onestepforward
onestepforward's JournalBuddhist Extremist Cell Vows To Unleash Tranquility On West
Speaking in front of a nondescript altar surrounded by candles, burning sticks of incense, and a small golden statue of the Buddha, Rinpoche did not specify when or where an assault of profound inner stillness would occur, but stated in no uncertain terms that the fundamentalist Buddhist cell plans to target all Western suffering.
“In the name of the Great Teacher, we will stop at nothing to unleash a firestorm of empathy, compassion, and true selflessness upon the West,” said Rinpoche, adding that all enemies of a freely flowing, unfettered state of mind will be “besieged with pure, everlasting happiness.” “No city will be spared from spiritual harmony. We will bring about the end to all Western pain and anxiety, to all destructive cravings, to all greed, delusion, and misplaced desire. Indeed, we will bring the entire United States to its knees in deep meditation.”
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“And if you think even for a moment that we will ever relent, remember this: Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened,” Rinpoche added. “You have been warned.”
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http://www.theonion.com/articles/buddhist-extremist-cell-vows-to-unleash-tranquilit,34623/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=Default:NA:InFocus
Must see: Comparison photo of typhoon "Haiyan” to "Katrina"
http://knowmore.washingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/oh-no-haiyan-the-super-typhoon-about-to-hit-the-philippines-is-even-bigger-than-katrina/
It really shows the intensity of Haiyan.
My heart's with all the folks being hit by this.
A group of 4 raccoons tried to get my neighbor's cat.
I stepped outside about 20 minutes ago and saw my neighbor's outdoor cat surrounded by 4 raccoons in the middle of the street. The cat is very large, but all 4 raccoons were larger than he was. They were about a foot from the cat on all 4 sides and the cat was puffed up and ready to fight.
I started walking toward them while clapping my hands to make a lot of noise. One by one, they scattered away. I stood out there for several minutes to make sure the cat was okay, then came back inside for a flashlight and broom. I scanned the area and there was no sign of them. I stayed outside another 10 minutes.
I didn't know this until I just looked it up, but raccoons will eat cats if they are hungry enough. My heart is still racing, but I'm so glad I was able to scare them off. I hope they don't come back.
Harsh new Texas voter ID law almost blocks woman judge from voting
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/23/harsh-new-texas-voter-id-law-almost-blocks-woman-judge-from-voting/“What I have used for voter registration and for identification for the last 52 years was not sufficient yesterday when I went to vote,” 117th District Court Judge Sandra Watts told KIII-TV.
Watts said she has voted in every election for the last 49 years and that her name on her driver’s license has remained the same for the last 52. The address on her license and voter registration card have been the same for more than two decades. However, on Tuesday, at the outset of early voting for the Nov. 5 election, the judge was asked to sign a “voter’s affidavit” saying that she is who she says she is before she would be allowed to vote.
The problem was that her maiden name was listed as her middle name on her driver’s license, whereas on her voter registration card, her actual middle name is listed. This small discrepancy was enough to have her flagged as a potentially fraudulent voter.
Under laws recently adopted by the Republican-led state legislature, anyone whose name differs even slightly from one form of ID to another is automatically flagged for possible vote fraud. The new policy could particularly impact women who now go by married or hyphenated names.
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I think I will have a similar problem as the judge in the above story. My driver's license is First Middle Maiden-Married.
My voter registration card is First Maiden Married.
Do I need to get my voter ID card changed and how do I do that?
This sucks.
Happy Lucky Idiot
If you have time to chatter
Read books
If you have time to read
Walk into mountain, desert and ocean
If you have time to walk
Sing songs and dance
If you have time to dance
Sit quietly, you Happy Lucky Idiot
Nanao Sakaki (1923-2008) was a Japanese poet and the author of Bellyfulls. This poem is from How to Live on the Planet Earth © 2013.
http://www.tricycle.com/parting-words/happy-lucky-idiot
CRUZ: “THE DREAM OF KEEPING POOR PEOPLE FROM SEEING A DOCTOR MUST NEVER DIE”
His eyes welling up with tears, Sen. Cruz said, “I embarked on this crusade with a simple goal: to keep affordable health care out of the reach of ordinary, hard-working Americans. And while this battle was lost, that dream—that precious, cherished dream—will live on.”
Reflecting on the government shutdown and near-default that almost touched off a global financial apocalypse, Sen. Cruz said, “We’ll give it another try in a few weeks.”
Sen. Cruz’s closest ally, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also spoke reverently of the shutdown, calling it “the most expensive Civil War reënactment in history.”
“Unfortunately, once again, the wrong side won,” he said.
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http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2013/10/cruz-the-dream-of-keeping-poor-people-from-seeing-a-doctor-must-never-die.html?utm_source=tny&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=borowitz&mbid=nl_Borowitz%20(183)
Finally, a Baltimore oriole!
I took this picture yesterday:
I was so excited! He was just as brilliant as the photos I've seen. I've wanted to see one for a very long time 
My cat Xavier
Xavier was the runt of 7 black kittens born on Friday 13th. He was 18 years old. He had a stroke and we had to put him to sleep yesterday. I wanted to share a few pictures of my sweet baby boy.
We started out with three cats. Xavier is on the bottom stair and his brother, Duma, is on the top. Duma died 2 years ago from cancer. He was 13.
This is Maggie, our last surviving cat, snuggling with Xavier.
This is me holding Xavier. He was a very affectionate cat and loved to be held
This is my husband, (DUer AllenVanAllen) holding Xavier.
Xavier was almost deaf. Last week, someone posted a video of a cat purring (I forgot who it was, but thank you!) I put the speaker next to him and he reached out to touch it. He could hear it a little bit:
This is Maggie. She's 14. She's a very sweet and loving kitty. She misses her big brothers:
I'm very thankful that Xavier was healthy for over 18 years and his suffering was short. Right now, it's hard to stop crying. My heart is just broken. I miss my sweet boy.
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Gender: FemaleCurrent location: Red \'burbs of Blue Houston
Member since: Fri Nov 7, 2008, 02:22 PM
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