LOVELIGHT

Magazine

 

August 2008 ***Vol. 5, No. 8

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Managing editors: Adamaria Francis and a franciscan taoist

 

A special "thank you," to, and acknowledgments of, our special contributors to this issue; they are: Barb Baty, Jim Dwyer, Maureen Dwyer, Mick Gallagher, Noel Harrison, Jennifer Horner, Michelle Lawson, Cindaluna Miller, Miriam Miller, Pinky Munawar, Electa Robbins, Ruth Sembiro.

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LOVELIGHT MAGAZINE: WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT

    

Lovelight magazine is free, coming to your inboxscreen monthly, to announce the beauty of Love!  And we love to laugh!:)  So, if you discover any good chuckles, please send them along!:)  But no bigoted, prejudiced, scatological, geruntological, low-quality, or poor-taste humor, please. 

     Still, life is not all laughs.  So, we hope also to share pleasant and happy thoughts.  Lovelight wants to promote peace and harmony, all over the world, and to aid you to feel good!:)  If you are working on any religious, psychological, or spiritual issues, we encourage you to read the ezine, and to write to us at rmfrancis@juno.com   

     Also, if you come across any wise or touching pieces, not copyrighted, fairly short, please share them with us!  Also welcome are practical tips, short pieces on personal philosophies, interesting facts, wordplays, and general spirituality (but no religion or "preachy" dogma, please.:).  We reserve the right to make whatever changes we deem necessary or desirable before inclusion in Lovelight.

      A subscription is free.  As a subscriber, your email name/address will not be shared.  Please share, send, or copy, this magazine, or any parts of it.  Share it as widely as possible, with all your friends, and all others.  Please use it on  your websites and bulletinboards.  Please photocopy, email, or snailmail any parts of it to others.  Also, please have friends send us their emailaddress and subscribe.  Subscriptions are free.

     This is "light" reading.  And it is also great, fun reading.  A collection of magazines is produced once a year.  We have published three volumes, and this would make a sweet gift for a loved one.  Happy reading!:)

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THIS POOR WORLD: VISION INTERVIEW WITH AN "ANGEL" sent in by Cindaluna Miller

 

This is one  of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:
I dreamed that I went  to Heaven and an angel was showing me around.  We walked into a  large workroom filled with angels.  My angelguide  stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is the  Receiving Section.  Here, all petitions or prayers are received."  I looked  around and it was busy with many angels sorting  out

Petitions, from people all over the world.

      Then we  moved on until we reached the second  section.  She then said, "This is the Packaging and  Delivery Section.  Here, the graces and blessings the  people asked  for are processed and delivered to those who asked for them."  I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working  hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested.

     Finally at the farthest end, we stopped at the door of a very small station.  To my  great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing.  "This  is the Acknowledgment Section," my angelfriend quietly admitted to me.  She  seemed embarrassed.

     "Why is there no work going on here?" I  asked.

     "So  sad," she sighed.  "After people receive the blessings that they  asked for, very few send back acknowledgments."

     "How  does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked.

     "Simple," she  answered.  "Just say, 'Thank you, Lord.  Or do something good to someone else."

     "What blessings should they  acknowledge?"  I asked.

     "If you have food in the refrigerator,  clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep, you are richer  than 75% of the poor population of the earth.  If you have  money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are  among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.  And if you get this on  your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.  If you woke up this morning with more health than  illness, you are  more blessed than the many who will not even survive this  day  .  If you have  never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the  agony of torture, or the pangs of  starvation, you are  ahead of 700 million people in the world.  If you can attend a  church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you are  envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the  world.  If  your parents are still alive and still married, you are  very rare  .  If  you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm; you're contrasted with all those in doubt and despair."    

     "Okay," I said.  "What now?  How can I start?"

     "If you can read this message, you just received a double  blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are  more blessed than over two billion people in the world, who cannot read at  all."

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass  this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all  are.

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EXPLOSION ROCKS YOUR KITCHEN, sent in by Maureen Dwyer

 

I never realized that a wet dishcloth could be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan!

This is a dramatic video (30-seconds) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire-- oil in a frying pan.  Please read the following introduction, then watch the show.  It's a real eye-opener!

At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer.  An instructor would don a fire suit, and, using an 8 ounce cup, at the end of a10 foot pole, toss water onto the grease-fire.  The results got the attention of the students!

The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated.  The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out.  On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast.  Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire.  One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite!  This is a powerful message!  Please watch the attached video; and please don't forget what you see!  Please tell your whole family about this video. Or better yet, send this to them!

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WHERE TO BUY AMERICAN GASOLINE, sent in by Electa Robbins

 

This is very important to know.  Please read on.

Gas rationing in the 1970's worked even though we grumbled about it.  It might even have been good for us.  But are you aware that the Saudis are boycotting American products?  In addition, they are gouging us on oil prices.  Shouldn't we "return the favor"? Can't we take control of our own destiny and let these giant oil importers know who REALLY generates their profits, their livings?  It's us!  So, how about leaving American Dollars in America and reducing the import/export deficit?
 An appealing remedy might be to boycott their gas.  Every time you fill up your car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia .
Just purchase gas from companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis.  Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill up my tank,
I'm sending my money to people who (I get the impression) want me, my family, and my friends dead.  The  following gas companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell--205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco--144,332,000 barrels
Exxon/Mobil--130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway--117,740,000 barrels
 Amoco--62,231,000 barrels
 And CITGO oil is imported from Venezuela. (We pay Chavez's regime nearly $10 Billion per year in oil revenues!)
 The U.S. currently imports 5,517,000 barrels of crude oil per day from OPEC. If you do the math at $100 per barrel*, that's over $550 million PER DAY ($200 BILLION per year!) handed over to OPEC, many of whose members are confirmed enemies of the United States!

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*Since this writing, oil has increased in price.
 

It won't stop here!  Oil prices could go to over $200 a barrel if we keep buying their
 product.

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco--0 barrels
Conoco--0 barrels
Sinclair--0 barrels
BP / Phillips--0 barrels

Hess--0 barrels
ARC--0 barrels
Maverick--0 barrels
Flying J-- 0 barrels
Valero--0 barrels
Murphy Oil USA*--0 barrels

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*Sold at Wal-Mart , gas is from South Arkansas and fully USA owned and produced.
Not only that but they give scholarships to all children in their town who finish
 high school and are legal US citizens.
All of this information is available from the U.S. Department of Energy, and each company is required to state where it gets its oil and how much it is importing.

 But to have a real impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers!   With the help of the internet, it's really simple to do.  Now, don't wimp out at this point!

 

Please keep reading, and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of  people!!

I'm sending this note to about thirty people.  If each of you sends it to only ten more, (30 x 10 = 300), and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000),and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers!!!!!!!

 If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted!  If it goes one level further, you guessed it!  Three hundred million people--the entire population of the United States!
 Again, all you have to do is forward this message to 10 people.  How long would that really take you?  If each of us sends this e-mail out to ten more people, within one day, all 300 MILLION people could theoretically be contacted during the next eight days!

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LOVELETTERS FROM OUR BUDS, PALS, AND FRIENDS!

 

From Ruth Sembiro, of Love Ministries of Uganda:

 

We are also glad that we can make a change and put a smile in someone's life, we thank you so much for all your love and support in this area.  We are planning to buy more food, soap, and other items when the money is credited on our account probably next week. We are so glad to hear that we shall be included in the Love ministries magazine!  That is so great, thank you so much.

Thanking you again for your love, support and kindness rendered to us all, may the loving mercies of God be upon. I am so grateful that I joined Love ministries, surely there is a lot that love brings in life, love heals the soul and the broken heart! 

Love, Joy and Peace,

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From Pinky Munawar of Love Ministries of Pakistan

 

Dear Brother,

Greetings! .

My Precious Bro, I am sending you praise report from outreach areas of Pakistan.

We went in Two Villages areas and we arrange One Day Children Love Festival and 164 Orphan Children and Very poor Children attend this Love Festival and we share the Love of Jesus Christ Stories .

And in the Love Festival end, we give them juice and Biscuit to the Children and there demand every Month you arrange this One Day Love Festival in Our areas.

Bro, there are some Orphan Children , They are in Trouble-- Very hot season in Pakistan and they have no Shoes .  If you send us some Donation soon we will provide them shoes.

Our Love Ministries Pakistan Team wants to go in all Pakistan but we have no money .

We are praying the Lord Jesus Christ Provide us Donation and we will go in all Pakistan Children and Share the Love of Jesus Christ.

My Bro, I am praying and waiting for your good response soon.

With Love in Christ ,

Your, Sister Pinky Munawar,

Love Ministries of Pakistan

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From Michelle Lawson:

After I read your last email to me I had a heavy heart.  I couldn't even write back right away because it was too difficult.  It hurt reading you write that if your [tissue-compatibility] match isn't compatible with Adamaria, you will probably choose that time to exit because you didn't want to grow very old and die one cell at a timeÉ.You have so much to offer her and everyone else who is fortunate enough to love you, and even those who don't.  I guess I am being selfish because I want you here as long as I am here because your words have improved my life in ways beyond measure.  Your friendship is more true than any I have ever hadÉ.I hope you choose to stay here and let others help you if Adamaria's kidney can't.  You are much too valuable to lose. 

Please stay well.

With love always,

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From Miriam Miller:

Dear Richard,

 

I was reading your email, and they are indeed food for my soul. I enjoy so much what you write. Thank you for doing this for people. God is talking to me through your writing. Thank you.

 

Blessings,

 

From Barb Batty:

 

I am so glad that you sent this [alert re the poorest people] to meÉ. For me  it is very refreshing,É My personal life has been most challenging for the past three years,É

Your email is a "tap on the shoulder" to me about remembering others.....  THANK YOU!

Namaste

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A SPIRITUAL DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, by Jennifer Horner

 

Another Fourth of July has come and gone, and with it thousands of paradesÉ  Fourth of July weekend sales are touted across the nation.  The holiday brings an air of excitement and celebration.  But what, one may ask, are we celebrating?

 

Historically, the ÒDeclaration of IndependenceÓ was a profound political and public commitment to freedom from tyranny.  It was an eloquent proclamation of oneÕs right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  We have been pursuing happiness ever since.

 

In the United States we have been ÒfreeÓ to seek our happiness by almost any means that captures our fancy.  Materialism has been our most alluring seductress.  The media caters to our collective weakness and insinuates that if you are not happy, perhaps you need a bigger house, a fancier car, more fashionable clothing.  But, perhaps youÕve evolved to the point where you no longer ÒbuyÓ the notion that your contentment is to be found in bigger and better possessions. YouÕve observed that as we have become voracious consumers, we have become unhealthily obese and undisciplined.

 

Your attention to the pursuit of happiness can now be shifted to the promises offered by expensive exercise equipment, the hiring of your own personal trainer, or perhaps membership at a luxurious spa. According to the standards set by the fashion and Òwomen-as-commoditiesÓ industries, perhaps it is time to fortify your happiness quest with a little assistance from a cosmetic surgeon.

 

At the end of this cycle, not only will you be surrounded by lots of really great stuff, but you will also be looking Òlike a million bucks!Ó  Once you have everyoneÕs envy, you will surely be happy.

 

You are NOT happy?  After all the hard work and money you have spent on your pursuit of happiness?  You knew it all along!  Your wretched spouse is to blame!  And, by golly, those imperfect parents you had!  Come to think of it, your employer doesnÕt often contribute to your happiness, nor your coworkers, nor those obnoxious neighbors, nor the idiots you encounter on the road every day!  It seems that everyone is conspiring to make you unhappy!

 

What you need is a BREAK!  How about a nice, cold beer?  A hot new mate?  A warm vacation?  A cool Mercedes?  Finally, the realization breaks through:  You need a new LIFE!  But isnÕt that what you have been relentlessly pursuing all these years?

 

It is time for a new perspective, a new Òdeclaration of independence.Ó The road we have traveled as individuals and as a country has been guided by the pursuit of happiness through ego gratifications.  We have certainly tried our hardest.  We have given it our all. We have stripped our land of its natural resources.  We have stooped to stealing from others in order to fuel our greed.  We could consume the entire world in this insane pursuit of happiness.  The ego will never be satisfied.  Review your own life. How long did that new trinket or lofty job title give you happiness?  We have pushed the limit.  It is the ultimate irony that our pursuit of happiness has us bordering on individual and collective self-destruction.

 

The Fourth of July with all its gala distractions is over for yet another year.  All that celebration, but what was the point?  We are left wearied by a vague but deep sense of disappointment.  ÒAre we having fun yet?Ó  Perhaps it is time to ask a different question. We have made most of our decisions through the filter of ÒWhatÕs in it for me?Ó  The ego will drive you into debt, will lure you into short-term pleasures that erode the health of your body, mind and relationships.  The Òego-meÓ will eat you alive!

 

This is a dire picture, but there IS hope.  Religions will promise salvation from your torment.  Yet they, too, might prove to be only short-term advancements if their motivation is to have power and control.  Religions, like individuals, struggle with the same ego-inflated need to be ÒrightÓ and powerful.

 

Freedom is not to be found in belonging to Òthe rightÓ group, country or religion. Freedom is to be found in independence from the ego.  Freedom is to be found in reconnection to the Soul, to the Essence of who you really are, not your possessions, roles or personality.

 

In the midst of these troubling times, your Soul is speaking.  Listen.  Listen for that quiet voice nudging you toward the discovery of your inner being.  Your Soul will guide you to the peace you have been seeking.  As we turn our attention to inner growth and harmony we will discover not our separateness, but our interdependence with all of life.  Kindness and respect are the first steps.  As we follow this new road, we can turn the world toward true salvation and happiness.  Let us declare independence from the tyranny of ego-obsessions and commit to our SoulÕs leading.

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DO YOU REMEMBER? sent in by Jim Dwyer



 Have Fun (but no peeking!). Please put your score in the subject box & let me know your score. Write your answers on a paper.  There are 20 questions.  Average score: 12

 

1. What builds strong bodies 12 ways?

A. Flintstones vitamins

B. The buttmaster

C Spaghetti

D. Wonder Bread

E. Orange Juice

F. Milk

G. Cod Liver Oil

 

2. Before he was Muhammed Ali, he was

A. Sugar Ray Robinson

B. Roy Orbison

C. Gene Autry

D. Rudolph Valentino

E. Fabian

F. Mickey Mantle

G. Cassius Clay

 

3. Pogo, the comic strip character said, 'We have met the enemy and...

A. It's you

B. He is us

C. It's the Grinch

D. He wasn't home

 E. He's really me an

F. We quit

G. He surrendered

 

4. Good night, David.

A. Good night, Chet

B. Sleep well

C. Good Night, Irene

D. Good Night, Gracie

E. See you later, alligator

F. Until tomorrow

G. Good night, Steve

 

5. You'll wonder where the yellow went,

A. When you use Tide

B. When you lose your crayons

C. When you clean your tub

D. If you paint the room blue

E. If you buy a soft water tank

F. When you use Lady Clairol

G. When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent

 

6. Before he was the Skipper's Little Buddy, Bob Denver was Dobie's

friend,

A. Stuart Whitman

B. Randolph Scott

C. Steve Reeves

D. Maynard G. Krebbs

E. Corky B. Dork

F. Dave the Whale

G. Zippy Zoo

 

7. Liar, liar...

A You're a liar

B. Your nose is growing

C. Pants on fire

D. Join the choir

E. Jump up higher

F. On the wire

G. I'm telling Mom

 

8. Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Superman fights a never ending

battle for truth, justice and...

A. Wheaties

B. Lois Lane

C. TV ratings

D. World peace

E. Red tights

F. The American way

G. News headlines

 

9 Hey, kids, what time is it?

A. It's time for Yogi Bear

B. It's time to do your homework

C. It's Howdy Doody Time

D. It's Time for Romper Room

E. It's bedtime

F. The Mighty Mouse Hour

G. Scoopy Doo Time

 

10. Lions and tigers and bears...
 
 
 
 
 


A. Yikes

B. Oh no

C. Gee whiz

D. I'm scared

E. Oh My

F. Help Help

G. Let's run

 

11. Bob Dylan advised us never to trust anyone

A. Over 40

B. Wearing a uniform

C. Carrying a briefcase

D. Over 30

E. You don't know

F. Who says, 'Trust me'

G. Who eats tofu

 

12. NFL quarterback who appeared in a television commercial

wearing women's stockings.

A. Troy Aikman

B. Kenny Stabler

C. Joe Namath

D. Roger Stauback

E. Joe Montana

F. Steve Young

G. John Elway

 

13. Brylcream...

A. Smear it on

B. You'll smell great

C. Tame that cowlick

D. Greaseball heaven

E. It's a dream

F. We're your team

G. A little dab'll do ya

 

14. I found my thrill...

A. In Blueberry muffins

B. With my man, Bill

C. Down at the mill

D. Over the windowsill

E. With thyme and dill

F. Too late to enjoy

G. On Blueberry Hill

 

15. Before Robin Williams, Peter Pan was played by

A. Clark Gable

B. Mary Martin

C. Doris Day

D. Errol Flynn

E. Sally Fields

F. Jim Carey

G. Jay Leno

 

16. Name the Beatles

A. John, Steve, George , Ringo

B. John, Paul, George , Roscoe

C. John, Paul, Stacey, Ringo

D. Jay, Paul, George , Ringo

E. Lewis, Peter, George , Ring o

F. Jason, Betty, Skipper, Hazel

G. John, Paul, George , Ringo

 

17. I wonder, wonder, who

A. Who ate the leftovers?

B. Who did the laundry?

C. Was it you?

D. Who wrote the book of love?

E. Who I am?

F. Passed the test?

G. Knocked on the door?

 

18. I'm strong to the finish

A Cause I eats my broccoli

B. Cause I eats me spinach

C. Cause I lift weights

D. Cause I'm the hero

E. And don't you forget it

F Cause Olive Oyl loves me

G. To outlast Bruto

 

19. When it's least expected, you're elected, you're the star today...

A. Smile, you're on Candid Camera

B. Smile, you're on Star Search

C. Smile, you won the lottery

D. Smile, we're watching you

E. Smile, the world sees you

F. Smile, you're a hit

G. Smile, you're on TV

 

20. What do M & M's do?

A. Make your tummy happy

B. Melt in your mouth, not in your pocket

C. Make you fat

D. Melt your heart

E. Make you popular

F. Melt in your mouth, not in your hand

G. Come in colors
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 Okay, now scroll down for the answers!

Here are the right answers:

 

1. D - Wonder Bread

2. G - Cassius Clay

3. B - He Is Us

4. A - Good night, Chet

5. G-When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent

6. D - Maynard G. Krebbs

7. C - Pants On Fire

8. F - The American Way

9. C - It's Howdy Doody Time

10. E - Oh My

11. D - Over 30

12 C - Joe Namath

13. G - A little dab'll do ya

14. G - On Blueberry Hill

15. B - Mary Martin

16. G - John, Paul, George , Ringo

17. D - Who wrote the book of Love

18. B - Cause I eats me spinach

19. A - Smile, you're on Candid Camera

20. F - Melt In Your Mouth Not In Your Hand
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WE LAUGHED TILL WE CRIED: HUMORTHERAPY

 

  There is a tendency in modern medicine to view the body as a machine.  This removes much of the poetry that we usually associate with life.  For example, the heart is regarded as a simple pump.  But note how this takes away the poetry usually associated with the profound word "heart":

 

pump and soul***don't go breakin' My Pump***with Every Beat of My Pump***

With a Song in My Pump***Pump-to-pump talk***I Left My Pump in San Francisco***

Let Me Call You Sweetpump***Bleedingpump liberals (us!)*** Wearing your pump on your sleeve***Pump of Gold***Your Cheatin' Pump***Cold-pumped***Open pump surgery***pump disease***bad for your pump***Queen of pumps***How Can You Mend a Broken Pump?***Total Eclipse of the Pump***Pump of my Pump (I love that melody)***Pumpache***Put your pump into it!

***

 

SEEING WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE, sent in by Mick Gallagher

 

  Several centuries ago, the Pope decreed that all the Jews had to convert to Catholicism or leave Italy.  There was a huge outcry, so the Pope offered a deal:  He'd have a religious debate with a Jewish leader.  If the Jews won, they could stay in Italy; if the Pope won, they'd have to convert or leave.

     The Jews picked an aged and wise rabbi to represent them. However, as the rabbi spoke no Italian, and the Pope spoke no Yiddish, they agreed that it would be a "silent" debate.

     On the chosen day, the Pope showed three fingers.  The rabbi raised one finger.  Next, the pope waved his finger around his head.  The rabbi pointed to the ground.  The pope brought out a communion wafer and a chalice of wine.  The rabbi pulled out an apple.  With that, the Pope stood up and declared himself beaten and said that the rabbi was too clever.  The Jews could stay in Italy.

     Later, the cardinals met with the pope and asked him what had happened.  He said, "First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up a single finger to remind me there is still only one God.  Then, I waved my finger around my head to show him that God was all around

 us. He pointed to the ground to show that God was right there.  I pulled out the wine and water to show that God absolves us of all our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of the original sin."

     Meanwhile, the Jews gathered to ask the rabbi how he'd won.  "I haven't a clue" the rabbi said. "First, he told me that we had three days to get out of Italy, so I gave him the finger.  Then he tells me that the whole country would be cleared of Jews and I told him that we were staying right here.  He took out his lunch so I took out mine."

***

 

KIDS' BIBLE-LESSONS, sent in by Jim Dwyer

 

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead.  She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama.  Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?"

     A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence:  "I think I'd throw up."

***
 
The STORY OF ELIJAH
 
 The Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the legend of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  [Baal was a rival god.] She explained how Elijah built an altar, put wood upon it, cut the hapless bull into pieces, and laid it upon the altar as a sacrifice to his primitive god.  This god demanded blood in order to forgive sins.

     And then, before a fire could be started to burn the bull, Elijah commanded the people to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times.

     "Now," said the teacher, "can anyone tell me why Elijah poured water over the dead bull?"

     A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand.  "I know, I know!"" she cried: "to make the gravy!"

***
 

LOT'S WIFE
 
 A Sunday School teacher was vividly imagining how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when Johnny interrupted, "My Mommy looked back once, while she was DRIVING," he announced triumphantly, buying into the foolish myth, really getting into the mood, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"

***
 
DID NOAH FISH?
 
 A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?"

     "No," replied Johnny.  "How could he-- with just two worms?"

***
 
 HIGHER POWER
 
 A Sunday school teacher said to the children, "We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible-times.  But, there is a higher Power.  Can anybody tell me what it is?"

     One child blurted out, "Aces!"

***
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL
 
 Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school.

     "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how Jehovah sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely.  Then, he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements.  They sent bombers to blow up the bridge; and all the Israelites were saved."

     "Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher said?" his mother asked.

     "Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd
 never believe it!"

***
 
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
 
 A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible-- Psalm 23.  She gave them a month to learn the verse.

     Bobby was excited about the task.  But, he just couldn't remember the Psalm.  After much practice, he could barely get past the first verse.

     When the kids were scheduled to recite it in front of the whole congregation, Bobby was so nervous.  When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my shepherd and that's all I need."

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A ONE PUNCH FIGHT, by Noel Harrison

 

It's all the rage today to say that God is a delusion.  [The common god of the churches is, but Love, the true God, is not.]  "God" is certainly a silly concept in our western religions.  "He"?  Why "He"?  "He" likes us to sing to him, so they say.  He's easily upset, and requires constant reassurance and endless praise.  [He has a serious problem with selfesteem.] (What A good god!)  He's into your business at all times and is extremely judgmental.  Life is more enjoyable when you see this concept [the mad Jehovah] as a delusion.  But whence is this delusion born?  All [types of] humans have it in one form or another; or [they] have had [it] in their collective history.

You think I'm going to answer that?

Well, yes actually. I'll 'ave a go!

It's starts with awareness of what simple people call The "Great Spirit."  The universal Essence, an Energy that pervades everything and out of which everything is created.  [This is] not an abstract concept but a real thing, the most real thing there is!  It's love, desire, the buzz, the rush, the tingling awe. To reduce it to a random concatenation of chemical reactions, to "explain It away," as "science" so often tries to do, is to lose contact with It.  [This is to strip the universe of beauty and poetry.]  Dull!

You can't name It.  You can only experience It and embrace It wholeheartedly.  And keep your mumbo jumbo to yourself, and smile on your brothers and sisters; and be grateful.

Years ago I tried to learn to be objective about subjective feelings. This is a tough one. A conundrum. An oxymoron even. Nevertheless.

Several of the students at the lecture turned off their recorders and got up and left. These questions had all been resolved by now, for crying out loud!  But no!

I had set myself up as an expert on the mystery of consciousness, and got into a punch-up with Albert Einstein over the limiting nature of the speed of light.  Used the word "poppycock" and Albert saw red.

In the meantime on another planet in another universe, perhaps many light years away, another being, just like Albert, was seeing red AT THE SAME TIME. Quanta in action.

And another half-educated opinionated know-all-the-answers type of man like me came to realise that none of it really mattered anyway and that we're all just riders on the Great Cosmic Rollercoaster. With our tour guide St. Timothy Leary. It was a one punch fight. Einstein won.

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*****

 

1

 

 

Several of the students at the lecture turned off their recording devices and got up and left. These questions had all been resolved by now, fer crying loud out. But no!

I had set myself up as an expert on the mystery of consciousness, and got into a punch-up with Albert Einstein over the limiting nature of the speed of light. used the word "poppycock" and Albert saw red.

In the meantime on another planet in another galaxy many light years away another being just like Albert was seeing red AT THE SAME TIME. Quanta in action.

And another half-educated opinionated know-all-the-answers type of man like me came to realise that none of it really mattered anyway and that we're all just riders on the Great Cosmic Rollercoaster. With our tour guide St. Timothy Leary. It was a one punch fight. Einstein won.

 

 

Quotable Quotes

 

The  world in which you were born is just one model of reality.  Other Cultures are not failed attempts at being you. they are unique manifestations of the human spirit.--  Wade Davis

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AQUARIUSCIENCE:  THE FUTURE IS NOW!  Discoveries and Breakthroughs in science:

 

Stem Cell Advance Yields Over 140

Celltypes

Medical News Today April 3, 2008

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A team of North American scientists has unveiled a new technology that could revolutionize the industrialization and commercialization of stem cell

therapies.  They have found a method to produce 140 cell types from human

embryonic progenitor (hEP) cells (partially differentiated cells).

Current differentiation protocols are inefficient and...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8362&m=40083

 

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Alzheimer's Vaccine Clears Plaque But Has Little Effect On Learning

And Memory Impairment

KurzweilAI.net April 7, 2008

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A promising vaccine being tested for Alzheimer's disease that clears

beta-amyloid plaques from the brain does not seem to help restore lost

learning and memory abilities, according to a new study by University of California

at Irvine researchers. The results suggest that treating plaques by themselves

may have limited clinical benefit if...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8359&m=40083

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In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop

New York Times April 6, 2008

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A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed

with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under

great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock

Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8353&m=40083

 

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Peering into the Heart, Safely

Technology Review April 7, 2008

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Biomedical engineers are developing a new heart-imaging method, optical

Fourier-domain imaging, that could dramatically reduce the time required for imaging, making it safer and easier for doctors to check stents for stability and keep

track of new scar tissue. (LightLab Imaging/Helios Heart Center)...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8352&m=40083

 

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Robotic pen guides the hand of the blind

New Scientist news service April 4, 2008

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The "McSig," a forced-feedback pen, has been developed by University of

Glasgow researchers to help blind and visually impaired children write

clearly and consistently by gently guiding their hand. In addition to

haptic feedback, the system offers audio cues, with stereo sound

panning to the left and right as the pen moved horizontally and the...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8342&m=40083

 

 

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Limited nuclear war would decimate ozone layer

New Scientist news service April 7, 2008

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Apart from the human devastation, a small-scale nuclear war between

India and Pakistan with 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs would destroy

much of the ozone layer, leaving the DNA of humans and other organisms at

risk of damage from the Sun's rays, say University of Colorado at

Boulder...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8372&m=40083

 

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Reprogrammed Stem Cells work on Parkinson's

Technology Review April 8, 2008

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MIT and Harvard scientists have shown that induced pluripotent stem

(iPS) cells can become functioning neurons when transplanted into the

brains of mice and rats; they also showed that the cells can improve

symptoms in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. They used a

previously developed method for reprogramming cells, in which skin

cells of a...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8370&m=40083

 

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First diagnostic test for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

KurzweilAI.net April 8, 2008

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Power3 Medical Products is launching what it claims is the first blood test for

neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's and Alzheimer's.

The test measures a suite of 59 protein biomarkers associated with the presence or

absence of these diseases. Currently, there are no diagnostic tests, only clinical diagnosis of...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8368&m=40083

 

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Stem cells made to mimic disease

BBC News April 7, 2008

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Harvard Medical School and Nottingham scientists have taken

skin cells from patients with eight different diseases and turned them

into stem cells, moving one step closer to using stem cells from patients themselves

to treat disease....

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=8367&m=40083