Moviedad

Semester's End....

2011-12-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

I pray this post finds you all in good health and spirits. I can now take a breath and check in with my own blog for a change. When HSU is in session, I rarely have time to manage my own blog. Instead I find myself prompted to comment on Sohum Parlance or the Humboldt Herald instead.
I would like to take this opportunity to share my recent painting assignments from a wonderful Art course provided by the university. I just finished a painting class taught by a wonderful, engaged professor and artist: Lien Troung. Ms. Troung uses a positive outlook on art and life to encourage her students to develop "problem-solving" techniques during the development of a work or art.
As someone who has worked as a "professional" artist for almost thirty years, I can say that I was humbled by the talent, and creativity of my fellow students in Ms. Troung's class.
Thank you to everyone in the Art Department of Humboldt State University. I look forward to seeing you all again next semester; God willing, and the creek don't rise.

2011-06-29T01:50:00.000-07:00

In Northern California people have access to the healthier aspects of their environment. There are trees and flowing waters. They can step off on almost any road and forget the technological culture they live in. A society dominated by advertising. Those in the urban centers are not so blessed. They have no natural retreat at their fingertips. Their only refuge is one they create for themselves. That refuge is now being undone by an unbridled commercialism.

Americans are swimming in a commercialized world. It is so accepted among the mass population that there is no public debate about the commercialization of our visual space and our “virtual” space. We live in a culture where it's ok that every action on the internet may now be crafted and designed to be held up by a series of interruptions and secondary confirmations; slowing down processes to expose the user to more advertising. In our visual space there is now the phenomena of truck and trailer ads. In most California counties it is illegal for a homeowner to hang a sign to advertise a yard-sale, or to sell his mother's car. Yet, huge truck and trailers file past. Everywhere there is an endless series of mobile bill-boards thirty feet long. Showing huge graphics in bright colors with multiple lines of copy. With the “large-format-printer,” they can over power the streets.

Corporations in the United States are allowed to put their advertising wherever they see fit. It can be argued that there are new laws restricting the placing of outdoor advertising, so it is getting better, but the Corps have moved beyond outdoor, while they still use the truck and trailer mobile bill-boards method, they appear to be more concerned with commercializing any remaining space not now carrying ads. They don't need static, roadside billboards when they can have a constant stream of advertising in your vehicle. With the map programs that come with new cars there will be no escape from the ads coming from dashboard monitors.

Advertising in the public space used to be a necessary component of capitalism. In 2011 the public space has been narrowed down to a small screen. Within that flat glass lies a world with its own “real estate” and its own “reality”. But it takes real money from this world to keep that world going. At some point Americans have to say: “No, I've already paid the fee; you don't get to advertise on top of it!”

"A Day That Will Live In Infamy"

2011-05-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

In the faith tradition to which I belong; we believe there is a new covenant in Christ that does away with the notion of: “An eye for an eye; a tooth for tooth.” In the nation to which I also belong, we have given authority and judgment to a system of law. This system is for the protection of human rights. . This system is now directed by people who have used their mandated power to organize and carry out an extrajudicial assassination of a wanted murderer; who should have been prosecuted for crimes against humanity.
Bin Laden is the “Adolph Hitler” of this generation. He is the embodiment of evil and has besmirched reputation of the religion he professed to follow; but, we are not the mafia. We do not put a “Hit” on someone and just go kill him. This is America, there has to be an attempt to arrest him. If that is impossible, then besiege him. Let him show himself to be the killer, Let the world see who is the good and who is the bad. But no, instead we became ourselves a criminal, and a murderer; as a nation we have committed a crime. This is not what America is supposed to be about. John Wayne always brought the bastard in for the judge to “...hang em' good and proper.” He didn't just go execute him on his own authority.
The U.S. Government had no right to risk the lives of our servicemen and women to carry out this killing.
This is a shameful event. There is celebration? There are parties? This should be prosecuted as a crime. Contempt was shown for the law, the constitution, and the rights of the survivors and victims of the 911 attack.
The word “closure” has come up a lot, but the victims of the attack have not had their say. They're not done fighting for their lives, so who is getting “closure.”?
This is a dark day for the United States. Even the most heinous, depraved, despicable criminal is protected by the rule of law. This execution is equivalent to a lynching. “Why waste time on a trial, we know he's guilty, so lets just go kill him and be done with it!” This is the sentiment demonstrated by this act of vengeance. Without the rule of law, we are lost as a nation. We have become the thing we condemn.
I just can't help but feel that my country is in the hands of greedy criminals, who will use any pretext, any excuse to exercise its power over the world. First they have stolen our money; now they have stolen our honor.

Citizens United- Corporations Become Self-Aware

2010-12-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

Today we live in a world where you and I are a resource to be mined. We are no more than coal, or petroleum taken from the ground. Through the power of corporations and the ultra wealthy who own them; we can be made to pay any fees, suffer any penalty, made to buy products and services from businesses which have corrupted the election system and perverted democracy.

Through this corruption the executive class now owns the federal and state governments. They use the power of the government to enforce upon common working people things such as insurance requirements which can only be met, legally by for-profit corporations, what’s more insidious is the fleecing of citizens through exploitation of the airwaves, the water sources, the natural resources like timber and almost every other measure of wealth on the planet.

They take these resources from us the people, and then are allowed to sell these resources back to us at a high price. Such as the way the FCC has given away our airwaves and satellite permits.

The Corporate interests have scored a huge victory this past January. In the Decision: “Citizens United Vs. Federal Election Commission” the U.S. Supreme Court has given the Corporation the same rights as a living breathing person, and can be allowed to use as much of their wealth and power exercising their free speech rights by supporting candidates and issues in U.S. Elections.

Click here to Read the rest of this article

You're Already Out.

2010-12-05T22:47:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I have remind myself that the internet is a data stream that I am already in. Even if I tried to keep myself anonymous, I could not actually be anonymous. You can't be hidden. There is nowhere that you can have no register of yourself. The stores you use have data in which you are listed. You're on the reports of sales registers, card-swipe readers. Security cameras contain recordings of you, both audio and visual. So where is there to try to hide? Where can one be anonymous?
I have railed at the injustice of using the "Sacred Anonymous" in the service of political backbiting. One of the most revered authors in the western monastic tradition is Anonymous. Being anonymous is having humility.
Anonymity should be reserved for those who would be persecuted for exposing crimes of their superiors who are actually in a position to retaliate. I'm totally for protecting the anonymity of whistle-blowers. And inside sources. But that really isn't the case with much of the blog-splotter being thrown around. With so much casual anonymity, it's too easy to speak so much "for" and "against" people, regular common people who are known. But, the speakers are unknown.
Also, our computers are like our fingerprints, we have so many interchanges with other computers giving our URL's to sites we don't even know. So we can only be anonymous to our peers, while those with power can identify us at will.
And finally, it's just sad that so many smart, literate people are afraid to just be themselves. To actually own the words coming from their minds. In the new-millennium, all of us have been "outed" on the internet.

2010-12-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

2010-11-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

Link to download picture

Beauty of Fields Landing

2010-11-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

Link to download picture.

2010-11-19T01:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of the drawings from my CR Art class. I’ve so enjoyed getting back to the basics of drawing in charcoal and graphite. I look forward those mornings when my dedicated classmates and I tackle some new artistic adventure created by our talented Professor Smith.

The Blessings of the Monastery.

2010-11-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

Reconstructing the Ancient

Why I Support "The Plazoid."

2010-09-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

It is my position that we need more people like “The Plazoid”. I feel that even in my own writing I am too circumspect. Why? Am I going to get sued? Probably not, I’m not worth the attorney’s fees. So why do I self-censor? I think it’s because I live in a society where we’ve been taught to self-censor as a matter of survival. You don’t know what kind of nutcase you might anger. You don’t know who is reading your thoughts and there are people out there who think they’re tough-guys.
Tad (the blog’s editor.) and I have many things we don’t agree on. But hey, when you deal with prophets and activists; you should expect a little friction. Prophets are not like regular people. We edit ourselves at all times. We go over our writings to see if it comes across well, is there something that might be too offensive in tone? Did it seem like I was attacking the person instead of attacking the person’s stance on a particular subject? We will go over this writing before we publish. But, activists like Tad, are not so inclined.
The Tads of this world are not held by such conventions. The Plazoid can write his rants and right his wrongs as he sees fit. And more power to him. I know that in Tads lexicon my wife and I are probably: “Poverty-Pimps.” But that’s OK, He’s looking at it from the point of view of a person on the other side of the desk from a Social Worker. Maybe the Social Worker has a nice car, and good clothes. I’ve seen a social worker (Managerial level) decked out in diamonds. Now that is something the Plazoid can sink his teeth into. But, just like in my church; you have the priests dressed in Ermine, and you have priests dressed in rags. Some priests are in league with the dictators, and some priests are in league with the peasants. In the Catholic church, we have both. So it is in the Human Services departments. Honestly though, most social workers have more in common with their clients than they do with their bosses. But that is not always apparent to the clients.
I’ve never met Tad. I’m not a relation, or friend. I guess maybe I am a friend; in theory. I do respect the guy. And I am not blind to his abrasive tactics. But it is a “what you see; is what you get” kind of thing. And that kind of thing is sorely lacking these days.
I don’t know about “Love Eternal.” So I’ll just say: Hang in there, Man.

Neolithic Opinions

2010-06-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

It’s all just opinion. Blogs are full of opinions. Some bloggers are very conscientious and will provide researched information. Of course some blogs are pure information sites. But in my experience most personal non-commercial blogs are pure opinion.
I’m not saying this is a bad thing. What else is there in communication beyond the necessary, but opinion? After we’ve given each other all the information we need to accomplish whatever task is at hand, there is nothing left but the telling of our thoughts on things.
This was probably true in the Neolithic times. Tug and Ug must have had a lot to say about things in their environment. There were tigers to worry about. Plum harvests, mating dances. Because they were also human, they shared opinions.
Are we any different now than we were then? What has really deeply changed in us? Nothing much, I believe. We have larger brains, but we see smaller brains in child protégés out-perform larger brains. So is that enough of a physical difference to give us a radical emotional difference?
When I am in the forest, away from the road; when there are no sounds from planes, I often think about my link to ancient humans. I am walking through a natural landscape, as they did. I am thinking of something my son had done, and also about the house, and whether it will withstand another winter before I redo the roof. A man living in the Neolithic time could easily have had those same thoughts. He could have the same worries, the same joys. How am I so different? I can’t put much importance on the gadgets I have, that he didn’t have.
I think it’s possible that just like me, Tug or Ug could be watching their people gathering up in groups and getting all excited about something. See them pick one of their own and put him in charge. Suddenly Ug and Tug’s tribe is telling everyone what to do. They’re making rules for Tug’s people, and different rules for Ug’s people; and those who were put in charge are not bound by either set of rules.
Even in the days of Cave Bears, and Saber-toothed Tigers; groups of people have looked up to the strong to provide, out of fear of their own weakness. They became detached from the self-sufficiency of their own action, and depended entirely on the sufficiency of those they appointed their leaders.
Tug and Ug were perhaps like a lot of people I know. Not entirely dependent on the society, but not entirely independent of it either; kind of an interdependency I guess. It’ the people in this category that end up in society’s prisons or society’s wars. Too strong to be left alone, too weak to be in charge of their own destiny.

Greed

2010-06-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Greed is the father of all sin. That statement is not in quotation marks. I’m sure that with a little research I could find a Bhuddist, or communist activist sharing this sentiment. I believe it to be a true statement. An all encompassing statement of fact: Greed is the father of all sin.

In the wisdom traditions, the mythology of conflict has universally been born of another’s greed. In the mythic scenario of brother against brother, whether it is Cain and Able or Set and Osiris; it is the greed of the impatient brother who brings murder. Murder is born of greed. Can one separate the human force of anger and rage, from the greedy act of indulging that anger and rage? Only through greed can the murderer kill. He must take to himself all of the decision-making authority usually reserved to the wisdom of Nature and our “Supreme Being.”

The division of human beings into the classes of hunters and farmers can also be seen in terms of greed. If we look at the activities themselves it becomes clear that the “Hunters” are expressing greed. That is to say that the instinct for survival will cause greedy behavior. If it didn’t, the hunter would die of starvation before he felt entitled to end the life of a fellow creature, which he had no hand in creating. I believe this is where it question of greed as the prime motivator in life begins. If we apply the term greed to self-preservation then the desire for life itself is tarnished as something bad. But is we see greed as linked, inextricably to the basic desire for survival; then we begin to see how greed can expand and occupy the whole of an individual’s motivations.

This brings us to the Farmer mentality. For the sake of contrast; let’s say the farmer is expressing patience. let’s paint the farmer’s reality as one who is not seeking to grab fast what he can, but using intelligence he is looking into the future and contemplating it. He is keeping track of the heavenly events. He is using is mind. Greed in this case is not in the act of sustaining survival, but may exist in the long term gathering of abundance.

More to come…….

Wormzilla!

2010-04-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

May this post find you all in good health and spirits. I had a wonderful experience today fulfilling an assignment for my biology class at College of the redwoods in Eureka, CA. The assignment: to take a hike and observe various life forms and gather data on their Genus, Phylum and Sub-phylum information.
I am very fortunate that I am surrounded by nature. The Six Rivers Forest stretches out for miles and miles. I was writing information on Madrone trees, Oak trees and Douglas fir, when I saw the most interesting worm I've ever seen. I have named this worm: "Wormzilla." Wormzilla has markings similar to a king snake. It has a reddish head, and its body is pale white with black/gray patterning on it. If anyone knows what this worm is really called I'd love to know.

2010-03-31T23:06:00.000-07:00

Click Here: to Check out my latest Musical Expressions MP3

The Beautiful Dawn

2010-03-31T21:44:00.000-07:00

Scenes of wonder this morning. The Earth was in the blue spectrum; as was I.

Ah, The Beauty of New Clairvaux...

2010-03-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a retreat at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, California. It is a place I go to remember who I am.Click onto the link to view more pictures from New Clairvaux Monastery.Sacred Stones