No sooner has Richard Curtiss Love Actually reunion been announced than a rival emerges to its thermonuclear romantic charms. It is the burgeoning closeness between Ms Pamela Anderson, latterly of the beaches of Los Angeles County, and Mr Julian Assange, currently of the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

By way of a recap, the association first came to light last October, when the Baywatch legend was photographed arriving at the embassy to visit the Wikileaks founder, carrying what she said was a vegan meal. Very shortly after, some hokey-cokey over Assanges internet access being cut (by Ecuador, as it turned out) prompted some of his supporters to speculate that he was dead. If hes dead, shrieked confirmed inadequate Roosh V, Id have that food tested. Some fingered Pamela as a possible Hillary Clinton agent, with the various theories doing the rounds including the suggestion that she had given him apoisoned vegan sausage.

And yet if we may pose the question indelicately was the passing of the sausage in the other direction? Over to our two principals, who cant wait to be stagily coy about their relationship, and at considerable length.

First up is Pamela, who speaks to Grazia, with the magazine allowing her to explain why she demurred from answering whether she was in a relationship with Julian. Its very difficult to talk about when youre under surveillance, explained Pamela, hinting she has more viewers at Langley than she has had since being voted off in round one of Dancing on Ice in 2013 (after a series of stumbles, Keith Chegwin would eliminate her in the skate-off).

As she took Grazia into her confidence, Pamela was keeping under the radar at a party for a lingerie brand at Annabels nightclub. Right out of the Salman Rushdie hidden years playbook, that one. Though looking at the transparent lace dress she turned up in, I need hardly tell you Who Wore It Better. Hes a great guy, she went on, of Julian. I dont want to say anything about whether theres aromance. So, lets say were just good friends.

Grazia goes a bit further, alleging they have had a series of dates at the Ecuadorian embassy. Im not sure where else they would have dates, unless for their sixth anniversary hes planning to show her the inside of apolice van, followed by dinner at the Heathrow detention area. After all, if its not old hat to mention, nearly five years into his monstrous pussy-out, Julian is still wanted in Sweden to answer sexual assault allegations.

But what does the man himself have to add on the romance/showmance? Plenty, if his subsequent interview with an Australian radio show is anything to go by. I mean, I like her, shes great, he says of Pamela. Are they in love? Im not going to go into the private details. Come, come. Shes an attractive person with an attractive personality. And furthermore: Shes no idiot at all shes psychologically very savvy.

Note the well-placed psychologically. I love how Julian manages to make even a compliment sound proprietorially undermining. Other people think youre a moron, Pamela ONLY I SEE THE REAL YOU. But theres more. Youve got people like Pamela Anderson who are independent because they kind of manage their own career, the Putin stooge judges. She cant really be squeezed by, you know, a TV executive. All right, all right Ithink she gets it now, Julian. Shes not on the telly any more.

In some ways, none of this should be a surprise confinement can be aturn-on. I imagine Julian has all sorts of unfortunate cases writing to him as penpals; he may even be engaged to six or seven of them. Since he has been inside, the Yorkshire Ripper has had more girlfriends than Mick Jagger, so it seems reasonable to assume that a whole spectrum of notorious incarcerations can be an aphrodisiac. (Unless were putting the Rippers appeal down to the rapes and hammer murders.) Only this week, Britains Most Dangerous Prisoner, Charles Bronson, got engaged again, this time to a former soap opera bit-part player, who told the Mirror: I used to think he was a violent thug, but from the moment I read one of his books, I just had to write to him he was the inspiration I have been waiting for all my life.

(Incidentally, to all those Assange bros now planning to write very silly 4,000-word blogs claiming I am literally equating Julian Assange with Peter Sutcliffe and Charles Bronson: you go right ahead and break ground on those bad boys, my darlinks. If it falls to me to keep you off the streets for an afternoon, so be it.)

As for Pamela, she does seem far too nice to be mixed up in all this. Its so rare that he has someone to come and visit him and bring him things, she says, of Julian. So I want to be able to do that for him.

Of course, his social life wasnt always so sparse. Time was Julian had a constant stream of famous visitors at the Knightsbridge-based embassy, who always stopped off at the nearest grocer (Harrods) to pick up something yummy for him. Their significant funds coupled with their significant lack of imagination meant this was almost always a hamper. I was told by one who saw it that his room ended up almost wicker-walled, with Julian always able to produce a potted stilton or some whisky marmalade for Kathy Lette, John Pilger, Yoko Ono or whoever was on the afternoon shift. (Never mind those stories of Barney the Purple Dinosaur being played on a deafening loop at Guantanamo. In some ways, you have to concede that the Assange celebrity guestlist was the most sophisticated psychological torture ever conceived.)

Some years on, and ... well, its true that you can safely ignore the best-before dates on a lot of those foodstuffs. But I would imagineJulians tinned pt stocks are nearing dangerously low levels. Indeed, the welcome attentions of the strictly vegan Pamela means Julians latest batch of documents from the Kremlin is only the second most-guarded secret in that room, bumped out of its hiding place by his now uber-sensitive supply of foie gras.

Wikileaks is one of the only reliable news stories because its just the truth, concludes Pamela, bravely resisting getting bogged down in The Obvious. I really believe history will look back on him as such an importantperson.

So do I, old stick. For now, there is a distinct spring in Julians step. On Valentines Day, he reactivated his five-years dormant Twitter account (yes, yes there goes the neighbourhood) with a flourish, announcing: Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated (in a curious plot). But of course in what else? Clearly, this is all heading for a headline-grabbing two-shot on the embassys Juliet balcony, and I urge our lovebirds to proceed to it without delay.

Read more:

Pamela Anderson and Julian Assange: friends with vegan benefits - The Guardian

Deep breaths: Simple breathing techniques such as counting slowly as you breathe can work well for children. Photograph: iStock

In previous articles in the series, I emphasised the importance of responding in a calm way to your childs anxiety. In this article we look at how you can teach children to relax themselves when they experience worry and anxiety.

Generally, a key feature of problematic anxiety is that the child is out of touch with their body. They are often living too much in their heads (which are full of anxiety-laden thoughts, ruminations and worries). Frequently, the goal is to help them get out of their heads and live more in their bodies; you want them to stop over-thinking and to start living. Sometimes, anxiety is caused by the mind misunderstanding the bodys basic signals as in the case of a panic attack. For example, an anxious teen might notice their heart breathing faster, causing them to worry that they are having a heart attack which, in turn, causes their heart to beat even faster and so the anxiety escalates.

Tips for going forward Take time to think of what relaxation techniques might work for your children.

Remember, all techniques are best practised as a daily habit, so they can be drawn upon in crisis or peak of anxiety.

There are lots of classes that teach children relaxation skills either directly such as yoga or indirectly such as sports training. Make sure your child is involved in some of these.

Many of these relaxation skills are now is integrated into teaching in schools (teaching mindfulness or relaxing to music). Check with your childrens school what might be available.

Dr John Sharry is a social worker and psychotherapist and co-developer of the Parents Plus programmes. He will delivering a talk on Promoting Positive Self-Esteem in Children in Kilkenny on Monday, March 20th, and in Dublin on Wednesday, May 10th, and a workshop on Parenting Young Children in Cork on Saturday,, April 1st. See solutiontalk.ie for details. The fifth article in the six-part series will look at how parents can help children challenge the negative thoughts underpinning their anxiety.

Read the original post:

Breathe, exercise, be body-aware: anti-anxiety tips for children - Irish Times

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / February 18, 2017 / Virginia Beach is known for its white sand beaches as well as the waterfront locations along the Chesapeake Bay. The culture of the area spills over to the shore with a relaxing atmosphere, live music, golf courses, hiking and biking paths, shopping and art venues. Diamond Resort Reviews its two resorts in Virginia Beach, each of which reflect the seaside elegance and warmth of the traditional Southern charm. The town comes alive during the summer months with fairs, live music, and a variety of outdoor activities for groups and families. Even in the off-season, the area has developed extensively, drawing in crowds year-round as there is never a lack of things to do.

https://www.instagram.com/diamondresorts/

Diamond Resorts International Oceanaire Resort sits just steps away from the beach. From your room and throughout the resort you will have views of the breathtaking coastline, access to year-round events and incredible sunsets. The Virginia Beach Boardwalk is a destination in and of itself. With food, games, and an Aquarium, a simple walk can turn into an all-day excursion. If you are looking for some nature away from the surf, notable attractions including False Cape, First Landing, and Cape Henry Memorial State Park are a short distance away. Diamond Resort Reviews experts tout the resort's four oceanfront pools, jetted tubs, and a fitness center with state of the art equipment. Whether you want to ride a bike along the boardwalk or just look at the ocean, you can do it here.

Allowing for a more serene vacation atmosphere, Diamond Resorts' Turtle Cay Resort is located just off the boardwalk. The Diamond Resorts team works to provide a relaxing environment, a small oasis in the midst of the crowd. Beyond the typical retreat activities, travelers are urged to venture a mere 35 miles south of the resort to visit the aviation museum, as Virginia Beach sits in the cradle of the birth of flight. As the cultural hub of Virginia, the city features the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts with year-round plays and musicals. There is also a fantastic outdoor concert venue where you can take in both local bands and larger acts depending on the current schedule.

About Diamond Resorts International

Diamond Resorts International, with its network of more than 370 vacation destinations located in 35 countries throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa, provides guests with choice and flexibility to let them create their dream vacation, whether they are traveling an hour away or around the world. Our relaxing vacations have the power to give guests an increased sense of happiness and satisfaction in their lives, while feeling healthier and more fulfilled in their relationships, by enjoying memorable and meaningful experiences that let them Stay Vacationed.

Diamond Resorts International manages vacation ownership resorts and sells vacation ownership points that provide members and owners with Vacations for Life at over 370 managed and affiliated properties and cruise itineraries.

Diamond Resorts Reviews - Diamond Resorts International: http://diamondresorts-reviews.com

Diamond Resorts International Timeshare Reviews: http://diamondresortstimesharereviews.com

Diamond Resorts (@diamondresorts) - Twitter: https://twitter.com/diamondresorts

Diamond Resorts International Why Vacations for Life - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuBW2aWUO5s

For more information: http://www.diamondresorts.com

Contact Information:

Angela Triano Tel: 551-574-8332 trianoangela@yahoo.com

SOURCE: Diamond Resorts International

Originally posted here:

Diamond Resorts Reviews - Virginia's Most Relaxing Beaches - Yahoo Finance

By Emily Sohn By Emily Sohn February 18 at 8:30 AM

Eat better, drink less, exercise more, sleep enough: Its common advice for heart health and its frequently ignored. Just 3 percent of American adults meet the standards for healthy levels of physical activity, consumption of fruit and vegetables, BMI and smoking, according to recent study.

But a major lifestyle overhaul isnt the only way to help your heart, studies suggest. Even small changes can make substantial differences.

Eventually, little changes can add up, says David Goff, director of the cardiovascular sciences division at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda.

Any small change you make in a positive direction is good for you, he says. Its not an all-or-nothing phenomenon.

[Heart attacks in women can be different and more deadly than in men]

Physical activity is a perfect example, Goff says. Official guidelines, which recommend 30 minutes of moderately intense activity on most days, are based partly on evidence of substantial health benefits from doing 150 to 300 minutes of exercise each week, according to a 2011 review study by researchers at the University of South Carolina at Columbia. Those benefits include reduced risks of coronary heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

But the guidelines also come out of an assessment of what is obtainable for most people, Goff adds. And while it would be ideal to get at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly, getting less than that also has benefits. When the researchers looked at deaths from all causes, they saw the sharpest drop in mortality when exercise jumped from half an hour to an hour and a half each week.

Just getting up for a minute or two to interrupt bouts of sitting may also improve health, the study noted. And moving for as little as eight minutes a few times a day provides the same cardiovascular benefits as 30 uninterrupted minutes.

If you cant find 30 minutes a day, try to find five or 10 or 15, Goff says. Anything is better than nothing.

The some is better than none philosophy applies to dietary improvements, too, Goff says. According to the National Institutes of Health, an ideal meal plan includes lots of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, with limited amounts of fatty meat and tropical oils.

[More than half a million heart surgery patients at risk of deadly infection]

But eating an imperfect diet with more of the good stuff is better than giving up entirely. Thats a conclusion from a 2016 study that created food-quality scores from the self-reported diets of about 200,000 people. Over about 25 years, the study found, people whose diets scored lowest had a 13 percent higher risk of coronary artery disease than did people in the second-worst group.

Even just switching out soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages can help eliminate a couple hundred calories a day and control weight. That helps lower blood pressure, levels of harmful cholesterol and the potential for diabetes all risk factors for heart disease, Goff says. Large long-term studies have shown that people who average one sugary drink a day have a 20 percent higher risk of heart attack than people who rarely drink any.

Its not just food and diet, adds Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in and author of Heal Your Heart: The Positive Emotions Prescription to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Heart strength can also come from battling stress by boosting emotional health in simple and unexpected ways, he says, such as enjoying a good laugh.

In a small 2005 study, Miller played movie clips for 20 people. When participants watched a scene that made them laugh, 19 of them experienced dilation of the blood vessels. In contrast, a stressful scene led to constriction in 14 of the 20 viewers. Since then, Miller says, other small studies have found similar results, including one showing that vessels stayed dilated for 24 hours. Dilation allows more blood to flow, decreasing blood pressure and heart rate.

Cross-talk between the brain and heart explains the potential long-term benefits of laughter, Miller says, particularly when laughter is intense enough to induce crying. Belly laughing releases endorphins, triggering receptors in blood vessels to produce nitric oxide, which in turn, dilates blood vessels, increases blood flow, reduces the risk of blood clots, and more.

[Heart doctors are listening for clues to the future of their stethoscopes]

People are far more likely to laugh when theyre with friends, Miller adds, adding yet more evidence of the health benefits of being social.

Accumulating evidence suggests that another easy and enjoyable way to help your heart is to listen to music. During recovery from surgery, several studies have shown, listening to relaxing music leads to a reduction in anxiety and heart rate. And in a 2015 study, Greek researchers found reductions in how hard the hearts of 20 healthy young adults were working after 30 minutes of listening to rock or classical music.

I tell my patients to dust off their old LPs now that LPs are coming back and listen to a piece of music they have not heard in a long time but in the past made them feel really good, Miller says.

Also on his list of recommendations: mindfulness meditation and hugging. Both, he says, look promising in studies of heart health and heart repair.

Considering that stress probably accounts for a third of heart attacks, he says, it can have a dramatic effect if you do all of these things in sync.

Small lifestyle change help at any age, suggests a 2014 study that started by assessing cardiovascular risks in more than 5,000 young adults in the mid-1980s. Twenty years later, people who had made even small but positive changes such as losing a little weight, exercising a bit more or smoking a little less showed less coronary artery calcification than people who didnt change or changed in a negative direction. Coronary artery calcification is a risk factor for heart disease.

For the best chance of success, Goff suggests taking on one little change at a time.

The idea is to make a small change and then make another small change, he says. Its about changing the way you live over years and years, not hours and days.

Read more:

I tried the Chinese practice of sitting the month after childbirth

Dreaded stomach flu wreaks havoc on families and its only going to get worse

Potential side effects of the drug Trump reportedly takes for hair loss

See the original post here:

To take care of your heart, even little changes can help - Washington Post

My shaman blows smoke in my face.

In Spanish, he tells me to think with my heart, not my mind. Moments later our thatch hut collapses like a technicolor circus tent. The girl behind me pukes. The girl beside me cries tears of joy.

In this moment, I see my life laid out like a high-tech, panoramic Facebook program. I see my own icon in the center of the screen. Connected to my icon are small pipes filled with pulsating energy the color of sangria. Each pipe is connected to a person I know: my girlfriend, my mother, my brother, my girlfriends grandparents and my father.

I came to the jungle to be free of anger. I came to the jungle to stop being such a neurotic. I came to the jungle to be a more loving person.

A voice, which I recognize as the voice of the dead philosopher Alan Watts, tells me to put myself into other people. The shamans whistle grows louder and the colors become more vivid. I think about helping everyone in my life. The pipes swell and I see energy from my picture push into the pictures of other people. The field of focus shifts from my icon to theirs. Then it expands outward to peopleI have never met. Trees in woods I have never been to. I feel an overwhelming sense of warmth push down on me. My body collapses onto the wood floor. The deepest feeling of love that I have ever experienced in my life presses me through the ground.

***

Two years later I sit on a cushion in a Kansas community center. The Buddhist senior teacher, though she refers to herself as a senior student, tells me that my mind is like a judgmental monkey, constantly grabbing branches and tossing them aside. She says that it is the minds nature to be anxious and dissatisfied. Dont try to change it, she says. Just notice it and return to the breath.

Like so many others before me, I experienced a state of unconditional love under the influence of entheogenic plants. Yet, there was a comedown. After weeks of bliss and a feeling of deep interconnectedness with everyone and everything, my neurotic mind reared back into first gear. The usual criticisms of other people and myself, anxiety about the future, and a lingering feeling of discontent reemerged. So, I looked toward all the travelers before me Ram Dass, Jack Kornfield, Larry Brilliant who found a way to access the peace, equanimity and compassion characteristic of a psychedelic experience without the plants.

All signs pointed toward meditation.

I would be a liar if I said my monkey mind has disappeared after my S.N. Goenka retreat, a retreat at the Garrison Institute, and two years of meditation without missing a day. But my mind is a lot quieter. I am less judgmental of people and myself. And I know more deeply what it means to think with my heart, rather than my mind. Ayahuasca showed me a plane of consciousness that the Buddhas, Christs and other sages of the world knew how to access in the absence of entheogenic plants. This plane is not a plane of hallucinatory visions, which for me have always been the ornamental frills of a psychedelic experience. It is a plane of unconditional love, and freedom from anger and fear. Meditation gave me a sustainable way to get back here without having to buy a plane ticket to South America.

***

My evolution of consciousness transformed my relationship with myself and my relationships with other people. It also changed the way I relate to activism. My political formation as a teenager came through the punk and alternative rock scenes. As I listened to bands like Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down scream, Fuck you, I wont do what you tell me! and The fire in the masters house is set! on Carson Dalys top-10 countdown, I was inspired to challenge the politicians, Wall Street bankers and corporate CEOs who seemed intent on dispossessing the poor, destroying the planet and turning everything into a source of private profit, like capitalist vampires trained in alchemy. One of my first Rage Against the Machine t-shirts had the lyrics Your anger is a gift! printed across the chest.

But a politics of anger is not sustainable, unless you are interested in having a heart attack before you turn 40. If you listen to talks by enduring political voiceslike Noam Chomsky, they very rarely get aggravated. When I went to Chomskys lecture in Boston a few months ago, titled Extinction or Internationalism, he was quite cool when he discussed the prospects of nuclear annihilation and environmental catastrophe. He even joked around. Howard Zinn was the same way. While to my knowledge they never dropped LSD or engaged in a 10-day meditation retreat, they embody the temperament that psychedelics and meditation can cultivate in people.

Through my experiences, I have becomea much calmer and more empathetic person, and that calmhas affectedmy approach to political activism. But that doesnt mean Im less engaged Ive become more politically active as a result.

Today, I see the violence that permeates homes, politics and the world as a consequence of the suffering experienced by individuals. This relationship to ill will led me to prisons where I teach meditation, mindfulness and nonviolent communication to people whose inner turmoil caused them to create turmoil in their communities.

My experiences abroad and at home also led me to have a much more compassionate view of the people I once felt anger toward like those CEOs, financiers, politicians andpeople who dont vote the same way I do.

At a time like this, it is especially important that words like empathy, compassion, understanding, composure and equanimity play a part in our political vernacular. When I see President Donald Trump or Sen. Paul Ryan speak about deregulating the oil industry or destroying public programs for the poor, I see two individuals who are suffering. I see menlike my younger self, filled with anger and fear, who werenever able to let it go, and who now exercise that anger and fear on a global scale. I cannot imagine what it is like to live with as much hate inside me as is inside Donald Trump. But, through empathy, I can act against him without hating him. This allows me to have compassion not just for the powerless, but also the powerful. It also allows me to stay free of the anger and fear that brought me to the jungle. In this tension between action against and empathy for, the seeds of a politics of love and radical social change can grow.

Read the original:

Ayahuasca, meditation and activism: On cultivating the mindful politics of love - Salon

One of those things I love about Facebook are those little factoids that one can pick up. Of course you always have to be careful. So, for instance, there is a meme going around my circles right now with a picture of the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus and the caption declaring he died laughing at his own joke.

One has to dig around a bit, but I did. And as it turns out there are actually two stories about how the great Stoic (often thought of as the second founder of the school) died. One is boring, he drank too much undiluted wine, fell into a stupor and passed away. The other claims he saw a donkey eating some figs and quipped Now give that donkey some wine to wash down the figs. Then, as the meme goes, he fell into a fit of laughter at his own joke, and, well, died. As to the humor of the quip, I guess you had to be there.

Through the near random associations of snapping synapses, this made me think of the way humor fits into Zen. And I renewed my web search.

I found a bunch of lists of jokes, most often leading off with the one about the Buddhist going to the hot dog vendor and asking to make me one with everything. It must be funny because people are always telling it to me. And, I do try hard to smile when they do.

Of course studies of humor are famously not themselves very funny. Dr Freuds study leaps to mind. Although I did find a pretty good article by Andrew Whitehead, She Who Laughs Loudest: A Meditation on Zen Humor. While he would never get through a dokusan (Zen interview) with his analysis, as a reflection on whats going on, I found it pretty good.

And Mr Whitehead offered some points I was unaware of. As it turns out those Indian Buddhists who analyzed pretty much everything (I believe in their quest for salvation by finding the perfect list) had a list of the six kinds of laughter.

sita: a faint, almost imperceptible smile manifest in the subtleties of facial expression and countenance alone; hasita: a smile involving a slight movement of the lips, and barely revealing the tips of the teeth; vihasita: a broad smile accompanied by a modicum of laughter; upahasita: accentuated laughter, louder in volume, associated with movements of the head, shoulders, and arms; apahasita: loud laughter that brings tears; and atihasita: the most boisterous, uproarious laughter attended by movements of the entire body (e.g., doubling over in raucous guffawing, convulsions, hysterics, rolling in the aisles, etc.).

Now, Andrew Whitehead quickly notes this sort of thing is alien to Zen. But. And. In fact we do inherit as a founding story Mahakashapas faint smile at the Buddhas twirling a flower, which fits as the first of the Indian list, and I guess we could even call it Zens great inside joke.

Actually Zens spiritual humor tends to be a bit more slapstick. For instance in the great shaggy dog koan about master Baizhang Huaihai and a fox spirit, it concludes in the evening when the old master told his assembly the story of his meeting the spirit and what happened, which turned on questions of causality and freedom.

His senior student Huangbo stood up and said, Sir, what if the old abbot had given the right answer every time? What would have happened then? Baizhang smiled, perhaps like Mahakashapa, and fingering his teachers stick said, Come here Huangbo, and Ill tell you.

Heres a dangerous moment, if a somewhat different danger than between the fox and Baizhang, to encounter a Zen teacher with a stick in his or her hand.

Huangbo would become another of the teachers who created what we call Zen. According to traditional sources he was a giant of a man, standing nearly seven feet tall, while his teacher was barely five feet, short even for those days. When the younger monk walked up to his teacher, just before coming face to face and just out of reach from his teachers stick, Huangbo reached out and slapped the old abbot.

And the old abbot laughed, and laughed, and declared They say the barbarian has a red beard, but heres a red bearded barbarian.

Theres a joke. Okay, slapstick, sort of, but still its another of Zens inside jokes.

And thats the real question. Whats the inside joke?

Whats the real deal?

Well, theres a novel by David James Duncan called The River Why. I think the concluding chapter says it as well as Ive heard it. So, for your benefit, here it is. Oh, one thing to help with it. There are a lot of fishing images in the novel.

There was an old Taoist who lived in a village in ancient China, named Master Hu. Hu loved God and God loved Hu, and whatever God did was fine with Hu, and whatever Hu did was fine with God. They were friends. They were such good friends that they kidded around. Hu would do stuff to God like call him The Great Clod. Thats how he kidded. That was fine with God. God would turn around and do stuff to Hu like give him warts on his face, wens on his head, arthritis in his hands, a hunch in his back, canker sores in his mouth and gout in his feet. Thats how He kidded. That God. What a kidder! But it was fine with Hu.

Master Hu grew lumpy as a toad; he grew crooked as cherry wood; he became a human pretzel. You Clod! hed shout at God, laughing. That was fine with God. Hed send Hu a right leg ten inches shorter than the left to show He was listening. And Hu would laugh some more and walk around in little circles, showing off his short leg, saying to the villagers, Haha! See how the Great Clod listens! How lumpy and crookedy and ugly He is making me! He makes me laugh and laugh! Thats what a Friend is for! And the people of the village would look at him and wag their heads: sure enough, old Hu looked like an owls nest; he looked like a swamp; he looked like something the dog rolled in. And he winked at his people and looked up at God and shouted, Hey Clod! What next? And splot! Out popped a fresh wart.

The people wagged their heads till their tongues wagged too. They said, Poor Master Hu has gone crazy. And maybe he had. Maybe God sent down craziness along with the warts and wens and hunch and gout. What did Hu care? It was fine with him. He loved God and God loved Hu, and Hu was the crookedest, ugliest, happiest old man in all the empire till the day he whispered,

Hey Clod! What now?

and God took his line in hand and drew him right into Himself. That was fine with Hu. Thats what a Friend is for.

The secret is in that line. Perhaps its a fishing line. Perhaps it is the blood red thread we run into in a couple of Zens koans.

Another hint. Dont cling too tightly to that thread, that line. That said, held lightly like a good fisherman, it does reveal the joke. Actually the punchline is revealed everywhere and in everything.

And if you get it, theres at least a smile, and maybe, on occasion, even some rolling down laughter.

Youre welcome. After all, whats a friend for?

And, okay, if thats not clear, perhaps Ellen can help, at least a little.

Youre welcome.

After all, whats a friend for?

The rest is here:

What's a Friend For? A Small Meditation on Zen's Inside Joke - Patheos (blog)

Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chdrn once said, If it werent for my mind, my meditation would be excellent. Im not a Buddhist, nor an ordained nun like Chdrn, but I completely get what shes saying. My mind always goes to food when I meditatemore specifically, cheeseburgers. My brain also travels to my to-do list, whatever show Im bingeing on Netflix , or current stressors. Which is exactly why I need meditation , but also why I can never seem to stick with it.

Merriam-Webster defines meditation as the simple act of engaging in a mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness. And loads of studies show that its basically a miracle nondrug for the brain.

Like many couples, my husband and I wade through lifes distractions, like a constant stream of text messages or the need for quick answers on an iPhone. If daily meditation can help keep us in the present, it's kind of like a free form of counseling for a better relationship, right? We decided to give it a try for a month. Heres what we learned.

Joey Klein, the author of The Inner Matrix: A Guide to Transforming Your Life and Awakening Your Spirit , tells SELF, Any place or position is OK for meditation because you are engaging in an internal process; you can do that in a city, in the woods, lying down, or sitting up, and you can even engage certain internal processes while you are walking or working out."

My husband and I both pictured meditation as sitting still in a cross-legged position, so we appreciated the myriad options for zoning out. Walking meditation is quite pleasant but difficult to do as a couple with the temptation to talk. Hiking meditation is pretty awesome (it's so much easier to keep quiet and be in the moment when you're surrounded by nature), but the best was in-flight meditation, which instantly quelled airport anxiety .

We did most of our meditating in the evening, sitting in bed. But unlike walking or sitting in lotus position, engaging in this casual style of meditation promptly led us both into deep sleep before our timer went off. Klein says that this is common for the newbie meditator and instead recommends sitting comfortably in a chair with your back straight, or on the floor with your back relaxed. But even when we fell asleep, it felt like a success.

Unlike my daily exercise routine of running or yoga , its hard to remember to meditate, and we completely forgot a few times. Klein says consistency is important when it comes to seeing the benefits of meditation and that skipping days will reduce the efficacy. Think of meditation as lifting weights for the mind and the brain," he suggests. "Just like you want to work out each day and not miss your workoutits the same idea. We started setting a daily meditation reminder, and by the end of our month, it was rarely needed.

Does it feel like humans get annoyed way too often? It feels like I spent too much of my life being annoyed about things that dont actually deserve the frustration (like big groups blocking the sidewalk, people wearing sunglasses indoors, or someone showing me a video on their iPhone). Surprisingly, meditation helps. I noticed this while nonchalantly dropping my husbands dirty clothes into the laundry bag that sits 1 inch from where he leaves the pile.

And my husband feels that his road rage is improving. A recent paper publishedin Current Directions in Psychological Science confirms that meditation can do this. Researcher Rimma Teper and her colleagues at the University of Toronto write that, despite the common misconception that meditation empties our head of emotions, mindfulness actually helps us become more aware and accepting of emotional signalswhich helps us to control our behavior.

Theres zero equipment required for meditation, but my husband and I both discovered that its easier to focus when youve applied Chapstick to your lips, moved hair out of your face, and are not hungry . I once meditated hungry on the sofa in front of leftovers, and the smell of onions was incredibly distracting.

We downloaded the Inscape app , created by Khajak Keledjian, the owner of New York Citys newest luxury meditation center of the same name. The handy subscription-based app is loaded with guided meditations for those who cant visit the swanky studio in person. While my husband found the apps voice to be distracting, I enjoyed the soothing tone and appreciated the guidance. Its here that I learned to count while breathing, which helped to alleviate thoughts of cheeseburgers.

Klein says that a great universal practice for beginner or advanced meditators alike is to concentrate on the breath. "Begin by sitting down, closing your eyes, and relaxing the body from your head to your toes," he instructs. "Next, place your focus on the breath and inhale through the nose for four seconds. Pause gently at the top of the inhale. Exhale through the nose for four seconds. Pause gently at the bottom of the exhale.If your mind becomes distracted, gently bring the focus back to the breath.Then repeat this breath pattern for 20 minutes.

Klein says, One of the most important aspects of a healthy and vibrant relationship is how couples connect with each other. Its so easy in our fast-paced modern society to forget to take the time to connect with each other in an intimate and focused way. That's why he recommends meditating as a couple. Meditation helps to create a deep and profound connection with ourselves and access experiences like joy, peace, love, and compassion. If we connect with each other in that space, it helps to bring those qualities into our relationship.

After a month of daily meditation, that advice completely rings true. For us, it felt great to engage in something nondigital together each day that was good for our minds and souls. And while we didnt speak, we soaked up the relaxing and positive vibes at the end of each day and let it really set the tone for our interactions. Daily meditation is definitely something well continue as a couple.

You Might Also Like: 3 Quick Tips for Meditating on the Road

More:

My Husband and I Meditated Daily for a Month and It Felt Like Free Couples Therapy - SELF

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ - Do you have questions about Buddhism or wanted to learn how to meditate? If so, the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center may have answers for you.

"The basic philosophy of Buddhism is to do good, not evil, and improve your mind," center member Ravi Karunaratnesaid.

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center was established in 2003and is located in Franklin Township minutes away from Princeton and a 45-minute bus ride from New York City.

Sign Up for E-News

In Sep. 2009 the Samadhi Buddha statue was built, on the 10-acre property of the Meditation Center. According to theirwebsite, it is the largest outdoor Buddha statue in the western hemisphere. The Buddha is 30 feet tall, sits on a pink lotus and is made of steel and concrete.

Since the unveiling of the statue, the center has been considered a New Jersey landmark attracting a steady stream of visitors throughout the year. It can be seen from Route 27 by people driving by, especially on a moonlit night due to the luminous glow of the statue.

"Our members come from all over - New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Deleware and New York, we have about 600 families," center member Dr. Wije Kottahachchisaid.

According to their website, "the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara is dedicated to serving Buddhists, as well as non-Buddhists in the United States, essentially for religious, cultural and social purposes."

Many practicing Buddhist believe peace can only be found through love, compassion, tolerance, co-existence and non-violence. At the NewJerseyBuddhist Vihara and Meditation Center visitors can learn practical methods to deal with the everyday stresses of life through various programs offered at the center.

Visitors can meditate in front of the Samadhi Buddha statue every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. There is also a scenic redwood tree-lined meditation trail, one can walk to help cleanse their mind, and along the trail, they will see quotes to help with meditation.

On Friday nights between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. are evenings of meditation with the resident monksand after meditation one can take part in discussions on the Buddhist doctrine. There is also a Dhamma school for children to help give them a foundation to assist with the development of rational thoughts, along with positive attitudes.

At the center, you can learn different forms of meditation - Metta Meditation, Anapansati Meditation, and Buddhanussati Meditation.

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center provides descriptions of each form of meditation, below is a brief snapshot:

Metta Meditation:"Metta meditation is a good way to calm down a distraught mind and some consider it to be an antidote to anger."

Anapanasati Meditation:" The practice ofanapanasatiis a tool to free oneself from suffering generated by uncontrolled thoughts."

Buddhanussati Meditation:"In thismeditation,we direct the mind to the qualities of Lord Buddha as the object of meditation."

The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center is in the midst of an expansion project that will include an 11,000 square foot building that would house a library, meditation hall, residence for the clergy, and areas for community gatherings. The meditation trails through the woods will also be expanded and meditation gardens will be built.

Did you like this story?

Sign Up for E-News

Give us your feedback at mlyons@tapinto.net.

If you did like it, please share with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter, and don't forget to "Like" our FaceBook Page!

Original post:

Houses of Worship in Franklin Township - Buddhist Vihara ... - TAPinto - TAPinto.net

Photo: / Michael P. Mayko

Derby Mayor Anita Dugatto administers the oath of office to Adam Pacheco as a new Housing Authority commissioner on Jan. 4, 2017

Derby Mayor Anita Dugatto administers the oath of office to Adam Pacheco as a new Housing Authority commissioner on Jan. 4, 2017

HUD clears the way for Pacheco to serve on Derby Housing Authority

DERBY-The ;U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development cleared the way for Adam Pacheco, a city landlord, to serve on the Housing Authority despite having a tenant who receives Section 8 subsidies.

Pachecos January appointment came on the heels of Mayor Anita Dugattos decision not to re-appoint Joseph Romano to the Housing Authority. Romano is the father of J.R. Romano, the state Republican Party chairman.

Many city Republicans including J.R. Romano accused the mayor of playing politics. Both the elder Romano and Stan Muzyk, a Housing Authority member, pointed out that Pachecos appointment could be in violation of HUD regulations.

Pacheco owns a four-family home at 91-93 Caroline Street which he resides in. One of his tenants, who resided there prior to Pacheco purchasing the property, receives HUD subsidies.

As a result Dugatto contacted HUD and requested a waiver of the conflict of interest clause for Pacheco.

In a letter dated Feb. 8, 2017, Jennifer R. Gottlieb Elazhari, HUDs program center coordinator, wrote: Form the facts as stated, we find good cause to grant the waiver of the conflict of interest as the issue is isolated to one family and the Commissioner does not have extensive rental property in the town of Derby.

Furthermore, in the State of Connecticut landlords are required not to discriminate against Housing Choice Voucher participants and so any rental property owner can be faced with this situation, she continued. Although Mr. Pacheco is a DHA board commissioner, it does not appeart that in his role he would excercise functions or responsibilities with respect to the programs at DHA.

However, Elazhari warned Pacheco against becoming involved in other DHA issues relates to this tenant.

Muzyk said he is "happy to learn that Mr. Pacheco received the waiver necessary to be in conformance as a HUD landlord who receives HUD rental income as he is already a valuable contributor as commissioner at DHA.

However Muzyk believes Dugatto should have obtained the waiver before appointing Pacheco.

See the article here:

HUD clears the way for Pacheco to serve on Derby Housing ... - Westport News

by Greg Klein | February 17, 2017

With potential customers waiting for rare earths concentrate samples, Commerce Resources TSXV:CCE closed a $1.71-million private placement on February 17 that included $1 million from Ressources Qubec. A subsidiary of the provincial government corporation Investissement Qubec, Ressources Qubec focuses on projects that have good return prospects and foster Qubecs economic development, the organization says. Its role is complementary to private funders.

We are excited to have the support of the Quebec government with this investment from Ressources Qubec. The province of Quebec continues to prove that it is one of the most attractive jurisdictions to develop a mineral project. Chris Grove, president of Commerce Resources

We are excited to have the support of the Quebec government with this investment from Ressources Qubec, Commerce president Chris Grove stated. The province of Quebec continues to prove that it is one of the most attractive jurisdictions to develop a mineral project. We are excited to be advancing our Ashram project with this financing.

The private placement will be used to complete the projects pilot plant, to produce samples of REE and fluorite concentrates, and for general working capital. Among companies requesting REE samples are Solvay, Mitsubishi, Treibacher, BASF, DKK, Albemarle and Blue Line.

The money comes in addition to a three-year, $300,000 environmental grant from the province to optimize tailings management.

Ashrams high-grade, near-surface deposit benefits from relatively simple metallurgy, suggesting a potentially low-cost operation with an impressive distribution of magnet feed elements. Now moving towards pre-feas, the project reached PEA in 2012.

Commerce also holds the Upper Fir tantalum-niobium deposit in southeastern British Columbia, which reached PEA in 2011 and a resource update in 2013.

Read more about Commerce Resources.

This article was posted by Greg Klein - Resource Clips on Friday, February 17th, 2017 at 3:12 pm.

Link:

Province of Quebec invests in Commerce Resources' Ashram rare earths project - Resource Clips