Earth Hour

We turned off all electricity in our house for an hour this evening in honor of the WWF's Earth Hour. It would seem that this phenomenon has spread around the world since it's inception. What if we were to do this once a month? What a huge difference this would make to the staggering amounts of carbon emissions that we blast into the ozone every minute of every day.

It still amazes me that in spite of all the attention global warming is getting these days, many people still go about their daily lives without giving a damn. Melissa Etheridge was right, "We need to wake up"! If greenhouse gases continue to increase, climate models predict that the average temperature at the Earth's surface could increase from 3.2 to 7.2ºF above 1990 levels by the end of this century. Scientists are certain that human activities are changing the composition of the atmosphere, and that increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases will change the planet's climate. (www.epa.gov)

So - at the risk of boring you to death, here are some of the suggestions that each of us could do to help:

Most emissions from homes are from the fossil fuels burned to generate electricity and heat. By using energy more efficiently at home, you can reduce your emissions and lower your energy bills by more than 30%. In addition, since agriculture is responsible for about a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, you can reduce your emissions simply by watching what you eat.

Here’s how:
Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.

Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summerAlmost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Install a programmable thermostatProgrammable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we’d eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!

Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use less hot water It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possibleYou can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

Turn off electronic devices you’re not using. Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you’re not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

Only run your dishwasher when there’s a full load and use the energy-saving settingYou can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

Insulate and weatherize your home Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year.

Be sure you’re recycling at home You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.

Buy recycled paper products It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

Plant a tree. A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.

Get a home energy audit Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.

Switch to green powerIn many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what’s available in your area.

Buy locally grown and produced foods. The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

Buy fresh foods instead of frozen Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
Seek out and support local farmers markets They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth.

Buy organic foods as much as possible. Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

Avoid heavily packaged products You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

Eat less meat. Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.

REDUCE YOUR IMPACT WHILE ON THE MOVE
Almost one third of the carbon dioxide produced in the United States comes from our cars, trucks and airplanes. Here are some simple, practical things you can do to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide you produce while on the move.

Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible. Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year!

Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates. Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year.

Keep your car tuned upRegular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.

Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!

When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle. You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid!

Try car sharing. Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar -- offer low emission or hybrid cars too!

Try telecommuting from home. Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.

Fly less. Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel by investing in renewable energy projects.
WE CAN ALL DO SOME OR ALL OF THESE
MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY
IT IS YOUR FUTURE AND THAT OF YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN
(This information was taken from the web site www.climatecrisis.net)

Easter Thoughts from a Recovering Catholic

Easter gets its name from the Teutonic goddess of spring and the dawn, whose name is spelled Oestre or Eastre (the origin of the word "east" comes from various Germanic, Austro-Hungarian words for dawn that share the root for the word "aurora" which means " to shine"). Modern pagans have generally accepted the spelling "Ostara" which honors this goddess as our word for the Vernal Equinox. The 1974 edition of Webster's New World Dictionary defines Easter thus: "orig., name of pagan vernal festival almost coincident in date with paschal festival of the church; Eastre, dawn goddess; 1. An annual Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, held on the first Sunday after the date of the first full moon that occurs on or after March 21." The Vernal Equinox usually falls somewhere between March 19th and 22nd (note that the dictionary only mentions March 21st, as opposed to the date of the actual Equinox), and depending upon when the first full moon on or after the Equinox occurs, Easter falls sometime between late-March and mid-April. (Peg Aloi - http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=holidays&id=1991)

I grew up Catholic, went to a Convent School from age 6 to 18 years. In both home and school there was an atmosphere of control through guilt and shame – very effective – very destructive. It created a deep-seated rage in me that took years of self-discovery and some talented therapists, to dissolve. The Catholic church of my childhood evolved through the ecumenical councils of Pope John XXIII that turned away from the Latin mass to a modern English version. Gone were the wonderful plainchant masses for which I would get up early on a Sunday morning and walk several miles to sit under the organ loft at the back of the church and listen, entranced.

Before that switch a pilgrimage would take place every year from the city of Bath where I grew up, to the ancient town of Glastonbury in the land of the summer sea known as the County of Somerset in England. The pilgrimage culminated in the ruins of the once beautiful Abbey that was destroyed by the bullyboys of King Henry VIII – he of the six wives. Glastonbury is the considered to be the heart of Avalon, the ancient isle of the druid priestesses. Rising over the town is a natural land formation known as Glastonbury Tor. It can be seen for miles and I have climbed it both as a child and as an adult. It has always been a mystical, magical place for me even as a child not knowing the history.

It didn’t matter whether I was there on a ritualized Catholic pilgrimage with hundreds of others, or an individual visit to re-connect with my heritage – the magic is always there. Easter is considered to be the greatest miracle by the Christians – the Son of God rising from the dead. Down through the ages there have been great Kings who were predicted to come again. Arthur is one such legend. He is often referred to as the “once and future king”. It is ironic then that he was supposedly buried in Glastonbury Abby. That myth has long been disproved but the tourist attraction is still there so the “grave” and the plaque that states Arthur is buried here, still stand. Ironic because at Easter the pilgrimage was made to celebrate the King rising from the dead – The Son King, the son OF the king, the once and future king?

It doesn’t really matter which legend you choose to believe – the celebration is of a re-birth – no matter how we treat Mother Earth, the wheel of the year still turns, spring comes again, and the world is re-born – a miracle indeed!

The Courage Within

"May all sentient beings have the courage to look within themselves and see the good and bad that exists in all of us. May we open our hearts, shining the light of love into the dark recesses where doubt and fear reside. May we have the courage to step into that light and embrace whatever we find, letting it rise to the surface freed by the act of loving kindness".
(Beliefnet member kuliLinei. Beliefnet prayer circle.)

What has happened to our society that we live in so much fear? In the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s, McCarthyism was a term that described intense anti-communist suspicion. During this time many thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person's real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment, destruction of their careers, and even imprisonment. Most of these punishments came about through trial verdicts later overturned, laws that would be declared unconstitutional, dismissals for reasons later declared illegal or actionable or extra-legal procedures that would come into general disrepute.

In November 2005, Business Week reported that the FBI had issued tens of thousands of "National Security Letters" and had obtained one million financial records from the customers of targeted Las Vegas businesses. Selected businesses included casinos, storage warehouses and car rental agencies. An anonymous Justice official claimed that such requests were permitted under section 505 of the USA PATRIOT Act and despite the volume of requests insisted "We are not inclined to ask courts to endorse fishing expeditions". This didn't just include financial records, but credit records, employment records, and in some cases, health records.

The large scale wiretapping and tracing of calls to and from foreign countries also falls under this. Millions of phone records were harvested, fed into a database and were searched for patterns of calling to and from numbers of known terrorists. To date, there have been no announced arrests from this program.

Public libraries have been asked to turn over their records for specific terminals. A few have filed suit, because the National Security Letters that they were presented with were very sweeping, demanding information not just on the individual under investigation, but on everyone who had used specific terminals at the libraries during given time windows. Since many of the users in one case were minor children, one library felt that it had an obligation to notify the parents. The FBI has disagreed and the case is now working its way through the court system.

The FBI used the USA PATRIOT Act 13 times to request journalists that had interviewed computer intruder Adrian Lamo to preserve their notes and other information while they petitioned the Department of Justice for a subpoena to force the reporters to hand over the information. Journalists involved included newspaper writers, wire service reporters, and MSNBC writers. The Department of Justice did not authorize the subpoena requests because the language of the subpoena violated the Department's guidelines for a subpoena request, rather than recognition of any reporter/source privilege. The requests to preserve information were dropped. In some cases, the FBI apologized for the language of the request

On March 9, 2007, a Justice Department audit found that the FBI had "improperly and, in some cases, illegally used the USA Patriot Act to secretly obtain personal information" about United States citizens. On June 15, 2007, following an internal audit finding that FBI agents abused a Patriot Act power more than 1000 times, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ordered the agency to begin turning over thousands of pages of documents related to the agency's national security letters program.

It seems to me that our FBI has become every bit as controversial as the KGB of the old USSR. We would hear about injustices suffered under the old Russian regime such as imprisonment without trial, torture, and persecutions because of a particular belief or lifestyle - and now we have become like those very systems that we condemned.

Here are just 2 quotes (among many) from the Koran:
Be helpful to one another according to goodness and piety, but be not helpful for evil and malice. 5:3
He who slays anyone...............................shall be as though he had slain all of mankind; but that he who saves a life, shall as though he had saved all mankind alive. 5:35

I have not read the Koran, these were two quotes that I found on: http://www.johnworldpeace.com/koran1.html and I know that there are many more. The view that we are presented of the Muslim people is one of crazed fundamentalism, suicide bombers and terrorists.

The last time the media was used to promote propaganda against a race of people, the following words were used:
"The non-Jew has no idea of the scope of this struggle. He does not know the Jewish people's secret goals, or the crimes they have committed over four millennia to reach those goals, or the enormous danger it faces if these goals are revealed before they can be realized."
(Quote from article from 'Der Stürmer' that appeared in July 1933)

The Dalai Lama tells us, "We must remember that the different religions, ideologies, and political systems of the world are meant for human beings to achieve happiness. We must not lose sight of this fundamental goal and at no time should we place means above ends; the supremacy of humanity over matter and ideology must always be maintained".
(A Human Approach to World Peace http://www.dalailama.com/page.62.htm)

Are we forever doomed to repeat ourselves over and over? Obama says he will not rule out talking with any other world leader and he is being condemmed for making such a controversial statement. WAR HAS NEVER WORKED! It is time for another approach - the greatest spiritual minds have been telling us for generations - give peace a chance - let's talk.

The Law of Giving

The 12-Step programs tell us that that we can only keep what we have by giving it away. One of Deepak Chopra’s seven spiritual laws of success is the law of giving. Lao Tzu tells, “Man decreases those who need more than they have, and increases those who have more than they need. To give away what you do not need is to follow the Tao”. Christ said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

All of this sounds great, we all agree – right? Yet this is not ‘The American Way’. We live in this horrendous consumer society that feeds on itself like a voracious cancer. Mankind’s continuous demand for bigger, better, faster – more, more, more – has become the slow destruction of the world in which we live.

Now we hear about global warming, conserve energy, recycle, organic food, hybrid cars etc. etc., but we have outsourced ourselves to a point where we are used to getting “stuff” at relatively cheap prices. If we were to actually purchase American-made products, all organic etc. the price of our “stuff”, even the stuff we need to survive, would be priced out of existence.

What saddens me is that a large number of Americans (maybe even the majority) still believe that we need to have these huge corporations to “compete” (meaning ‘dominate’) in the world market. We make contributions to organizations like Oxfam as we head out to Wal-Mart to buy more stuff that has been made in some 3rd world country, by people who live on $2 a month, never realizing that Oxfam is working to improve the lives of those same people to help make them self-sufficient so that they won’t have to work for American corporations who hire them like the slave labor that they are.

How did we get here, and how do we turn it around? For all the emphasis put on living a righteous life, I do not see the evidence that we actually believe, “We can only keep what we have by giving it away”

The Futility of Words

“The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to”. (Chuang Tzu)*

“Even the finest teaching is not the Tao itself. Even the finest name is insufficient to define it. Without words, the Tao can be experienced, and without a name, it can be known”. (From the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu – translation by Stan Rosenthal)

In this election year we listen to many words. There are many who say that despite all the promises that politicians’ make they are “all the same” once they get into power. I have found in my life that any time I get into the “politics” of something, I loose track of my role in life and I have to pull myself back into focus before I drown in some war of words.

Have you noticed that all these political rallies are very noisy? A barrage of sign waving, yelling, cheering, speakers using “sound bites” to fire up the crowd – all designed to stop any true consideration of what is before us and to make us “follow the crowd”.

A comparison can be drawn with the average casino – have you noticed that once you step onto the casino floor you can no longer see any windows, that there are no clocks to tell you the time, that the noise is non-stop and the games are designed to hold you there, daring you to walk away and loose that chance of the jackpot?

Both are forms of brainwashing, designed to take away all rational thought and persuade you to buy into what is being presented. Politics is a gamble. You enter into the world of the rally, you are swept away by promises of what might be and you cast your vote. When all subsides you eventually notice that nothing has changed, just like when you step outside of the casino – the world is proceeding just like it was before you entered.

The ancient philosophers tell us that to transcend the ego we have to be silent, for without quieting the mind we cannot experience the infinite.

The words of a famous folk song come to mind, “When will we ever learn?”

*The Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu (ca. 369-ca. 286 BC), also known as Chuang Chou, was the most brilliant of the early Taoists and the greatest prose writer of his time.

Thoughts on the law of detachment.

Deepak Chopra teaches us that law of detachment says, “in order to acquire anything in the physical universe, you have to relinquish your attachment to it. This doesn't mean you give up the intention to create your desire. You give up your attachment to the result”. (The Seven Spirituals Laws of Success)

Over and over again in my life I have witnessed that when I wanted some particular direction to unfold in my life, I would try to control or manipulate my world such that what I wanted would transpire. It has never worked! As soon as I relinquished control, what I wanted appeared before me. When I read Chopra’s words I knew exactly what he meant.

In the final months before I left the UK to come to the US, a friend of mine asked me what I wanted to do there for a career. I already had my BA in psychology and I thought I wanted to be an educational psychologist and work with children. I remember distinctly telling my friend, “I know what I’m NOT going to be, I’m NOT going to be one of those therapist people!”

Shortly after arriving here I went to the local Cal State University and applied for a place in a Masters Program---I was rejected!! What??? Apparently I failed to show sufficiently how my British degree equated to the US education system. You’ve got to be kidding me??? Don’t they know who I am??? I withdrew my application and looked for some appropriate pre-requisites to take. Another block – I had to establish residency!! Aww c’mon!! I withdrew altogether.

Barely a week later I received a call from a local group home with whom I had submitted an application and I was hired. Some months later, due to a miscommunication, I ended up at a bus depot to pick up residents back from weekend passes along with a colleague from another one of the homes (only one of us should have been there). I complained about my college woes and she gave information on the private college that she was attending that had an accelerated program which would probably accept me without the Cal State requirements. I applied – they accepted. What was the program? A Masters in Counseling – I was on my way to becoming a therapist!!!

I share that story a lot with my clients when talking about control issues and the need to trust that a power greater than ourselves has it all under control just fine – if only we would allow it.

I must have forgotten my own words, because last year I found myself in need of extra finances and started applying to various colleges for an adjunct teaching position. There was one university where I particularly wanted to teach – they rejected my application. What?? Don’t they know who I am?? I called – I got my interview – and got rejected again. I got polite letters from the other colleges stating that they would hold my information on file. I stopped chasing and started reducing my expenses to gain a handle on my finances.

A few weeks later I received a call from a local community college – would I be interested in teaching on-line – would I??? I now teach on-line to entry-level would-be counselors – and I’m loving it. In the 12-Step programs it is said that you can only keep what you have by giving it away. Teaching is a wonderful way to keep oneself up-to-date by giving away what one has learned.

One other example from my life: when I reached the age of 40 and was still single, I concluded that I must be meant to live alone, and I made peace with the idea. Just a few months later someone walked into my life with whom I have now lived for nearly 14 years.
So when I read Chopra’s words – I understood fully – as long as you retain an ‘attachment’ – a ‘must have’ mentality – you will not achieve what you desire; let it go and will come to you freely. To quote Melissa Etheridge, “The universe listens”.