One thing about this conflict is certain: there is no free press. The media is a political tool, a propaganda machine, and this conflict shows it clearly.

The west is portraying the conflict quite simply as a Russian aggression. Russian tanks and planes destroying a democratic country - Georgia. Any alternative views are muted.

The Russian media is reporting a very different picture. A region brutally shelled by Georgia, with great casualties.


The political game is more complex than what seems to be the case. I just want to point out that both Putin's country, and Bush's country, are not free, fair or democratic. They are elite-run superpowers. If I lived in South Ossetia, after what Georgia has done, I would not want to be a part of that country under any cercumstances, especially if its tanks killed someone in my family. By the way, Russian strikes at the key militarily-infrastructural points within Georgia are tactically justified, it's what any good military would do to halt enemy advancement. And to compare the acceptance of Ossetian independence to Nazi expansion is wrong. Germans in Sudeterland weren't fleeing from anyone's shells or tanks. Yet, if you read only the western or Georgian news, you'd be justified to demonise Russia.

Ah, it would be nice if we could put flowers into every single gun in the world, so that they can't make a single shot anymore. I don't know... Perhaps it is true that evil prevails when good men do nothing. The question is, what should the good men do? Create an army of assassins to be able to threaten the western hidden elite, like the eastern secret society seems to have done? Develop psychic abilities with the power to counteract the HAARPs and the mass population hypnois? Something needs to be created, something that can suddenly enable the citizens of countries to fearlessly protest, to strongly hold their governments accountable. Perhaps money must lose its value, so nobody can be bribed?

Forget the prophecies. Let's agree that nothing is meant to happen. WE have to make something happen.

I've finished reading Ken Wilber's "Integral Spirituality" and decided to come back to the old idea of an "esoteric portal" tha I had a couple of years ago.. But not to come back to it literally. I do not have the patience to organise and realise something as ambitious as what I had in mind (something like II+Gaia combined). The point is, I've been integrating knowledge so far in my life very similarly to what Wilber is talking about in I.S.

To me it is common sense that the four "quadrants" are often ignored by certain disciplines and lifestyles (but shouldn't be!). I've also experienced the different "states of consciousness" and agree they are "available" to people at different stages. Of course, I have disagreements with various parts of the AQAL theory but I certainly agree the idea is good.

As for his take on specifically Spirituality and its role, Wilber makes some very good points. What I've realised myself is that spirituality is disconnected from mainstream art, particularly music. The ideas I'm tuned into nowadays are about songs, music, literature, that has much more overt as well as subliminal spirituality in it as compared to "yeah-yeah-nigga-motha*ucka" type of art. I have little against the "harsh"(!?) music styles, only against the informational content.

Mainly after reading Wilber the conclusion that I came to after integrating all my knowlegde so far is that, quite interestingly, I think I want to create a little new religion, a little personal "sect". (Ohh spooky word to use - "sect"!..) On my (never-materialised) website I was going to describe all the effective methods, teachings and techniques that I know of that have to do with personal development. From psychotheraputic directions to energy manipulation, from mythology to martial arts, all the dimentions that Ken Wilber "integrated" into the II practices and workshops - all this is exactly what I've had in mind all these years. And now that my life is about to radically change (I'm getting married and starting a 'career') I really want to finally integrate everything into an integral practice and religion that I am proud of. I am pagan, christian, buddhist, muslim, new-age, and at the same time I'm not. At least now I have a slightly better answer for a question about my religion. My religion is integral.

Though of course I'll choose a 'fancier' name :-) , think up some harmless rituals and prayers that are meaningful to me, and thus become the 'leader' of my own little 'sect', little "church", even if it's only for me. If a few people would like doing Tai-Chi, fun walks, moonviewing, dances and meditations with me, then it would be a very fun, happy, healthy, spiritual, and of course a very "integral" camp.

Ah.. This feels like freedom.
At last. :-)

Gosh what's gone into me? Should I try drinking for a change or something? I wanna go home. And.. By the way... Why did I stop writing poetry? Ahhh..

It worked so well for me...
A spell, a mystic glittering idea
That used to come to me.

It used to pull me,
To rule me,
To capture my attention
And channel my intention, truly.

And now... It's gone?
I used to write for fun!

I played with rhyme, with rythm, with verses!
And now it's all replaced.
With what?
With endless simple smart discourses.

Potentially very upsetting. Don't look. I waned you.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=528694&in_page_id=1811

"Humanity."
Yeah. Whatever.

I am no diviner, but I think this year there will be a great catastrophe, and that we need it. The speed with which science of Climate Change advanced over the recent years, together with the speed of the advance of the global warming itself, is astonishing. A major and swift change is needed, globally, action that the politics is unable to force today. So I turn to nature for "help" on this. There's going to be a major disaster. And we must make most use of it.

There is no disagreement amongst scientists. The overall heating and "energising" of the atmosphere is on the rise. This year will be the hottest to some and the wettest/windiest to others of all the previous years on record. Disaster is brewing. I don't know what it will be - a major hurricane, a disastrous flood, a disease pandemic, a military conflict - but in any case if and when it happens we must all clinge onto it as onto our only hope. Let me explain why.

Science, which is in consensus and precise, is adamant: 2 degrees Celcius temperature rise is all we can afford. Above this a "feedback mechanism" is started: we can then shut down all factories and scrap all cars and planes - it would no longer matter. Permafrost starts melting large-scale and releasing methane (23xCO2 greenhouse impact), the rainforests are committed to dying and releasing their stored CO2, the soil reaches a point of releasing its stored CO2, the ocean and oceanic bed releasing more greenhouse gases... Everything falls together, like a cardboard house, like a snowball rolling downhill. Two degrees warming and 400 ppm CO2 concentration that commit us to this are our aim, our limit.

We blew it. Atmospheric concentration of CO2 is over 380ppm, we'll cross 400ppm in less than a decade, and permafrost is already thawing. Best political plans aim at useless reductions by a useless date (mid-century). This is fatal. There is no time to "slow down", to "develop alternatives", to "ensure growing economy". We must now shut down everything, sit quietly in a dark corner hugging our teddy bear, and hope the big monster outside will pass by without noticing we're there.

If the economy is falling already without major climate change, what will happen when the big problems hit? The newspapers talk about a "large GDP loss" and "end of prosperity": nobody understands what climate change really means for us. It is the end of civilization, if not of all humanity, not just the end of "prosperity". Unless we have another glimpse into what climate change really means to us all, nothing will happen. We desperately need a wake-up call.

So whatever disasterous event happens this summer, cling onto it. Connect the dots, link it to climate change explicitly. Push it into people's faces, into companies' faces, into governments' faces. We must be reckless and informed. Local businesses must be scared into shutting off their wasted night lights and heating, the governments must be scared into stopping oil subsidies and tax breaks immediately, and we must be scared of starting our cars that every extra time or leaving those lights on an extra minute, as if this may trigger a bomb in our basement. And this must happen now, this year.

Yes, we must decend back into 18th century life, voluntarily. And immediately. Or we will be forced into bronze age, and our children - into stone age. For this we need a catalytic eye-opener, and only a major disaster can be up to the job.

As for people who will blindly refuse to do anything... Buy them a gun, a real live loaded gun, and ask them to shoot one child every few minutes. In the head. Because that's what they're doing. Because that's how serious it is.

I feel like banging my head on the wall. For two reasons.

First, the internet-wide "climate change deniers", with this site being their headquarters. Naturally, there are much less than the clamed 400+ "dissenters" and they are all bribed and mostly not scientists. There is no lack on consensus on Cimate Change amongst scientists. But those "dissenters" are still doing their job well. Any google search for climate change would show you this: "400+ scientists think there is no climate change". And in the back of your mind you think "Hmm..." Who cares it's all an evil imagination of a greedy senator and a bunch of "scientists" including Richard Lindzen, Steven Milloy, Fred Singer, Fred Seitz, Patrick Michaels, Bruce Ames who are all members of the "Advancement of Sound Science Center" sponsored by ExxonMobil, and also denying the health risks of passive smoking? They still make the impact.

And the second reason why I want to punish the wall with my scalp is the very argument of my dissertation: how bloody useless all this talk is when almost nothing is actually being DONE! I'm mighty glad the PENTAGON took a step in and told Bush that he's a fool to ignore climate change. And this is one mighty reference for my study. Instead of talking straight and harsh, the scientists and the economists are pussyfooting the issue, prognosing "possible disease spread" or "1% decrease in GDP", instead of the more effective "Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world" in the next 20 years.

What's the point of all this IPCC science if it makes no political impact!?

I don't understand. What is all this getting towards? Instead of "what can I do for Tibet" I suddenly feel like asking "WHY?". Dear friends, bear with me on this for a second. Remember the last time an issue of "injustice" became widespread? I do. And the issues did not end peacefully. Somewhere, somehow, American troops got involved.

What is this getting towards? What if the government of China DOES NOT give in to international pressure? What if they learned from the west and, for example, decide to label Tibet as a centre of terrorism? Then what? What are we going to do? Join the protesters at throwing stones at chinese embassies? Well done, very peaceful demonstrations. I hope that stones are not replaced with Molotoff Cocktails. But what if they are? What if some American or French or British activist, with deep unconscious resentment of their own government, decides to release their frustration on China, especially if all China will do in Tibet is more violence and suppression? What if Molotoff Cocktails DO start flying towards embassies?

Then what - are we going to go to WAR with China? Let's see... Oppressive leaders - check. People suffering - check. Weapons of mass destruction - ehmmm... check check check!? Do we REALLY want peace to Tibet for such a price?

I'm for a mass (PEACEFUL) demonstrations at the Olympics and running with the torchbearers. It's a great opportunity to try to show humanitarianism and spread the news. I'm for international public forum on devising METHODS of FORCING China to reconsider its tough stance, culturally, economically, politically. But can anyone please explain to me WHY ON EARTH would the despotic Chinese rulers give in to the requests for greater freedoms and transparency and international investigation, etc., and thus factually making Tibet the international public forum  for critics and suffering people of China? Plus release all "terrorist" prisoners? Can you imagine them saying "ok, fine, let's let international journalists into Tibet and let all Chinese people to use the opportunity to let the world know about China's problems"? Somehow, dear friends, I don't think so. This is not the first issue that the international community has condemned China about. We all know China's nasty. Now... let me check where this thing I'm typing on came from. And where this thing I'm wearing while typing came from. And.... Etc.

Ultimately, it's about a public debate on how to challenge, and eventually get rid of, the oppressive communist regime in China. Tibet is not getting independence if the government stays, as "freedom" is not present in their communist dictionary. How do we do that? And why?

Another "why"!? Yes. Why Tibet and not Washington? Is our western "human rights" record a glossy empty white sheet? I'll just throw in that "Guantanamo Bay" thingy and that "over a trillion cost of war" thingy, for example, and humbly remind you about western international conduct. Why not deal with this, with something we actually CAN (potentially) influence directly as citizens, buyers, voters, activists? IF a change of regime is brewing in China, then I PRAY that it will happen from within, and that not a single western paratrooper will set foot on Chinese soil. THIS is what I call for when I say "PEACE FOR TIBET": let's tread lightly here, and sort out our own mess first. First, Tibetians were suppressed. Then, a few protests and international concern arose. Now, Tibetians are killed and hundreds imprisoned. Well done. Peace for Tibet, indeed.

From what I see, Dalai Lama is wise. I hope the Chinese authorities do talk to him eventually, hopefully the PEACEFUL demonstrations of solidarity at the Olympics will help this. He understands the meaning of peace, urging both Chinese and Tibetians to settle down and cool their tempers. Because he knows - where tempers rise, so do the death tolls.

I remember the effectivenes of public protest against the Iraq war in the UK (and the US?). Do you remember the effectiveness of that huge, unprescedented public protest? None. It's a "democratic" state we're talking about that we tried to influence. So now we're trying to influence a totalitarian state, with even weaker voice and arguments. Something tells me we aren't learning the lesson we are meant to learn well enough.

I'm sorry, I'm not going to display the "free tibet" icon. I'd love a discussion about this, but right now I think it's worthless. I signed a few petitions I found and told people around me about Tibet, but somehow it feels like I'm soothing my conscience. It seems I'm deluding myself about some things in this world if I'm displaying such an icon. And I am generally concerned about the effectiveness of our western "peace"-making methodology.

Let me elaborate the concept of seeds as a "rating" of content with the gardens and flowers imagery in mind.

Example. A pod/group is started by someone somewhere on Gaia, with a simple message, e.g. about relationships. It explores family life. There is a hub on Gaia.com devoted to relationships, represented by (for e.g.) a red colour/flower, like a rose. Someone visits the pod and contributes, while also quickly giving the author a red (rose) seed. Someone else visits, sees the potential, quickly throws the commenter a normal seed and leaves. After a few days, a few more posts appear, the topic is developed. The author gives red seeds to some interesting contributions, the contributors give red/normal seeds to the initial post and comments, etc.

On the pod author's garden circle, which grows greener, a red petal appears in the background: it shows that the user has authored some interesting content about relationships. On his (or her, please ladies excuse my continuous masculine language) "garden page" the graphics shows he has many seeds planted (large garden), and that some proportion of his garden (content) is about relationships. There is a pink/red link to the pod he created, either becoming bigger as it is given more seeds (cloud engine), or just showing in numbers how much roses and other seeds it was given.

Results. The author can thus see himself which of his content people appreciate more, possibly being inspired and concentrating his useful contributions on that area. His friends who really like this user (not because of any glows, but because they got to really know him) are now able to visit his garden and, thanks to vivid imagery and a neat combination of links, go on directly to read and enjoy the best of his content. The new (and old) users are now able to search for "rosy content" on Gaia and find, quickly and easily, both the user and his greatest, most relevant to their search, content. On the "relationship hub" on Gaia.com, the pod quickly moves up the list and gets the spotlight, since all "roses" are in any pod are added together to determine its "red rank". On the community page this topic also becomes popular, since seeds (all types), comments and views are added together to determine "hotness". In the possible event of an article on relationships in a (future) Gaia magazine or a seminar on relationships, this user is specifically invited to contribute, along with other users with "rosy" gardens.

Moreover. No ego boost as the user is not being praised or informed that he is more trusted and respected. Giving flowers (like applause) and giving personal gold medals is different things. So instead, such seeds work as inspiration and useful feedback (since now author sees why he got seeds, yet not from whom). Users may be inspired to give seeds and write interesting, quality posts if this leads to actual aesthetical pleasure of "tending" one's garden, filling it with various different colours, making it look and feel like a little home online, warm and welcoming. Instead of "popular users" somehow having greater power or more important votes, I suggest that users with greater gardens... Simply get more seeds to spend. It is logical: greener gardens, more seeds available to sow. Thus users with large gardens will be able to give two/three seeds at a time, and get their "seed bank" (rename to seed pouch!) replenished by two or more seeds per post. I also suggest that for every three seeds sown, one is added to the seeds pouch, so that people keen on giving seeds don't run out of them so fast. Also, the fact that, to make one's garden and garden circle look nicer one will need to contribute quality content on a wide range of topics, it could be a good exercise and a mild incentive for people to express themselves more, for communities but mainly for their own sake.

Let me suggest how the garden circle could look like, graphically. See below: the circle is green, except for admins for whom it's Gaia-purple. Yes, I suggest that admins should have gardens too, if at least to let us show you how much we appreciate you.

1. 1. Newcomer, no seeds received. Number of posts irrelevant.
2. 2. Newbie, 15 seeds, 7 blue, 3 purple. For flower "glows", glow1 is 3-9
3. 3. 50 seeds, 15 blue, 3 red. 5 purple. Flower glow2 is 10-50
4. 4. 100 seeds, 32 blue, 24 red, 6 purple, 4 violet, 2 yellow (not enough).
5. 5. 125 seeds, 37 blue, 39 red, 9 purple, 5 violet, 5 yellow.
6. 6. 500 seeds (wow!), 79 blue, 112 red, 27 purple, 9 violet, 37 yellow, 31 orange. The largest colour glow, glow3, I suggest is anything above 50.
7. 7. Admin, really into the violet topic. 75 seeds, 52 violet, 12 red, 4 orange.
8. 8. Same as 3, but also a group moderator, distinguished by a purple leaf.

The pictures can be formed by combining two images together, the total seeds base pic (green), and the colour circles layered on top. Such an icon would graphically, explicitly and very quickly say a lot about the user at a singe glance. Note that I strongly believe that the garden level should be based on numerical numbers rather than on comparing the garden to an average (i.e. other gardens), so the garden level never decreases (unless content is deleted, naturally)! Finally, for now it may be best to ditch the colour/flowers part completely and just have the "green gardens", and the more sophisticated aspect could be added later.

Here's a VERY rough sketch of a garden page, accessed by clicking on the garden circle.


And since I drew it, might as well show here a sketch of a garden cirle next to the user's name on the profile page.

Just a comment to the news about the Microsoft-Google interest in health, etc. First off, health is not just behaviour change, it's infrastructural change, too. And the trend I keep seeing in the medical profession is all about behaviour change, and "assisting" (forcing?) behaviour change. It would be much better health-wise to stop advertising junk food and alcohol, for example, but no, it is, as they say, up to >us< to resist the temptation, to watch our pulse and pressure every day and end up anorexic or overweight, stressed and even depressed. Second, do you trust your government? Or internet security? Maybe it's better for our health to keep our health info not piled up somewhere online... Finally, maybe it's a better use of funds to go out and help the homeless, unemployed and third-world-poor more rather than thinking up fancy gadgets for the rich, who statistically (in comparison) have very little health-wise to worry about?

May I say something about the "anxiety" linked to Climate Change? I think this will be a very serious issue - mental problems, mostly stress, associated with climate change. I think that Gaia and we, the people who know, let's say, some aspects of this issue that others may not know, should show strength and calmness, as well as "strong impetus to act". We need to promote not just action, but also a realization.
...

You see, I understand this "climate change" as not a bad thing, but a "wake-up call" for humanity. I agree on just one thing with the "skeptics" - that it's not really human-caused, at least not in the way described. I believe we are causing it at a different level, way more subtle and mystical than just greenhouse emissions. This is Zaadz(Gaia) after all, so we can talk about such things here, spiritual things. I think there's a huge force behind the Change, and many Seeing people seem to say the same. What should be coming is not a climate change, but a PLANETARY TRANSFORMATION, of many things, not just climate, but consciousness, human genome, energies, many things.
...

This point may be particularly difficult to explain to, let's say, people with a different beliefs system, but after all, we really are immortal. It doesn't REALLY matter if some apocalypse happens and humanity is gone - there are many, many other worlds for us to go, and worlds that will be created anew, too... Yet this in no way means we should just be idle.
...

This is my home, Earth. I have chosen to live here, now. I can see clearly how humanity has taken a "DARK PATH", self-destructive, led "forward" by corrupt forces of destruction. The Pisces was their era, and Aquarius is not, it's an era where humanity must and will transform. I don't have Climate Change Anxiety. I know times will be hard, very hard in some places. But what inspires me and elevates my spirits is that, at last, this WAKE-UP CALL WILL BE HEARD, by everyone.
...

We will remember our roots, our original religions, our spirituality, our connection to all that is. The realization of the way things are will permeate all aspects of our life. We will collectively remove all "bad" things that humanity no longer needs: diseases, oppressions, wars... We will become so inspired, so unified, that the progress of science in the last couple of centuries will seem foolish compared to what we will achieve together. And we will not be alone, because (weird, scary and crazy as it may sound to some today) our brothers from other places in the universe will join us, those who many a time ago have "helped" us become who we are. Science will at last merge with spirituality, and this will enable us to transcend space and time. And truly a semi-godly creative power will become available to us that we will not abuse, not as the future beings who we will become.
...

THIS is the vision (knowledge) that I am directing my energy towards. Not "fighting a war on climate change", but walking the path of transformation, truly global, long-awaited transformation. If most of us come to realize those things, walk the path of transformation, Climate Change will never be scary. Not with the knowledge and intention in our minds and the fire of willpower in our hearts.
...

We will not be "green" to save our skins or a polar bear, we will not change our life habits to feel less guilty or more content, we will not need any human rights laws to accept and, moreover, really care about and help our neighbors, our fellow human beings. We will forget about Climate Change, and Climate Change will forget about us. Because its purpose as a wake-up call will be completed.
...

And there will be nothing to be anxious about.