Bronwyn has a list of what she needs to do before she gets ready to leave for Costa Rica. She is eleven. This is what she wrote:

Research the culture

Learn some Portuguese/Spanish

Get a book on Costa Rica

Then, on her packing list was duct tape. She was reading the list off to me and when she got to duct tape she said, "Because, you know, it is universally useful."

Ha ha ha ha. Sooo precious.

(CBS News) Modern wheat is a “perfect, chronic poison,” according to Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist who has published a book all about the world’s most popular grain.

Davis said that the wheat we eat these days isn’t the wheat your grandma had: “It’s an 18-inch tall plant created by genetic research in the ’60s and ’70s,” he said on “CBS This Morning.” “This thing has many new features nobody told you about, such as there’s a new protein in this thing called gliadin. It’s not gluten. I’m not addressing people with gluten sensitivities and celiac disease. I’m talking about everybody else because everybody else is susceptible to the gliadin protein that is an opiate. This thing binds into the opiate receptors in your brain and in most people stimulates appetite, such that we consume 440 more calories per day, 365 days per year.”

http://cajunchiro.net/tempvideo2/

Life on Marietta Run and Carol's 40th Year of Pioneering Lunch

Over the Rhine in Cincinnati was originally settled by German immigrants, eventually became a neglected and unsafe part of the city but has gone tremendous redevelopment and is a trendy section now. Shots are from Washington Park and the restaurant Senate - wanted to eat there for years. Gourmet hot dogs with things like bechamel sauce and arugula.

"I'm Spiritual but not religious is a cop-out" article

My Take: 'I'm spiritual but not religious' is a cop-out
By Alan Miller, Special to CNN

Editor’s note: Alan Miller is Director of The New York Salon and Co-Founder of London's Old Truman Brewery. He is speaking at The Battle of Ideas at London's Barbican in October.

By Alan Miller, Special to CNN

The increasingly common refrain that "I'm spiritual, but not religious," represents some of the most retrogressive aspects of contemporary society. The spiritual but not religious "movement" - an inappropriate term as that would suggest some collective, organizational aspect - highlights the implosion of belief that has struck at the heart of Western society.

Spiritual but not religious people are especially prevalent in the younger population in the United States, although a recent study has argued that it is not so much that people have stopped believing in God, but rather have drifted from formal institutions.

It seems that just being a part of a religious institution is nowadays associated negatively, with everything from the Religious Right to child abuse, back to the Crusades and of course with terrorism today.

Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter

Those in the spiritual-but-not-religious camp are peddling the notion that by being independent - by choosing an "individual relationship" to some concept of "higher power", energy, oneness or something-or-other - they are in a deeper, more profound relationship than one that is coerced via a large institution like a church.

That attitude fits with the message we are receiving more and more that "feeling" something somehow is more pure and perhaps, more "true” than having to fit in with the doctrine, practices, rules and observations of a formal institution that are handed down to us.

The trouble is that “spiritual but not religious” offers no positive exposition or understanding or explanation of a body of belief or set of principles of any kind.

What is it, this "spiritual" identity as such? What is practiced? What is believed?

CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories

The accusation is often leveled that such questions betray a rigidity of outlook, all a tad doctrinaire and rather old-fashioned.

But when the contemporary fashion is for an abundance of relativist "truths" and what appears to be in the ascendancy is how one "feels" and even governments aim to have a "happiness agenda," desperate to fill a gap at the heart of civic society, then being old-fashioned may not be such a terrible accusation.

It is within the context of today's anti-big, anti-discipline, anti-challenging climate - in combination with a therapeutic turn in which everything can be resolved through addressing my inner existential being - that the spiritual but not religious outlook has flourished.

The boom in megachurches merely reflect this sidelining of serious religious study for networking, drop-in centers and positive feelings.

Those that identify themselves, in our multi-cultural, hyphenated-American world often go for a smorgasbord of pick-and-mix choices.

A bit of Yoga here, a Zen idea there, a quote from Taoism and a Kabbalah class, a bit of Sufism and maybe some Feing Shui but not generally a reading and appreciation of The Bhagavad Gita, the Karma Sutra or the Qur'an, let alone The Old or New Testament.

So what, one may ask?

Christianity has been interwoven and seminal in Western history and culture. As Harold Bloom pointed out in his book on the King James Bible, everything from the visual arts, to Bach and our canon of literature generally would not be possible without this enormously important work.

Indeed, it was through the desire to know and read the Bible that reading became a reality for the masses - an entirely radical moment that had enormous consequences for humanity.

Moreover, the spiritual but not religious reflect the "me" generation of self-obsessed, truth-is-whatever-you-feel-it-to-be thinking, where big, historic, demanding institutions that have expectations about behavior, attitudes and observance and rules are jettisoned yet nothing positive is put in replacement.

The idea of sin has always been accompanied by the sense of what one could do to improve oneself and impact the world.

Yet the spiritual-but-not-religious outlook sees the human as one that simply wants to experience "nice things" and "feel better." There is little of transformation here and nothing that points to any kind of project that can inspire or transform us.

At the heart of the spiritual but not religious attitude is an unwillingness to take a real position. Influenced by the contribution of modern science, there is a reluctance to advocate a literalist translation of the world.

But these people will not abandon their affiliation to the sense that there is "something out there," so they do not go along with a rationalist and materialistic explanation of the world, in which humans are responsible to themselves and one another for their actions - and for the future.

Theirs is a world of fence-sitting, not-knowingess, but not-trying-ness either. Take a stand, I say. Which one is it? A belief in God and Scripture or a commitment to the Enlightenment ideal of human-based knowledge, reason and action? Being spiritual but not religious avoids having to think too hard about having to decide.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alan Miller.

Good times

Went to see the Elias Haslinger Quartet - marvelous music. We were right in front of the stage. I could not believe how fast the trumpet players fingers moved, truly. They were crisp pro's. Everyone should hear live music from time to time. Puts radio and recordings in their place.

Belief

"Was it weakness to allow oneself the pleasure of thinking that one counted in some way? And did this engagement not result, on balance, in greater human happiness? No, said the atheists, it did not. And yet where, William wondered, were the great works of those who believed in nothing at all?"


"The need to believe was always there, and it would find expression, even if it attached itself to something paltry and shallow such as celebrity culture. And for many millions that was where their spiritual energy went -into fascination with fashion and the lives of narcissistic entertainers."

A Conspiracy of Friends, Alexander McCall Smith

Queen Elizabeth

If We Feel We Have Achieved Little of Consequence

". . . he suddenly realized that if he felt that he had achieved nothing it was because he had failed to cherish what he had in fact done. He had filled his days doing ordinary unexceptional things and thought nothing of them. But they were far from nothing: even the act of making his morning cup of tea . . amounted to a small miracle: that there should, in this cold void of space, be a small blue planet on which he, a rather complex collection of cells, should be delighting in the dried black leaves of a plant that grew half a world away; that surely was astonishing and worthy of celebration and awe."

A Conspiracy of Friends, Alexander McCall Smith

Mt. Bonnell view

This is so beautiful. Mt. Bonnell in Austin:

Mezmerizing

This poem was written by my 10 year old daughter. It blew me away:

Mezmerizing

Mezmerizing is NOT being distracted.

Mezmerizing is when you stand still looking at Autumn trees and squirrels.

Mezmerizing is the making of a memory.

Mezmerizing is time stopped.

Mezmerizing sounds like beautiful silence.

Mezmerizing feels like never-ending happiness.

Another word for mezmerizing is captivating.

Onte thing about mezmerizing is that it dosn't happen enough.

A friend of mine is stuck emotionally because someone she felt she had befriended and been a good friend to did not support her on more than once occasion when she then needed some assistance - you know, acted selfishly. We were talking about it, and I found a good article about forgiveness: Why do we find it so hard to forgive? One reason we resist forgiving is that we don't really understand what forgiveness is or how it works. We think we do, but we don't. Most of us assume that if we forgive our offenders, they are let off the hook — scot-free — and get to go about their merry ways while we unfairly suffer from their actions. We also may think that we have to be friendly with them again, or go back to the old relationship. While God commands us to forgive others, he never told us to keep trusting those who violated our trust or even to like being around those who hurt us. The first step to understanding forgiveness is learning what it is and isn't. The next step is giving yourself permission to forgive and forget, letting go of the bitterness while remembering very clearly your rights to healthy boundaries. Granting forgiveness * Forgiveness is not letting the offender off the hook . We can and should still hold others accountable for their actions or lack of actions. * Forgiveness is returning to God the right to take care of justice. By refusing to transfer the right to exact punishment or revenge, we are telling God we don't trust him to take care of matters. * Forgiveness is not letting the offense recur again and again. We don't have to tolerate, nor should we keep ourselves open to, lack of respect or any form of abuse. * Forgiveness does not mean we have to revert to being the victim. Forgiving is not saying, "What you did was okay, so go ahead and walk all over me." Nor is it playing the martyr, enjoying the performance of forgiving people because it perpetuates our victim role. * Forgiveness is not the same as reconciling. We can forgive someone even if we never can get along with him again. * Forgiveness is a process, not an event. It might take some time to work through our emotional problems before we can truly forgive. As soon as we can, we should decide to forgive, but it probably is not going to happen right after a tragic divorce. That's okay. * We have to forgive every time. If we find ourselves constantly forgiving, though, we might need to take a look at the dance we are doing with the other person that sets us up to be continually hurt, attacked, or abused. * Forgetting does not mean denying reality or ignoring repeated offenses. Some people are obnoxious, mean-spirited, apathetic, or unreliable. They never will change. We need to change the way we respond to them and quit expecting them to be different. * Forgiveness is not based on others' actions but on our attitude. People will continue to hurt us through life. We either can look outward at them or stay stuck and angry, or we can begin to keep our minds on our loving relationship with God, knowing and trusting in what is good. * If they don't repent, we still have to forgive. Even if they never ask, we need to forgive. We should memorize and repeat over and over: Forgiveness is about our attitude, not their action. * We don't always have to tell them we have forgiven them. Self-righteously announcing our gracious forgiveness to someone who has not asked to be forgiven may be a manipulation to make them feel guilty. It also is a form of pride. * Withholding forgiveness is a refusal to let go of perceived power. We can feel powerful when the offender is in need of forgiveness and only we can give it. We may fear going back to being powerless if we forgive. * We might have to forgive more than the divorce. Post-divorce problems related to money, the kids, and schedules might result in the need to forgive again and to seek forgiveness ourselves. * We might forgive too quickly to avoid pain or to manipulate the situation.Forgiveness releases pain and frees us from focusing on the other person. Too often when we're in the midst of the turmoil after a divorce, we desperately look for a quick fix to make it all go away. Some women want to "hurry up" and forgive so the pain will end, or so they can get along with the other person. We have to be careful not to simply cover our wounds and retard the healing process. * We might be pressured into false forgiveness before we are ready. When we feel obligated or we forgive just so others will still like us, accept us, or not think badly of us, it's not true forgiveness — it's a performance to avoid rejection. Give yourself permission to do it right. Maybe all you can offer today is, “I want to forgive you, but right now I'm struggling emotionally. I promise I will work on it.” * Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. It's normal for memories to be triggered in the future. When thoughts of past hurts occur, it's what we do with them that counts. When we find ourselves focusing on a past offense, we can learn to say, "Thank you, God, for this reminder of how important forgiveness is." * Forgiveness starts with a mental decision. The emotional part of forgiveness is finally being able to let go of the resentment. Emotional healing may or may not follow quickly after we forgive.

Lyrics

There's a place in the sun
For anyone who has the will to chase one..AND I
I think I've found mine
Yes, I do believe I have found mine

So, close your eyes and think of someone you physically admire
And let me kiss you, let me kiss you

I've zig-zagged all over America and I cannot find a safety haven
Say, would you let me cry on your shoulder
I've heard that you'll try anything twice

Close your eyes and think of someone you physically admire
And let me kiss you, let me kiss you

But then you open your eyes and you see someone that you physically despise
But my heart is open, my heart is open to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3PabQW_TiQ



Morrissey
"Let Me Kiss You"

Lessons of Stephen Covey

"Quadrant II tasks are the cornerstone to Stephen Covey's time management strategy. These responsibilities are those that are important but not urgent. Some that would qualify are improving the efficiency of your filing system, brainstorming new ways to increase sales, or spending twenty minutes a day to refine your writing skills. These activities would add to your abilities and give you a better opportunity for success in the future. These activities are also the ones that often get pushed to the back of the queue. They are the kind of things that you’ve been meaning to do that kind of fell off the wagon along the way.

Dr. Stephen Covey uses an extremely apt jungle metaphor to unite these concepts of leadership and management. Many people are fantastic managers. They are able to push forward on whatever projects are thrown their way. In a jungle, if given the task to slash through the brush and clear a path, these amazing managers would wield their machetes valiantly. They would cut through the flora no matter what problems came up to face them. These managers don’t care about the big picture; they just accomplish the task at hand.

Meanwhile, the leaders are doing something quite different. Leadership is all about making sure that the direction the solution is going in is the right one for the future. The leaders are up high in the sky surveying the jungle. They are the ones who are willing to say, “This is the wrong jungle! Let’s move on.”

A manager might respond to the leader by saying, “But we’re doing so well!”

The manager doesn’t care about the bigger picture. He’ll chop whatever jungle is put in front of him.

Are you the leader of your own life or just the manager? To be a leader for yourself you need to ensure that you’re going in the proper direction for you. Many creative people get locked into the trap of going for security. They find an undesired but high enough paying job. They tend to the management of their lives by making enough money and getting insurance with few plans of the far off future. Little do they realize that at the top of the company they work for is a group of leaders. They are visionaries who are thinking of the future and you are doing all their management for them.

Getting mired in a life of management is a dead end for a creative person. I suggest taking thirty to sixty minutes a day to brainstorm about your future. Understand where you are right now and come up with potential ideas of where to go from here. Sure, some if not most of the ideas will not work in the slightest. But if you don’t make the effort to come up with your own ideas, you are allowing someone or something else to be the leader of your life.

I realize that a certain degree of management is necessary to keep things steady in your life. Most of my day is still spent doing these management tasks. But I have looked at my jungle from the sky and I can see that the direction I’m headed in is a correct one. Also, one of my future goals is to outsource as many of my managing tasks as possible and to focus primarily on leadership. Once I reach that point, I will be able to try new and crazy challenges for myself while other people help my life chug along. This could take a long time to achieve, but I know that my daily actions are bringing me closer to that future, one step at a time.

Choose your desired end result. Adapt your daily management to direct your result toward it. Be the leader of your life. Become the kind of person that you want to be."

Art

Seen on a sign in the hallway of my daughter's elementary school:

"Earth without art is just "eh" "

The Markets Have Replaced Government and Religion

I have started reading the book The Art of Possibility. One of the co-authors works in the arts. Part of the authors' premise is that the arts now are in the position to create values and direction for people because government and religion no longer do (or can) This is interesting to think about. The authors feel the arts are necessary to create values because RELIGION and government NO LONGER create peoples values . . .

Here is a quote from the book that stopped me in my tracks:

"In our new global society, no institution has the wide acceptance to create values and direction for the majority of people. Markets in free societies are rapidly replacing governments and religious institutions as regulators of the highest authority, and markets perform without values; they do not converse in a human tongue."