be harmed.

The failure of the criminal justice system
Judge John Reddihough’s words appear rather mealy-mouthed when he says: “…if persons were permitted to … inflict their own instant and violent punishment on an apprehended offender rather than letting justice take its course, then the rule of law and our system of criminal justice, which are the hallmarks of a civilised society, would collapse.”

…er, excuse me: Salem gets 2 years of supervision in the community while Munir is sentenced to serve 30 months behind bars…?!?!? 

It’s fine to outlaw taking the law into your own hands if the police could be guaranteed to arrive within less than 5 minutes of an alarm being raised (thus eradicating the need for ‘hot pursuit’ by the victims) – they can’t! – and if the criminal justice system were seen to punish the criminals and compensate the victims. Unfortunately too many victims of crime are aware of police indifference to all but the most serious of crimes while the criminal justice system is in a state of near-continual reform because the last set of reforms didn’t work either!

What would today’s criminal justice system have to say if Salem and his accomplices had gone ahead with their threats and murdered Munir Hussain and his family? I doubt their shades would have been much impressed with 20 years less 10 for good behaviour. (That’s assuming, of course, that the police could have caught the murderers…!)

The kind of inverse logic of Reddihough’s court is one of the problems with cultural dominance by the GREEN vMEME which, in its drive for egalitarianism, would put the rights of the criminals on a par with the rights of the victims.

Not only is this anathema to PURPLE’s need for safety in the community and BLUE’s desire for simple black & white justice – Salem chose to commit a crime, Salem should be punished – but it goes against the 2nd Tier ‘big picture’ of what is beneficial to society.

Salem is a habitual crook, with 50 previous convictions against him, currently awaiting trial on a charge of credit card fraud. According to Razi Shah, one of Munir’s lawyers, this last crime was committed after Salem had received such supposedly debilitating injuries –  “On the one hand he was claiming that he was suffering from memory loss and brain damage and is not fit to stand trial, and on the other hand he was out committing more criminal offences — and obviously complex ones such as credit card fraud.” (Interview with National Post, 15/12/09.)

Munir Hussain is a former chairman of the Wycombe Race Equality Council; his company employs 9 other people in worthwhile esteem-enhancing occupations and generates around £2.4M taxable revenue. Now, because of Reddihough’s decision, 9 (presumably-)respectable citizens lose their jobs and may be reduced to claiming benefit while the Treasury loses the taxes to be collected from £2.4M…?!?!?

Just what kind of insane society are we living in where the just are convicted on a technicality of law and the lawbreakers get off with unmanageable supervision orders..? (How many probation officers and social workers do we have spare to follow up on this kind of nonsense…? Clearly not enough since Salem went on to commit further crime!)

Of course, Munir Hussain can’t be allowed to walk free with his head held high. But the degree of his crime should be assessed in proportion to the provocation to which he was subjected, the degree of fear he was experiencing and the consequent state of mind he was in.

As for Reddihough’s awarding of criminal convictions, let’s just hope that Salem and the legal leeches who support him don’t decide to bankrupt the Hussain brothers with claims for compensation!

Insanity mustn’t rule!
For the benefit of law-abiding citizens, the law of self-defence needs broadening. If someone chooses to put themselves in harm’s way by breaking into your house and threatening you with death, then they clearly are the stimulus for the consequences that follow.

Of course, the Hussain brothers went too far; but it was Salem’s choice to put himself in harm’s way. Of course, the Hussain brothers need to be told they did wrong; but, if Munir’s amygdala hadn’t got so aroused that he fought his way free and, with his brother’s help, turned the tables on the intruders, he and his family might now be dead.

It’s absurd for people to be refrained in defending themselves in clear and obvious life-threatening situations because they’re worried they’ll go too far. They need that amygdallic panic energy to get themselves out of the situation…and, if the criminals come off badly out of that situation, well, the criminals shouldn’t have created the situation in the first place!

Of course, householders can’t be given a charter to do whatever they like to intruders – otherwise we really would end up with the occasional burglar being maimed, tortured and/or murdered in a quite callous and cold-blooded way.

But it’s not unreasonable to allow someone to defend their family and their home…and, if your amgydala is so aroused, you go too far…. Well, the French have long recognised the concept of ‘crime passionnel’ and many American courts have waived judgment on the grounds of ‘temporary insanity’.

That, to me, would be a fair judgment on the Hussain brothers: they were in a temporarily insane state due to extreme, life-threatening provocation, terrifying abuse and fear of an unknown enemy. And, as their victim deliberately caused that provocation and was party to that abuse, he should have no recourse in either criminal or civil law.

It’s in the public interest that the Hussain brothers should have a conviction for criminal assault. It sends out a clear message: push these guys way, way too far and you might get a beserker response. (Probably some 80% of the male population would respond similarly and, if their immediate family was threatened, around 50% of females.) Who but the stupid and the criminal would want to push them that far, anyway? Treat them with respect and dignity in a fair and equitable way and you will most likely find them fine citizens and good people to do business with.

What’s not in the public interest is to send to prison a wealth-generating pillar of local society for gross but single overreaction to extreme provocation and ongoing fear – that sentence destroying his business and the livelihoods of his workers. What’s not in the public interest is to set free a habitual criminal who then goes on to commit other crimes. What’s not in the public interest is to send a message to householders throughout our Kingdom that they must pause and think coolly when confronted with extreme danger to themselves and their families.

It’s to be hoped that the court of appeal has a bigger picture view of the law that Judge John Reddihough who appears to have been dominated by his BLUE vMEME’s absolutist views on rigid application of the law. The Hussain brothers should have their sentences suspended on condition of good behaviour. As for Walid Salem, perhaps the court will subject his claims to brain injury to a much more rigid scrutiny when considering his prosecution for credit card fraud. The police should also seek medical authority to haul Salem in and carry out a proper investigation into the attack on Munir Hussain’s home.

Okay, so I’m almost finished with Mr. Sock Monkey and he’s coming along quite well if I do say so myself. As I surfed the web to find images of sock monkeys to help model the arms and legs of my woolen masterpiece, I discovered that a sock monkey is more than a child’s plaything. It seems there is a whole ‘cult of the sock’ if you will. People take their sock monkeys along on journeys and photograph them with famous landmarks. There are sock monkey contests for which the most creative simian takes the prize. My favorite is the Mr. T sock monkey. It seems these stuffed animals inspire joy and whimsy in grown-ups as well as children. I have noticed a distinct up-turn in my mood since I started working on Cody. Yes, my son’s named our fuzzy friend already. Could it be that simple, old-fashioned toys tap into something inside us and bring out a certain joie de vivre? Hey, if Piglet can have his Tao, then why shouldn’t sock monkey be a state of mind? Maybe the world would be a better place if it were.

Mademoiselle d’Abanville

Where are you this night, Où êtes-vous mon amour?

d’Abanville.

My heart lingers a turn, a spell.

In search for your prose.

Missive within my malcontent heart

am I, for your lustrous soul and

with search for the enigmatic

prose you scribe,

that sooth of this

heart of mine.

You sunder my soul

to relegate within bounds

intrepidly.

My heartbeats are raptured in tormented

madness of not knowing

that of your destiny.

Oh, there is a tale to tell on the wings

of a bird.

If only you believe

in, heaven.

Mademoiselle, d’ Abanville,

she will take you there.

Without knowing, she will quell

the heart of the most stalwart.

Her memory sings, oh, still deep and warm

within my heart, as I search for her,

till this day.

Oh, mademoiselle d’ Abanville, how I seek of your words.

They ply of this heart, of mine.

Time stands still for no one, not even me.

Months and months pass with unknowing,

time stands lone within this missive heart

of mine.

Where are you, this night, Mon amour?

I cannot find that of you.

.

A post arrives, by courier

to that of me,

she is alive!

I am jubilant in shocked

delight of surprise.

I must henceforth share this eve,

good news.

With my friends her words she

has plied of her adventures, I have found

that of my love, again in time.

She will capture your heart and steal

of your mind.

On a far journey, she has survived.

Let of the mind stand still,

to try to contrive

as the words I share, linger onward

within of your mind.

Mon plus Cher,

In time I pray, this finds its way to that

of you.

I have been asunder to a new land as of now.

I was taken captive,

while on a stroll, near

the ship harbor,

I walked alone.

A journey long and arduous for

the likes of me.

Fear filled and with great sorrow in darkness

I was bound.

To the depths of my soul, I was plundered,

helpless.

I was taken; upon a vessel, I sought no invitation

of.

To sail for so many hands of time, the days

seemed to linger far

and too long.

My heart was missive and with great worry

of my demise.

I only felt for a dream that,

I take of wings and fly,

far from this ship, that plied

a course so unknown

to me.

My only music, to my ears was the water.

Slashing, against the hull. The wind that blew

through the sails.

In my grieving loneliness,

I felt as if a flower accompanied

by thorns.

I grieved while going through experience and

found to relief that I shall always

have memories, to remember my past.

In this vast loneliness, such difficult

shattered dreams.

I felt as though the wave

separating from the shore.

My tears, they called upon you.

You could not hear of my call,

in the silence.

It was deafening to my ears.

I had not been in search

for shattered dreams.

How difficult it was to seek of happiness

to be found in such confines.

I dealt with the tensions of bawdy crew.

Lewd and lascivious

behavior for sure.

Oh, how I feared so of a short life

tandem to surrounds

of me.

To where I would awake and

should ever again my

feet touch of terra firma again

within my lifetime.

So, much juxtaposition

within the bounds of

time.

Hands of time crept on by, stalwart was I.

I tried to keep of self.

Finally, one day the Captain came to find

of me.

With great discourse, he made connection

with my

present lot to be.

He made of my comfort to seek upgrade,

to first mate cabin.

Providing that all needs be met of mine.

We dined together

in the Captain’s lair,

eating food with such tangible delight.

He shared of his ships cause and how the

land shall light my soul.

To where he traveled, I learned with such quickness.

He called this place Gomatak,

on the western side of India.

I felt conjecture to where I travel,

I had desire to be home.

I felt culpable of conquering

obstacles which fortune had

placed.

My high spirits had not known how to endure.

I learned quickly

of our charted sojourn, across

oceans and time.

Nine months to seek of destination is such

a languorous amount of time,

to environ upon a vessel

such as this.

Being female, life is lived in some exile.

With time, I had a captive audience

as I shared at night, my words

of passion beyond the bounds

of time with such, delight.

Awakened one morn to gleeful shouts,

I ran to the deck to see

what was of fright.

Land could be seen, smidgen sized against

the horizon as we sailed through

the Arabian Sea.

Finally, with dream I would ply my feet

upon firm ground.

Upon landing, I was led through

the town harbor of Mormugao,

a harbor of vast trade I was told.

Time had led me to destination of

land so glad was I.

The captain

set me with installment at an inn.

I felt again, of cloister but pushed

beyond to seek of where

I was without missive step.

I quilled sonnet after sonnet,

strolled cobbled streets morn

and eve to learn

of my surrounds.

The weather is so different here,

I am always accompanied

by a servant girl named Saraswate.

Her skills are without doubt so helpful,

always present or within ear shout.

Then one day a knock at the door,

with invitation to the palace.

I had no appropriation of garments to wear.

I was told to come

as I were, that all would be

cared for with relative ease.

Arrival across moat to the palace was endearing

to me, of such beauty.

Through the gates, I was swept.

Once inside I was taken

to a suite of rooms.

I was allowed with greatest assistance

to have a languorous soak

in a tub, with female servants

supplying of soaps and oils.

Such administrations, to detail…

They lingered over my body

Taking me to total relaxation

I felt as though, not I in the moments.

I was daunted with such caring hands.

Rubbed and plied, massaged

and embraced.

My body assimilated and enjoyed

the pampering bestowed upon that of me.

from massaged to dressing.

For my dress, I had to laugh as I thought

of fittings in Paris.

Yardage

upon yardage, was wrapped of me. You shall, never imagine

the cloth of wrap upon that of me. It was a concourse

of dress to that of a sari.

Upon finish of renderings of fabric on that of me,

they worked

craft of my hair.

When finished, I knew not that of I within

vision of a mirror.

I knew not whom stared back at me.

For certain, it was not

that of me.

A different set of social skill

was I in need, I soon learned.

I was then led to meet with captive

audience of the Shah.

I was scared of what to make of this.

One had need, to translate

conversation for me.

To my utter surprise, this man desired

of me to quill of experience.

He wanted with the greatest of desire to learn

and appreciate

my art form.

I knew not of what this really meant.

I was told I would reside

within the walls of palace grounds.,

if I desired to scribe my words

in profundity.

To move him and that which lied within

his heart.

My journey began almost each day the same.

Each day,

I was beckoned to read my words for the Shah.

I would go and comfort myself upon silk pillows,

upon the floor

Tea was served and I was asked to recite. Day after day the same

routine for I.

Then one day he started to ask questions of I.

Why did I write of such? What was my purpose?

How did this come to that of me? I explained in such

detail from where passion dwells deep.

He asked of me to please write of here. My adaptation

to the customs amazed that of him.

I as was well felt of this land taking my heart.

I wrote with a passionate zeal. My musings alert,

I found such

wondrous delights within the gardens here.

I found birds that sing with such delight of pleasure

from Black Drongos,

Red Whattled Lapwings

and White Eared Bulbuls.

The palace gardens are such a wondrous place to muse.

I have as well journeyed far here in this land.

I have

been to ride a camel and as well suffered

the effects of Camel

spittle.

I was aroused in curious thought of the elephants

as well

and had such wondrous experience of riding one.

Heart felt

joy from such experience to settle atop

an elephant and trust of such

enormity to traverse land in such striding.

This shall ever prevail with my mind.

Words cannot describe the lingering upon this huge animal.

However, of course one must know of the snakes

that abound

within this land. Oh, my heart has

stopped several times.

Called back in course is my intended meet, with the Shah, who

decries for my company. We now have

conversation of

my exploits within the countryside.

Seems I am as now his muse, of my adventures here.

One day I walked into his room and sat amongst the plush

coverings.

I precluded a long reading of verses

of heartfelt desires

of missing love.

From this, he deemed to know of what this meant.

He explained to me, his current mind, and his virtues of love

so unfounded within the frame of his

lifetime.

Tears started to run and I knew of not what to do.

So, I excused of myself of leave.

I left not knowing what to do but spent a long day

and distance on a journey to the waterfall.

I walked through jungle and trees that caused

of me missives within my own heart.

Missives, of thee.

Finally, way was made to Dudhagar Falls.

Through this tropical forest, one must traverse.

Alas, at the end was a pool of cool clear mountain water.

I allowed of self to luxuriate within the water,

but

failed to see outfitting of a sari floundering

away from body with each turn that I made.

The child within that of me had come to play.

Yards of fabric attempted to float away

much to my demise.

Assistance came with quickness on course

with fledgling guides getting wet to

capture my sari,

that sailed a concourse of

madness so unbridled.

Rather an atrocious sight was I,

being left in such demise.

Embarrassment contrived of self.

However, the grandeur of outing thwarted

my senses that day, a sensorial experience

that cannot be relegated upon

any day in one’s life.

Again, I was contrived by life experience

to surmise of my latitude,

allowing the envelopment to unfold in

pure experiential magnificence.

With words penned post humorously.

Time again arrived without due course,

to read to the Shah, of

devoured and savored moments,

to share within bounds our each

untold tales.

Awakened was he to my experiential

moments in time.

As, well as I enjoyed his share of his

home of birth and how he as well found

himself here within this strong hold

of magnificent land.

My mind though wonders with frolic,

lingering here, of home.

Tempting to find my cause of course, back

to you,

back to home.

I am devoid of your ambrosial essence

that lingers within the confines of my mind.

I am amiss of your temptious

amorous attention, with such reverent

desire.

You have enlightened my soul and

shared with me, what shall not be taboo.

You have such ardent, artful adaptation to plying

my heart forth.

I am missive of you.

With sincerest fondness and missive

of you, within bounds of my heartfelt

touch.

Lovingly,

Your Mademoiselle,

d’ Abanville

Mira Faraday December 13, 2009

My pirate is located within such close proximity, to that

of me.

Still I cannot see of him this day.

A plan of rescue needs to be well in place to

prevail.

My heart lingers again with missive longings.

The soul of mine,

is lighted with a burning fire.

Pensive I am not, relegated to be.

      I’m not in state of study in recent days. So you should make the Sophisticated plan to find your state back.Try your best, study english about BEC come on~~~`

     I am on duty in school of Engineering Student Affairs Office.And today I learned that one of my colleagues is dismissed .I am so sorry to hear that~~“

   come on ~~

Hello again. Monday morning. Tough time for most. I mentioned that I would start doing event posts before the actual event. Here we go. But first a little story: A few years ago I was on the way to a party on a mountain top. In the train there I met my old school friend Jonas Ullmann, who had become a wicked Drum N’ Bass producer over the years and one half of ‘Task Horizon‘. Before we reached the end of the ride we decided that he’d move into my place and we’d start making music together. What followed were years of active and passive insanity, creativity, fun, frustration, failure and success under the name ‘The Passive Resistance‘. Jonas is the über-mastermind production guru and I’m the thing that must be kept in a cage and given dolls to play with. What holds it all together is ‘CounterSound‘. Friends and family who believe in us and the music.

‘The Passive Resistance’ – Timchen S. & Schlonas Ue.

Our first release was called ‘Eternal Flame of Global Warming‘, followed by the ‘Het Inan‘ EP. You can kill animals or suck your thumb to our tunes. The live shows are straight fucked up. Check out this critique by Lars Schneemann (Freaks Like Us) of our ‘Stop, Look & Loot‘ EP: ‘FUUUUUNNNNNKKKKYYYYYY as hell, is what we have to say to this tune. Just when you thought you knew what to expect from ‘The Passive Resistance’ they turned it all around and proved you wrong. ‘Stop, Look & Listen’: This tune is one for dance floors of all kinds. It’s bouncy, tought, elegant and refined without being sterile. This is one of the strongest tunes we have heard in a long time. Bound to devastate any dance floors it is played on . After a few minutes drops the amazing vocal from ‘TPR’ member Timchen S. “It’s not your choice, you have to taste me.” hmmm, in this case it is. We want more. A taste is not enough. Don’t sleep on this one. Big tune for big dj’s. Are you too small??? ‘Raid’: There are not many tunes that do what they say on the tin. But with ‘Raid’ you can be sure that you get what you BUY! ‘Raid’ starts off with what sounds like the audible re-creation of the downfall of mankind. Building up to a drop that will either make you run in fear or loose you fucking mind. Bashing beats with a real feel to them carry this bad ass tune all the way home to where you want to be in a club. This is not minimal this is maximal!!!’ – Nice.

Jonas has been taking a Zürich and ‘TPR’ break for a year to collaborate as ‘UMAN‘ with the likes of ‘BLOKHE4D‘, ‘Bad Company‘, ‘Hype‘, ‘Ed Rush & Optical‘, ‘High Contrast‘, ‘Pendulum‘, ‘Sub Focus‘ and ‘State of Mind‘ in London. But he visits us every now and then to make our ears bleed happily as the electro cowboy ‘Top Flop‘. Many names, I know, but whatever… Now, ‘CounterSound’ is giving (wo)mankind a pre-xmas present with another one of their infamous ‘CRISIS‘ parties in Zürich’s own SuperZero Club. No ‘TPR’ for now since I’m a cripple, but Jonas is coming to conquer Zurigo with non other than Kaiser Saucy from ‘The Loose Cannons‘. Additional insanity will be provided by the very necessary ‘Spam Filter’ and ‘Golden Hills’ king ‘Mike Peters‘. Nuff said??? I’ll definitely be there to check out the sets. If you’re in the area and don’t come you’re a fucking idiot. Sorry. – TIM

‘The Passive Resistance’ will be back in 2010 with the most eagerly awaited ‘Punish her’ album…

I had tickets, well my wife had tickets, to a concert and we couldn’t find a babysitter so she decided I should find someone and go. Long story short, no takers. Along with this episode, some old fraternity brothers have been posting pictures from our college days which are fun to look at and led to this post. I don’t want this to veer off into morbid reflection, but something that I’ve struggled with for a long time is feeling connected with others. I look at those old pictures and it reminds me how I always felt like the odd man out, that my brothers were really close and I was outside of that circle. Many of those guys are still really close friends, or at least appear to be, and I would be embarrassed to get in touch with any of them, except on Facebook. Honestly, how does that conversation start? “Hey, how are you? Been about twenty years, want to hang out?” That just seems odd, to say the least. The other thing is my personality or who I’m attracted to, more or less. Not to put to fine a point on it, but as I reflect over the course of my life my closest friends tend to be women. I can’t honestly say why this is and I’ve pondered it for awhile I even tried to “correct” it from time to time. That usually involved such things as joining a fraternity, attending men’s groups in AA and trying to hang out in a “group of guys” (clique is probably a bit more precise.) Nothing quite felt right and the usual pattern is, look for a group, get involved in the group and realize I don’t particularly fit in with said group, all the while envying the closeness that the people (namely men) in the group seem to share. In recent years, all things considered I haven’t really been a part of any significant group and more to my detriment I haven’t been particularly close to anyone, except my wife, which is wonderful but I definitely think more is need to remain healthy, not only as a person but for our marriage as well. What has made that a much harder thing to accomplish is that, and this is mostly conjecture (but hey what is a blog for if not conjecture?) but my tendency to be friends with women as a opposed to men is inhibited in some way. Not that my wife would object, but I get the sense that female colleagues and associates aren’t quite sure what to do with the friendly family guy co-worker. Also I think that on some level I’m not quite as willing to put myself out there, as willing to meet people as I once was. I think part of this comes from the fact that over the years I’ve had some very close friends who have drifted away and the older I get the harder it is to establish that kind of relationship with someone new. What doesn’t help in all of that is how much I value my time alone, which is harder and harder to come by between work, kids and evening commitments. So when I do have time to do something that might include someone else, my first instinct is usually to go it alone. Also, honestly I hate to be a bother. Many of friends have very active lives, between work and family and other interests that I just don’t think they would be able or willing to do some of the things that I want to do on a rare night out. Of course the unfortunate side effect is that sometimes I’m not able to find someone to go to a concert with on a Friday night. (Some of you reading might be thinking, “Hey douche, I would have been happy to go to a concert, so get over yourself and get on the phone.” Your point is very well taken.)

I also see people like my brother and am amazed by the friends that he has had since college, still visits with them, gets together every year, and the like. My wife too; she has close friends from high school that she keeps in contact with regularly. I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out on something, that I’m deficient in some way or, when I’m in a particularly dark place, that there is something wrong with me. (I won’t even discuss my in-laws, except to say their ability to sustain a thriving social network is truly amazing.) I’ve been told, by professionals no less, that there isn’t anything wrong with me, in this instance anyway. It seems my personality type sort of lends me to this type of existence. I’m good at making acquaintances, small talk but as far as making really close friends, I have a really tough time feeling that connection. When I do it’s very true, I mean I know I’m with a kindred soul, which is a wonderful feeling. There are a couple of downsides, however. First, it doesn’t happen all that often and in some ways I feel like I’m in the longest drought of my life not having that relationship. The other thing about this, again told to me by a professional, is that once a person is out of my life that’s it; the plug is pulled as it were. I’m not built like my wife or brother or many, many people I envy. The effort, for lack of a better word because it looks effortless really, to stay in touch just isn’t in me. Not out of laziness or disinterest, but I just don’t do it. Of course as good friends have told me about my feelings of remorse of losing touch with people who have meant a lot to me, “Well, has your phone been ringing off the hook?” The answer is no, of course. Seems my closest friends tend to be like me and losing touch is something that many of us do which is what makes Facebook so much fun.

I am resisting the urge to list and comment on the people I’m closest to, past and present. I would hate to offend anyone by not mentioning them and I’m well aware that some people may read this and think, “dude, we’re friends. I know you have other friends. What the hell do you want?” I can only answer by saying you’re right, and yet I can’t escape this feeling of being out of touch with my fellows, of being, quite frankly, lonely, isolated and discontent. Of course, from the time I started writing this (yesterday) to now I already feel better and realize how foolish I probably sound to a lot of people. Even so, I’m glad I put all this down, foolish or not. Somehow putting these thoughts out to the world (or the 10 people who read this anyway) clears my head and lets more light in, which is what I constantly need.

      This term I choose thePublic Selective Course of internet media  design ,and at the end of the semester,we have the homework about design MTV Magazine   and I choose the subject about MJ-my favirout star.and I’ll try my best~`

    come on~·

I came across a very cool tune called The Easter Egg on SoundCloud but when I followed through the links to download it for free, it took me HERE.

It says this:
Direct download of this 6-track album preview in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire. Includes liner notes booklet in pdf and a hidden track!

I say download it it now!

December 10^th:

• 8:30 to 9: Coffee + Computer
• 9 to 9:30: Breakfast (Eggs + Bacon)
• 9:30 to 10:30: Blog Post*
• 10:30 to 11:30: Facebook
• 11:30 to 1: Schoolwork*
• 1 to 1:30: Lunch (Campbell’s Chunky Soup + Corn Bread + V8)
• 1:30 to 3:30: Schoolwork*
• 3:30 to 5:30: Work on my website
• 5:30 to 7: Blog Post*
• 7 to 8: Computer + TV
• 8 to 8:30: Dinner (Shepherd’s Pie + Corn + Peas)
• 8:30 to 11:30: Computer + TV + Food (Baby Carrots with Ranch dressing + Turkey and Cheese Sandwich + Corn Bread + PB&J + Kashi Granola Bar + Coca-Cola)

Procrastination: 6 hours of schoolwork (Blog Posts and the posts on this blog, which counts as schoolwork) and all items on my procrastination list. I’m satisfied. By comparing with the grades I gave myself the past days, I say that today is a 8/10.

Bed Time: 11:30! More than perfect! 15/10

Wake Up Time: I did put an alarm but it took me half an hour to get. Still good though. 8/10

Diet: I started to get hungry around 10PM. I thought that if I was to eat something then carrots with a little dressing would be acceptable. But once I started, I just couldn’t stop myself. This is going to sound stupid, but it’s really like an addiction. What’s really unfortunate is that there was a period when I was extremely careful about what I ate and when I exercised a lot, so I was able to lose 30 pounds. I still exercise, but I’m not as careful about what I eat. I guess it started off because I realized that losing weight is an extremely long and hard journey. So if you believe that you’ll reach your goal in a long time then pushing it back by one day doesn’t seem like such a big deal. But all these exceptions add up and I’m now gaining weight. I weighed myself today and I’m at 187.5 pounds. That’s the worse it’s been in a long time. Granted I used the scale at my mom’s house and I weighed myself after lunch, but nonetheless, I can’t continue like this. I’ve had self-confidence and depression problems all my life because I never liked the way I looked. In fact, I really can’t remember the last time I was happy with myself physically. I think I owe it to myself to be careful about what I eat. I’ve worked extremely hard in the gym to get where I am today and I shouldn’t be throwing it all away. I think it’s also extremely important for my state of mind, self-confidence and overall happiness that I keep on this path to a healthier life and hopefully a physique I’m happy with. I think one of my problems is that my objectives have been too vague. Therefore, I commit to losing 17.5 pounds by April 1^st. I chose 17.5 pounds because I’d like to weigh 170 pounds and by April 1^st, because there a pool on the roof of my building and I’d like to make the most of it. I didn’t go once this summer, because I’m not comfortable with the way I look. But I still think that I need to break this goal down into smaller pieces to make sure I stay motivated. Basically, I have 3.5 months to lose 17.5 pounds, which makes 5 pounds per month. This means that my first objective is to weigh 182.5 pounds on January 11^th. 5 pounds per month is not an easy goal, but I do believe that I can succeed. To see if I’m on schedule, I’ll weigh myself in two weeks, on December 25^th (odd coincidence). I commit to this. Instead of seeing binging as pushing my goal back by one day, I need to see not binging as getting closer to my goal by one day.

Benjamin Franklin wrote, SINCERITY: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

Webster’s reads, SINCERITY the quality or state of being sincere: honesty of mind: freedom from hypocrisy.

There are several scriptures in the bible on Sincerity: Josuah 24:14, 1 Corinthians 5:8, 2 Corinthians 1:12, 2:17, Phillipians 1:10, Titus 2:7, and 1 John 3:18.

King James; Titus 2:7; In all things shewing thy self a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Amplified; Titus 2:7; And show your own self in all respects to be a pattern and a model of good deeds and works, teaching what is unadulterated, showing gravity (having the strictest regard for truth and purity of motive), with dignity and seriousness.

New American Standard; Titus 2:7; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,

New International; Titus 2:7; In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness,

I like this one, basically just be honest and do the best you can.

Have a great week, MSTCOURTJESTER

The meanings of PR and marketing are on my mind at the moment. This thinking is feeding into a document I’m co-writing at work, and also shaping the way I’m deciding how to develop my own practice and creative identity.  The idea I’d like to pilot here is From PR to PResence. I have a lot of work to do on this, but I’d love to know your thoughts and get some early feedback.

It’s only recently I’ve identified why the term Public Relations has always bothered me. The reason is fairly simple; it’s completely insulting. Who are we as communicators to call the outside world the public as if we ourselves are not included in this group? Audiences deserve to be treated like intelligent human beings, and this separation between the communicators and audience is already breaking down. An increasing demand for openness , honesty and transparency supports this; people want to see the workings of things and how they are produced. Taking the inside-outside image literally, organisations now need to think about communicating to and inspiring the people on the inside as much as the outside, as more and more employees demand transparency from the people they work for.

Recently reading Richard Sennett’s the Fall of Public Man has helped develop these thoughts, as I address my own views on what is public and what is private. Sennett writes about how we search for meaning and intimacy in everyday interactions but lack the skills and language to express what is inside, causing a gap between public and private life. Sennett expresses the disappointment found in what we believe to be the public world, which seems to fail us with it’s lack of open expression and feeling. He also heavily criticises the Western emphasis on individualism and personal feeling or experience, not in that it’s wrong to be expressive but that we lack Art in communicating this,  enhancing the disconnect between public and private. This is what he describes as “the paradox of visibility and isolation that haunts so much of modern public life” (Sennett, 1977:27). We attempt to be more expressive, but end up expressing what we want to say in the wrong way in an attempt to bridge this gap. Sennett believes it is the strengths of the actor and artist that can overcome this:

“As the balance between public and intimate life has grown greater, people have become less expressive. With an emphasis on psychological authenticity, people become inartistic in daily life because they are unable to tap the fundamental creative strength of the actor, the ability to play with and invest feeling in external images of the self” (Sennett, 1977:37)

Sennett is perhaps a little too critical of the need to express oneself. In the (supposedly) democratic West we can say what we like, and do. We value freedom of speech, made more accessible by social media. Like I said in a recent post, if you don’t like it; unsubscribe. However, this has implications for identity and raises certain questions; how open can you really be whilst still protecting yourself? Does opening up the channels of communication between public and private render us more vulnerable?

Answers to these questions don’t really exist; every single person and group in the world is vulnerable. This questioning however leads me to believe that self-expression in an individual or group needs some framing, and that the most natural and fulfilling way to do this is through developing creative communications internally and externally. I’m coming to the conclusion that openness is most constructive when combined with a framing of identity & natural, flexible selection of values. This might be what crosses the inside-outside boundary. If a group or individual can successfully crosses this divide in it’s communications whilst maintaining their identity, can something be created that goes beyond PR into PResence?

This selection doesn’t have to stifle creativity or spontaneity. The metaphors of framing and curating illustrate this point; an artist putting on an exhibition selects the best of what’s there and frames it. This selection is active and considered to communicate the desired feel or tone of the exhibition. They might also show sketchbooks, ideas and working drawings if they want to demonstrate their process. Through this communication, the identity of the artist is given presence through the work.

The best people in life don’t try too hard; they just are. They make an effort and work, but aren’t desperately seeking attention. They sustain interest through being interesting and interested; they constantly develop themselves and grow because they enjoy it, not because they have to or think it makes them look good. These individuals or groups are confident without being arrogant; they acknowledge their faults, admit their mistakes and know how to be humble. The same is true of PR, communications, identity design and art. It’s true that big, attention grabbing or shocking campaigns make an impact and I think this is needed on one level; without it the world would be dull. Everyone needs a whirlwind affair from time to time. However, these of-the-moment interactions are short-lived and aren’t sustainable. The stuff that endures has more than PR, it has PResence.

This isn’t to say that PResence can’t be immediate or exciting. It doesn’t have to last forever, because nothing does. it just has to deliver the experiences it promises, and not leave audiences or communicators feeling empty or used. I’m not sure yet how that would be achieved, and need practical examples to back these ideas up. Any thoughts?

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Small note: I always use the work identity instead of brand because it’s more flexible in terms of language. The word brand limits conversation to rubbish marketing-jargon, which makes us forget that people are human beings and does awful things to language & meaning. You may well disagree.

Parque de Campismo do Covão da Ametade, Serra da Estrela, Inverno 2006

And for this we say
hello
for this moment we bring out that which is most desired
the bliss and love you feel when you are in contact with pure love vibrations is that which you seek
that which your soul desires
and often you pinpoint different things thinking this will lead you there
the fulfillment your heart truly desires is already available to you now
realize it is truly a matter of the state of mind you wish to be in
if you wished to be affluent
wealthy and rich
you can put yourself in that state of mind immediately and experience what that is like through your creative powers
yes
you can
imagination is key to doing so
but that is not all
you are also able to feel any emotion any experience you choose
through your focus
through your attention through your putting action toward it
mental action initially
and then allowing the vibrations to come and fill you
being filled full with those vibrations that move you is fulfillment by definition
yes you want to be filled full with love
filled full with source with god with your true nature and highest self
you want to be filled with that which harmonizes with all around you
you want to be filled with the holy
the true
the spirit and essence of the living God that you are and that all is
yes
you want to be filled with peace with trust
with all that will assist you in benefiting yourself as the whole
yes
that is why you came
that is why you exist
that is the true nature of all life
and when this is done
you will transition to the next phase
but do not fear because your transition
will not appear until time
until the moment is right
correct
now
we are pleased that you are reading this and we intend to assist you with your focus
your alignment with source is always best achieved in every moment through any practice that helps you let go of conditioned thinking let go of feelings of fear
and allows you to refocus your attention on that which moves your soul
whether through memory or creative measures
whether through opening your mind to receive vibrations that match that of love
and that of what your soul desires
whether through entering the silence and allowing the flow to dictate where your attention goes
whether by thinking of anything that moves you
this is the goal of your meditation
to align you with your true nature and to experience that which source most wants to experience through you
know that all is well
and know that you have the power to do this
at every moment is most beneficial
and now we say
continue on your path knowing that every moment is filled with exactly what should be there
and that you are doing exactly what you need be
and can determine what that is in any moment by getting still clear and tapping into the true vibration that sustains you
that forms you that created you and that fills you
inside you as you and through you
and so it is

- Morning stream of consciousness writing from John Stringer
Find out more about this blog by reading the BACKGROUND STORY.

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by spocksdisciple in HBF

With most us here being bachelors I am curious as to how a lot of you handle being alone, or spending time alone? Do you welcome time alone or fear/dislike it?

To me, the definition of bachelorhood is not being in a committed relationship, to me it has nothing to do with being alone or being lonely.
Only women define being single with such negative connotations.
So how does the membership here handle being alone a lot of the time? or maybe you have an active social life and are never really alone?

Personally, I like being alone more then being around other people, I have a high threshold of sensitivity to crowds and very much dislike crowded situations and prefer a quiet place to think. To me as the title of this post states, Loneliness is a state of mind. Having said that I ask, are men superior and better “equipped” to handle solitude then women in general?

For me solitude is “character building”, it strengthens and doesn’t weaken a man who is properly prepared to handle it. I know solitude is used as a form of punishment in prisons but for the properly prepared man this isn’t really a punishment at all but a chance to build his inner strength, if you can handle solitary confinement you can handle almost anything else IMO.

Whereas for women, the thought of solitude and being alone seems to deeply terrify a lot of them!, personally I can never understand their need to “swarm” like bees and constantly drone on with other women about the most trivial nonsense! The S/N ratio is very low in women’s communications with each other.

Married women never seem to get the hint that men need their “cave” time and to be away from the noise of the social scene, at least this has been my observation. Men need and require time alone to develop properly, whereas I’ve observed manginas and in general gay men need a lot more social interaction in their lives then most “men” (ie they tend towards the same behavioral model as women).

Note that in the first half of the 20th century women tended to like and desire the strong, silent type of guy who radiated inner strength without the verbosity which most women seem to demand these days from men. (ie the man has to be “communicative” and “sensitive” and various other “ives”)
I wonder if silence (reticence) is a threatening quality to women today which is why quiet men are laughed at and not taken seriously.

Finally, for me loneliness is how you perceive and define it, if you can master the art of solitude and know how to deal with occasional feelings of loneliness, I think such a person would be ultimately freed from the “desires of the world” as the Buddhists would phrase it, and would be completely immune to the manipulations of modern women(who think men can’t stand being alone either). ie you would be the classic “Happy Bachelor!” or at least a content one