Jun. 13, 2015

Whole Foods Market's new program Responsibly Grown is drawing heat from grocery chain's longtime organic suppliers, who complain program can give conventional growers higher rankings than their own organic produce; company's stock fell 14 percent in May and its gross profit margin fell below 36 percent, signalling possible damage from competition with mainstream grocery chains. MORE

Estimated 5,000 independent natural products retailers are headed by former activists and health food pioneers now reaching retirement age and facing decision on whether to close, sell to strangers, or turn business over to their children; familial business transitions can be difficult and complicated, and experts say taking the time to get outside advice in planning the turnover can be critical to to ensuring stable second-generation ownership. MORE

Group of consumer and environmental advocates, grocers and seed growers files lawsuit against Agriculture Dept, challenging change to rules for granting approval for nonorganic substances used in organic farming. MORE

Textile company Coyuchi offers completely organic, watercolor bedding. MORE

Animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere releases troubling video of laying hens at Northern California farm that supplies eggs to Whole Foods and Organic Valley; owners of Petaluma Farms claim group is distorting conditions under which its eggs are raised; incident raises questions over whether such video footage can be misleading. MORE

Boris Akimov, Russian founder of organic farm cooperative LavkaLavka, hopes ban on food imports from the West will boost Russia's fledgling farm-to-table movement; Akimov found himself flooded with requests from grocery chains after Pres Vladimir Putin imposed ban in retaliation for Western sanctions. MORE

Agriculture Dept plans to announce that it will spend $52 million to support local and regional food systems like farmers' markets and food hub and to spur research on organic farming. MORE

Small fast food chains are making a splash in the restaurant industry by offering enticements like grass-fed beef, organic produce, sustainable seafood and menus that change with the season; all are thriving, despite higher costs and prices, and are planning national expansions. MORE

Comprehensive review of earlier studies to be published in British Journal of Nutrition finds substantially higher levels of antioxidants and lower levels of pesticides in organic fruits, vegetables and grains compared with conventionally grown produce; findings stop short of claiming that eating organic produce will lead to better health. MORE

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organic food news - Times Topics - The New York Times

Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, food processors, retailers and restaurants.

Requirements vary from country to country, and generally involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging and shipping that include:

In some countries, certification is overseen by the government, and commercial use of the term organic is legally restricted. Certified organic producers are also subject to the same agricultural, food safety and other government regulations that apply to non-certified producers.

Certified organic foods are not necessarily pesticide-free, certain pesticides are allowed.[2]

Organic certification addresses a growing worldwide demand for organic food. It is intended to assure quality and prevent fraud, and to promote commerce. While such certification was not necessary in the early days of the organic movement, when small farmers would sell their produce directly at farmers' markets, as organics have grown in popularity, more and more consumers are purchasing organic food through traditional channels, such as supermarkets. As such, consumers must rely on third-party regulatory certification.

For organic producers, certification identifies suppliers of products approved for use in certified operations. For consumers, "certified organic" serves as a product assurance, similar to "low fat", "100% whole wheat", or "no artificial preservatives".

Certification is essentially aimed at regulating and facilitating the sale of organic products to consumers. Individual certification bodies have their own service marks, which can act as branding to consumersa certifier may promote the high consumer recognition value of its logo as a marketing advantage to producers.

To certify a farm, the farmer is typically required to engage in a number of new activities, in addition to normal farming operations:

In addition, short-notice or surprise inspections can be made, and specific tests (e.g. soil, water, plant tissue) may be requested.

For first-time farm certification, the soil must meet basic requirements of being free from use of prohibited substances (synthetic chemicals, etc.) for a number of years. A conventional farm must adhere to organic standards for this period, often two to three years. This is known as being in transition. Transitional crops are not considered fully organic.

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Organic certification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Welcome to the Relaxing Music of Jack Lim

Listen to Jack's Sampler CD tracks by clicking on the following titles:

View a sample of the Inner Peace Relaxation Imagery DVD online

View part 1 of The Great Stork Qigong Instructional DVD online

View the entire Cancer You Can Beat It! video online for free

NEW: Download the entire Stop Smoking soundtrack for free

View the entire Cancer You Can Beat It! video online for free

Download the book The Spiritual Significance of Music - Book 2 for free. Jack's contribution to this book appears of page 105.

Qi Energy Music is Jack Lim's unique creation. This is beautiful self help music composed and played by this leading international Qi Energy healer and teacher. The harmonious vibrations in his music and his positive thought for healing, inner peace and harmony and change have empowered thousands.

Qigong is the ancient Art of Longevity, developed over 7,000 years ago in China. Qi (chi) is the life force or energy of the body which travels the network of meridians within the body and joins with the energy of the universe. Qigong is the second and deeper wave of Chinese culture to the west after Taichi.

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Jack Lim's Beautiful Relaxation Music

Peter June 19, 2015 1503 Views

What is the science behind the movie Self/Less starring Ryan Reynolds and Sir Ben Kingsley?

Cryonics requires perpetual care. Two failure modes are considered, organizational decline and political attack.

During much of the transhumanist movement, advocates of Christianity have rightly opposed supporters of transhumanism because of ideological differences.

Dr. Max More, President & CEO of Alcor Life Extension Foundation, on Cryonics & the Future of Emergency Medicine.

Deciding whether something is really an enhancement depends on what you measure, when, where, and how you measure it. This is The Measurement Problem of Transhumanism.

Invoking Mary Shelleys myth of Frankenstein is standard fare in arguments over controversial science.

'Chappie' (2015) surprised me with the most pro-transhumanist message I've seen in a major film.

BioViva, is an ambitious biotech startup that aims to cure diseases using gene therapy. It is also perhaps the first company to recognize aging as a disease and tackle it at the genetic level. And in case that wasn't enough to get you interested, BioViva CEO Liz Parrish states that the company also want to make you "smarter, stronger, faster and more visually accurate".

"The Transhumanist Party is a political organization that aims to put technology, health, and science at the forefront of US politics."

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Transhumanism Archives - h+ Mediah+ Media

Yoga Meditation is the art and science of systematically observing, accepting, understanding, and training each of the levels of our being, such that we may coordinate and integrate those aspects of ourselves, and dwell in the direct experience of the center of consciousness. (There is a 16-page description of traditional Yoga Meditation, which explains the process in practical terms, and simple language.)

Yoga Meditation is not actually a separate aspect of Yoga, due to the fact that traditional Yoga virtually is meditation. However, the phrase Yoga Meditation can be used here to discriminate between traditional Yoga Meditation and the now popular belief that Yoga is about physical postures. Yoga or Yoga Meditation is a complete process unto itself, only a small, though useful part of which relates to the physical body. (See the article Modern Yoga versus Traditional Yoga)

3 Stages of Awareness

Yoga, Sankhya, Vedanta, and Tantra view the human as manifesting outward step-by-step, whereby the subtler consciousness projects evermore outward, and then gradually forgets those subtler levels. Genesis also explains this outward movement when seen through the eye of the Yogi or mystic. (Sankhya, Vedanta, Tantra, Adhyasa)

2) In Yoga Each Aspect is Trained

Yoga is complete unto itself. In Yoga, each level of our being is trained independently, while also being trained to flow together. The systematic processes deal one-by-one with our actions in the world, senses, body, breath, and and both the conscious and unconscious aspects of mind.

3) Awareness Recedes to the State of Yoga*

Yoga or "Union" is attained by first training, balancing, and purifying each of the aspects of our being individually, and then systematically receding attention inward through those levels, expanding so as to experience the state of Union, Yoga, Samadhi, or Turiya.

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Yoga Meditation

Photo by Phil King You cant calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass. ~Timber Hawkeye

Have you ever felt so angry you lashed out and said words you regret? Felt so hurt, you couldnt talk past the lump in your throat?

So frustrated, you werent able to form a coherent sentence? Or tried to communicate something important, and it landed like a dead fish?

Ive been there.In my teens, I was a tempestuous young woman. Hormones had me flipping from rage to despair in a heartbeat. I sprayed emotions around me like a machine gun sprays bullets.

I couldnt even talk to my then-boyfriend about anything important without losing control. I frustrated even myself.

So I learned to keep emotions under lock and key. I rarely expressed how I felt, and aimed to just keep the peace and ensure everyone was happy.

Except me.

Several years ago, my good friend and I shared an apartment. We both just started our first real jobs and werent making a ton of money. We took turns cooking dinner, and we came up with a plan to use everything in our fridge before we went grocery shopping.

We didnt waste food and saved serious cash at a time when we needed to most. It also forced us to be ridiculously creative.

Apples and tofu were the only thing in the fridge? Check out the pantry. Weve got some walnuts, honey and a lone red onion. Suddenly we went from scrounging to gourmet cooking.

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Personal Development - Think Simple Now

by Dan Brul

In the beginning, we are told, was the word, but behind the word is an even greater power: the breath. Have you noticed that words are simply specific formations, shapes and movements of breath?

In the end days, it is said: all the secrets and mysteries will be revealed. Those end days must be approaching, because today, the breath itself seems to be revealing those secrets to us. It seems that the secret of life has been right under our nose all the time!

But it should come as no surprise, since almost every spiritual teacher throughout time has pointed to the breath in some way, and every contemporary healer makes use of the breath at some point.

Almost all the ancient languages use the same word for air, wind or breath, as they do for life, vital energy, or spirit; or the animating principle of life. This principle, this spirit of life, is called chi, ki, prana, or energy.

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Spiritual Breathing | Breath Energy Training

A constant intriguing factor in the imagery of the Great Buddha is the group of three curving conch-like lines on his neck. In the varied world of Buddhist art this is one common characteristic that shines across all aesthetic traditions. Like other Buddhist motifs, it too is soaked in rich spiritual symbolism. It is said to represent Buddha's deep and resonant voice, through which he introduced his followers to the path of dharma.

The association of the conch shell with Buddha's melodious voice, sweet with the tenor of his uplifting message, has both an archetypal simplicity and universal appeal. It is a hard-hitting symbol which associates a primordial object (deemed sacred in all ancient traditions) with the actual physical body of the Buddha. Indeed, though much of Buddhist philosophy is esoteric, when it comes to aesthetics, Buddhist art is justly famous for giving a physical, easily recognizable representation to abstract philosophical truths.

Buddhism has evolved over the centuries a complex, yet discernable scheme of symbolism which has found adequate expression in Buddhist art. Undoubtedly, the most popular of such symbols is the group of eight, known in Sanskrit as 'Ashtamangala,' ashta meaning eight and mangala meaning auspicious. Each of these symbols is also individually associated with the physical form of the Buddha.

These eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism (Tib. bkra shis rtags brgyad) are:

1). A Conch Shell

2). A Lotus

3). A Wheel

4). A Parasol (Umbrella)

5). An Endless Knot

6). A Pair of Golden Fishes

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The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism - A Study in ...

So here you are, a restless soul, still searching for the meaning of life, still searching for Loves fulfilment, still feeling alone, still hiding behind a mask, but I see you and what I see is more precious than you have dared to consider.

So here we are, brought together by Love and Truth, so that we may share in their gifts.

I will share freely the things that were given to me, and together we will fill that empty space within you.

I will tell you of things that no-one else in this world canor dare tell you, and you will know that I am a true teacher and healer of souls. I will give you back what was taken from you and make you your own master, for a loving soul seeks no power over others.

We all have only one judge and that is Love, from which all Truth comes.

It is not who you were or what you have done in the past that matters, rather it is who you are now and what you will become that is important.

You will never cease to exist, may your future be lived in peace and harmony, and with Love and Truth.

I will make all things new, and you will know that you are loved and on the true path to your Spiritual Evolution.

Love and peace,

William

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Spiritual Evolution - The Meaning of Life

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Learn about the revolutionary approach to spiritual practice that is bringing enlightenment out of the Dark Ages

Download our 30-minute guided meditation audio and learn to abide as the perfection at the heart of the cosmos.

Founded by evolutionary pioneer Craig Hamilton, Integral Enlightenment seeks to revitalize and update the spiritual path to meet the evolutionary needs of humanity in the 21st century. It was born out of the recognition that, although there is much about Truth that is timeless, the world has changed in the millennia since the birth of the great religions. And human beings have changed, too. Integral Enlightenment is an approach to spiritual practice that aspires to meet this need by leveraging our unique, 21st century human capacities to meet our 21st century individual and collective challenges. It embraces the wisdom of the great meditative traditions, but also reaches forward to unleash the profound spiritual potential inherent in our recently evolved capacities for self-awareness, introspection, self-authorship and relational intimacy.

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Integral Enlightenment | Evolutionary Spirituality with ...