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The bliss of a truth-seeking life is attainable for anyone who follows the path of unselfishness. If you cling to your wealth, it is better to throw it away than let it poison your heart. But if you don't cling to it but use it wisely, then you will be a blessing to people. It's not wealth and power that enslave men but the clinging to wealth and power. Majjhima Nikaya That last line is key. I am completely convinced that you can do well and do good. You don't have to be a user. I, of course, don't have much wealth or power to worry about but I still have to work on the selfishness, which I can be a form of manipulation.

Now Barca has less of an excuse for losing La Liga . Henry said it was the departure of vice chairman David Dein in April that had changed his mind and led to the $32 million move. Dein, a friend to both Henry and Wenger, quit after falling out with other members of the board over his support for a possible takeover. "Before Mr. Dein left, for whatever reason, I went to the boss and said I don't want to leave," Henry said. "But after Mr. Dein left, that unsettled the team and the boss. "He (Wenger) said he will see out his contract but you cannot be sure if he is going to go or stay. Hopefully, he is going to stay but I need to be certain and reassured of that." The whole article . Sevilla can do as well as they do w/o many big names but for some reason Barcelona acts like the Titans ... I will miss seeing Thierry play ball and wish I could get more La Liga game on Fox Soccer Channel ; GolTV is looking more and more like a necessity.

What am I missing? At some point Tara and I talked about important books and she mentioned Prayer for Owen Meany. I started to read it, got about 50 pages and was done. I didn't care about anything or anybody in the book. Several months later I tried again. I struggled with those first 50 or so again but once I made it past that I sailed through the book but at the end I still didn't care. Throughout the reading of it people would comment on how great it was and how much they enjoyed it. All I wanted to know was, how and when Owen was gonna die. I was looking at Zen Habits' discussion of high impact books and several commentors have mentioned Owen Meany as a book that had a profound impact. Maybe if I had been at a spiritual crossroads or less sure about my spiritual state, maybe if I had been younger. I don't know but it just didn't mean much for me. The books on my list (closer to chronological than anything): The Giving Tree (Shel Silverstein) I actually remem...

Rod 2.0:Beta: Nigeria Homosexuality is illegal in Nigeria. Those convicted face jail terms in the mainly Christian south and execution in the mainly Muslim north. Meanwhile, proposed legislation would be the most homophobic laws in any country, effectively stripping gays and lesbians of all civil rights and freedom of speech or association. This is the Anglican environment the conservative Episcopalians want to join . Very sad. Technorati Tags: episcopal church , nigeria , homosexuality

Freaking conservatives. If they don't get their way they run away. (I know people have said the same thing about liberals.) Why can't we talk thing over? London, Jun 14, 2007 / 10:30 am ( Catholic News Agency ).- A powerful coalition of conservative Anglican leaders is preparing to create a parallel church for conservatives in the United States , according to a report in The Daily Telegraph . The parallel church would be in defiance of appeals made by the Archbishop of Canterbury , Dr. Rowan Williams, to his fellow primates to refrain from provocative actions. If this parallel Church is pursued, it would provoke the biggest schism in the history of the worldwide Anglican Communion .

Actually, I guess Bonnaroo isn't as much a hippie fest as it used to be. With the addition of extra tents (Comedy and Jazz, maybe more) it's more like New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest North. And by being a former dirty hippie I can call them that. Have fun, be careful and remember Manchester loves you so be nice.

Last weekend I attended my wife's college reunion. This was the first reunion I have attended since we've been together. Things are different at a women's college. I am used to homecoming, football and debauchery. Wellesley , apparently like a lot of New England colleges, has reunion shortly after their graduation and it seems pretty common that the alumni (alumnae, in this case) stay in the dorms - we didn't but Tara wanted to. We, along with 6 other adults and 2 sub 4 year olds, stayed at a friends swank condo in Brookline, MA . Saturday we drove over to campus and you could feel the excitement in the car. These women were all very excited as they pulled towards and through the gates. Then reality hit, we got out of the cars and were greeted by lightning and claps of thunder. We meandered across campus, greeted at every turn by a cheerful young woman and driver of a limo offering us a ride. Of course, these 92ers were mockingly appalled that someone would think they w...

The Magic of Puberty This commentor says it all. JMBell says: Then I have no opinion on her looks, nor will I, until next year. At that point, I will happily point out that she certainly got pretty, but, no, not yet. Technorati Tags: Emma Watson , hermoine , harry potter

As rain penetrates an improperly shingled roof, so passion overwhelms a confused mind. Buddha As a homeowner I completely recognize the importance of this analogy. I get a pang of fear everytime it rains. I also understand the second part, both from my experience and that of family. Once you start down the road of self doubt or blame or victimhood you have to work extra hard to turn that ship around. My crutch is procrastination, which at some level comes from a fear of loss and at some other level comes from fear of success AND failure. These fears lead to confusion and that confusion leads to more fear or guilt or suffering and so on and so on.

I know its early, too early to say Bob Bradley should be lifetime coach but 3-0-0 in the Gold Cup , +7 goal differential and 3 shutouts. Eddie Johnson , Demarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey are scoring. The new kids are playing almost as well as the old guys. What more can you ask? I'm excited for the team. Yes, I know CONCACAF is for the most part a lame-ass confederation but this is where we live. FOXBORO - Coach Bob Bradley stressed the importance of getting better every game out in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the U.S. men’s national soccer team has done just that. From the Boston Herald

It takes a while to get me stressed but I have a hard time letting go when I get there. My wife is the opposite, she gets heated up pretty quickly but she also forgets about it pretty quickly. She is the the yang to my yin. Anyway, I have incorporated some of these techniques, although it's tough to remember them in the heat of the moment. I would add another one...taking a deep breath. That combined with closing my eyes helps quite often. Six Strategies to Calm Yourself Down Here are some physical strategies Aron mentions if you find yourself overaroused and about to have a meltdown (like I did in Toys-R-Us ). She offers psychological methods, too, but I've found it more helpful to start with these physical suggestions. (Then again, that's coming from a person who has difficulty meditating if she's not burning calories.) The commentary is mine. (I got sick of the brackets, so I thought I'd just fly with my own descriptions of each suggestion.) 1. Get out of the sit...

The New York Times ' Frugal Traveler popped into the library last week. I talked with him for a split second. He put the library on his blog . Here is the video

In learning this path, it is only important to walk on the real ground, to act on the basis of reality. The slightest phoniness, and you fall into the realm of demons. Liao-an

During Taylor's brutal rule, US watched, waited . Now, specialists can only wonder if the United States could have forced Taylor from power sooner. "There could have been a much more robust role before we got to 2003", said Elwood Dunn, a political science professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., who is writing a book about relations between the United States and his native Liberia. Dr. Dunn was always nice to me. He is a gentle giant kind of guy and a genius from what I understand. I never took any classes from him but he was always supportive of me. Technorati Tags: politics , liberia , sewanee

He who knows that all things are his mind, That all with which he meets are friendly, Is ever joyful. Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa Most of the time I have been posting these thoughts of the day I figured they spoke for me but today I realized that maybe they don't, maybe some of them need clarification. I have consciously struggled over the last 6 or 7 years with depression and, to a lesser degree, low self-esteem. I now recognize that, more than likely, I have been struggling with these issues a lot longer and I just didn't know what to call it. For years I have lived a solitary, loner-esque life. I took refugee in music especially live music but almost without fail I tried to isolate myself from my surroundings, even in the middle of something as large as New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival . I would take pictures or record shows silently or I would zone in so intently on the music that noone around me mattered...except the pretty girls. The pretty girls always matte...

Don't know if it's the weather or " that time of month " or the date or the fact that I am reading Lolita but today my world has been filled with some of the sexiest and most beautiful women. I see pretty women everyday...I wake of next to one but today has been extraordinary. I'm talking all ethnicities, shapes, sizes, ages. What a wonderful and crazy day!

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things. The Buddha meditated for six years, Bodhidharma for nine. The practice of meditation is not a method for the attainment of realization it is enlightenment itself. Zen Master Dogen, "The Practice of Meditation"

I haven't made up my mind who I will "endorse" for President but I do like John Edwards . It's based on intangibles nothing more. I actually haven't looked at any candidate that seriously yet. Here is a link to an article discussing "mainstream" media's take on Edwards. There seems to be a big hubbub about him accepting a fee and the event also charged attendees, usually no problem, right? Well, this was a speech on poverty which is causing everybody to cry foul. Yes, it's ironic but come on, from what I can figure this is how he makes a living. If he is working to do good, live honorably and equitably, which I believe he probably is, then more power to him for being able to make that kind of money. This is just bullshit. You have people making lots more and doing lots less with that money.