The Most Insidious Symbioses

The United States is the world’s largest grower and consumer of genetically-modified (GM) foods. As of 2010, the United States had 66.8 million hectares of GM crops planted, covering 16.5 percent of our total agricultural area. Because GM foods are made with proteins from organisms that weren’t previously part of the food chain, GM foods have caused allergic reactions in children several years after these foods were made available for public consumption. Additionally, genetically modifying food can result in disease-causing bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics, leading to widespread food-borne illnesses.
As Americans eat GM foods and get sick, they rely on drugs made by pharmaceutical companies to get well. The relationship between Monsanto, a chief grower of GM crops, and Pfizer, one of the world’s largest prescription drug manufacturers, is insidious. According to Monsanto’s own website, prior to September 1, 1997, the Monsanto Company owned a pharmaceuticals business that later became known as Pharmacia, which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer. Both companies are heavily invested in growing food that makes people sick when they eat it, and selling sick people the drugs to treat those health conditions.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

abstract-rainbow

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!




Ag-gag — When the Law is an Ass

North Dakota, Montana and Kansas were the first to embark on what is known as Ag Gag back in 1990-91. Three more states elected to impair the First Amendment in 2012 when Iowa, Utah, and Missouri lost their independence to big-agri. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Mercy for Animals, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) say ag-gag bills suppress their whistleblower activities, which often result in criminal convictions for animal cruelty. The six states listed above have clearly defined themselves as protectorates of the criminal class.

This legislative season, the animal groups enlisted a broader coalition of interests against the bill, from country stars in Tennessee to journalistic organizations in Washington D.C. In the end, they’d killed bills in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming.

“Ag-gag legislation threatens a wide array of public interests—including animal welfare and food safety—by silencing the very people in a position to document abuse,” said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations. ”We hope the defeat of these 11 bills encourages lawmakers to shift their focus toward achieving accountability for those who are inflicting abuse on animals and putting consumers at risk instead of focusing on misleading efforts to suppress whistleblowers who want to expose those problems.”

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

abstract-rainbow

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!




Positive Qualities – Coordinated & Bright

Simplify your life. Balance needs with wants and harmonize inner and outer well‑being.Steps Toward Inner Peace, Peace Pilgrim
A fusion of Coordinated effort (internal &/or external) leads to a Bright and more efficient end. We have the great gift of free will choice at our disposal. It is up to us to use it with wisdom. Practice (that is learning from both our successes and failures) makes growth possible.
Peace,
Jim
           COORDINATED
Definitions: (1) the ability to balance physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the self for a positive goal; (2) human cooperation combined in harmonious action; (3) able to use more than one set of muscle movements to a single end
            BRIGHT
Definitions: (1) shining in attitude, demeanor, or spirit; (2) radiant with happiness or good fortune; (3) cheerful and lively; pleasant; (4) giving promise of prosperity; favorable; auspicious <a bright outlook>; (5) having a sparkling personality; resplendent with charms; animated; (6) displaying an active, clever, or intelligent mind; discerning; keen‑witted; quick‑witted
Derivation: Sanskrit, “to shine”
Synonyms: brilliant, clear, gleaming, glittering, limpid, luminous, lustrous, pellucid, radiant, resplendent, sunny, witty
Color: yellow
Mythological Figure: Aglaia is one of the three Graces of Greek mythology, the Grace of Brilliance.
Consider the Source




The Vesper Casa

Another example of Pure Salvage Living from Tiny Texas Houses. The Vesper Casa has a balcony and many repurposed amenities . Take the video tour and spark your imagine.




HVDC — High Voltage Direct Current

HVDC+valve+hallThe company that commissioned the world’s first 800 kilovolt UHVDC systems, the longest overhead HVDC link to go into commercial operation, and the world’s longest underwater and underground HVDC links, is now writing the next chapter in the evolution of this technology.

ABB has successfully designed and developed a hybrid DC breaker after years of research, functional testing, and simulation in the R&D laboratories. This breaker is a breakthrough that solves a technical challenge that has been unresolved for over a hundred years and was perhaps one of the main influencers in the ‘war of currents‘ outcome. The ‘hybrid’ breaker combines mechanical and power electronics switching that enables it to interrupt power flows equivalent to the output of a nuclear power station within 5 milliseconds – that’s as fast as a honey bee takes per flap of its wing – and more than 30 times faster than the reaction time of an Olympic 100-meter medalist to react to the starter’s gun!

The challenge was to do it ‘ultra-fast’ with minimal operational losses and this has been achieved by combining advanced ultrafast mechanical actuators with ABB’s inhouse semiconductor IGBT valve technologies or power electronics.

The new breaker is a ‘game changer’. It removes a significant stumbling block in the development of HVDC transmission grids. These grids will enable interconnection and load balancing between HVDC power superhighways integrating renewables and transporting bulk power across long distances with minimal losses. DC grids will enable sharing of resources like lines and converter stations that provides reliability and redundancy in a power network in an economically viable manner with minimal losses. It will enable the transmission system to maintain power flow even if there is a fault on one of the lines.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

abstract-rainbow

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!




Tiny Home – Japanese Style

A teacher built a tiny house in the forest. Brian Schulz recently completed his forest house in the Oregon Woods. He built the home himself, and the design and concept of it were inspired by the traditional Japanese Minka homes, which are built using local materials and steeply sloped roofs to create affordable, open structures. For his house, Schulz used salvaged materials, along with those sourced from within 10 miles of his new home.

The finished tiny house is a 14-by-16-foot home, which coexists perfectly with its woodland surroundings. It cost only $11,000 to build, which was mostly spent on concrete, shakes and insulation. Schulz, who teaches traditional wood kayak building for a living, completed the house in about a year and a half, working in his spare time.

Schulz salvaged a lot of the wood he used to build the house from the bay while kayaking, which he then milled on-site by himself. For the corner posts he repurposed blowdown trees from a friend’s forest. Inside the house, the kitchen counters were milled from a fallen tree he’d collected and kept for 8 years, while the stair railing is made from alder poles that were cut from beside the house.

There are three tables in the house, which were all cut from cedar found on the beach and made in 2 hours. The flooring was made from low-grade reject fir, and using various bits of scrap wood for the trimmings. The house also has several large windows, which Shultz purchased for $40 from the local dump.

The home is also fitted with several traditional Japanese lanterns made from paper that was handmade only 7 miles from his home. Using only recycled or repurposed materials to build his home was about more than just saving money for Schultz. The Minka tradition that inspired him to build the home holds that by turning a log from beside the house into the house itself gives the house certain mystical qualities. But Schultz thinks that even if this is not something you believe, the search for local materials from which to build the home nevertheless connects a person more deeply to the world around them.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

abstract-rainbow

“The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” and so it is today for many of his followers. Despite all the warnings about the snares laid by moneylenders, despite the fact that gage mort is literally translated as a pledge to give up one’s life, millions have lost their homes through mortgage exploits, and their quality of life through the service of debt.

Find Out How to Get Your Life Back!




Teacher Builds Tiny House in the Forest

Brian Schulz recently completed his forest house in the Oregon Woods. He built the home himself, and the design and concept of it were inspired by the traditional Japanese Minka homes, which are built using local materials and steeply sloped roofs to create affordable, open structures. For his house, Schulz used salvaged materials, along with those sourced from within 10 miles of his new home.

The finished tiny house is a 14-by-16-foot home, which coexists perfectly with its woodland surroundings. It cost only $11,000 to build, which was mostly spent on concrete, shakes and insulation. Schulz, who teaches traditional wood kayak building for a living, completed the house in about a year and a half, working in his spare time.

Schulz salvaged a lot of the wood he used to build the house from the bay while kayaking, which he then milled on-site by himself. For the corner posts he repurposed blowdown trees from a friend’s forest. Inside the house, the kitchen counters were milled from a fallen tree he’d collected and kept for 8 years, while the stair railing is made from alder poles that were cut from beside the house.

There are three tables in the house, which were all cut from cedar found on the beach and made in 2 hours. The flooring was made from low-grade reject fir, and using various bits of scrap wood for the trimmings.




Positive Qualities – Poetic & Dulcet

New reasons, new arguments, new motives . . . all can lead to new goals – new aspirations. — David Brin (1950 – ) Existence, American Author
One need not be a traditional poet to be Poetic. Any alignment with the Universe will do. The greater the cosmic association, the more Dulcet the music of the soul.
Have a peaceful 2014,
Jim
            DULCET
Definitions: (1) melodious to the ear; harmonious; (2) pleasing to the mind; (3) agreeable to the eye or the feelings; soothing
Derivation: Latin, “sweet”
            POETIC
Definitions: (1) possessing the peculiar beauties of harmony; sublime rhythm; (2) imaginative; (3) language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm; written or spoken word formulating a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience
Comment: All poetry is communicative; some is popular and some is evocative. Whatever is wonderful and good can be fused with culture. Words are a way to touch many people at once.
Quote:
Diotima now describes how mortals strive for immortality. In all begetting and bringing forth upon the beautiful, there is a kind of making or poiesis (“poetry” in the wide sense of “creating”). In this genesis there is a movement beyond the temporal cycle of birth and decay. “Such a movement can occur in three kinds of poiesis: (1) Natural poiesis through sexual procreation, (2) poiesis in the city through the attainment of heroic fame, and finally (3) poiesis in the soul through the cultivation of virtue and knowledge.” — Plato (428-328 bc) Symposium
Symbol: words
Historic Figures: 1) Homer (c. 8th Century BC) The Father of Epic Poetry; 2) Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400) The Father of English Poetry
Mythological Figures: 1) Erato, the Muse who presided over lyric poetry; 2) Bragi, the Scandinavian god of eloquence and poetry; 3) Calliope, Greek and Roman Muse of eloquence and heroic poetry
Consider the Source




Beehive in a Jar

Beehive in a JarHave the rows of organic honey jars at the farmers market got you thinking about starting your own backyard beehive? If you live in a suburban area, you may think that starting a beehive cannot be done. However a common suburban backyard can be a perfect place for beehives if done correctly and you do a bit of research and planning before ordering your bees and supplies. It is actually a very simple and easy process with the right tools.

Mason jars are a staple of the self-sufficient lifestyle. They can be used to serve, grow, or preserve many things, but this is the first time we’ve seen them used as a home for honey bees. It’s easy to turn some scrap wood and quart-sized big mouth jars into unique hives that allow you to watch the bees as they bottle your honey!

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

abstract-rainbow

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!




Time to Change Direction?

Lackawanna
When you simply don’t have the drive or if you feel you’re on a dead end road, it just may be time for a change. One of the best ways to get motivated is to understand our innermost desires. Some call it taking pride in a job well done. Others think of it as perfection hunger. Whatever you call it, it may be useful to consider how others have chosen to share their thoughts on the matter.

  • Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em. — William Shakespeare
  • You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. — C. S. Lewis
  • Having a dream, living that dream, losing that dream, dreaming again and then having that dream come true again is one of the greatest feelings ever because I`m stronger. — Aaron Carter
  • Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over. — Guy Finley
  • I know for sure that what we dwell on is who we become. — Oprah Winfrey
  • That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. — Friedrich Nietzsche
  • It is never too late to be what you might have been. — George Eliot
  • What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. — Henry Stanley Haskins
  • All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them. — Walt Disney
  • Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. — Charles R. Swindoll
  • There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. — Denis Waitley
  • An obstacle is often a stepping stone. — Prescott
  • The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. — Lao Tzu
  • The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others. — Hasidic proverb
  • Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. — Anonymous
  • Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. — Dalai Lama
  • After a storm comes a calm. — Matthew Henry
  • A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. — Ayn Rand
  • If you’re going through hell, keep going. — Winston Churchill
  • With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. — Eleanor Roosevelt
  • Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice. — Wayne Dyer
  • The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. — Confucius
  • Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it. — Ella Wheeler Wilcox
  • As a man sow, shall he reap. and I know that talk is cheap. But the heat of the battle is as sweet as the victory. — Bob Marley
  • I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be. — Ken Venturi
  • Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. — Thomas A. Edison
  • If you can dream it, you can do it. — Walt Disney
  • Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now. — Denis Waitley
  • Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward. — Victor Kiam
  • Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. — Thomas Jefferson
  • When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. — Thomas Jefferson
  • Expect problems and eat them for breakfast. — Alfred A. Montapert
  • By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. — Benjamin Franklin
  • Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. — William James
  • Either you run the day or the day runs you. — Jim Rohn
  • Always desire to learn something useful. — Sophocles
  • If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success. — John D. Rockefeller
  • Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing. — Thomas Jefferson
  • Be gentle to all and stern with yourself. — Saint Teresa of Avila
  • What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. — Henry David Thoreau
  • I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down. — Mia Hamm
  • Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door. — Kyle Chandler
  • Things do not happen. Things are made to happen. — John F. Kennedy
  • Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. — Robert H. Schuller
  • Well done is better than well said. — Benjamin Franklin
  • Quality is not an act, it is a habit. — Aristotle
  • The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. — Thomas Paine
  • What you do today can improve all your tomorrows. — Ralph Marston
  • Never complain and never explain. — Benjamin Disraeli
  • Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there. — Bo Jackson
  • You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do. — Henry Ford
  • Leap, and the net will appear. — John Burroughs
  • The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself. — Mark Caine
  • It’s always too early to quit. — Norman Vincent Peale
  • Begin to be now what you will be hereafter. — William James
  • Crave for a thing, you will get it. Renounce the craving, the object will follow you by itself. — Swami Sivananda
  • Who seeks shall find. — Sophocles
  • The hardships that I encountered in the past will help me succeed in the future. — Philip Emeagwali
  • Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible. — Tony Robbins
  • When you fail you learn from the mistakes you made and it motivates you to work even harder. — Natalie Gulbis
  • You can never quit. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. — Ted Turner
  • The most effective way to do it, is to do it. — Amelia Earhart
  • The secret of getting ahead is getting started. — Mark Twain
  • Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other. — Walter Elliot
  • Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th. — Julie Andrews
  • Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. — Jesus

When you’re searching your soul for new resolutions, consult your enthusiasm. And, while you’re at it, think about the origin of of that particular term. Enthusiasm is rooted in the Greek en Theos which means God within!