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Supes look to fill potholes with ‘self-help’ sales tax – Daily Democrat

Posted: August 10, 2017 at 11:43 pm


Yolo County has about $120 million in back-logged road maintenance needs, and the proof is in the pavement.

During aboard meeting earlier this month, supervisors made a move toward becoming a self-help county, which could help the county especially rural areas patch up rough roads or build new ones.

But financing the infrastructure work would mean a quarter-cent hike to the existing sales tax.

After a presentation from county legislative affairs specialist, Alex Tengolics, Supervisors opted in that direction, effectively placing the tax measure on either the June or November ballot of 2018.

With a cannabis tax and a preschool entry tax already slated for the June ballot, supervisors Jim Provenza and Don Saylor leaned toward the later date. To pass, the tax measure would require a two-thirds vote from the public; pushing the date back could be the difference between passing and failing, as residents could be hesitant to assume so many tax measures after only one trip to the poll.

Such a hike would fix Woodland and West Sacramento sales tax at 8.25 percent; Davis, 8.5 percent; Winters and unincorporated areas, 7.5 percent.

That increase would raise $8.5 million in funds for the specific purpose of road maintenance, filling the gaps that the states SB-1 transportation funding about $66 million over ten years cannot cover.

Tengolics also highlighted the backlogged needs for incorporated cities, a total projected expense of $387 million. The county has an existing road maintenance budget, but federal and state regulations only allow portions of that money to fund discretionary road projects. Should the self-help tax measure pass, Yolo would be one of 25 counties in line for additional SB-1 road repair funding.

During the meeting Saylor said that point would need to be accentuated, as many would look at the fund and not see the red tape that prevents it from mending roads.

Its an ambitions process, he said. Its going to take a lot of cooperation with folks and that includes all the jurisdictions.

Rural areas have by far the worst roads. Tengolicss report includes a map of the county and the average pavement condition index for areas of the county. Incorporated cities have good or low risk road statuses, but surrounding areas sport a bright red poor rating. Such ratings have taken a downward dive since 2008, when most areas of the county had good or low risk ratings.

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As the PCI decreases, the cost of repair increases as well, Tengolics said. This issue is particularly vexing for the unincorporated areas.

The county isnt the only entity thats noticed bumpy roadways. Every tire, suspension system and rear end in the area has felt the effects.

In fact, an Instagram account titled Potholes of Yolo County regularly posts photos of the more egregious road hazards. The account is hosted by local cyclists, who truly feel the wrath of damaged roads. The bio reads: Celebrating the road hazards that keep cyclists vigilant, changing flats, and turning wheels.

Contact Hans Peter at 530-406-6238.

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Supes look to fill potholes with 'self-help' sales tax - Daily Democrat

Written by grays |

August 10th, 2017 at 11:43 pm

Posted in Self-Help

Soul – Wikipedia

Posted: at 11:43 pm


In many religious, philosophical and mythological traditions, the soul is the incorporeal essence of a living being.[1]

Soul or psyche (Greek: "psych", of "psychein", "to breathe") are the mental abilities of a living being: reason, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, perception, thinking, etc.

Depending on the philosophical system, a soul can either be mortal or immortal.[2] In Judeo-Christianity, only human beings have immortal souls (although immortality is disputed within Judaism and may have been influenced by Plato).[3] For example, the Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas attributed "soul" (anima) to all organisms but argued that only human souls are immortal.[4] Other religions (most notably Hinduism and Jainism) hold that all biological organisms have souls, as did Aristotle, while some teach that even non-biological entities (such as rivers and mountains) possess souls. The latter belief is called animism.[5]

Greek philosophers, such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, understood that the soul ( psch) must have a logical faculty, the exercise of which was the most divine of human actions. At his defense trial, Socrates even summarized his teaching as nothing other than an exhortation for his fellow Athenians to excel in matters of the psyche since all bodily goods are dependent on such excellence (Apology 30ab).

Anima mundi is the concept of a "world soul" connecting all living organisms on planet Earth.

The Modern English word "soul", derived from Old English swol, swel, was first attested in the 8th-century poem Beowulf v. 2820 and in the Vespasian Psalter 77.50. It is cognate with other German and Baltic terms for the same idea, including Gothic saiwala, Old High German sula, sla, Old Saxon sola, Old Low Franconian sla, sla, Old Norse sla and Lithuanian siela. Further etymology of the Germanic word is uncertain. The original concept is meant to be 'coming from or belonging to the sea/lake', because of the German belief in souls being born out of and returning to sacred lakes, Old Saxon sola (soul) compared to Old Saxon so (sea).

The Koine Greek word psych, "life, spirit, consciousness", is derived from a verb meaning "to cool, to blow", and hence refers to the breath, as opposed to ("soma"), meaning "body". Psych occurs juxtaposed to , as seen in Matthew 10:28:

In the Septuagint (LXX), translates Hebrew nephesh, meaning "life, vital breath", and specifically refers to a mortal, physical life, but is in English variously translated as "soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion"; an example can be found in Genesis 1:21:

Paul of Tarsus used and specifically to distinguish between the Jewish notions of nephesh and ruah (spirit) (also in LXX, e.g. Genesis 1:2 = = spiritus Dei = "the Spirit of God").

The ancient Greeks used the word "alive" for the concept of being "ensouled", indicating that the earliest surviving western philosophical view believed that the soul was that which gave the body life. The soul was considered the incorporeal or spiritual "breath" that animates (from the Latin, anima, cf. "animal") the living organism.

Francis M. Cornford quotes Pindar by saying that the soul sleeps while the limbs are active, but when one is sleeping, the soul is active and reveals "an award of joy or sorrow drawing near" in dreams.[6]

Erwin Rohde writes that an early pre-Pythagorean belief presented the soul as lifeless when it departed the body, and that it retired into Hades with no hope of returning to a body.[7]

Drawing on the words of his teacher Socrates, Plato considered the psyche to be the essence of a person, being that which decides how we behave. He considered this essence to be an incorporeal, eternal occupant of our being. Socrates says that even after death, the soul exists and is able to think. He believed that as bodies die, the soul is continually reborn in subsequent bodies and Plato believed this as well, however, he thought that only one part of the soul was immortal (logos). The Platonic soul consists of three parts:[8]

The parts are located in different regions of the body:

Plato also compares the three parts of the soul or psyche to a societal caste system. According to Plato's theory, the three-part soul is essentially the same thing as a state's class system because, to function well, each part must contribute so that the whole functions well. Logos keeps the other functions of the soul regulated.

Aristotle (384 BC 322 BC) defined the soul, or Psch (), as the "first actuality" of a naturally organized body,[9] and argued against its separate existence from the physical body. In Aristotle's view, the primary activity, or full actualization, of a living thing constitutes its soul. For example, the full actualization of an eye, as an independent organism, is to see (its purpose or final cause).[10] Another example is that the full actualization of a human being would be living a fully functional human life in accordance with reason (which he considered to be a faculty unique to humanity).[11] For Aristotle, the soul is the organization of the form and matter of a natural being which allows it to strive for its full actualization. This organization between form and matter is necessary for any activity, or functionality, to be possible in a natural being. Using an artifact (non-natural being) as an example, a house is a building for human habituation, but for a house to be actualized requires the material (wood, nails, bricks, etc.) necessary for its actuality (i.e. being a fully functional house). However, this does not imply that a house has a soul. In regards to artifacts, the source of motion that is required for their full actualization is outside of themselves (for example, a builder builds a house). In natural beings, this source of motion is contained within the being itself.[12] Aristotle elaborates on this point when he addresses the faculties of the soul.

The various faculties of the soul, such as nutrition, movement (peculiar to animals), reason (peculiar to humans), sensation (special, common, and incidental) and so forth, when exercised, constitute the "second" actuality, or fulfillment, of the capacity to be alive. For example, someone who falls asleep, as opposed to someone who falls dead, can wake up and live their life, while the latter can no longer do so.

Aristotle identified three hierarchical levels of natural beings: plants, animals, and people. For these groups, he identified three corresponding levels of soul, or biological activity: the nutritive activity of growth, sustenance and reproduction which all life shares; the self-willed motive activity and sensory faculties, which only animals and people have in common; and finally "reason", of which people alone are capable.

Aristotle's discussion of the soul is in his work, De Anima (On the Soul). Although mostly seen as opposing Plato in regard to the immortality of the soul, a controversy can be found in relation to the fifth chapter of the third book. In this text both interpretations can be argued for, soul as a whole can be deemed mortal and a part called "active intellect" or "active mind" is immortal and eternal.[13] Advocates exist for both sides of the controversy, but it has been understood that there will be permanent disagreement about its final conclusions, as no other Aristotelian text contains this specific point, and this part of De Anima is obscure.[14]

Following Aristotle, Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and Ibn al-Nafis, a Persian philosopher, further elaborated upon the Aristotelian understanding of the soul and developed their own theories on the soul. They both made a distinction between the soul and the spirit, and the Avicennian doctrine on the nature of the soul was influential among the Scholastics. Some of Avicenna's views on the soul include the idea that the immortality of the soul is a consequence of its nature, and not a purpose for it to fulfill. In his theory of "The Ten Intellects", he viewed the human soul as the tenth and final intellect.

While he was imprisoned, Avicenna wrote his famous "Floating Man" thought experiment to demonstrate human self-awareness and the substantial nature of the soul. He told his readers to imagine themselves suspended in the air, isolated from all sensations, which includes no sensory contact with even their own bodies. He argues that in this scenario one would still have self-consciousness. He thus concludes that the idea of the self is not logically dependent on any physical thing, and that the soul should not be seen in relative terms, but as a primary given, a substance. This argument was later refined and simplified by Ren Descartes in epistemic terms, when he stated: "I can abstract from the supposition of all external things, but not from the supposition of my own consciousness."[15]

Avicenna generally supported Aristotle's idea of the soul originating from the heart, whereas Ibn al-Nafis rejected this idea and instead argued that the soul "is related to the entirety and not to one or a few organs". He further criticized Aristotle's idea whereby every unique soul requires the existence of a unique source, in this case the heart. al-Nafis concluded that "the soul is related primarily neither to the spirit nor to any organ, but rather to the entire matter whose temperament is prepared to receive that soul," and he defined the soul as nothing other than "what a human indicates by saying "I".[16]

Following Aristotle and Avicenna, Thomas Aquinas (122574) understood the soul to be the first actuality of the living body. Consequent to this, he distinguished three orders of life: plants, which feed and grow; animals, which add sensation to the operations of plants; and humans, which add intellect to the operations of animals.

Concerning the human soul, his epistemological theory required that, since the knower becomes what he knows, the soul is definitely not corporealif it is corporeal when it knows what some corporeal thing is, that thing would come to be within it.[17] Therefore, the soul has an operation which does not rely on a body organ, and therefore the soul can exist without a body. Furthermore, since the rational soul of human beings is a subsistent form and not something made of matter and form, it cannot be destroyed in any natural process.[18] The full argument for the immortality of the soul and Aquinas' elaboration of Aristotelian theory is found in Question 75 of the First Part of the Summa Theologica.

In his discussions of rational psychology, Immanuel Kant (17241804) identified the soul as the "I" in the strictest sense, and argued that the existence of inner experience can neither be proved nor disproved. "We cannot prove a priori the immateriality of the soul, but rather only so much: that all properties and actions of the soul cannot be recognized from materiality". It is from the "I", or soul, that Kant proposes transcendental rationalization, but cautions that such rationalization can only determine the limits of knowledge if it is to remain practical.[19]

Gilbert Ryle's ghost-in-the-machine argument, which is a rejection of Descartes' mind-body dualism can provide a contemporary understanding of the soul/mind, and the problem concerning its connection to the brain/body.[20]

Psychologist James Hillman's archetypal psychology is an attempt to restore the concept of the soul, which Hillman viewed as the "self-sustaining and imagining substrate" upon which consciousness rests. Hillman described the soul as that "which makes meaning possible, [deepens] events into experiences, is communicated in love, and has a religious concern", as well as "a special relation with death".[21] Departing from the Cartesian dualism "between outer tangible reality and inner states of mind", Hillman takes the Neoplatonic stance[22] that there is a "third, middle position" in which soul resides.[23] Archetypal psychology acknowledges this third position by attuning to, and often accepting, the archetypes, dreams, myths, and even psychopathologies through which, in Hillman's view, soul expresses itself.

In the ancient Egyptian religion, an individual was believed to be made up of various elements, some physical and some spiritual.

Similar ideas are found in ancient Assyrian and Babylonian religion. Kuttamuwa, an 8th-century BC royal official from Sam'al, ordered an inscribed stele erected upon his death. The inscription requested that his mourners commemorate his life and his afterlife with feasts "for my soul that is in this stele". It is one of the earliest references to a soul as a separate entity from the body. The 800-pound (360kg) basalt stele is 3ft (0.91m) tall and 2ft (0.61m) wide. It was uncovered in the third season of excavations by the Neubauer Expedition of the Oriental Institute in Chicago, Illinois.[24]

The Bah' Faith affirms that "the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel".[25]Bah'u'llh stated that the soul not only continues to live after the physical death of the human body, but is, in fact, immortal.[26] Heaven can be seen partly as the soul's state of nearness to God; and hell as a state of remoteness from God. Each state follows as a natural consequence of individual efforts, or the lack thereof, to develop spiritually.[27] Bah'u'llh taught that individuals have no existence prior to their life here on earth and the soul's evolution is always towards God and away from the material world.[27]

Buddhism teaches that all things are in a constant state of flux: all is changing, and no permanent state exists by itself.[28][29] This applies to human beings as much as to anything else in the cosmos. Thus, a human being has no permanent self.[30][31] According to this doctrine of anatta (Pli; Sanskrit: antman) "no-self" or "no soul" the words "I" or "me" do not refer to any fixed thing. They are simply convenient terms that allow us to refer to an ever-changing entity.[32]

The anatta doctrine is not a kind of materialism. Buddhism does not deny the existence of "immaterial" entities, and it (at least traditionally) distinguishes bodily states from mental states.[33] Thus, the conventional translation of anatta as "no-soul"[34] can be confusing. If the word "soul" simply refers to an incorporeal component in living things that can continue after death, then Buddhism does not deny the existence of the soul.[35] Instead, Buddhism denies the existence of a permanent entity that remains constant behind the changing corporeal and incorporeal components of a living being. Just as the body changes from moment to moment, so thoughts come and go, and there is no permanent state underlying the mind that experiences these thoughts, as in Cartesianism. Conscious mental states simply arise and perish with no "thinker" behind them.[36] When the body dies, Buddhists believe the incorporeal mental processes continue and are reborn in a new body.[35] Because the mental processes are constantly changing, the being that is reborn is neither entirely different from, nor exactly the same as, the being that died.[37] However, the new being is continuous with the being that died in the same way that the "you" of this moment is continuous with the "you" of a moment before, despite the fact that you are constantly changing.[38]

Buddhist teaching holds that a notion of a permanent, abiding self is a delusion that is one of the causes of human conflict on the emotional, social, and political levels.[39][40] They add that an understanding of anatta provides an accurate description of the human condition, and that this understanding allows us to pacify our mundane desires.

Various schools of Buddhism have differing ideas about what continues after death.[41] The Yogacara school in Mahayana Buddhism said there are Store consciousness which continue to exist after death.[42] In some schools, particularly Tibetan Buddhism, the view is that there are three minds: very subtle mind, which does not disintegrate in death; subtle mind, which disintegrates in death and which is "dreaming mind" or "unconscious mind"; and gross mind, which does not exist when one is sleeping. Therefore, gross mind is less permanent than subtle mind, which does not exist in death. Very subtle mind, however, does continue, and when it "catches on", or coincides with phenomena, again, a new subtle mind emerges, with its own personality/assumptions/habits, and that entity experiences karma in the current continuum.

Plants were said to be non-sentient (),[43] but Buddhist monks are required to not cut or burn trees, because some sentient beings rely on them.[44] Some Mahayana monks said non-sentient beings such as plants and stones have Buddha-nature.[45][46]

Certain modern Buddhists, particularly in Western countries, rejector at least take an agnostic stance towardthe concept of rebirth or reincarnation, which they view as incompatible with the concept of anatta. Stephen Batchelor discusses this issue in his book Buddhism Without Beliefs. Others point to research that has been conducted at the University of Virginia as proof that some people are reborn.[47]

Most Christians understand the soul as an ontological reality distinct from, yet integrally connected with, the body. Its characteristics are described in moral, spiritual, and philosophical terms. Richard Swinburne, a Christian philosopher of religion at Oxford University, wrote that "it is a frequent criticism of substance dualism that dualists cannot say what souls are. Souls are immaterial subjects of mental properties. They have sensations and thoughts, desires and beliefs, and perform intentional actions. Souls are essential parts of human beings". According to a common Christian eschatology, when people die, their souls will be judged by God and determined to go to Heaven or to Hell. Though all branches of Christianity Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Church of the East, Evangelical, and mainline Protestants teach that Jesus Christ plays a decisive role in the Christian salvation process, the specifics of that role and the part played by individual persons or ecclesiastical rituals and relationships, is a matter of wide diversity in official church teaching, theological speculation and popular practice. Some Christians believe that if one has not repented of one's sins and has not trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, he/she will go to Hell and suffer eternal damnation or eternal separation from God. Some hold a belief that babies (including the unborn) and those with cognitive or mental impairments who have died will be received into Heaven on the basis of God's grace through the sacrifice of Jesus. [48]

Other Christians understand the soul as the life, and believe that the dead are sleeping (Christian conditionalism). This belief is traditionally accompanied by the belief that the unrighteous soul will cease to exist instead of suffering eternally (annihilationism). Believers will inherit eternal life either in Heaven, or in a Kingdom of God on earth, and enjoy eternal fellowship with God.

There are also beliefs in universal salvation.

Augustine, one of western Christianity's most influential early Christian thinkers, described the soul as "a special substance, endowed with reason, adapted to rule the body". Some Christians espouse a trichotomic view of humans, which characterizes humans as consisting of a body (soma), soul (psyche), and spirit (pneuma).[49] However, the majority of modern Bible scholars point out how spirit and soul are used interchangeably in many biblical passages, and so hold to dichotomy: the view that each of us is body and soul. Paul said that the "body wars against" the soul, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit" (Heb 4:12 NASB), and that "I buffet my body", to keep it under control. Trichotomy was changed to dichotomy as tenet of Christian faith at the Council of Constantinople in 869 regarded as the 8th Ecumenical Council by Roman Catholics.[50]

The 'origin of the soul' has provided a vexing question in Christianity. The major theories put forward include soul creationism, traducianism, and pre-existence. According to creationism, each individual soul is created directly by God, either at the moment of conception or some later time. According to traducianism, the soul comes from the parents by natural generation. According to the preexistence theory, the soul exists before the moment of conception. There have been differing thoughts regarding whether human embryos have souls from conception, or there is a point between conception and birth where the fetus acquires a soul, consciousness, and/or personhood. Stances in this question might more or less influence judgements on the morality of abortion.[51][52][53]

The present Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the soul as "the innermost aspect of humans, that which is of greatest value in them, that by which they are in God's image described as 'soul' signifies the spiritual principle in man".[54] All souls living and dead will be judged by Jesus Christ when he comes back to earth. The Catholic Church teaches that the existence of each individual soul is dependent wholly upon God: "The doctrine of the faith affirms that the spiritual and immortal soul is created immediately by God."[55]

Protestants generally believe in the soul's existence, but fall into two major camps about what this means in terms of an afterlife. Some, following Calvin,[56] believe in the immortality of the soul and conscious existence after death, while others, following Luther,[57] believe in the mortality of the soul and unconscious "sleep" until the resurrection of the dead.[58] Various new religious movements derived from Adventismincluding Christadelphians,[59]Seventh-day Adventists[citation needed] and Jehovah's Witnesses[60][61]similarly believe that the dead do not possess a soul separate from the body and are unconscious until the resurrection.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the spirit and body together constitute the Soul of Man (Mankind). "The spirit and the body are the soul of man."[62] Latter-day Saints believe that the soul is the union of a pre-existing, God-made spirit[63][64][65] and a temporal body, which is formed by physical conception on earth. After death, the spirit continues to live and progress in the Spirit world until the resurrection, when it is reunited with the body that once housed it. This reuniting of body and spirit results in a perfect soul that is immortal and eternal and capable of receiving a fulness of joy.[66][67] Latter-day Saint cosmology also describes "intelligences" as the essence of consciousness or agency. These are co-eternal with God, and animate the spirits.[68] The union of a newly created spirit body with an eternally-existing intelligence constitutes a "spirit birth"[citation needed] and justifies God's title "Father of our spirits".[69][70][71]

In Hinduism, the Sanskrit words most closely corresponding to soul are jiva, tman and "purusha", meaning the individual self. The term "soul" is misleading as it implies an object possessed, whereas Self signifies the subject which perceives all objects. This Self (tman) is held to be distinct from the various mental faculties such as desires, thinking, understanding, reasoning and self-image (ego), all of which are considered to be part of prakriti (nature).

The three major schools of Hindu philosophy agree that the jiva (individual self) is related to Brahman (Self/God) but they differ in their explanations of the nature of this relationship. In Advaita Vedanta, the individual self and the Self are deemed to be one and the same. Dvaita rejects this concept of identity and instead identifies the self (jiva) as a separate but similar part of Self, that only becomes one with the Absolute Atman upon Self Realisation (Moksha). Visishtadvaita explains that the nature of the self (jiva) and Brahman (God) is that the jiva is God with attributes; this essentially means that the jiva is both different and the same as God concurrently. Visishtadvaita (Attributive Monism) is thus similar to Achintya Bhedbeda Tattva (Inconceivable Difference-Non difference Reality). For an atheistic and dualistic view of the jiva and tman in ancient Hindu philosophy, see Samkhya one of the six schools of Indian Philosophy.

The jiva becomes involved in the process of becoming and transmigrating through cycles of birth and death because of ignorance of its own true nature. The spiritual path consists of self-realization a process in which one acquires the knowledge of the self (brahma-janam) and through this knowledge applied through meditation and realization one then returns to the Source which is Brahman.

The qualities which are common to both Brahman and atmam are being (sat), consciousness (chit), and bliss/love (ananda). Liberation or moksha is liberation from all limiting adjuncts (upadhis) and the unification with Brahman.

The Mandukya Upanishad verse 7 describes the atman in the following way:

"Not inwardly cognitive, not outwardly cognitive, not both-wise cognitive, not a cognition-mass, not cognitive, not non-cognitive, unseen, with which there can be no dealing, ungraspable, having no distinctive mark, non-thinkable, that cannot be designated, the essence of the assurance of which is the state of being one with the Self, the cessation of development, tranquil, benign, without a second (a-dvaita)[such] they think is the fourth. That is the Self. That should be discerned."

In Bhagavad Gita 2.20 Lord Krishna describes the atman in the following way:[72]

na jayate mriyate va kadacin 'nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah 'ajo nityah sasvato yam purano 'na hanyate hanyamane sarire

"For the atman there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain". [Translation by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada)][73]

Srila Prabhupada, a great Vaishnava saint of the modern time further explains: "The atman does not take birth there, and the atman does not die... And because the atman has no birth, he therefore has no past, present or future. He is eternal, ever-existing and primeval that is, there is no trace in history of his coming into being."[74]

Since the quality of Atma is primarily consciousness, all sentient and insentient beings are pervaded by Atma, including plants, animals, humans and gods. The difference between them is the contracted or expanded state of that consciousness. For example, animals and humans share in common the desire to live, fear of death, desire to procreate and to protect their families and territory and the need for sleep, but animals' consciousness is more contracted and has less possibility to expand than does human consciousness.

When the Atma becomes embodied it is called birth, when the Atma leaves a body it is called death. The Atma transmigrates from one body to another body based on karmic [performed deeds] reactions.

In Hinduism, the Sanskrit word most closely corresponding to soul is Atma, which can mean soul or even God. It is seen as the portion of Brahman within us. Hinduism contains many variant beliefs on the origin, purpose, and fate of the atma. For example, advaita or non-dualistic conception of the atma accords it union with Brahman, the absolute uncreated (roughly, the Godhead), in eventuality or in pre-existing fact. Dvaita or dualistic concepts reject this, instead identifying the atma as a different and incompatible substance.

There are 25 coverings wrapped on our Atma (Reference Taken from Vaikunta Varnane written by Sanyasi Vadiraja Swami) 1. Iccha avarka, 2. Linga deha, 3. Avyakta Sharira, 4. Avidya Avarna, 5. Karma avarna, 6. Kama avarna, 7. Jeevacchadaka, 8. Paramacchadaka, 9. Narayana rupa avarna, 10. Vasudeva rupa Avarna, 11. Sankarshana rupa avarna, 12. Pradhyumna Avarka, 13. Anniruddha avarka, 14. Anniruddha Sharira, 15. Vasudeva Kavaca, 16. Narayana Kavaca, 17. Anandamaya kosha, 18. Vignanamaya kosha, 19. Manomaya kosha, 20. Vangmaya kosha, 21. Shrotrumaya kosha, 22. Chakshurmaya kosha, 23. Pranamaya kosha, 24. Annamaya kosha, 25. Gross Body.

According to Brahma Kumaris, the soul is an eternal point of light, resides between forehead.

The Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, distinguishes between the immortal r (soul) and the mortal nafs (psyche).[75] The immortal r "drives" the immortal nafs, which comprises temporal desires and perceptions perceptions necessary for living.[76]

Two passages in the Qu'ran that mention rh occur in chapters 17 ("The Night Journey") and 39 ("The Throngs"):

And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the spirit [rh]. Say, "The spirit is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little.

Qur'an 17:85

It is Allah that takes the rh at death: and those that die not (He takes their rh) during their sleep: then those on whom He has passed the Decree of death He keeps back (their rh from returning to their bodies); but the rest He sends (their rh back to their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signs for those who contemplate

Qur'an 39:42

In Jainism, every living being, from a plant or a bacterium to human, has a soul and the concept forms the very basis of Jainism. The soul (Jva) is basically categorized in two based on its present state.

Irrespective of which state the soul is in, it has got the same attributes and qualities. The difference between the liberated and non-liberated souls is that the qualities and attributes are manifested completely in case of Siddha (liberated soul) as they have overcome all the karmic bondages whereas in case of non-liberated souls they are partially exhibited.

Concerning the Jain view of the soul, Virchand Gandhi quoted "the soul lives its own life, not for the purpose of the body, but the body lives for the purpose of the soul. If we believe that the soul is to be controlled by the body then soul misses its power".[77]

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that is wise winneth souls.

The Hebrew terms nephesh (literally "living being"), ruach (literally "wind"), neshama (literally "breath"), chaya (literally "life") and yechidah (literally "singularity") are used to describe the soul or spirit. In Judaism the soul is believed to be given by God to a person as mentioned in Genesis, "And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Genesis 2:7. Judaism relates the quality of one's soul to one's performance of the commandments, mitzvot, and reaching higher levels of understanding, and thus closeness to God. A person with such closeness is called a tzadik. Therefore, Judaism embraces the commemoration of the day of one's death, nahala/Yahrtzeit and not the birthday[78] as a festivity of remembrance, for only toward the end of life's struggles, tests and challenges could human souls be judged and credited - b'ezrat HaShem ("with God's help") - for righteousness and holiness.[79][80] Judaism places great importance on the study of the souls.[81]

Kabbalah and other mystic traditions go into greater detail into the nature of the soul. Kabbalah separates the soul into five elements, corresponding to the five worlds:

Kabbalah also proposed a concept of reincarnation, the gilgul. (See also nefesh habehamit the "animal soul".)

The Scientology view is that a person IS a soul. They do not 'have' a soul. A person is immortal, and may be reincarnated if they wish. The Scientology term for the soul is "thetan", derived from the Greek word "theta", symbolizing thought. Scientology counselling (called 'auditing') addresses the soul to improve abilities, both worldly and spiritual.

According to Nadya Yuguseva, a shaman from the Altai, "'A woman has 40 souls; men have just one[.]'"[82]

Sikhism considers Soul (atma) to be part of God (Waheguru). Various hymns are cited from the holy book "Sri Guru Granth Sahib" (SGGS) that suggests this belief. "God is in the Soul and the Soul is in the God."[83] The same concept is repeated at various pages of the SGGS. For example: "The soul is divine; divine is the soul. Worship Him with love."[84] and "The soul is the Lord, and the Lord is the soul; contemplating the Shabad, the Lord is found."[85] The "Atma" or "Soul" according to Sikhism is an entity or "spiritual spark" or "light" in our body because of which the body can sustain life. On the departure of this entity from the body, the body becomes lifeless No amount of manipulations to the body can make the person make any physical actions. The soul is the driver in the body. It is the roohu or spirit or atma, the presence of which makes the physical body alive. Many religious and philosophical traditions, support the view that the soul is the ethereal substance a spirit; a non material spark particular to a unique living being. Such traditions often consider the soul both immortal and innately aware of its immortal nature, as well as the true basis for sentience in each living being. The concept of the soul has strong links with notions of an afterlife, but opinions may vary wildly even within a given religion as to what happens to the soul after death. Many within these religions and philosophies see the soul as immaterial, while others consider it possibly material.

According to Chinese traditions, every person has two types of soul called hun and po ( and ), which are respectively yang and yin. Taoism believes in ten souls, sanhunqipo () "three hun and seven po".[86] The p is linked to the dead body and the grave, whereas the hn is linked to the ancestral tablet. A living being that loses any of them is said to have mental illness or unconsciousness, while a dead soul may reincarnate to a disability, lower desire realms, or may even be unable to reincarnate.

In theological reference to the soul, the terms "life" and "death" are viewed as emphatically more definitive than the common concepts of "biological life" and "biological death". Because the soul is said to be transcendent of the material existence, and is said to have (potentially) eternal life, the death of the soul is likewise said to be an eternal death. Thus, in the concept of divine judgment, God is commonly said to have options with regard to the dispensation of souls, ranging from Heaven (i.e., angels) to hell (i.e., demons), with various concepts in between. Typically both Heaven and hell are said to be eternal, or at least far beyond a typical human concept of lifespan and time.

According to Louis Ginzberg, soul of Adam is the image of God.[87]

In Brahma Kumaris, human souls are believed to be incorporeal and eternal. God is considered to be the Supreme Soul, with maximum degrees of spiritual qualities, such as peace, love and purity.[88]

In Helena Blavatsky's Theosophy, the soul is the field of our psychological activity (thinking, emotions, memory, desires, will, and so on) as well as of the so-called paranormal or psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, out-of-body experiences, etc.). However, the soul is not the highest, but a middle dimension of human beings. Higher than the soul is the spirit, which is considered to be the real self; the source of everything we call "good"happiness, wisdom, love, compassion, harmony, peace, etc. While the spirit is eternal and incorruptible, the soul is not. The soul acts as a link between the material body and the spiritual self, and therefore shares some characteristics of both. The soul can be attracted either towards the spiritual or towards the material realm, being thus the "battlefield" of good and evil. It is only when the soul is attracted towards the spiritual and merges with the Self that it becomes eternal and divine.

Rudolf Steiner differentiated three stages of soul development, which interpenetrate one another in consciousness:[89]

In Surat Shabda Yoga, the soul is considered to be an exact replica and spark of the Divine. The purpose of Surat Shabd Yoga is to realize one's True Self as soul (Self-Realisation), True Essence (Spirit-Realisation) and True Divinity (God-Realisation) while living in the physical body.

Similarly, the spiritual teacher Meher Baba held that "Atma, or the soul, is in reality identical with Paramatma the Oversoul which is one, infinite, and eternal...[and] [t]he sole purpose of creation is for the soul to enjoy the infinite state of the Oversoul consciously."[90]

Eckankar, founded by Paul Twitchell in 1965, defines Soul as the true self; the inner, most sacred part of each person.[91]

The findings of science may be relevant to one's understanding of the soul depending on one's belief regarding the relationship between the soul and the mind. Another may be one's belief regarding the relationship between the soul and the body.[92] Science has neither proved nor disproved the existence of a soul.

Neuroscience as an interdisciplinary field, and its branch of cognitive neuroscience particularly, operates under the ontological assumption of physicalism. In other words, it assumesin order to perform its sciencethat only the fundamental phenomena studied by physics exist. Thus, neuroscience seeks to understand mental phenomena within the framework according to which human thought and behavior are caused solely by physical processes taking place inside the brain, and it operates by the way of reductionism by seeking an explanation for the mind in terms of brain activity.[93][94]

To study the mind in terms of the brain several methods of functional neuroimaging are used to study the neuroanatomical correlates of various cognitive processes that constitute the mind. The evidence from brain imaging indicates that all processes of the mind have physical correlates in brain function.[95] However, such correlational studies cannot determine whether neural activity plays a causal role in the occurrence of these cognitive processes (correlation does not imply causation) and they cannot determine if the neural activity is either necessary or sufficient for such processes to occur. Identification of causation, and of necessary and sufficient conditions requires explicit experimental manipulation of that activity. If manipulation of brain activity changes consciousness, then a causal role for that brain activity can be inferred.[96][97] Two of the most common types of manipulation experiments are loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments. In a loss-of-function (also called "necessity") experiment, a part of the nervous system is diminished or removed in an attempt to determine if it is necessary for a certain process to occur, and in a gain-of-function (also called "sufficiency") experiment, an aspect of the nervous system is increased relative to normal.[98] Manipulations of brain activity can be performed with direct electrical brain stimulation, magnetic brain stimulation using transcranial magnetic stimulation, psychopharmacological manipulation, optogenetic manipulation, and by studying the symptoms of brain damage (case studies) and lesions. In addition, neuroscientists are also investigating how the mind develops with the development of the brain.[99]

Physicist Sean M. Carroll has written that the idea of a soul is in opposition to quantum field theory (QFT). He writes that for a soul to exist: "Not only is new physics required, but dramatically new physics. Within QFT, there cant be a new collection of 'spirit particles' and 'spirit forces' that interact with our regular atoms, because we would have detected them in existing experiments."[100]

In contrast, Princeton Professor Hans Halvorson has highlighted a conceptual difficulty in making quantum mechanics logically consistent. His 2016 debate with Sean Carroll at Caltech on this subject is available from several sources on the web. Halvorson points out that some interpretations of the measurement problem in quantum mechanics seem to require an observation by a mind or conscious agent (see quantum mind) to collapse the wave function to obtain a determinate result. Since quantum mechanics posits a superposition as the normal state of matter, a material brain should also be in an indeterminate state much like Schrdinger's Cat. How then can it produce a determinate result? Halvorson argues that this logically necessitates something very like an immaterial soul that can make the observation and collapse the wave function.[101] This general problem was first pointed out by physicist Eugene Wigner, who thought wave function collapse occurred due to the activities of mind. Theoretical physicist Roger Penrose and others have developed a similar outlook.

Quantum indeterminism has been invoked by some theorists as a solution to the problem of how a soul might interact with the brain but neuroscientist Peter Clarke found errors with this viewpoint, noting there is no evidence that such processes play a role in brain function; and concluded that a Cartesian soul has no basis from quantum physics.[102]

Biologist Cyrille Barrette(fr) has written that "the soul is a word to designate an idea we invented to represent the sensation of being inhabited by an existence, by a conscience".[103] Barrette explains, using simple examples in a short self-published article, that the soul is a property emerging from the complex organisation of matter in the brain.[104]

Some parapsychologists have attempted to establish, by scientific experiment, whether a soul separate from the brain exists, as is more commonly defined in religion rather than as a synonym of psyche or mind. Milbourne Christopher (1979) and Mary Roach (2010) have argued that none of the attempts by parapsychologists have yet succeeded.[105][106]

In 1901 Duncan MacDougall conducted an experiment in which he made weight measurements of patients as they died. He claimed that there was weight loss of varying amounts at the time of death, he concluded the soul weighed 21 grams.[107][108] The physicist Robert L. Park has written that MacDougall's experiments "are not regarded today as having any scientific merit" and the psychologist Bruce Hood wrote that "because the weight loss was not reliable or replicable, his findings were unscientific."[109][110]

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August 10th, 2017 at 11:43 pm

A Three-Step Formula for Getting the Best from Fatherhood … – ThyBlackMan

Posted: at 11:43 pm


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(ThyBlackMan.com)Being a father is an amazing experience. I know there is a tendency in our culture to make a distinction between being a father and a dad. I do not choose to placate such judgmental positions. Call me father, call me dad, whatever term you use does not define for me the sentiment of raising a boy or girl into a man or a woman. For me, fatherhood refers to the evolutionary experiences which shape a man and prepares him for the journey.

Regardless of terms, how do we extract the most meaning from what we experience? I pose this question because the years fly by; our little man or little girl are halfway to adulthood virtually overnight. We look up and the years have flown by. Someone much wiser than me once said, Dont count the years, make the years count. How do we accomplish this? We ask questions. And we try our best to supply meaningful, well-thought out answers.

What Do I Really Want from Fatherhood?

The first question is a probing one. The answer may sound obvious: most dads want to be the best father they can be. But that response may also be too simplistic. In most cases, its a given that you want to be the best father. Go deeper. What personal quality do you want to extract from your experience? Project yourself into the future and imagine your offspring has written a letter to you thanking you for how your commitment to fatherhood made them better. Read that letter in your imagination. What would you want it say? What actions described in the letter would make you proud and bring a smile to your face? Whatever it is, begin to work on that.

Whats Preventing Me from Getting What I Want from Fatherhood?

Now, based on the aforementioned letter, begin to think about how to bring about those qualities. What is it that you must do to attain the greatness that the letter describes? Do not focus on eliminating your weaknesses, but rather turn your energy toward making your strengths stronger. Youre just a step away from becoming the father your offsprings future letter describes. Sure, you may have some daunting obstacles to overcome; your finances may not be where you need it to be; you may be dealing with a difficult co-parent; or you might be facing effective communication challenges.

The only thing you may really need to adjust is your attitude. In spite of all of the aforementioned challenges, the one thing you can control is your response. Make certain you possess an I can do all things approach and use every opportunity to bring it into focus.

What Strategies Can I Implement to Get What I Really Want from Fatherhood?

We all want to be the best father, as I wrote earlier. It usually just requires a little tweaking to achieve this goal. Empathy, listening skills, effective feedback are things we can do to establish a deep bond with our children. The most needful strategy is personal growth and development; do your very best to deepen your spiritual discipline. Reading Holy Scripture, meditation and worship are effective in strategic and long-term personal development. Exercising, making better nutrition choices and eliminating self-destructive habits such as smoking or excessive drinking also help.

In the end, its your willingness to make every day count that will leave you with the greatest satisfaction.

Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes

This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.

In October 2015, Eric released Lifes A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.

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August 10th, 2017 at 11:43 pm

A Powerful, Poignant 2016-17 Season From Connecticut’s Theaters – CTNow

Posted: at 11:42 pm


It had bangs and whimpering sounds, bullies and victims, politics and personal issues. It ended with a chef serving appetizers to the audience.

Yes, with the world premiere of "Raging Skillet" at TheaterWorks, the 2016-17 Connecticut theater season is officially over.

Please note that the 2017-18 season is already upon us, with "Finding Neverland" at The Bushnell earlier this month and "Small Mouth Sounds" opening its national tour at the Long Wharf Theatre Aug. 30. Then there are the theaters that operate only in summertime, or on a spring to fall timeline. Let's deal with those in our year-end wrap-up a few months from now.

Shows can rise and fall on their own merits, but a season especially at theaters that cater to a subscriber base is a special unit. How it holds together, how its elements balance and complement, deserves attention and respect.

Carol Rosegg

Sarah Ruhls mysteriously meditative Scenes from Court Life at the Yale Repertory Theatre analyzed the rise of the Bush boys George and Jeb.

Sarah Ruhls mysteriously meditative Scenes from Court Life at the Yale Repertory Theatre analyzed the rise of the Bush boys George and Jeb. (Carol Rosegg)

The season just past began with the promise of deep sociopolitical discourse. The regional theaters had planned and announced their 2016-17 programming plans while the national election was heating up. Many titles directly addressed concepts of leadership. Sarah Ruhl's mysteriously meditative "Scenes from Court Life," at the Yale Repertory Theatre analyzed the rise of the Bush boys George and Jeb. The Long Wharf gamely staged "Other People's Money," a mainstream corporate-takeover melodrama that Trump publicly praised back in the '80s. Hartford Stage at first announced that it was going to do George Bernard Shaw's "Joan of Arc," which doubtless would have had people thinking about Hillary Clinton, then did Shaw's "Heartbreak House" instead, dressing up the show's stereotypical businessman villain to look just like our new president.

T. Charles Erickson

Clifton Duncan and Elise Taylor starred in August Wilson's drama The Piano Lesson at Hartford Stage.

Clifton Duncan and Elise Taylor starred in August Wilson's drama The Piano Lesson at Hartford Stage. (T. Charles Erickson)

The election also caused a dive in attendance in October and November as people were glued to their TV sets, podcasts and who's-winning statistics. It's unfortunate that two of the shows that were hardest hit "The Piano Lesson" at Hartford Stage and "Seven Guitars" at Yale Rep were by August Wilson, whose rhythmic and affectionate real-world insights into the human condition (including how we react to stress and greed) might have helped a few people get through the winter. The Wilson plays had been smartly programmed or so it seemed so as to presage the release of the film version of "Fences."

Lanny Nagler

Sunset Baby, starring Tony Todd, hit a sweet spot with its talk of confusion, self-reliance and revolution at TheaterWorks.

Sunset Baby, starring Tony Todd, hit a sweet spot with its talk of confusion, self-reliance and revolution at TheaterWorks. (Lanny Nagler)

"Smart People" at Long Wharf was considered a cutting-edge contemporary drama just months before the Long Wharf decided to stage it. But its depictions of how racism had (and mostly hadn't) changed following the election of Barack Obama felt already dated, overtaken by more recent current events. On the other hand, "Sunset Baby" at TheaterWorks hit a sweet spot with its talk of confusion, self-reliance and revolution.

Hartford Stage's season was a nice mix of large-cast, small-cast, funny, sad, traditional and modern. Elizabeth Williamson, putting on her director hat for the first time since joining the theater five years ago, took Caryl Churchill's "Cloud 9" to places it hasn't been, staging it as a sort of '70s music hall fantasia.

T. Charles Erickson

Steve Martin's Meteor Shower showed bright promise at Long Wharf and indeed is headed to Broadway.

Steve Martin's Meteor Shower showed bright promise at Long Wharf and indeed is headed to Broadway. (T. Charles Erickson)

Yale Rep's 50th anniversary season was smart and tough. On paper, I would say that Long Wharf threatened to have the most exciting, challenging season. But two world premieres the family drama "Napoli, Brooklyn" and the Adam Gopnik/David Shire musical "The Most Beautiful Room in New York" arrived uncertain and unready, and the aforementioned "Smart People" fell rather flat. Steve Martin's "Meteor Shower" was a popular hit that showed bright promise (and is indeed Broadway-bound) despite its inability to match its expressionistic tendencies to its onslaught of feuding-couple gags.

When looking back at where expectations were largely met, the small, scrappy Playhouse on Park springs to mind. The West Hartford theater did musicals that were within the reach of its modest resources "Little Shop of Horrors" and "[title of show] (though I didn't care for the latter)." It also introduced audiences to plays that had become popular around the country but hadn't hit Connecticut yet, whether it was the purposely dumb door-slamming delight "Unnecessary Farce" or the tender romance "Last Train to Nibroc."

Seven Angels Theatre helped two newish shows, Charles Messina's "A Room of My Own" and the jaunty J.C. Johnson-scored musical "Trav'lin," continue to find themselves, and also offered Seven Angels founder Semina DeLaurentis daffily impersonating Gracie Allen.

T. Charles Erickson

Brian Dennehy came to Long Wharf for Samuel Beckett's Endgame.

Brian Dennehy came to Long Wharf for Samuel Beckett's Endgame. (T. Charles Erickson)

This was the season when Bill Raymond gave his final performances as Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol." Long Wharf offered Brian Dennehy and Reg E. Cathey in an "Endgame" that gave Beckett purists pause but had its intended impact nonetheless. Name stars also flocked to TheaterWorks, where Richard Dreyfuss played a whimsical, weary Albert Einstein in Mark St. Germain's "Relativity," followed by the gruff Tony Todd in "Sunset Baby."

Lanny Nagler

Richard Dreyfyuss portrayed Albert Einstein in Mark St. Germain's play "Relativity" at TheaterWorks.

Richard Dreyfyuss portrayed Albert Einstein in Mark St. Germain's play "Relativity" at TheaterWorks. (Lanny Nagler)

Among the state's presentation houses, The Bushnell gets high marks for bringing excellent tours of the sensitive musicals "If/Then" and "Fun Home" to Hartford. These shows will soon be easily found at small theaters and college stages, but not on this scale. The "American in Paris" tour was dazzling, too. The Waterbury Palace was the first in the state to host Jack O'Brien's colorful new production of "The Sound of Music." Foxwoods Resort Casino offered a Broadway season for the first time.

There are some theaters where the fall to spring season is the same thing as their academic school year. I was impressed with some of the versatile student performers at UConn's Connecticut Repertory Theatre, especially in the timely revival of "Waiting for Lefty" (coupled with a contemporary corporate drama by UConn alum Levi Alpert) and the musical "Shrek," which CT Rep made timely by having Lord Farquaad resemble a certain orange-haired commander in chief.

Wesleyan faculty (namely Ron Jenkins and Neely Bruce) and students created a modernist theatrical pageant with Indonesian clowning about injustices delivered upon the spice islands of the East Indies. For me, the most visceral and affecting theater experiences of the season may have been at the Yale School of Drama, where "Blood Wedding" gave me recurring nightmares about demons on swings, and "Bulgaria! Revolt!" activated my hay fever and caused me to flee the theater red-faced and wheezing.

Lanny Nagler

Christiane Noll starred in TheaterWorks triumphant Next to Normal.

Christiane Noll starred in TheaterWorks triumphant Next to Normal. (Lanny Nagler)

When the 2016-17 season began, it was primed to investigate head-on some specific social causes and historic figures. Yet the shows that really stayed with me this from this wild, varied season were not the ones that tried to explain Trump or Bush or Albert Einstein or the American military. They were the human-sized productions like "Sunset Baby," TheaterWorks' triumphant production of the musical "Next to Normal" or Amy Herzog's riveting Yale Rep premiere "Mary Jane" and sure, let's throw "Endgame" in there which all just showed anxious people coping.

John Woike/Courant file photo

Andrew Long, center, played the Trump-like character of Boss Mangan in Heartbreak House at Hartford Stage.

Andrew Long, center, played the Trump-like character of Boss Mangan in Heartbreak House at Hartford Stage. (John Woike/Courant file photo)

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August 10th, 2017 at 11:42 pm

Posted in Bernard Shaw

Youth is never really wasted – Inquirer.net

Posted: at 11:42 pm


PUERTO PRINCESA Theres nothing like a sports tournament to remind us that playwright George Bernard Shaw was not kidding that youth could be wasted on the young.

And yet, why not? It is the best time to dream, make good choices, heed the advice of teachers and stay away from bad habits.

This was evident at the recent 2017 Asian Junior Boxing Championships in this busy city, a tourism magnet with so much to offer the adventurous traveler. Fighters, aged 15 to 16 years old and from 18 countries, came to start or continue the journey to possible Olympic success and beyond.

Many probably started very young, notably the rugged yet polished Kazakhstan fighters. The youthful boxers won six of the 13 gold medals and showed the results of their lessons from a boxing academy at home.

Across all weight categories, the Kazakhs scored punches in the midsection as well as the head, rarely throwing wild or errant shots.

There were also recent boxing converts like Filipino gold medalist Kenneth Dela Pea, a smiling 16-year-old prodigy from boxing breeding ground General Santos City. Just before he entered the ring against his opponent from Kazakhstan, Dela Pea confirmed that he was hardly a year into the sport but has since worked on his Olympic dream.

Boxing association secretary general Ed Picson, who oversaw preparations and staging of the tournament, explained that the task ahead is to continue nurturing Dela Pea and 15-year-old John Vincent Pangga, another Filipino who won gold.

You cant keep them in the juniors forever because they will get older, Picson said. The sooner they can be honed for future tournaments, the better because we will have an ample supply of boxing talent.

The young generation of boxers in the tournament probably amused their elders as they were mostly hooked on their mobile phones and gadgets in between fights. But make no mistake about it: These fighters are more than willing to sacrifice for their dreams to shine for their countries.

For example, international boxers (the term amateur has been dropped from usage when talking about non-professional boxing) have to maintain their weight for at least a week to remain qualified to fight. For young boys still growing up, thats a major sacrifice.

Youth need not be wasted as long as it is a time well spent and sports can definitely help along the way.

Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.

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Youth is never really wasted - Inquirer.net

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August 10th, 2017 at 11:42 pm

Posted in Bernard Shaw

Culture at the Cinema: ‘Saint Joan’ – Cayman Compass

Posted: at 11:42 pm


It seems that Regal Camana Bay, in partnership with Culture at the Cinema, is continuing its religious theme into August. In July, the National Theatre Lives production of Salom was screened here, and on Aug. 19, Saint Joan starring Gemma Arterton in the lead role, is presented for one night only.

George Bernard Shaws interpretation of the well-known story premiered in 1923, three years after Joan of Arcs canonization by the Roman Catholic Church. The play dramatizes what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial. Shaw studied the transcripts and decided that the concerned people acted in good faith according to their beliefs. He wrote in his preface to the play:

There are no villains in the piece. Crime, like disease, is not interesting: it is something to be done away with by general consent, and that is all [there is] about it. It is what men do at their best, with good intentions, and what normal men and women find that they must and will do in spite of their intentions, that really concern us.

From the torment of the Hundred Years War, the charismatic Joan of Arc carved a victory that defined France. This classic play depicts a woman with all the instinct, zeal and transforming power of a revolutionary. It follows the life and trial of a young country girl who declares a bloody mission to drive the English from France. As one of the first Protestants and nationalists, she threatens the very fabric of the feudal society and the Catholic Church across Europe.

Josie Rourke (Coriolanus, Les Liaisons Dangereuses) directs Gemma Arterton (Gemma Bovery, Nell Gwynn, Made in Dagenham) as Joan of Arc in this electrifying production.

Gemma Arterton

While studying at RADA, she landed her first professional role in Capturing Mary (2007), directed by Stephen Poliakoff and starring Maggie Smith. Gemma graduated from RADA in 2007 and won her first film role in St. Trinians (2007). Her breakthrough role came in 2008, when she appeared in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008). In 2009, she was the winner of Empires Best Newcomer Award.

Reviews

Saint Joan shows at the Regal Camana Bay on Aug. 19. Doors open at 7 p.m. and screening begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 and include a glass of bubbly. Only 18 years and older will be admitted. For more information, see http://www.bigscreen.ky.

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August 10th, 2017 at 11:42 pm

Posted in Bernard Shaw

Vegan Soulfest is Returning to Baltimore This August! | One Green … – One Green Planet

Posted: August 9, 2017 at 10:47 pm


The 4th annual Vegan SoulFest,the citys largest festival centered around vegan food, is slated to take place on Saturday, August 26th in Baltimore, Maryland. Foundedby health and foodie mavens Brenda Sanders andNaijha Wright, Vegan SoulFest is a celebration of vegan living and culture with a focus on you guessed it soul food. It is sponsored by A Well-Fed World, a non-profit organization that promotes hunger relief and animal protection.

The one-day festival will have free admission and feature plant-based versions of soul food classics as well as keynote speakers such as David The 300-Pound Vegan Carter, TracyeMcQuirter, author of By Any Greens Necessary,and Monique Koch, creator of the lifestyle and recipe blog The Brown Vegan. The festival will also feature musical guests Mova Kween, Ama Chandra, and more.

Now, lets talk about the food. At this time, the list of vendors has yet to be released, but as the name of the festival implies, it will be centered around soul food think mac and cheese, collard greens, cornbread, vegan fried chicken, and more.

If you arent close to Baltimore but find yourself feeling jealous of all the festival attendees and the amazing food theyll get to eat, dont worry. Weve put together a few recipes from ourFood Monster Appthat will help you make soul food from the comfort of your own kitchen!

These Hushpuppies With Remoulade by Hailee Repko are the perfect recreation of the classic fritter. While the cornmeal in the original recipe utilizes eggs as a binder, this recipe uses flax eggs, or a tablespoonof ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and finished with a creamy, dairy-free remoulade quickly.

How do you replace fried chicken? Try these Crispy TofuNuggets by Attila Hildmann. For this dish, tofu is dredged in flour and then dipped in smashed corn flakes, then deep-fried until crisp and golden. But for thosewho are avoiding oil, there is the option to fry them in a skillet. The curry ketchup is a unique dipping sauce that packs a punch and perfectly complements the dish. Yum!

No soul food platter is complete without a side of mac and cheese. So, get on this Extra Creamy Mac and Cheese by Molly Patrick. The dairy-free sauce is made by combining steamed Russet potatoes and carrots with sauted onion, nutritional yeast (also known as the secret to making vegan cheese), vegan butter, and a pinch of turmeric for color. Definitely a necessary side to those crispy tofu nuggets.

Dont forget the collards! These Coconut Milk-Braised Collard Greens by Courtney West are a new take on a classic Southern side. Garlic, pepper, cumin, and mustard seeds give this recipe a great spice, while coconut balances it out with a delicious creaminess.

These Barbecue Seitan Ribs from the Veganize It! Cookbook are the mother of all vegan barbecue recipes.Tender, meaty homemade seitan is slathered in sticky homemade barbecue sauce, seared, and then baked until slightly crisp and caramelized around the edges.

Looking for more? OurFood Monster Apphas all the tools youll need to create even more vegan soul food festival-worthy dishes right in your own kitchen! Youll findwill find plenty of Southern classics and then some on the app, which is available on bothAndroidandiPhone.You can also find us onInstagramandFacebook. The App features 8000+ vegan, allergy-friendly recipes with at least 10 new recipes added daily! Check it out!

Lead image source: Vegan SoulFest

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August 9th, 2017 at 10:47 pm

Posted in Vegan

Prepare for Perseid Meteor Shower 2017 With These Galaxy-Themed Vegan Treats – One Green Planet

Posted: at 10:47 pm


Twinkle, twinkle, little star; or stars; or hundreds of shooting stars! For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere who are interested in witnessing a series of real-life shooting stars, youre in luck Perseid is the annual August meteor shower, and this year, it will peak on August 11, August 12, and August 13.

Typical rates for Perseid range between 80 to 100 meteors an hour, which means with a little preparation, you can enjoy watching the brightest segment of the meteor shower at around 11 p.m. on August 12. All you need to do to have a successful viewing night is remember to scout out a nice, dark location (no street lamps allowed!), and pack some galaxy themed plant-based snacks!

Weve been keeping tabs on ourFood Monster Appdatabase the past few weeks in preparation, and have gathered together a collection of vegan treats made by some of our bloggers that are sure to make watching the meteor shower an otherworldly experience. Check some of these ideas out!

These Galaxy Doughnuts arestellar (get it?). The doughnut itself is dense and chocolatey with hidden, good-for-you ingredients like zucchini and carrot, which makes staying up past your bedtime an almost healthy activity! The icing is sweet and sugary and you can get as creative as you want when it comes to decorating each doughnut with your own edible universe. Not only that, if you dont have a doughnut pan, you can make cakes, so its super-versatile.

TheseNo-Bake Galaxy Berry Cheesecake Barsmade byAJ, the creator of food blogThe Indigo Kitchen, have a stunning color that looks like a galaxy! Theyre quite simple to make; the only time-consuming thing is soaking the cashews and letting it all solidify in the freezer, but all of this wont cost you any effort. Making recipe though takes about 10-20 minutes total, depending on how fast you work. Minimum effort and maximum reward gotta love it.

If youre pressed for time, never fear. These gluten-freeGalaxy Dark Chocolate With Raspberriescome together in a few minutes, so you can prepare them right before you set off to find your perfect meteor shower-viewing spot. Theyrespeckled with puffed quinoa and bits of freeze-dried raspberries. Its taste is minimal but its smell is heavenly with a cozy, warming sensation a nostalgic longing for just a good piece of chocolate. The butter offers a chocolaty note while the cacao powder layers in richness. Let the maple syrup. sweeten the batter and within a few minutes, youve got yourself homemade galactic chocolate bars. Easy ones at that.

While these arenttechnicallygalaxy-colored, we think the deep purple and pink hues of these gluten-free Unicorn Noodles are reminiscent of the galaxy in all the best ways.All you need to make these are noodles, purple cabbage, and lemon juice! Its like magic, but really: its science. Purple cabbage has a pigment called anthocyanin, which changes color when it makes contact with something acidic. When you cook purple cabbage for a short time in some water, youll get a nice blue shade, cook it for a bit longer with a bit more purple cabbage will give you a nice purple shade. Now when you add something acidic (lemon or lime juice) to the blue colored noodles, the pigment from the purple cabbage will react and takes on a bright pink color.

These Raw Sweet Star Cookiesare simple treats that will remind you of classic sugar cookies but without any of the usual butter, flour, and sugar. You can slather them with a layer of luscious lemony icing or keep them au natural. Enjoy eating some stars under the stars!

Excited about the Perseid meteor shower, but still hungry for more plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes? We highly recommend you check outour Food Monster App, which is available for bothAndroidandiPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. Its full of over 8,000 plant-based recipes, and subscribers gain access to ten brand new recipes perday. Youre bound to find a recipe on there thats out of this world. Check it out!

Lead image source:Galaxy Doughnuts

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Prepare for Perseid Meteor Shower 2017 With These Galaxy-Themed Vegan Treats - One Green Planet

Written by grays |

August 9th, 2017 at 10:47 pm

Posted in Vegan

Is the vegan Impossible Burger actually safe to eat? – CNET

Posted: at 10:47 pm


The thing that makes the Impossible Burger oh so tasty -- and, well, burger-y -- might not be good for you. Soy leghemoglobin, or "heme," is currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration as a potential allergen, the New York Times reports.

The meat-free Impossible Burger, made by startup Impossible Foods, has earned high marks from carnivores and vegans alike. It's sold as a high-end foodie curiosity at restaurants in New York (Momofuku Nishi), LA (Crossroads Kitchen), Las Vegas (Andrea's), various cities in Texas (Hopdoddy) and San Francisco (Jardiniere and Cockscomb). It supposedly has a similar look and taste to the real deal.

One of the main things that contributes to this is that it "bleeds" like a regular burger. CNET's very own Dara Kerr got to try one for herselfat Impossible Foods' lab in Redwood City, California last year. "Heme is identical inside a plant and in the muscle tissue of an animal. It is the taste of blood," Celeste Holz-Schietinger, Impossible Foods' principal scientist told Kerr during her visit.

But is heme safe to eat? Impossible Foods provides a full ingredient list for the Impossible Burger on its FAQ page. It even dedicates a complete section to the question, "What is the ingredient leghemoglobin (soy)?"

"FDA believes the arguments presented, individually and collectively, do not establish the safety of soy leghemoglobin for consumption," FDA officials wrote in a memo obtained by the Times, "nor do they point to a general recognition of safety."

Impossible Foods said in a statementTuesday that the Impossible Burger's "key ingredient" is safe to eat, citing "a panel of food safety and allergy experts at three universities."

In a followup comment, Impossible Foods said it has asked for corrections and clarification from The New York Times over issues it has with the story. "We are awaiting a response."

The FDA didn't respond to CNET's request for comment.

First published Aug. 8, 8:21 a.m. PT.Update, 10:25 a.m.:Adds comment from Impossible Foods.

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Is the vegan Impossible Burger actually safe to eat? - CNET

Written by simmons |

August 9th, 2017 at 10:47 pm

Posted in Vegan

Is this the worst vegan meal ever served or just a shameless publicity stunt? – Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: at 10:47 pm


A British holidaymaker has become embroiled in a row after she was pictured mocking a Spanish restaurants vegan offering.

Georgina Jarvis and her family dined at Restaurant Bahai in the resort town of Fuengirola at the weekend during a family holiday to the Costa del Sol.

Jarvis was reportedly served a plate of raw tomatoes and red onions after telling waiting staff she was vegan. A picture of the dish was posted on Twitter by her 17-year-old sister Gabbie.

Out for tea and the restaurant claimed they catered for vegans, this was my sisters amazing vegan meal, posted Gabbie, with a picture of the dish. Ms Jarvis claims the dish cost between 6 and 9; the restaurants menu states a price of 6.50.

Telegraph Travel contacted Restaurant Bahai, a family run eatery with a five-star rating on TripAdvisor.

We are not a vegan restaurant, we are a barbecue restaurant, said co-owner, Ruben Gomez. We remember the customer and she ordered the dish from the menu we thought it was funny because usually people order that as a side dish.

Gomez suggested Ms Jarviss sister had posted the photo to boost her status on Twitter where she has 10.7k followers. So far the Tweet has been liked more than 61k times.

In an interview with the MailOnline, Ms Jarvis seemed to soften her stance.

The food was disappointing compared to the options in England, but I was very happy that they accommodated me, she said. The tweet posted may make veganism look inaccessible, but in reality I normally have no issues eating out in restaurants, and normally have many options.

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Is this the worst vegan meal ever served or just a shameless publicity stunt? - Telegraph.co.uk

Written by admin |

August 9th, 2017 at 10:47 pm

Posted in Vegan


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