Monday, December 05, 2005

Estudo afirma que planeta pode sofrer um colapso ambiental



O atual modelo produtivista, baseado na lógica do lucro e do curto prazo, está esgotando o capital natural do planeta, adverte estudo encomendado pela Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU), que envolveu 1.360 cientistas de 95 países. Segundo eles, a ameaça de colapso ambiental pode se concretizar ainda neste século. Um estudo realizado a pedido do secretário-geral da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU), Kofi Annan, alerta que o planeta corre o sério risco de sofrer um colapso ambiental ainda neste século se medidas enérgicas não forem tomadas para reverter o atual quadro de destruição dos recursos naturais. Segundo o estudo, divulgado nesta quarta-feira (30), cerca de 60% de todos os ecossistemas do planeta estão degradados ou sendo usados de um modo não sustentável, o que pode provocar um colapso ambiental global em um período de 50 anos. Intitulado "Avaliação Ecossistêmica do Milênio" (AEM), o estudo começou em 2001, reunindo 1.360 especialistas de 95 países. As perspectivas para o futuro próximo são alarmantes, alertaram os pesquisadores, enfatizando que a destruição de 15 dos 24 ecossistemas do mundo causará o surgimento de novas doenças, escassez de água, da pesca e aparição de zonas mortas no litoral.Esse estudo resultou em um dos relatórios mais completos e atualizados sobre a situação do meio-ambiente no planeta. E ela não é nada boa, garantem seus autores. Um dos trechos do relatório , intitulado "Vivendo além dos nossos meios - O capital natural e o bem-estar humano", afirma: "dentre os problemas mais sérios identificados por esta avaliação estão as condições drásticas de várias espécies de peixes, a alta vulnerabilidade de 2 bilhões de pessoas vivendo em regiões secas e a crescente ameaça aos ecossistemas das mudanças climáticas e poluição de seus nutrientes". Os pesquisadores utilizaram a imagem de alguém que está vivendo com tempo emprestado, para descrever o modo como estamos convivendo com o meio ambiente. Um dos casos mais graves, segundo eles, está no uso da água: "o uso do recurso de água em um ritmo muito maior do que se gera se faz às custas de nossos filhos"."Já estamos vivendo essa ameaça "Os resultados desse estudo foram apresentados nesta quarta simultaneamente em diversos países. No Brasil, um seminário marcado para o dia 2 de abril, discutirá as implicações de suas conclusões, no auditório do Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (Ipen). Em setembro, os pesquisadores responsáveis pelo projeto divulgarão outros cinco relatórios técnicos, com mais de 2,5 mil páginas contendo estudos sobre as relações entre os ecossistemas globais e o bem-estar humano. Além disso, no primeiro trimestre de 2006 está prevista a divulgação de outros 33 estudos realizados em diferentes regiões do planeta. A idéia dos pesquisadores é fazer a máxima divulgação possível deste estudo com o objetivo de, entre outras coisas, sensibilizar a população e as autoridades governamentais que os riscos são reais e não uma peça de ficção científica produzida por cientistas alarmistas ou ambientalistas radicais. Nós já estamos vivendo essa ameaça, garantem.Um dos coordenadores da pesquisa, o cientista Harold Mooney, da Universidade de Stanford, resumiu do seguinte modo a gravidade do problema: "no último meio século nós alteramos as estruturas dos ecossistemas globais em uma velocidade mais rápida do que em qualquer outro período da história". Essas alterações, por um lado, foram fruto da intervenção humana para aumentar a área e a produtividade das áreas de produção de alimentos, o que normalmente é apontado como um fator de progresso. O problema é a forma como isso foi feito, com a criação de grandes áreas de monocultura (destruidoras da biodiversidade) e com um uso intensivo de agrotóxicos. Um dos resultados desse modelo, além da destruição da biodiversidade, é o envenenamento de fontes de água ou mesmo seu desaparecimento. Além disso, cada espécie animal e vegetal extinta representa um fator de desequilíbrio para ecossistemas inteiros.Ecossistemas ameaçados O estudo encomendado pela ONU faz uma radiografia desses ecossistemas ameaçados. Ele aponta, por exemplo, que entre 10 e 30% das espécies animais enfrentam perigo de extinção. O desmatamento, uma das causas desta ameaça, é responsável também pelo ressurgimento de doenças que estavam sob relativo controle e pelo surgimento de novas enfermidades. Os cientistas citam o caso da malária, que afeta hoje cerca de 11% de todos os doentes no continente africano. E, além do pesado custo humano, esse fato tem repercussões econômicas importantes. Segundo os pesquisadores, se a doença tivesse sido erradicada há 35 anos, a economia do continente africano teria aumentado aproximadamente 150 bilhões de euros. Como as cifras costumam sensibilizar mais as autoridades do que relatos de dramas humanos, o estudo cita ainda os impactos das mudanças climáticas sobre a agricultura especialmente.O resumo da obra é o seguinte: o capital natural da Terra está sendo gasto rapidamente pelos seus habitantes, que se comportam como herdeiros perdulários que gastam em uma geração o que as anteriores acumularam. Graças a esse comportamento, mais 10 ou 20% das florestas do mundo serão transformadas em lavoura e pasto até 2050, conforme projeção do estudo. O predomínio da lógica do lucro sobre todas as outras vai apresentar uma conta salgada muito em breve, advertem os cientistas. Na verdade, já está apresentando, mas ela vem sendo rolada como se nada fosse acontecer. O que fazer? Uma das recomendações do estudo dirige-se aos economistas: eles devem rever seus métodos de fazer contas e incluir em seus cálculos fatores que causam espanto e riso hoje entre autoridades econômicas. Fatores como o valor da polinização de lavouras por insetos ou o valor de uma área de florestas destruída por uma barragem ou por uma nova lavoura de soja.A ideologia do progresso a qualquer custo, denuncia o resultado do estudo, contamina governos à esquerda e à direita, que, cada vez mais, comportam-se do mesmo modo. A maneira como está acontecendo a liberação de transgênicos no Brasil é um exemplo disso. A lógica do fato consumado e o predomínio da lógica do lucro máximo a curto prazo estão jogando pela janela princípios básicos de precaução. Uma das conclusões do relatório divulgado nesta quarta afirma que a humanidade "precisa relaxar as pressões sobre a natureza" e adotar "mudanças radicais na forma com que tratamos o planeta". Se tiverem o destino dos últimos estudos do gênero, essas conclusões receberão o apoio retórico de algumas autoridades e logo cairão no esquecimento. Quem quiser conhecê-las mais de perto pode acessá-las no endereço: http://www.millenniumassessment.org. É uma leitura que pode tirar o sono. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Friday, October 21, 2005

Freshwater conservation news

Amazon Basin experiencing extreme drought

19 Oct 2005
Rio Branco, Brazil – The government of Brazil has declared a state of emergency in the Amazon as a result of unusual drought conditions, which some believe are being caused by unusually high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.

Studies by the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, a WWF-partner organization, suggest that the warming of the Atlantic near the Africa coast and the Gulf of Mexico may have altered the circulation pattern of the air currents and displaced the dry air masses to the Amazon Region.

“Freshwater, forest, species and local people are being heavily impacted by this drought,” said Urbano Lopes da Silva Junior, WWF-Brazil’s conservation officer based in Rio Branco.

“For the Amazonian population, especially the poor, the main problems are the shortage and even lack of potable water for their own consumption.”

The state of emergency extends over 61 municipalities of Brazil’s Amazonas State, affecting many towns and cities downstream of the Amazon River.

One of the main threats of the drought is reduced freshwater habitat for many non-migratory fish species, such as the pirarucu, the largest freshwater fish in the world and already a threatened species due to overfishing and predatory fishing practices. With the significant decrease in the water level in the Amazon River and its 1,000 tributaries, other aquatic species are also becoming more vulnerable.

The Brazilian Amazon is home to one-third of all the species in the world. Thousands of plant species, over one million insect species, more than 700 fish species, 1,000 bird species and over 300 mammal species — not including those unknown to science — are found within the Amazon rainforest.

In the dryer, upland forest, the main environmental concern regarding the drought is the threat of fire.

“Without water in the soil, the forest becomes a powder barrel,” added Lopes da Silva.

The threats of logging, land clearing and water pollution may also have an impact on the drought situation.

Although the Brazilian government launched the Amazon Protected Areas Programme (ARPA) in 2002, which sets aside almost 16 million hectares of land for conservation and sustainable use, WWF believes that much more needs to be done to save the world's most important rainforest.

Recent satellite data released by Brazil’s National Space Sciences Institute (INPE) revealed that deforestation in the Amazon from August 2003 to August 2004 significantly increased from the year before, when more than 23,000 square kilometres of Amazon forest disappeared. According to government estimates, by 2020 the Amazon forest will have lost 25 per cent of its original area.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

QuanticMovE

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QuanticMovE

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Lamb

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Wonder

"wonder"

lately i find myself
amazed at all around me
everything i see
like all of life's ablaze with light
that suddenly i see, only now i see
the wonder, the wonder of it all
wonder everywhere, more than we know
heaven's not up there, but on earth below
don't know if god exists
but there's some magic out there
so much we're not aware
and then sometimes suddenly i hear
a harmony sing, of each and everything
the wonder, the wonder of it all wonder everywhere, more than we know heaven's not up there, but on earth below

written by barlow / robinson

Lamb

THE PRAYER















THE PRAYER
The little boy
he crawls to his knees
crosses his hands so that God can see hush
- quiet - what?
the little boy who says his prayers
Good God don't go away from mommy
she undresses me and bathes and stays with me
then she dresses me in warm nightgown
God bless daddy
'cause I forgot When I think of what happened today
a little song comes to mind
I must not stop saying my prayer
forgive me God,
I ask you kindly
My nightgown has a hood inside the hood I
hide my head it covers my eyes and my forehead
aswell nobody knows that I am there
Thank you God for a good day
did I forget something, what was it?
I prayed for daddy and thought of you yes now I remember
- God bless me
The little boy sleeps well now the day is over,
the night has come hush
- quiet - what?
the little boy who said his prayers

Björk Posted by Picasa

Friday, October 14, 2005

mce2











Quantos dias faltam para…?
Para…...
Para.........
Quantos dias....?
Quantos faltam...?
Faltam quantos para...?

Quantos para...................................?

Parar...______!

.

I have to...........................................
I have to............................................................

How much time do I have...?
How many times do I have to….?
Do I have…?
Do I have dias…?
how many days...?
Faltam many days to,,,,

I have to….....................................................I have to…...................................................

Do I have…?
do I…?
do...?
may I speak...?

what...???????????????????????????why…??????????????????????

what do I do…?
Why do I…?

Do I do...............?

I....!

Why...?
What...?

May I ask...?
May I cry…?
May I…?
why may I do…?

Quantos faltam para…?

Para…!

To the end…................................................................
Quantos faltam...?

ponto!

Now, there is no more questions...............................................................

now.................................

more and more.....................

and now.................?

more....

do you have any question…?

Do you…?

May I ask…?


You may ask a question…!

You own your questions…........................................

Now...................?

More and more..................
nothng more................

Questions????????????????????????????

May I…?
May…?

Now!?

What were we talking about…?

Are you asking…?
what are you asking…?
Why are you asking…?

No more questions now….!!!!
now and ever........................

This is my floor.................

This is my air........................

This is my body.......................................

This is mine...

This is to me!

And this.................
this is is also mine!

I am mine..................
am I........................?

This is my mind.............
It is in your mind.........
In your mind...???

Your mind is mine...!

Do you mind....?

Ich möchte mich in dir vernichten...............................
Ich möchte du sein..................................................

O corpo morre????????
The body dies..................
You die???????
I die...........!

do I....?

My death

Plastic love...
My love....
The love is mine....

This is my love...
This is reincarnation....
kakakakakakakakaka

This is....................

This is…..?
What is this….?
That’s mine…

Du möchtest nicht sein...............
du möchtest nicht…
Aber du bist.....

Sei du...!!!!!!

Sei......!

Ich bin...
Ich bin dabei...
Ich bin bei mir...
Wo bist du...?

Who are you...?
come closer......
do I know you..?

Hallo….

Are you there…?

Hallo…!!!!

Can you listen to me….?

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Ammachi

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In Difficult Times, Kindle the Strength of Love.

Excerpts from Amma's satsang on the occasion of her 52nd Birthday


27 September 2005

"Amma is very happy to see so many of her children gathered together here today. Children who have the attitude of service are the pride of their mother and the beauty of society. In Amma's world, there is no such thing as birth or death. So for her how can there be a birthday? Amma sees this event simply as an opportunity to love and serve her children. Amma isn't looking at the number of her children who have come together, but at the unity of their hearts.

"When Amma looks back upon the last year, so many tragedies come to her mind: the countless lives and belongings that were destroyed by the tsunami, the recent hurricanes that effected parts of the United States, the floods in Mumbai, the terrorist attacks that took place in different parts of the world. When Amma thinks about all these events, she feels that the whole world has fallen into the grip of an octopus of fear.

"When such difficult circumstances arise in life, there are two ways to respond. We can either run away in fear or kindle the love within and try to overcome them. If we choose the first option, all of our strength will be drained, and we will be blown about like dry leaves in the wind. It's impossible to escape one's own shadow. One who tries to run away from it will simply collapse due to exhaustion. This shadow of fear will only disappear with the dawning of the light of love. Love is our strength. Love is our refuge.

"When such harrowing situations arise, we should try to use them to gather mental strength, so that we can grow, rise up and move to action. We have been given this human birth in order to face challenges and overcome them—not to run away from them. When a ship is in the sea, it has to weather storms, rough seas and may even encounter whales or sharks, while the ship anchored in the harbour doesn't face any such challenges. However, who would make a ship just to moor it in the harbour? When obstacles appear in life, we need to kindle our inner strength and spread the fragrance of selflessness and love. We should be able to lift up others who are drowning in grief.

"Life may not always bring us good experiences. In fact, it may be that we have more bad experiences in store for us than good. Good and bad experiences are the nature of the world. However, we should learn to convert such challenging experiences into steppingstones towards success. For this we need a discriminating intellect rooted in the spiritual principles.

"When disasters take place, there is no point in blaming someone or the situation or Nature. We should try to go to the root cause. It is very easy to blame the government or a political party or even God. But we shouldn't forget that we also played a role in creating the problem.

"For example, when Weil's disease—or “rat fever”—breaks out in India , we typically blame the government. But if the people in each house keep their surroundings clean and regularly burn their waste, these epidemics can be avoided. Instead of pointing our finger at others, we should try to look to our own weaknesses. If we do so, we can avoid most problems in life altogether. Instead of using a magnifying glass to look at the faults of others, let us use a mirror to look at our own. Our efforts to remove hatred and indifference from the world should begin with trying to remove them from our own mind. If we can make our own mind clear and bright, the world will soon follow suit.

"If a nuclear war were to break out, we all know the amount of destruction that could come to pass. But right now there is a disaster taking place in the world that is much more destructive than any world war or tsunami or volcanic eruption—however, we are either unaware or are apathetic towards it. This is the decline of dharma [righteousness]. If we fail to restore dharma, all of our efforts to establish world peace will be in vain.

"Why are we not aware of this disaster? Because it is happening very gradually. If a pot falls down in our room while we are sleeping, we will definitely get up. However, someone who lives near the train tracks won't even wake up when a train blows past him. If you put a frog in a pot boiling water, it will immediately jump out. But if you put a frog into tepid water and slowly heat it, the frog will not make any effort to escape. It will simply die. In the same way, we are not able to feel the heat of adharma [unrighteousness] that is steadily on the rise. In order for us to realize the seriousness of this situation, we need to imbibe the principles of dharma right from childhood . Only when our educational system starts imparting values along with academic knowledge will we begin nurturing individuals to have enthusiastic and awakened minds. Only then will society attain real success.

"Skill alone is not enough for success. In addition to skill, we also need proper understanding and knowledge of the task at hand. We also need patience. If we sow a seed and then regularly dig it up to see if it has germinated, it will never grow. Initially, there may seem to be no hope, but if we are patient and persevere, then in the end the flower of life will blossom.

"Due to our impatience, most of the time, we aren't even aware of what we are doing or saying. Rather than feeling depressed about the opinions others may have about us, we should transcend our own limitations and try to do what we must with an optimistic attitude. Thus, patience, constant enthusiasm and firm determination to reach the goal are all necessary factors for success.

"We often consider our achievements to be the crowning moments of our life—for example, passing our college exams or receiving recognition in our field of expertise. Although these are significant, there are still greater accomplishments to be made in life. These are found in all the little things we do.

"Consoling a miserable soul, wiping the tears of a crying person, feeding the hungry, helping someone up who has fallen down—such seemingly trivial things are actually greater than mere worldly achievements.

"True service is the power that sustains the entire universe. When humanity serves Nature, Nature serves humanity. When we serve animals and plants, they too serve us in return. This attitude of mutual understanding and respect is what must be incorporated into society and into our family lives. Only when we serve others with the right understanding and with love and faith will we be happy and peaceful in life.

"When two lips come together, they emit one sound. Even though we have two eyes, our vision is one. Even when there are two lamps, light is one. Similarly, even though a husband and wife are two, they should live as one. The unity of hearts is the beauty of their house and the stability and foundation of the entire family. As neither the wife nor the husband has realized their completeness, their marriage should be a relationship wherein each partner compensates for the other's shortcomings—not one where they point them out and blame each other. Where there is true love, the attitude of sacrifice will automatically be there. True sacrifice is relinquishing one's likes and dislikes for another person. This should be the spirit behind each marriage.

"Praying that my children's hearts are filled with Divine Love, Amma offers herself to the Paramatman."

Friday, May 27, 2005

Ammachi


Ammachi
Originally uploaded by quanticmove.

God's Perfect Hiding Place
"Children, have you heard this story? God decided to create the world. His purpose was to give Himself a place to live. So as soon as He had created this beautiful earth full of trees and plants, animals and birds, mountains and valleys, God began to dwell here. Everything was perfect and God was leading a blissful life. Years rolled by until one day God made a mistake. He created human beings. From that day on, there was trouble. Night and day, the human beings complained to God. No matter what God was doing, whether He was eating or sleeping, they would come knocking on His door.

"The never-ending complaints drove Him crazy. God soon lost His peace of mind. No sooner was one problem solved than another one arose. The first man's solution became the second man's problem. One person wanted rain. But when God granted rain, another person would complain, 'God, how can you do this to me? My whole house is leaking. My crops are ruined.' Everything became a problem. No matter what God did, people complained.

"Eventually God asked His advisors to suggest a way out. One suggestion was that God should go to the Himalayas. But God said, 'No, no. People would soon come there.' 'What about the moon?' asked another of God's advisors. 'Soon man would also make his way there,' God replied. 'You, my good friends, cannot see the future,' continued God. 'But I can. No matter where I go, man will come to know about it. He will follow me and I will again be in trouble.'

"This statement was meant with silence. After some time an aged advisor stepped forward and whispered in God's ear. God's face brightened. 'Wonderful!' he exclaimed. The old man had suggested the perfect hiding place for God. 'Go and hide deep within man,' the wise man had advised. 'Yes. It is perfect,' was God's reply. 'Man would never think to look for Me inside himself. There is no chance that he will find Me there.'"

"Children,God is deep within us. He dwells there as innocence, as pure and innocent love. But the mind and its egoistic feelings veil this innocence. But it is always there. It has only been forgotten. You have to go deep within. You have to rediscover and remember."

redação feita por uma aluna do curso de Letras da UFPE

Esta é uma redação feita por uma aluna do curso de Letras da UFPE
(Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - Recife), que obteve vitória em
um concurso interno promovido pelo professor titular da cadeira de
Gramática Portuguesa.


Era a terceira vez que aquele substantivo e aquele artigo se
encontravam no elevador. Um substantivo masculino, com um aspecto
plural, com alguns anos bem vividos pelas preposições da vida. E o
artigo era bem definido, feminino, singular: era ainda novinha, mas
com um maravilhoso predicado nominal. Era ingênua, silábica, um pouco
átona, até ao contrário dele: um sujeito oculto, com todos os vícios
de linguagem, fanáticos por leituras e filmes ortográficos. O
substantivo gostou dessa situação: os dois sozinhos, num lugar sem
ninguém ver e ouvir. E sem perder essa oportunidade, começou a se
insinuar, a perguntar, a conversar. O artigo feminino deixou as
reticências de lado, e permitiu esse pequeno índice.

De repente, o elevador pára, só com os dois lá dentro: ótimo, pensou o
substantivo, mais um bom motivo para provocar alguns sinônimos. Pouco
tempo depois, já estavam bem entre parênteses, quando o elevador
recomeça a se movimentar: só que em vez de descer, sobe e pára
justamente no andar do substantivo. Ele usou de toda a sua flexão
verbal, e entrou com ela em seu aposto. Ligou o fonema, e ficaram
alguns instantes em silêncio, ouvindo uma fonética clássica, bem suave
e envolvente. Prepararam uma sintaxe dupla para ele e um hiato com
gelo para ela. Ficaram conversando, sentados num vocativo, quando ele
começou outra vez a se insinuar. Ela foi deixando, ele foi usando seu
forte adjunto adverbial, e rapidamente chegaram a um imperativo, todos
os vocábulos diziam que iriam terminar num transitivo direto.
Começaram a se aproximar, ela tremendo de vocabulário,
e ele sentindo seu ditongo crescente: se abraçaram, numa pontuação tão
minúscula, que nem um período simples passaria entre os
dois.

Estavam nessa ênclise quando ela confessou que ainda era vírgula ele
não perdeu o ritmo e sugeriu uma ou outra soletrada em seu apóstrofo.
É claro que ela se deixou levar por essas palavras, estava totalmente
oxítona às vontades dele, e foram para o comum de dois gêneros. Ela
totalmente voz passiva, ele voz ativa.

Entre beijos, carícias, parônimos e substantivos, ele foi avançando
cada vez mais: ficaram uns minutos nessa próclise, e ele, com todo o
seu predicativo do objeto, ia tomando conta.
Estavam na posição de primeira e segunda pessoas do singular, ela era
um perfeito agente da passiva, ele todo paroxítono, sentindo o pronome
do seu grande travessão forçando aquele hífen ainda singular.

Nisso a porta abriu repentinamente. Era o verbo auxiliar do edifício.
Ele tinha percebido tudo, e entrou dando conjunções e adjetivos nos
dois, que se encolheram gramaticalmente, cheios de preposições,
locuções e exclamativas. Mas ao ver aquele corpo jovem, numa
acentuação tônica, ou melhor, subtônica, o verbo auxiliar diminuiu
seus advérbios e declarou o seu particípio na história.

Os dois se olharam, e viram que isso era melhor do que uma metáfora
por todo o edifício. O verbo auxiliar se entusiasmou, e mostrou o seu
adjunto adnominal. Que loucura!. Aquilo não era nem comparativo: era
um superlativo absoluto. Foi se aproximando dos dois, com aquela coisa
maiúscula, com aquele predicativo do sujeito apontado para seus
objetos.

Foi chegando cada vez mais perto, comparando o ditongo do substantivo
ao seu tritongo, propondo claramente uma mesóclise-a-trois. Só que as
condições eram estas: enquanto abusava de um ditongo nasal, penetraria
ao gerúndio do substantivo, e culminaria com um complemento verbal no
artigo feminino. O substantivo, vendo que poderia se transformar num
artigo indefinido depois dessa, pensando em seu infinitivo, resolveu
colocar um ponto final na história: agarrou o verbo auxiliar pelo seu
conectivo, jogou-o pela janela e voltou ao seu trema, cada vez mais
fiel à língua portuguesa, com o artigo feminino colocado em conjunção
coordenativa conclusiva.

Flickr

This is a test post from flickr, a fancy photo sharing thing.

Monday, March 28, 2005

LAMB

"gorecki"

if i should die this very moment
i wouldn't fear
for i've never known completeness
like being here
wrapped in the warmth of you
loving every breath of you
still my heart this moment
or it might burst

could we stay right here
'til the end of time, 'til the earth stops turning
wanna love you 'til the seas run dry
i've found the one i've waited for

all this time i've loved you
and never known your face
all this time i've missed you
and searched this human race
here is true peace
here my heart knows calm
safe in your soul
bathed in your sighs
wanna stay right here
'til the end of time, 'til the earth stops turning
gonna love you 'til the seas run dry
i've found the one i've waited for
the one i've waited for

all i've known
all i've done
all i've felt was leading to this
all i've known
all i've done
all i've felt was leading to this
wanna stay right here
'til the end of time, 'til the earth stops turning
gonna love you 'til the seas run dry
i've found the one i've waited for
the one i've waited for

wanna stay right here
'til the end of time, 'til the earth stops turning
gonna love you 'til the seas run dry
i've found the one i've waited for
the one i've waited for

the one i've waited for...


written by a. barlow / l. rhodes

Friday, March 18, 2005

Ammachi

Question – Amma, you often say that if we take one step towards God, God will take 100 steps towards us. Does this mean that God is far away from us?

Amma - No. It means that if you make an effort to cultivate just one good quality, all the other good qualities will develop naturally within you.

A woman was given a beautiful crystal chandelier as first prize in an art competition. She hung it in her drawing room. While enjoying its beauty, she observed that some of the paint on the wall had begun to crumble. She decided to paint the whole wall. When she had finished painting, she looked at the room and noticed that a window curtain was dirty. She immediately washed all the curtains. Then it came to her attention that the old rug on the floor had become threadbare. So she removed the carpet and replaced it with a new one. Finally, the room looked like new. It all began with her hanging the new lamp in the room, and ended up with the room becoming clean and beautiful, having undergone a complete transformation. Similarly, if you begin to do one good thing in life regularly, many good things will follow naturally in its wake. It will be like a rebirth. God is the source of all good qualities. If we imbibe any one of them, all other virtues will follow. This is the only way in which a transformation is possible.

Students are often awarded grace marks to help them pass their examinations. Though everyone is eligible, only those who have secured a minimum level can receive them. So it calls for effort on the part of the students. Similarly, God is constantly showering His grace upon us. But if we are to benefit from that grace, there has to be some effort on our part as well. If our minds don't have the receptivity needed, then even if God pours His grace upon us, it won't do us any good. What is the use of complaining about the lack of sunlight, when we ourselves have closed all the doors and window shutters of our room? The sun shines its light everywhere. We need only open the doors and windows to experience it. Similarly, God is constantly bestowing His grace upon us, but we have to open the doors of our hearts to receive that grace. This means that before we can receive God's grace, we first have to receive the grace of our own mind. God is infinitely compassionate. It is our own mind that lacks compassion towards us, and acts as an obstacle, hindering us from receiving God’s grace.

If someone extends a hand towards us with a gift, and we are arrogant towards that person, he or she will withdraw the hand, thinking, “What a big ego! I don't think I'll give my gift to that person after all. I'd rather give it to someone else.” Thus we have failed to give ourselves the grace needed to receive that gift. This was caused by our ego. We could not receive what was being offered to us because our own mind didn’t have any compassion towards us.

On certain occasions, our discriminating intellect tells us to do something. But our mind refuses to agree. The intellect says, “Be humble,” while the mind says, “No! I’m not going to be humble before these people!” The result is that much of what we could have gained is lost to us. What we could have achieved remains out of our reach.

Monday, March 14, 2005


http://www.bjork.com/facts/lyrics/ Posted by Hello

Björk

DESIRED CONSTELLATION

It's tricky when
you feel someone
has done
something on your behalf

It's slippery when
your sense of justice
murmurs underneath

And is asking you:
How am I going to make it right?
How am I going to make it right?

With a palm full of stars
I throw them like dice
(repeatedly)

On the table
(repeat - repeatedly)
I shake them like dice
and throw them on the table
repeatedly
(repeatedly)
until the desired constellation appears

How am I going to make it right?
How am I going to make it right?
How am I going to make it right?

(And you hear: how am I going to make it right?)

How am I going to make it right?
How am I going to make it right?

(How am I going to make it right?)

Sunday, March 13, 2005

fuzzy times

Suddenly everything looks so empty, so out of focus, so blurred
So many doubts and uncertainties about the future
Lack of motivation, difficulties to concentrate
I definitely cannot work under pressure
It takes all the pleasure away
Maybe this is just a middle life crisis, but it is present, it is there
The fact that I do not really know what to do after my graduation make me feel strange
Some months ago everything was so clear, flowing smoothly,
And now……
I believe that after I stopped dancing I didn’t really find another passion
And as a passionate person it is difficult for me to do anything which I am not attached emotionally
I miss so much being creative
Being in constant challenge to transform ideas and concepts in aesthetic, in beauty
I need to find a way of doing that in my new profession
I miss dancing
Many people I know, which had even more serious physical problems are still working and they are probably happy.
But well, problems and crisis are there to challenge us to grow, to be creative in finding solutions
I am trying
I know that if I concentrate too much in the goal I will miss the pleasure of small things throughout the path, but right now it is difficult for me to change that.
So, I go on, trying to get the best out of it

Thursday, March 10, 2005

PSYCHOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS

"In my subconscious, all my experiences are gathered into a surrealistic soup. My brain, made to be a mechanism of a logical cause-effect operating principle, is able to create a chaotic surrealistic picture, while nature, in principle unmotivated, creates a logical order from chaos. What is this mystery of logic and surrealism apparently in the wrong place? Nature, which couldn't care less, creates highly motivated scenarios, while the brain, at the antipodes of 'I couldn't care less,' takes a break and goes vagabonding."

William Markiewicz

Try to have a look at the other side of your dreams Posted by Hello

So simple and so beautiful Posted by Hello

Who is Amma?

Love, compassion, empathy and tolerance.
Under the pressures of modern life, these qualities have all but disappeared. Through Her loving embrace and charitable activities, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (affectionately known as Amma or Mother) is healing the heart of the world, rekindling love and mutual respect, and awakening people to their fundamental oneness. Through Her extraordinary acts of love and self-sacrifice, Amma has endeared Herself to millions. Tenderly caressing everyone who comes to Her, holding them close to Her heart in a loving embrace, Amma shares boundless love with all. Be they young or old, sick or healthy, rich or poor--everyone who comes to Her receives the same unconditional love.
Amma's compassion crosses all barriers of nationality, race, caste and religion. She has initiated a vast network of charitable activities, which is drawing attention throughout the world. At the root of these services lies Amma's teaching that the Divine exists in everything--in every person, plant and animal. Perceiving this unity is the essence of spirituality and the means by which to end all suffering. It is through this simple, yet powerful message that Amma is transforming our world, one embrace at a time. In the past 33 years, Amma has physically embraced more than 24 million people. Amma's teachings are universal. Whenever She is asked about Her religion, She replies that Her religion is Love.
She does not ask anyone to believe in God or to change their faith, but only to inquire into their own real nature and to believe in themselves.