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!

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!

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

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.

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. 8^th 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

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!

The fingers of your thoughts are molding your face ceaselessly. — Charles Reznikoff (1894-1976) American Poet
One can be Genteel and yet arrogant. One can have Conviction and yet be bull-headed. The trick is to modify each quality with balancing qualities that either eliminate the possibilities of the negative or at least smooth the rough edges. A willingness to see the other person’s point of view with an open mind often helps. A self study of one’s own prejudices will be of service. An assumption that one will be able to acquire a larger, more objective perspective as we grow is very useful.
Peace,
Jim
            GENTEEL
Definitions: (1) elegant or graceful in manner; polite; (2) refined in style or speech
Derivation: French, “gentle”
Familial Qualities: gentlemanly, ladylike
           CONVICTION
Definition: (1) a strong persuasion or ardent belief; (2) a state of being free from doubt
Comment: Truth and Conviction
The sincere conviction that something is true will allow the individual who holds that conviction to resonate with a power that presents an argument for truth. Yet that person could be wrong. As a matter of fact, the only thing that may be right is the sincerity of the conviction. Therefore the individual will do whatever he or she can to make the belief resonate with truth.
For example, a vessel much larger than described would be needed for Noah to carry two of every species on the planet; but those who believe this “fact” sincerely, do whatever they can to make it true. They try to make it consistent with logic. If it could be proved or disproved by some objective means, then they could rejoice in their accurate belief or would have to readjust their conviction.
Actual facts as well as facts of belief have the resonance of truth when spoken with conviction. The listener must decide what is objective truth or subjectively true.
Consider the Source

“All true art must help the-soul to realize it’s inner self. True art must be evidence of the happiness contentment and purity of its authors.” — Ghandi (1869-1948)
“Any scientific interpretation of the material universe is valueless unless it provides due recognition for the scientist. No appreciation of art is genuine unless it accords recognition to the artist. No evaluation of morals is worth while unless it includes the moralist. No recognition of philosophy is edifying if it ignores the philosopher, and religion cannot exist without the real experience of the religionist who, in and through this very experience, is seeking to find God and to know him. Likewise is the universe of universes without significance apart from the I AM, the infinite God who made it and unceasingly manages it.” — The Urantia Book (a leading edge compendium and epochal revelation (195:7.18))

Your choices determine your destiny. Choose well. — Merritt Horn
An Approving comment, smile, or pat on the back is the universal method of segregating good from better. We are all Emerging souls. We are growing into our new selves as we choose. Let’s help each other see the best in ourselves.
Peace,
Jim
            APPROVING
Definitions: (1) to have <and particularly express> a favorable attitude or opinion; (2) to be pleased with; to think or declare something or someone to be good or satisfactory; (3) to commend; endorse; sanction
Synonyms: accrediting, admiring, authorizing, certifying, consenting, encouraging, praising, promoting, ratifying, supportive

Quote:
What do you call love, hate, charity, revenge, humanity, magnanimity, forgiveness … different results of the one master impulse, the necessity of securing one’s self‑approval. —    Mark Twain [born Samuel Clemens] (1835-1910) American Humorist

           EMERGING
Definitions: (1) coming forth naturally, blooming; (2) becoming visible, apparent, or known; (3) coming into being through evolution as something new or improved
Derivation: Latin, “to rise up or out”
Comment: Rising out of one’s own past often leaves a person with the feeling that what did happen was destined to happen, after all it all happened so naturally. But you can also imagine many very different outcomes if you had made differing choices. You truly are the creator of your own subjective reality. The next trick is to see how you and your choices can be connected to objective reality. Which person will emerge?
Symbol: a cocoon
Consider the Source

Wealthy philanthropic giving is on the rise, paralleling the rise in super-rich giving that characterized the late nineteenth century, when magnates (some called them “robber barons”) like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller established philanthropic institutions that survive today.
But a large portion of the charitable deductions now claimed by America’s wealthy are for donations to culture palaces – operas, art museums, symphonies, and theaters – where they spend their leisure time hobnobbing with other wealthy benefactors.
Another portion is for contributions to the elite prep schools and universities they once attended or want their children to attend. (Such institutions typically give preference in admissions, a kind of affirmative action, to applicants and “legacies” whose parents have been notably generous.)
In economic terms, a tax deduction is exactly the same as government spending. Which means the government will, in effect, hand out $40 billion this year for “charity” that’s going largely to wealthy people who use much of it to enhance their lifestyles.
They’re often investments in the life-styles the wealthy already enjoy and want their children to have as well. Increasingly, being rich in America means not having to come across anyone who’s not. They’re also investments in prestige – especially if they result in the family name engraved on a new wing of an art museum, symphony hall, or ivied dorm.
What portion of charitable giving actually goes to the poor? The Washington Post’s Dylan Matthews looked into this, and the best he could come up with was a 2005 analysis by Google and Indiana University’s Center for Philanthropy showing that even under the most generous assumptions only about a third of “charitable” donations were targeted to helping the poor.
At a time in our nation’s history when the number of poor Americans continues to rise, when government doesn’t have the money to do what’s needed, and when America’s very rich are richer than ever, this doesn’t seem right. If Congress ever gets around to revising the tax code, it might consider limiting the charitable deduction to real charities.
Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

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!

While many people can find a nights comfort on a futon or even a sleeping mat typically reserved for camping/hiking, most guests prefer something a bit more inviting. Even blow up mattresses can be cumbersome when your interior walls are less than 8-feet across. In this case, a folding bed is a perfect solution for guests. It can be collapsed when not in use (as it doesn’t take up much space) yet it’s easy to unfold and set up for guests.

Andrew and Crystal Odom live in a tiny house. They are giving away plans for a clever, built-in, roll out bed. It is made of two boxes; the bigger one against the wall is for the storage of the mattress the smaller one on the face is an accordion-like bed platform that pulls out from the wall. The whole thing takes about 9 hours to build from materials costing about US$268.

Consider the Source

Consider the First Source!

“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!