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We Shall Have to Begin With the Children (Video)

Dorothy Height: Civil Rights Matriarch Fought Racism with Dignity

Source: By Hamil R. Harris Washington Post - The first time I met Dorothy Height, she seemed out of place. She was wearing an obviously expensive pantsuit, sporting a wide-brim church hat and zipping around the Mall on a golf cart.

It was 1986, the first year of the National Black Family Reunion that Height had boldly pushed for. Even though racial diversity was in full bloom, Height believed that African American families needed to celebrate themselves in a big way.

By then, Height was already a civil rights icon, revered as a national treasure. I was new to Washington. As a freelance broadcast journalist, I needed a sound bite to get paid. Height stood in front of my little microphone and gave much more.

Of course I knew her, had seen her on television, but as I listened to Height her passion for social justice was overwhelming. Since then, I have interviewed her dozens of times. She was always available and accessible to the ordinary, as well as the extraordinary. And she always seemed to say the right thing.

Height began her career with another civil rights leader, educator Mary McLeod Bethune, and worked with presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama. She always mixed the social with the political, closing out the annual family reunion with a gospel concert and a traditional benediction.

More than a half-million people have attended the National Black Family Reunions since they began in 1986. Along the way, she reminded everyone that the event was not just about money. She forced vendors to keep the food prices low and kept the focus on health care and education.

In the summer of 1991, my wife and I attended the annual summer gathering with my mother-in-law and our new baby Aria. My wife, Taunya Harris, had never been to the reunion and wanted to see singer Jermaine Jackson. But it was Dorothy Height who stole the show. "I will never forget. Dr. Height came out on stage dressed in this blue outfit," she said.

Height knew how to bring people together. When comedian Bill Cosby offered a scorching critique of black America during the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education case, which declared separate schools for blacks and whites unconstitutional, many blacks were angry. But Height said that Cosby was right because "the promises of Brown have yet to be fulfilled. Continue reading at the Washington Post

Dalai Lama Speaks Today in L.A.

Source: LA Times - Tibet's exiled leader is traveling and speaking in support of Whole Child International, including a public address scheduled for Sunday at Gibson Amphitheatre.

After pressing the case for Tibetan autonomy with President Obama in Washington, the Dalai Lama said Saturday that he is encouraged by what he sees as rising support for the Tibetan cause among Chinese intellectuals, although he said the Chinese government remains "hardened" against him.

The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism arrived in Los Angeles on Friday and planned to spend the weekend here in support of Whole Child International, a nonprofit organization that works on behalf of orphaned and abandoned children. In an interview with The Times, he acknowledged that there had been no progress in the latest round of talks with China over his call for greater autonomy in Tibet.

Still, he said he found some reasons to cling to hope that the standoff could ease. "The number of Chinese intellectuals and writers [coming] out, they openly support our middle way approach and [are] very critical of their own government policy," he said, speaking in English.

He said Chinese intellectuals had become more sympathetic to Tibet as a result of pro-autonomy demonstrations in 2008 that prompted a swift, violent response from Chinese authorities. Since then, he said, he has met many Chinese who say they were unaware of the Tibetan issue until the demonstrations. Now, he said, they find his call for a self-governing Tibet that remains a part of China to be "very sensible, very logical."

He said Chinese writers had published 800 articles in support of Tibetan autonomy, 300 of them published in China itself. Those figures could not be independently verified.

The 14th Dalai Lama was the administrative and spiritual leader of Tibet before going into exile in India in 1959 when China cemented control over the Himalayan region. China has claimed not only political authority in Tibet, which it considers to be an autonomous province, but also control over the leadership of Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama presides over a government in exile in India.

Sitting cross-legged and barefoot in the presidential suite of a Beverly Hills hotel, the Dalai Lama briefly discussed his Thursday meeting with Obama. He downplayed his goals for the meeting and said he had met with the president because "it was my duty to inform or report what the situation was in the relationship with the Chinese government."

Asked if he saw any progress there, he said, "No progress. . . . Always the Chinese authorities [are] very hardened. Not only [against] Tibetans, but also . . . toward their own people."

His L.A. visit included a luncheon speech Saturday and a public address scheduled for Sunday at Gibson Amphitheatre, where he will be joined by musician Sheryl Crow.

'When The Dragon' Encore Screening Feb 11 in SB

We brought you the interview with Dirk Simon, the Director of When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun, we took you with us to the live pre-screening performance of the film's title score by Damien Rice, and now we are delighted to let you know that you have another chance to see the film yourself during an encore screening Thursday Feb 11th at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

The screening will take place at 11am at The Lobero, one of the biggest and most beautiful theaters with 600 seats in Santa Barbara tomorrow. We were notified that you WILL be able to buy your tickets at the door and be guarenteed a seat - We hope to see you there!

The West Bank Story: A Musical with a Peaceful Purpose

Source: WestBankStory.com - A musical comedy set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands in the West Bank... David, an Israeli soldier, falls in love with the beautiful Palestinian cashier, Fatima, despite the animosity between their families' dueling restaurants. Can the couple's love withstand a 2000 year old conflict and their families' desire to control the future of the chic pea in the Middle East?

Directed by Ari Sandel, written by Kim Ray & Ari Sandel and music by Yuval Ron; an official selection of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and 2006 Academy Award Winner for Best Live Action Short Film. 

Martin Luther King

"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have tohave a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subjectand verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soulgenerated by love." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

'Just Sit' is a Gobal Mantra Connecting People Locally

Just two months since opening in Culver City, Just Sit's meditation meet-up is becoming a special place for a growing community to go within and connect with one other.

This upcoming Tuesday January 19th at 7pm, award-winning composer Yuval Ron will be performing a musical meditation at the intimate gathering, which is not to be missed!!! Yuval has traveled the world with the Yuval Ron Ensemble, a diverse ten piece group, playing for world peace and cultural coexistence while mesmorizing audiences with their soul-penetrating vibrations. In fact, as covered earlier in the week, the Ensemble will be performing together in Pasadena on Sunday January 31st (see more about that here). I look forward to seeing you and many others at 7pm on Tuesday (try to come early if you can in order not to disrupt the meditation in progress.)

About Just Sit     

Just Sit is a unique meditation meet-up with a mission of recapturing what we consider to be the essence of meditation…

For many of us who are searching for ways to find our center, to meditate, we simply want to just sit and connect. With no specific dogma or singular affiliations, we come together as a group to hold space for our collective consciousness to rise and to support each other in becoming more familiar with our higher self. Come join us every Tuesday at 7 pm at our Los Angeles center located just outside Culver City (address shown below.) Each meditation gathering lasts for about one hour.

What You Can Expect:
In respect of the various years of experience of the people meditating in the groups, we will have three timed meditations. To further support one another, after the first two meditations, we will take a few minutes to see if anyone wants to share their current life challenges or their experiences in meditation. The first 15 minute settling meditation will be either to music or guided by the meditation leader. The second meditation is 20 minutes and is a silent opening meditation. The final 15 minute meditation is a “closing meditation” and will be either to music or guided by the meditation leader. 

What is a Suggested Donation and How Does It Work?
There is a suggested donation of $10 a class. Suggested donation means that if you can put $10 in the box, please do. If you are not in a position to do so, contribute what you can. Nobody will be keeping track of individual donations. The $10 dollar donation is not meant as a bottom or a top limit… if you are in a position to donate more, it will be greatly appreciated.

Location:
Out of Asia
3249 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016

Times:
Tue 7pm - 8pm

For more information, connect with Just Sit on Facebook and/or Contact Jerry Lee Davis or Forrest Kolb at inf0[at]justsit.org for more information.

Just two months since opening in Culver City, Just Sit's meditation meet-up is becoming a special place for a growing community to go within and connect with one other.

This upcoming Tuesday January 19th at 7pm, award-winning composer Yuval Ron will be performing a musical meditation at the intimate gathering, which is not to be missed!!! Yuval has traveled the world with the Yuval Ron Ensemble, a diverse ten piece group, playing for world peace and cultural coexistence while mesmorizing audiences with their soul-penetrating vibrations. In fact, as covered earlier in the week, the Ensemble will be performing together in Pasadena on Sunday January 31st (see more about that here). I look forward to seeing you and many others at 7pm on Tuesday (try to come early if you can in order not to disrupt the meditation in progress.)

About Just Sit     

Just Sit is a unique meditation meet-up with a mission of recapturing what we consider to be the essence of meditation…

For many of us who are searching for ways to find our center, to meditate, we simply want to just sit and connect. With no specific dogma or singular affiliations, we come together as a group to hold space for our collective consciousness to rise and to support each other in becoming more familiar with our higher self. Come join us every Tuesday at 7 pm at our Los Angeles center located just outside Culver City (address shown below.) Each meditation gathering lasts for about one hour.

What You Can Expect:
In respect of the various years of experience of the people meditating in the groups, we will have three timed meditations. To further support one another, after the first two meditations, we will take a few minutes to see if anyone wants to share their current life challenges or their experiences in meditation. The first 15 minute settling meditation will be either to music or guided by the meditation leader. The second meditation is 20 minutes and is a silent opening meditation. The final 15 minute meditation is a “closing meditation” and will be either to music or guided by the meditation leader. 

What is a Suggested Donation and How Does It Work?
There is a suggested donation of $10 a class. Suggested donation means that if you can put $10 in the box, please do. If you are not in a position to do so, contribute what you can. Nobody will be keeping track of individual donations. The $10 dollar donation is not meant as a bottom or a top limit… if you are in a position to donate more, it will be greatly appreciated.

Location:
Out of Asia
3249 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016

Times:
Tue 7pm - 8pm

For more information, connect with Just Sit on Facebook and/or Contact Jerry Lee Davis or Forrest Kolb at inf0[at]justsit.org for more information.

Just two months since opening in Culver City, Just Sit's meditation meet-up is becoming a special place for a growing community to go within and connect with one other.

This upcoming Tuesday January 19th at 7pm, award-winning composer Yuval Ron will be performing a musical meditation at the intimate gathering, which is not to be missed!!! Yuval has traveled the world with the Yuval Ron Ensemble, a diverse ten piece group, playing for world peace and cultural coexistence while mesmorizing audiences with their soul-penetrating vibrations. In fact, as covered earlier in the week, the Ensemble will be performing together in Pasadena on Sunday January 31st (see more about that here). I look forward to seeing you and many others at 7pm on Tuesday (try to come early if you can in order not to disrupt the meditation in progress.)

About Just Sit     

Just Sit is a unique meditation meet-up with a mission of recapturing what we consider to be the essence of meditation…

For many of us who are searching for ways to find our center, to meditate, we simply want to just sit and connect. With no specific dogma or singular affiliations, we come together as a group to hold space for our collective consciousness to rise and to support each other in becoming more familiar with our higher self. Come join us every Tuesday at 7 pm at our Los Angeles center located just outside Culver City (address shown below.) Each meditation gathering lasts for about one hour.

What You Can Expect:
In respect of the various years of experience of the people meditating in the groups, we will have three timed meditations. To further support one another, after the first two meditations, we will take a few minutes to see if anyone wants to share their current life challenges or their experiences in meditation. The first 15 minute settling meditation will be either to music or guided by the meditation leader. The second meditation is 20 minutes and is a silent opening meditation. The final 15 minute meditation is a “closing meditation” and will be either to music or guided by the meditation leader. 

What is a Suggested Donation and How Does It Work?
There is a suggested donation of $10 a class. Suggested donation means that if you can put $10 in the box, please do. If you are not in a position to do so, contribute what you can. Nobody will be keeping track of individual donations. The $10 dollar donation is not meant as a bottom or a top limit… if you are in a position to donate more, it will be greatly appreciated.

Location:
Out of Asia
3249 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016

Times:
Tue 7pm - 8pm

For more information, connect with Just Sit on Facebook and/or Contact Jerry Lee Davis or Forrest Kolb at inf0[at]justsit.org for more information.

NY Cab Driver Returns $21,000 to Visitor

Source: Yahoo – A New York City cab driver is being praised for returning over $21,000 lost by a visitor from Italy.

Felicia Lettieri, who's 72, left her purse in a Manhattan taxi on Christmas Eve. It contained traveling money for her and six relatives.

Police told them not to get their hopes up about finding it.

The cabbie drove about 50 miles, to a Long Island address he'd found in the purse. No one was home, so he left his phone number, and later returned with the money.

Lettieri's daughter, Maria Rosaria Falonga, told Newsday from Pompei, Italy that the cabbie also left a note.

He told her: "Don't worry, Felicia. ... I'll keep it safe."

The driver, Mukul Asaduzzaman, could not be reached for comment.

He refused a reward.

The Hero with the Big Gun: Is It All a Myth?

Source: Bullyproof.org - In Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fairy tale, the public all agrees that the Emperor is wearing the finest regal garb – even though he’s buck naked. Why could only one little boy see it?

A scientific study reported on in the New York Times (7/1/05) demonstrates that popular beliefs can actually override people’s personal visual observations. Through MRI and brain scans, researchers determined that about half of us go along with popular myths even if they contradict what we actually see -- and we show no physiological evidence of lying!

Mythological interpreter Joseph Campbell studied cultures from ancient tribal clans to modern industrial nations, and found that the societal behavior of each culture is determined primarily by its underlying mythology. The way we respond to a given situation often has more to do with our myths and stories than reality.

The Myth of the Hero with the Big Gun - We’ve seen the old story over and over: The “fair damsel” is going about her life until the forces of evil, seeking power and control, place her in distress. Along comes the “hero,” who is reluctant to use violence, but finally has no other choice. Despite overwhelming odds, he finally uses superior violence to blow away the bad guys. Victorious, he puts the good guys in back in charge and rides off into the sunset with the girl. Everyone lives happily ever after. It doesn’t matter whether the evil ones are “savages,” space aliens or Saddam Hussein. It doesn’t matter whether the “fair damsels” are hobbits or nerdy boys or the people of Iraq. The “hero” can be male, female, animal, robot – it doesn’t mater. The characters are interchangeable – it is the basic story that stays the same.

This Myth of the Hero with the Big Gun, also known as the Myth of Redemptive Violence is so deeply entrenched in our culture that few even recognize that it is a myth – we just think it’s the way things are. Of course killing the “bad guys” solves problems. It’s the fundamental assumption of our society and it plays out in the pontifications of politicians, the pronouncements of the mass media, and the behavior of America in the world.

Yet, how many people do you know who ever killed the “bad guys” and lived happily ever after? My organization Future WAVE (Working for Alternatives to Violence through Entertainment) worked with teen gang members and youth in detention centers. We’d ask: “Who has ever seen someone get shot or stabbed?” Perhaps half would raise their hands. “Did it ever solve the problem?” There’d be an uncomfortable silence as the realization sank in – they’d been sold a myth by movies, TV shows and videogames.

When their girlfriends were “dissed” or they were abused, they told the “bad guys” to knock it off. When that failed, they did what they’d been taught – they kicked ass, fought fire with fire, blew away the “bad guys”. But instead of riding off into the sunset, they found themselves riding off to jail and their friends being carted off to the graveyard. These young people felt cheated. They’d never been taught any other way of dealing with the bullies and “bad guys”. Once our BULLYPROOF.org program taught them more powerful tools than violence -- through our rap'n roll opera, they were excited. Some said, they never would have ended up in jail if they’d had this program earlier- though out rap' n roll opera, they were excited. Some said, they never would have ended up in jail if they’d had this program earlier.

It’s not just young people who’ve fallen victim to this myth. It seems that presidents and politicians around the world believe that killing “bad guys” solves problems. And yet there is powerful evidence to the contrary. "The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest --but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic."

When a mighty superpower, with military spending equal to the entire rest of the world combined, can’t seem to “win” in Iraq, when it failed to defeat peasants in Vietnam despite years of plummeting that country with superior firepower, should we perhaps question whether power comes from the barrel of a gun? Continue reading the entire article here. It's really good!

Yuval Ron Ensemble Concert: Mark Your Calendars, It's Not to be Missed!

Sunday, January 31,  7:00 pm - Mystical Music and Dance of the Middle East- A feast for the senses, celebrating the ancient rich cultures
of the three Abrahamic Faiths.

The Yuval Ron Ensemble

Featuring: the stunning vocalist Najwa Gibran, Armenian woodwind master Norik Manoukian and folkloric dancers Maya Karasso and Miriam Peretz

Location: All Saints Church - 132 North Euclid Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101

Admission: Suggested Donation $20 - For more information: Call Norma Sigmund at 626-583-2734

Over the Summer, I had the privilege of being invited to the Yuval Ron Ensemble concert in Brentwood. When I heard that they often toured with trained dancers I knew that I was in for a treat, but I had no idea just how moving the Judeo-Arabic influenced rhythms and vocals could be. In addition to the mesmerizing music, the oral stories told by Yuval and others had so much depth and meaning for my personal journey that a few times I felt like my higher Self was talking directly to me. Yuval and I have since become good friends and spend a lot of our time sharing music of the worlds and discussing world peace and coexistence amongst peoples and nations.

This concert in Pasadena is NOT TO BE MISSED!!! I will be there with a huge group of friends and I would love to have you join us in celebrating life through inspirational music from various cultures of the world.

You must watch the trailer below for their latest release of the Seeker of Truth DVD and CD: 

Israeli Village Mashes Up World's Largest Hummus

Source: Yahoo - Fifty chefs in the Arab-Israeli village of Abu Ghosh on Friday mashed up over four tonnes of hummus, beating the Guinness World Record set in Lebanon just months ago.

"This is a new record," said Guinness adjudicator Jack Brookbank as the massive dip, dished out in a six-metre (20 foot) satellite dish provided by sponsors, weighed in at 4,087.5 kilos (8992.5 pounds).

That is about twice as much as the previous record set in October in neighbouring Lebanon, Israel's political and culinary rival.

"I've heard Lebanon is already planning to strike back," Brockbank told AFP as a band struck up a traditional Arabic tune to words hailing the humble hummus.

A simple but tasty dish of chickpeas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, hummus stirs passions and rivalries across much of the Middle East.

Lebanon recently sought to have the European Union register the dip as a Lebanese speciality, drawing hoots of derision from Israeli afficionados, who claim that would be like claiming intellectual ownership of bread.

Hummus, sometimes described as one of the oldest known prepared foods, is enjoyed in much of the Middle East and has probably been around for centuries.

Most hummus pundits agree its historical origins are lost in the sands of time, with various theories mentioning several areas of the Middle East, Rome, Greece and the Crusaders.

For Jawadat Ibrahim, who organised the event, the roots of the popular dish are irrelevant.

"It's something we all share and enjoy," said Ibrahim, who owns the Abu Ghosh Restaurant in the heart of the Arab-Israeli village of the same name which every weekends attracts hordes of hungry visitors, many in search of the perfect hummus.

About 50 chefs worked side by side to prepare the massive plate of hummus set up on a specially erected platform outside the restaurant located just a short drive from Jerusalem.

The Guinness official was impressed.

"It's really very good," Brockbank told AFP.

"I was a little worried they might sacrifice quality for quantity, but that was not the case," he said.

Ibrahim was beaming.

"Abu Ghosh is the town of the biggest hummus plate in history," he shouted out to cheers from a crowd of several hundred.

He acknowledged that Lebanese hummus "is very good" but boasted that "Abu Gosh is the hummus capital of the world" -- fighting words to rival fans.

With Lebanon apparently determined to one-up Abu Ghosh, Brockbank is convinced "it's going to be a long battle."

"But a nice one," he added.

Coreservation: One Hypothetical Step Towards a Peaceful Ancient-Modern Way

A few days after watching Avatar, I scribbled the following, "I can only describe it as that I caught a strong flash or two into how we (a community of people serious about changing the way we live and work together on the planet) were going to be living, working, surviving and ultimately thriving "together" in the near future. Ironically, just as I thought that I was beginning to see a clear landscape of my personal life mission/purpose, what flashed over me, I've never even imagined before... I saw "tribes" of heart-God-centered people actually living on and off the land in a future-ancient way. I realized that one potential interpretation of the prophetic "war" to take place (much like in the film) and written about in many of the spiritual texts was actually an internal war which is and would continue to rage within each of us who were willing to seriously "live this change." More specifically, how much would we be willing to let go of, relative to what we currently think we "need to have" for EVERYONE to live a balanced and abundant life TOGETHER... It is almost like the movie had so much power and purpose behind it that that it was actually a divine GPS point loaded into a master rescue plan for individuals and humanity as a whole to experience and instantly become a bit more enlightened relative to how we are supposed to live peacefully together here on Earth."

Well, the least I could do is attempt to describe my experience in a bit more detail. Pandora is here, right beneath our feet and directly below the trillions of tons of scrap automobiles crawling all the way home on the 101 this afternoon. Something went wrong didn't it? When did things really take a turn for the worst? Hey, remember the people who lived here before everything started to get really weird... I think we still call them the Natives? Well, I remember someone once telling me that a long time ago, they clearly expressed a strong intuition that the newbies to North America were going to "fall to materialism and destroy the Living Earth." Oh yeah and either kill the Natives or push them off the land they've lived on for thousands of years. So now that we're clear on when the unbalance began, we can at least get an idea of what not to repeat and at best realize where we ought to begin again...

It makes sense that the key to healing our people and planet would be through the people indigenous to the land - in general, the ancient tribes around the world all share the following basics: 1) respect the Great Spirit 2) respect the Land, Animals and Man 3) work hard, share and celebrate life all together. If you wish, you can throw in 4) create beautiful and timeless art, design and entertainment. You can also add 5) eating healthy - that is locally grown, naturally and in proper portions.

I think that we were suckered on a very dark form of what's been termed "healthy competition" with respect to the Capitalism of today. The type of competition that inevitably leads to fear, greed and resistance and separation amongst people, media, government, and educational institutions. And finally, the type of competition that is addictive and contagious - picked up by other peoples and systems in other places on the planet, setting up a world in which a few are sick with greed, while a few more are desperately sick, hungry and praying to the Great Spirit for a tiny bit of relief.

We know that the duality of structure will crumble, it has already begun on many levels. There is nothing to fear, this is simply evolution - the end of one way and the rebirth of another. It's time for some of us to take an exemplary leap of faith toward creating a new way of going about things, from the bottom up, on every front. It has been discussed for decades but the timing is now for many reasons, one of them being that technology needed to advance to a degree in which people everywhere on the planet can be enlightened, by example, in real-time. Call it a hunch, but I feel certain that the needed shifts to truly leap us towards restoring harmony on the planet will neither come from legislation nor a bunch of activists working from behind their home desktop. Throughout history, these leaps have occurred when individuals and/or tribes were willing to die for the cause of retaining or restoring peace. As pioneers into the era of peace, we must be willing to die to the old ways of material ownership and division.    

I am aware that many of the people God has already connected together, like myself, have adopted the necessary steps of pure and universal thinking and ways of living. A short time ago and in response to a mini-dialogue on restoring harmony on the planet, our brother Judah Isvaran posted the following on Facebook:

"A meeting of the Minds gets to be had...to create the committed actions & Visioning to unfold the possibility for "PANDORA" to exist NOW...The Spiritual Warrior's willing to step forth and stand in the drift to create it."

I look forward to coming together with whomever feels compelled to come forward with a thought, insight or master plan for us to give the planet the greatest gift we humans can give. The true cosmic shift which has already begun does not depend on governments, dual-party politics or anything else of that nature, rather a few people who are willing to listen to the voice of the planet and risk everything for what comes natural to us as living spirits. After our initial leap of faithful action, many more will follow, including institutions, support agencies, governments and more. People will magically come together and work together for the common good, not just because they "have to" as we've seen in "response" to say a tragic terrorist attack, but because they consciously and willingly surrender to the healing Spirit of Love. We will have everything we need at each step along the way.     

Coreservation: An Oasis of Peaceful Ancient-Modern Living

A working title that basically means Help the Natives help us help one another help Our Mother Earth. The mission would be 1) to coexist peacefully and indefinitely on one specific Native American reservation, learning the ways of the Natives and the Land with an intent to co-create a healthy, self-sustainable and thriving ancient-modern way of living and 2) to continually broadcast progress and findings to the entire world. If it succeeds, more reservations might become interested in building stronger, self-sustainable communities, and soon enough people in countries all over the planet may soon find their way back to their own Native peoples. What did that Brit say, Imagine all the people? Well, we've got to start somewhere. The idea is first to immerse ourselves in learning the ways of the Natives. Second, to work together with them in building a truly self-sustainable community. And third, bring the ways to other developing coreserations as well as back to the planet's outdated models, systems and institutions. 

What might this look like? A group of pioneers would travel to and live on a reservation, coexisting with a specific tribe in order to learn first hand about their traditional ways, culture, needs, struggles, etc. Sound familiar? We would NOT be there to "free" them from their ways, nor would we be trying to impose our culture, ways, mentalities, etc. However, we could certainly bring yoga, meditation, fitness, novel methods of conscious teaching, etc. After meeting regularly with the elders, together we could develop a plan to create the first Coreservation open to "outside" peace workers. Perhaps we could introduce some of the technologies which can be used consciously to broadcast peaceful awareness, and raise support for the Natives and the new community. At some point, teachers, translators, nurses, doctors, healers, builders, agriculturalists, etc. would be brought in to facilitate the development of an Ancient-Modern system of living. I envision children becoming educated in a powerful ancient-modern way. I see people eating together, meditating together, sharing stories around the fire. I see peace in the eyes of the people. I can experience the magnificence of the heavens and know that I am living amongst people who know we are one.

My hope is that what we would learn, co-create and broadcast to the world would ignite many fires all over the planet within existing media, people, governments, and educational institutions. We will live the change together, harnessing blessed technologies consciously, while living in harmony with each other and the planet.  

After almost a week of sitting with the notion of drawing up one solution for a leap into a new way of living, coexisting with our beloved Natives, I was startled to stumble upon the Hopi prophecies which I compiled below. If you're interested, I highly suggest that you read on, not to get crazy over the highly interpretable Hopi predictions, but more so to become up-to-date on the stories of the Ancients who lived on this same land:

The Hopi are a Native America Nation who primarily live on the 1.5 million acre Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Hopis call themselves Hopitu - "The Peaceful People."

Evidence suggest that the Hopi consist of the descendants of various groups that entered the country from the north, the east, and the south, and that a series of movements covered a period of probably three centuries, and perhaps considerably longer.

Their ancestors, the Anasazi, appear to have been related to the Aztecs of Mexico, and may have arrived in their current location 5 to 10 thousand years ago. In that time, they have developed an intricate ceremonial calendar that has helped them survive and be strong in a place that would not seem to have enough reliable water to sustain life.

Art is a way for the Southwestern Native Americans to communicate their dreams, visions, and beliefs to each other or to people today.

Hopi Prophecy:

The famous Hopi Prophecy speaks about the return of the Blue Kachina to herald in the Fifth Age of Man. This is not unlike any other culture who await the return of their god or creational force - Example - "The Second Coming of Christ."

In the Hopi Medicine Wheel of the Hopi prophecy of the four peoples of the Earth, the cardinal direction North represents the body, plants and animals, the color white and 'white skinned peoples', and Childhood. (can also represent birth, and/or meeting a stranger and learning to trust as in infancy, explained in Erik Erikson's stages of Psychosocial development).

The East is held to represent the mind, air, the color yellow and 'yellow skinned peoples', learning the groups to which people belong and Adolescence.

The South holds the heart, fire, the color red and 'red skinned peoples', and Adulthood.

Finally West holds the spirit, water, the color blue or black, and 'black-skinned peoples' and Elderhood. West also represents the final life stage in the wheel, being an elder and passing on knowledge to the next generation so that the wheel may start again just like the circle it takes after.

An ancient Hopi Indian prophecy states, "When the Blue Star Kachina makes its appearance in the heavens, the Fifth World will emerge". This will be the Day of Purification. The Hopi name for the star Sirius is Blue Star Kachina. It will come when the Saquasohuh (Blue Star) Kachina dances in the plaza and removes his mask.

[Note: Reality is a metaphor in which we quest to find answers to the greater truth of who we are and why we are here. Something in our souls tells us that change is happening on a global consciousness level. The blue frequency is part of that. Sirius is Isis - Return to the feminine of higher frequency energies - Rebirth of Consciousness. Blue links to higher/future frequencies of consciousness as we spiral up through the patterns of Sacred Geometry. Blue - electricity - our reality as an electromagnetic energy grid program. Blue: Indigo children, the blue alien lady, Isis, the Pleiades, Sirius, blue galaxies, blue chakra, blue ray and ascended master, and much more that will come 'out of the blue'. Use search engine to discover more about 'blue'.]

The end of all Hopi ceremonialism will come when a "Kachina" removes his mask during a dance in the plaza before uninitiated children [the general public]. For a while there will be no more ceremonies, no more faith. Then Oraibi will be rejuvenated with its faith and ceremonies, marking the start of a new cycle of Hopi life.

World War III will be started by those peoples who first revealed the light (the divine wisdom or intelligence) in the other old countries (India, China, Islamic Nations, Africa.)

The United States will be destroyed, land and people, by atomic bombs and radioactivity. Only the Hopis [peaceful people] and their homeland will be preserved as an oasis to which refugees will flee. Bomb shelters are a fallacy. "It is only materialistic people who seek to make shelters. Those who are at peace in their hearts already are in the great shelter of life. There is no shelter for evil. Those who take no part in the making of world division by ideology are ready to resume life in another world, be they Black, White, Red, or Yellow race. They are all one, brothers."

The war will be "a spiritual conflict with material matters. Material matters will be destroyed by spiritual beings who will remain to create one world and one nation under one power, that of the Creator."

That time is not far off. It will come when the Saquasohuh (Blue Star) Kachina dances in the plaza and removes his mask. He represents a blue star, far off and yet invisible, which will make its appearance soon. The time is foretold by a song sung during the Wuwuchim ceremony. It was sung in 1914 just before World War I, and again in 1940 before World War II, describing the disunity, corruption, and hatred contaminating Hopi rituals, which were followed by the same evils spreading over the world. This same song was sung in 1961 during the Wuwuchim ceremony.

The Emergence to the future Fifth World has begun. It is being made by the humble people of little nations, tribes, and racial minorities. "You can read this in the earth itself. Plant forms from previous worlds are beginning to spring up as seeds [as described in SW-II, Effects and Coming Events # 1]. This could start a new study of botany if people were wise enough to read them. The same kinds of seeds are being planted in the sky as stars. The same kinds of seeds are being planted in our hearts. All these are the same, depending how you look at them. That is what makes the Emergence to the next, Fifth World.

The Hopi were told that after a time White Men would come and take their land and try to lead the Hopi into evil ways. But in spite of all the pressures against them, the Hopi were told they must hold to their ancient religion and their land, though always without violence. If they succeeded, they were promised that their people and their land would be a center from which the True Spirit would be reawakened.

It is said that after many years the elder brother might change the color of his skin, but his hair will remain black. He will have the ability to write, and he will be the only person able to read the Tiponi. When he returns to find his younger brother, the Tiponi will be placed side by side to show all the world that they are true brothers. Then great judgment will take place, for the elder will help the younger brother to obtain real justice for all Indian brothers who have been cruelly mistreated by the white man since he came to Turtle Island.

The transformed elder brother, the True White Brother, will wear a red cloak or a red cap, similar to the pattern on the back of a horned toad. He will bring no religion but his own, and will bring with him the Tiponi tablets. He will be all-powerful; none will be able to stand against him. He will come swiftly, and in one day gain control of this entire continent. It is said, "If he comes from the East, the destruction will not be so bad. But if he comes from the West, do not get up on your housetops to see because he will have no mercy."

The True White Brother will bring with him two great, intelligent and powerful helpers, one of whom will have a sign of a swastika (a masculine symbol of purity), and the sign of the sun. The second great helper will have the sign of a celtic cross with red lines (representing female life blood) between the arms of the cross.

When the Great Purification is near, these helpers will shake the earth first for a short time in preparation. After they shake the earth two times more, they will be joined by the True White Brother, who will become one with them and bring the Purification Day to the world. All three will help the "younger brother" (the Hopi and other pure-hearted people) to make a better world. In the prophecies, the two helpers are designated by the Hopi word for "population," as if they were large groups of people.

The Hopi were warned that if these three great beings failed, terrible evil would befall the world and great numbers of people would be killed. However, it was said that they would succeed if enough Hopi remained true to the ancient spirit of their people. The True White Brother and his helpers will show the people of earth a great new life plan that will lead to everlasting life. The earth will become new and beautiful again, with an abundance of life and food. Those who are saved will share everything equally. All races will intermarry and speak one tongue and be a family.

"My people await Pahana, the lost White Brother, [from the stars] as do all our brothers in the land. He will not be like the white men we know now, who are cruel and greedy. we were told of their coming long ago. But still we await Pahana.

"He will bring with him the symbols, and the missing piece of that sacred tablet now kept by the elders, given to him when he left, that shall identify him as our True White Brother.

"The Fourth World shall end soon, and the Fifth World will begin. This the elders everywhere know. The Signs over many years have been fulfilled, and so few are left....

"Many of my people, understanding the prophecies, shall be safe. Those who stay and live in the places of my people also shall be safe. Then there will be much to rebuild. And soon -- very soon afterward -- Pahana will return. He shall bring with him the dawn of the Fifth World. He shall plant the seeds of his wisdom in their hearts. Even now the seeds are being planted. These shall smooth the way to the Emergence into the Fifth World.

Greatest thing we have for healing is the human spirit.

We are children of the Sun.

We have been given a window of opportunity.

Spiritual Love is the answer. True knowledge is beyond words.

If there is an Armegeddon it is within each of us.

We have 12 strands of DNA in our blood.

Scientists don't know what they are for since they are not being used.

But we can activate them ourselves.

One way is through drumming and ceremony.

End time should be seen as the Beginning time.

We are creating at this moment what our Tomorrow will be...

Announcing…(drumroll)…Win-a-Trip 2010!

Source: By NICHOLAS KRISTOF of NY Times - As I wrote in my Sunday column, I’m delighted to announce my 2010 Win-a-Trip contest. I’ll take a university student with me on a reporting trip to Africa, giving the student a chance to blog for nytimes.com and to file videos to The Times and Youtube.

Just to conjure the right frame of mind, here’s how Michael Kinsley envisioned the trip in one of his columns in The Washington Post a few years ago:

It’s the middle of the night. We’re in a small tent pitched on the rocky slope of a mountain trail: me, Nick, our trusty guide, three prostitutes we’ve rescued from a life of sex slavery and four local businessmen unjustly accused of insider trading on the village’s primitive, hand-pumped stock exchange. Outside, the jackals are yelping. Inside, nature is calling. Urgently. Am I man enough to face the jackals, or masochist enough to wait until morning? Answer: Whatever. I’m tough. I can handle either of these. But ultimately, the jackals are less terrifying than the thought of one more minute listening to Nick’s tales of all the real adventures he’s been on that make this one seem like a game of patty-cake. I flee the tent, am devoured by the jackals and Kristof gets a column out of it.

Yes, that sounds about right.

The contest is open to students at American universities – either undergraduates or graduate students – who are 18 years old or over. I know I’ll get indignant letters from other people, but right now I’m confining it to students. Please consult the full rules, which explain more about eligibility.

You can apply either with an essay of up to 700 words, or a video of up to three minutes, or both. Send the essay to winatrip@nytimes.com. Post the video on my Youtube channel, www.youtube.com/NicholasKristof, next to my own video invitation for applications. In either case, explain why I should pick you.

So what kind of a person am I looking for? The truth is, I’m not entirely sure – except that I want someone with excellent communication skills, who can blog and vlog (video blog) in ways that will capture the interest of other students. If you’ve done blogging, vlogging or journalism, be sure to mention that. Ditto for anything else that makes you special or will make your voice more memorable.

The first winner I chose, a journalism student named Casey Parks, interested me because she had never been outside the U.S. and had grown up poor, in the deep South. I wondered how she would compare Mississippi poverty to African poverty, and I thought that she would bring a useful perspective that I lack. The second student winner, Leana Wen, was a medical student, and I thought it would be interesting to see her take on health care in a country like Congo. For the second trip, I picked a teacher as well, Will Okun, and I chose him partly because he was a superb, funny writer and partly because he was a talented still photographer. For the third trip, I picked Paul Bowers, because he was a thoughtful and sizzling writer with superb recommendations — both his essay and his video grabbed me. So…there you have it…more madness than method, and that will probably be true of this year’s selection as well.

The Center for Global Development will sift through the applications, written and video, and help narrow them down to a group of finalists. Then I’ll work with my assistant, Natasha Yefimov, in picking a winner. We may want more information or references from some people (confirmation, for example, that you don’t snore).

The application deadline is a minute before midnight, Eastern Time, on Monday, Jan 18. I hope to choose the winner by February and then travel in April, May or June. I expect the trip will last 10 days or so and will include a Times videographer to help with the videos. To some extent, I can try to work with the winner’s schedule, and my hunch is that likewise professors will be accommodating, but if you know that you simply can’t take ten days off in the late spring, then it would be best not to apply.

So read the rules and perhaps look at the fruits of the previous trips. You can do that by clicking the links above or going to the Times home page and searching for “Casey Parks” or “Leana Wen” or “Paul Bowers.” Their blog posts and videos will come up.

Since I can only choose one winner, I strongly encourage you to think about how you might make your own trip if you’re not selected. The possibilities are vast, but here are a few alternatives. Two of the best development organizations based in the developing world are the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India and BRAC in Bangladesh, and both accept some volunteers. Or if you have an interest in health, there’s the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Somaliland, Africa, a remarkable institution. Or teach English to brothel children in Calcutta at an anti-trafficking organization called New Light, run by Urmi Basu, another of my heroes. There’s also an organization in Cambridge, Mass., called World Teach that can connect you to possibilities to teach English abroad, from Namibia to Micronesia.

Or just poke around a bit on the Internet, and you’ll find many, many other possibilities. If you’ve had an interesting volunteer experience abroad, post a comment about it, or if you work for an NGO in the developing world and could use a volunteer, please note that below with your contacts so that students can reach out to you.

And if you graduate this summer and haven’t arranged anything, just try to wheedle some money from your parents and buy a one-way ticket to Bombay/Dakar/Shanghai/La Paz. I spoke to someone recently who more-or-less did that after my first Win-a-Trip (he flew to Bangkok) and had the time of his life, a truly transformative experience. So just do it….

And may the best applicant win!!

FYI: Full Body Scanners May Break Child Pornography Laws

Source: telegraph - The full body scanners being introduced to Britain's airports risk breaking child protection laws against making indecent images of children, campaign groups have claimed.

The pictures created by the scanners are so graphic they are tantamount to "virtual strip searching", according to privacy campaigners who oppose the use of the security devices.

Ministers may be forced to consider making under-18s exempt from the scans and civil liberties campaigners are demanding measures to ensure the images, which will include those of celebrities, are not leaked onto the internet.

Airport officials say the images from the £80,000 scanners are only seen by a single security officer in a remote location before it is deleted.

But a 12-month trial at Manchester airport of scanners which reveal naked images of passengers only went ahead last month after children were exempted.

The decision came after Terri Dowty, of Action for Rights of Children, gave warning that the scanners could breach the Protection of Children Act 1978, under which it is illegal to create an indecent image or a "pseudo-image" of a child.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport told The Guardian: "We understand the concerns expressed about privacy in relation to the deployment of body scanners. It is vital staff are properly trained and we are developing a code of practice to ensure these concerns are properly taken into account.

Gordon Brown gave the go-ahead at the weekend for the scanners to be rolled out across all Britain's major airports, and said travelers would see the gradual introduction of full-body scans and hand luggage checks for traces of explosives.

The Prime Minister told the BBC that the Government would do everything in its power to tighten security following the attempt by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to detonate a bomb on a plane bound for the USA on Christmas Day.

BAA, which runs six UK airports, said it would now install the devices "as soon as is practical" at Heathrow.

A spokesman said: "It is our view that a combination of technology, intelligences and passenger profiling will help build a more robust defence against the unpredictable and changing nature of the terrorist threat to aviation."

But he added that nothing had yet been decided on exactly which passengers would undergo the full body scans, and declined to comment on how soon BAA would be extending the use of scanners to other airports.

Thousands Welcome 2010 in Times Square

Source: NY Daily News - Three, two, one . . . It's 2010! Hundreds of thousands of revelers from all over the globe braved freezing drizzle Thursday night to ring in the new decade in Times Square.

"Look at all the people," gushed Peter Kalkzewiak, 32, of Warsaw, Poland, who was visiting New York for the first time. "A million people. I've never seen anything like it."

Bundled up against the cold rain, the masses of people wearing funny hats started gathering early in the afternoon.

Despite a rotten forecast and fears of terrorism, nothing could dampen the party mood in the famed Crossroads of the World.

"We made it. It's amazing," said Enid Boyd, 51, of Miami, hugging five members of her family after the crystal-covered ball came down. "What a terrific way to spend the new year."

"It's great. I can't explain it," said Katie Holley, 23, of Virginia, sharing a midnight kiss with her boyfriend, Daniel. "It's so pretty, so fun, so much confetti."

"Last year, my resolution was to be in Times Square for New Year's, so I'm here," said Lucrecia Theobald, 40, of the Dominican Republic. "It's beautiful, exciting, the best place to be."

Navy reservists Jamie Pisano, 21, and Ryan Laurentus, 21, both of New Milford, Conn., wanted to party before they both get sent overseas.

"This is America," said Pisano. "It's a good time."

An army of cops, vigilant against trouble, greeted crowds with hand-held metal detectors.

Even with the Christmas Day terror attempt weighing on the nation, few admitted giving a second thought to fulfilling what for many is a lifetime dream.

"It's a little worrying, but not enough to not come," said Lisa Winter, 26, of Fresno, Calif.

"You have to do this at least once in life," said Javier Trevino, 31, of Monterrey, Mexico. "Times Square is the middle of the world."

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly expected fewer partygoers in Times Square because of the damp weather, but vowed to have his troops out in full force.

"Our security regimen remains the same," Kelly said. "We have the most comprehensive counterterrorism program anywhere."

Jordan Diddle, 13, of Greensboro, N.C., thought it was a bit much to need a police escort from an NYPD-barricaded area near 42nd St. to a portable toilet.

"I feel like I'm being held hostage," Jordan said.

Jordan's father, Tony Diddle, 48, said he and his family were eagerly anticipating the midnight hoopla they only knew from television.

"We decided it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and this is our once," Tony Diddle said as "New Year's Rockin' Eve" host Ryan Seacrest walked by.

Selle Suppan, 55, a hospital administrator from Ohio, said she and her friends brought a box of Depends adult diapers to eliminate the worry of rest room emergencies.

"That's the big super secret at these kinds of functions," Suppan said.

Bob Rucker, 35, of Selden, L.I., was among the few locals to join the sprawling crowd. His friend Mick Dekranes, 19, of Atlanta talked him into going.

"I've lived in New York my entire life and I've never been here," Rucker said.

"It's pretty crazy to be in the mix with all these people," Dekranes said. "It's insane."