July, 2007

Are you ready? Or are you still tallying up the costs to the commons from the first Green Revolution? I invite you to listen in on a fascinating debate between farmer advocates and the money behind the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). 

The Green Revolution describes a technical package of pesticides, fertilizers, seeds and research institutions introduced in many parts of the world in the 50s, 60s and 70s to increase crop yields. In some quarters, the Green Revolution has drawn considerable praise for increasing productivity. In other quarters it has been sharply criticized for its high social, environmental and economic costs. Critics point to the fact that in a poster child of the revolution’s purported success, India, during 2003 alone there were 17,107 documented cases of indebted small farmers committing suicide – often by drinking the new pesticides themselves. 

Last time I went into the Bach Flower remedies, the eminent British physician who discovered their effects, and some of the history. A person ignorant of the theory behind their use would be likely to assume that they were just magic potions.

Before I get into Animal Essences, which are just as remarkable, I need to point out that Bach Flower Essences are not the only flower essences. If you want to check out an amazingly comprehensive and beautifully explained modality for emotional and spiritual well-being you owe it to yourself to explore www.flowersociety.org and their astonishing book Flower Essence Repertory. It contains dozens of remedies and is totally cross-indexed by emotional and spiritual effects and the individual remedies. Looking up either a remedy or a symptom will give you total access to how the remedies are used by alternative health practitioners.

continue reading "Animal Essences…Magic in a bottle II"

From all the roughing up in the press of China for their shoddy and criminal regulatory neglect, you’d think it was downright patriotic in the U.S. to regulate self-interested corporations. The hypocrisy of our tepid and schizoid embrace of corporate regulation drives me nuts.

Reporting on the discovery of anti-freeze in toothpaste and the execution of the head of China’s Food and Drug Administration equivalent, the New York Times and others have written about recent failures of the Chinese regulatory system which has resulted in dozens of consumer deaths and by many accounts, the slow poisoning of millions. The scrutiny and criticism is welcome and overdue.

USA today is going through a difficult and complex phase of involvement in conflicts in the world against determined terrorist onslaught who declared war against it. USA has always been the leader and beacon of light for liberty and freedom in the world. Hordes of freedom fighters who were persecuted in their native countries found asylum in America. Some of these organizations at a later date took advantage and plotted against the country. The present conflict with AlQaeda of Bin Laden Group is an example. The nation has evolved out of bitter struggle for liberty from the clutches of England after a war with the Englishmen. Since then, it has maintained a high profile and a special position in the world where every one looked at it with reverence, for inspiration and guidance. After Industrial revolution, America progressed rapidly on technological and industrial front and grew into a major world power in all aspects. It played key and decisive roles in the World War I and World War II. With acquisition of Nuclear weapon it attained the position of super power. It stood for liberty and democracy and automatically it got involved in cold war with the communist block after the Korean War. It has shown great restraint during Korean War and did not attack mainland of China inspite of great provocation (1). The war was limited to use of conventional weapons.

continue reading "Will America Withdraw Into a Cocoon?"

The euphoria of inevitable bombing of Iran appears to be reduced or subsided. US was in the advanced stage of planning for intensive bombing of Iran, a process that began in 2006 as per a report. This was revealed by distinguished writer Seymour Hersh writing in New York magazine. As per him, a special planning group was established in the offices of Joint Chiefs of Staff charged with contingency bombing plan for Iran that can be implemented with in 24 hours, once the word ‘Go’ comes from the President.

continue reading "Conflict With Iran...Rumblings"

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It happens that there is a close similarity in the spiritual insights that have been won within each of several major world religions. We at age-of-the-sage hope to show that the Insights of the Mystics can allow humanity to more directly identify and recognise spiritual truths that the worldly aspects of Human Nature may not readily appreciate. A more truly harmonious, "rounded and Human" life being Worldly in many ways but also being responsive to the claims of the Spirit.

continue reading "Age of the Sage"

The recent attack at Glasgow air port in which a burning Cherokee jeep was crashed into the airport terminal has come as bolt from blue to the Indians. Some of the accused who are arrested are Indian doctors and Engineers. They have studied higher education in India and were pursuing further higher studies and profession abroad. These persons were Muslim youth and are being linked to AlQaeda organization. What a disaster and disgrace? (7) At various forums Indian leaders declared thumping their chests or bosoms that Indian Muslims were not suspect. Even now all the Muslims are not suspect. But a section has already brought bad name to the nation internationally. Probably, India would be seen as the exporter of terrorism a new credit in international arena. If not openly, atleast in hush hush. All these years, India has been considered as the exporter of technical man power to west. Indians were considered brainy. What a fall now? Now it would be seen as the exporters of educated terrorists from professional field too. (8).

continue reading "India Embarrassed"

The worship of God by external demonstration by people of various religions is an accepted practice in the world. No religion has disapproved it except Buddhism in the original form that chose to be silent on the issue of God than getting into controversy and consequent problems and confrontation. Does God need worship? Is it essential to sing songs and verses in his praise? (1) Why Vedic rituals have to be performed by reciting in Sanskrit, the language used in the scriptures? Why the translated verses in any local language can not be used during rituals? Most of the people who either perform or watch the rituals do not understand the meaning of these verses. What purpose would serve in such situation? Why musical instruments are required to be played during singing songs in praise of Lord in Churches and in Temples. Why bells should be struck placed on top of churches? These questions are asked by people in the current days of scientific temperament. This discussion would be naturally applicable to only those who believe in God. For others this may not be of any relevance.

continue reading "External Display of Worship of God is an Universally Accepted Practice"

SAHARA THE PARADISE FOR ALQAEDAThere is a new front in America’s global war on terrorism, US officials say. Across the broad Sahara—a desolate expanse of sand and rock covering 3.3 million square miles—Al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates are setting up shop, taking advantage of the lawless and trackless Bad Lands stretch from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. Some believe the arid, impoverished region could succeed Afghanistan as the world’s No. 1 haven for fanatic Islamic militants. Today, the Sahara region is believed to be home for thousands of the 30,000 or so jihadists who passed through Osama bin Laden’s Afghan training camps in the 1990s.!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> A spokesman for US European Command, whose area of operations includes large parts of Africa, said, “There are clear indications that Muslim extremists from the Middle East and Afghanistan have moved into these massive open spaces.”

continue reading "Sahara the Paradise for Al Qaeda"

Well, I've done it again. I've begun writing a simple blog post that has taken up a life of its own, multiplied, and left me struggling to gather up the strays and drive the herd toward a conclusion. This time, however, I'm going to try a different tack. This time I'm going to toss out what I'm trying to do, where the project is oozing out from around its original plan, and beg for help from others to help me figure out what I'm doing.

continue reading "Thinking About Church Governance"

Maybe I should entitle this “Lotions and Potions.” Allopaths sneer at folk lore remedies that have worked for centuries because they have no scientific explanation available for how they work. But they don’t know how aspirin works either. Lotions and potions have been viable remedies for centuries.

When I first began as a health writer about forty years ago physicians sneered at the possibility that applying some folk remedy to the skin could possible affect the inner workings of the body. Now we have all sorts of patches available from Big Pharma, and of course the physicians act as if they knew about it all along, as they sneered at vitamins and supplements for decades, and now want to make them prescription only.

continue reading "Bach Flower Remedies; Magic in a Bottle"

Pakistan finally crushed the militants holed up in the Lal Maszid in Islamabad on 11 July 2007 in the morning hours in the operation Silence. Nearly 100 militants including the leader Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the cleric, were shot dead in the intense battle between the militants and the Pak soldiers including commandos and rangers, twelve soldiers also died in the shoot out (1). Actual casualties probably would be much more. Pak president General Parvez Musharraf needs to be complimented for living up to the expectations of international community (West) and not yielding for safe passage to criminals that brought shame to the nation worldwide. With this General Musharraf gained credibility as one not accepting non sense from the Mullahs who are trying to take the nation backwards to the days of founding of Islam.

continue reading "Pakistan Crushes Militants...Kudos to General Musharraf"

Some statements about love which I think are true: (Not necessarily in order of importance) Love is not a feeling, but love has feelings. A person who loves often feels the feelings of the person he or she loves, although they might not be recognizable as such. You cannot love if you reject the love of others. You cannot love yourself or others if you reject the love of others or yourself.

Some statements about love which I think are true: (Not necessarily in order of importance) Love is not a feeling, but love has feelings. A person who loves often feels the feelings of the person he or she loves, although they might not be recognizable as such. You cannot love if you reject the love of others. You cannot love yourself or others if you reject the love of others or yourself.

Some statements about love which I think are true: (Not necessarily in order of importance) Love is not a feeling, but love has feelings. A person who loves often feels the feelings of the person he or she loves, although they might not be recognizable as such. You cannot love if you reject the love of others. You cannot love yourself or others if you reject the love of others or yourself.

Many of those who read this blog regularly are healers, magicians or psychics. All of you have seen the deterioration of our society as Common Sense has been outlawed by the actions of the stupid, power hungry and obscenely greedy people who always rise to the top in a materialist society. Some of you may have seen the old version of this obituary, now truer than ever.

For those of us who value evidence over dogma, humanity over bureaucracy, beauty over ugliness, civility over bad manners and love over hate, I post it at a time when people are mindlessly celebrating some things that disappeared long ago: freedom, civility, equality, tolerance,trust and ethics. They were watching TV and never noticed how things had changed.

continue reading "An Obituary for July"

The most potent source of conflict in churches should be easy enough to reduce, or at least to decouple from more important affairs of the organization. But the solution requires some major rethinking of what church is and what it's for. It requires rethinking organizational governance and spending significant time building relationship. And it requires an admission that people—all people, even leaders—are subject to selfishness and need regular review.

continue reading "Resolving Church Conflict"

Terrorism world wide is now associated with Islam. Although all Muslims are not terrorists most of the terrorists have proved to be Muslims. Islam that claims to be a religion of peace and universal brotherhood has been hijacked by the fundamentalists whose battle arm is the group of terrorists. Islamic nations that are suffering due to poverty, religious bigotry, lack of modern education and backwardness are the potential or existing breeding grounds for terrorism (If already not). Present world events are proving this conclusion. With spreading of Wahaabi cult in the Islamic world, Islamic nations in Africa too are falling a prey to this dangerous self destructing phenomenon.… Algeria which is another poor and backward African nation is no exception and has identified itself with the world of terrorism.

continue reading "Algerians on the Path of Terrorism"

Recently I spent quite awhile clearing posts on one of Dr. Rao's threads that were various kinds of pornsites and other crappola intended as purely interruptive and no other purpose.  What was interesting about these were that the senders appeared to use lots of universities and colleges as their address.  Also, there were many, many links attached to the little "bombs".

Were these actually sent from the address, or had someone simply crafted the appearance of the address?  And did the writer actually spend hours putting all these links together?  My guess is, no.  But I have to plead ignorance about knowing exactly how this was done -- possibly a "software" that creates spacejunk.

continue reading "Invented Chaos"

Many profitable studies about worship have been made lately. That is good, for we have lacked definition in our understanding of its nature. Perhaps, if I had read all those researches, I would have all the answers. But I am still asking impertinent questions and pestering you with them.

Dallas Willard quotes Thomas Aquinas in The Divine Conspiracy. "Love is born of an earnest consideration of the object loved." And: "Love follows knowledge." Love is an emotional response aroused in the will by visions of the good. Now Willard goes on to relate the principle to the process of our learning to love God. We learn about the Person of God. And with that knowledge we

continue reading "Love Follows Knowledge"