LOVELIGHT

magazine

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Vol. 2, no. 12*** December 2005

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Managing Editors: Adamaria Francis and Shining Thunder Francis. Contributors to this issue: Jim Dwyer, Christine Finer, Mick Gallagher, Pat Goodman, Mark and Timmie Hipskind, Hem Sagar Ty Scharrer, Geoffrey Stoermer

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SMILE ON A NEIGHBOR, sent in by Mick Gallagher

Let's work together and make Life worthwhile! Let's work together! Come on, come on, let's work together!

Make it your life's goal to make at least three people happy every day! Whether it's just a phone call with an uplifting positive message, or a knock on someone's door, even the score. This world is a conflict between light and darkness. Darkness has had its day. Now, let's even the score by creating some Light! Let a friend know that she is not forgotten & alone.

Let her know that you are there-- and you care!

Now, take it to the next level: Go meet a stranger-- at least one a day. Call a neighbor, or knock on her door; even the score! And say, "It's lovely to see you my old friend! Walk along with me--to the next bend." Knockin', walkin', and talkin'. It's our first step to make a better world. Begin at home, and carry it out to your neighbors and friends. But most importantly, please take your lovexpressions to: The widowed, elderly, divorced, challenged, poor, sick, and people who are struggling through, feeling so all alone.

It is a sad fact that in the "new old" America, its rush-rush mercantile madness (materialism), and the hi-tech stuff have not cured the widespread loneliness millions feel every day.

Never forget the poor, the imprisoned, the mentally ill, the sick, the young, the old, or the challenged.

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THE MINIATURE POPULATION: PERSPECTIVE, sent in by Pat Goodman

If we could turn the population of the earth into a small community of one hundred, keeping the same proportions we have today, it would be something like this:

61 Asians
12 Europeans
14 Americans (from North and South America)
13 Africans
01 Australian (Oceania)
50 women
50 men

67 would not be christian
33 are christian (Catholics, Protestant, Orthodox)

6 people would own 59% of the entire wealth of the community

13 would be hungry or malnourished
14 would be unable to read
only 7 would be educated at a secondary level

Of the village's total annual expenditures of just over US$ 3,000,000 per year:
US$ 181,000 is spent on weapons and warfare
US$ 159,000 is spent on education
US$ 132,000 is spent on health care.

If you keep your food in a refrigerator
And your clothes in a closet
You are richer than 75% of the entire world population.

If you have a bank account
You're one of the 30 wealthiest people in the world.

25 would struggle to live on US$1 per day or less
47 would struggle to live on US$ 2 per day or less.

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In case you missed it, one thousand million people live on one dollar per day, and two thousand million people live on two dollars a day!

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THE TROUBLED HEART OF LOVE: STROKE-RECOGNITION, sent in by Mark and Timmie Hipskind

During a BBQ a friend, Ingrid, stumbled and took a little fall. But she assured everyone that she was fine. (They offered to call paramedics.) She had, she said, just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They helped her clean up, and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid enjoyed herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later; he told everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital. But at 6 pm, Ingrid passed away. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ!

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Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would still be with us today!

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It takes only a minute to read this! So, out of Love for yourself and others, please do! A neurologist said that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours, he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke—totally! He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, and getting to the patient within those 3 hours.

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RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "three steps"! Please read and Learn!
Unfortunately, lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim might suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say that a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
1. *Ask the person to smile.
2. *Ask him/her to raise both arms.
3. *Ask her/him to speak a simple sentence. (Coherently). (For example, "It is sunny out today.")

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, cal 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
A cardiologist says that if everyone who gets this article sends it to 10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved. So, Be a friend, and share this article with as many friends as possible! You could save their lives, or your own!

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OPEN DOORS, DOORS TO THE HEART, DOORS TO ETERNITY: DOOR-SYMBOLISM, sent in by Christine Finer

How well your doors function are metaphysically symbolic of how energy moves through your mind. The condition of doors in your home or room can also represent how energy moves within your house and within yourself. Is the energy able to get into your life easily?

According to feng shui, your home is a reflection of your life. There are 9 major areas in each livingspace, home, yard, or room.
These nine areas influence: Fame, Relationship, Creativity, Wealth, Health, Helpfulness, Family, Spirituality, and Career.

By keeping your doors in good working order, you are insuring that the energy of your space will flow harmoniously.

Does any of the following apply to your door? If so, here are the symbolic meanings:
Hard to open--blocks energy
Scrapes floor or doorjam--irritations and frustration
Squeaking--things calling for attention
Opens or closes by itself--boundaries not maintained
Knob loose--hard to get a handle on life

As above, so below. This is universal law. It means, as things are in the higher Mind, so they will reflect in the lower world of matter.
Everything in life has a message if we have the "eyes" to truly "see."

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LOVE AND THE SIMPLE MIND, sent in by Jim Dwyer

A Trucker's Story. (If this doesn't light your fire, your wood is all wet!)

I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His

placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy.

But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I

wanted one. I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie.

He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued

speech of Downs Syndrome. I wasn't worried about most of my trucker

customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the

meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade.

The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me. This group included the mouthy college-kids traveling to school. Then, there were the yuppie snobs who

secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded

"truck stop germ." Lastly, there were the pairs of white-shirted business men on

expense accounts. They think every truck stop waitress wants to be flirted with.

I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.

I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger. And within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot.

After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes and glasses onto his cart and meticulously wipe the table up

with a practiced flourish of his rag.

If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added

concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you

had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met. Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often,

admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home. That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.

He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something

put in his heart. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often have heart problems at an early age so this wasn't unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.

A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine.

Frannie, the head waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table. Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Belle Ringer a withering look.

He grinned. "OK, Frannie, what was that all about?" he asked.

"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."

"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"

Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is." Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables. Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day until we decided what to do.

After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple

of paper napkins in her hand and a funny look on her face.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I didn't get that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting

cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and Tony Tipper were sitting

there when I got back to clean it off," she said. "This was folded and

tucked under a coffee cup."

She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when

I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie".

"Pony Pete asked me what that was all about," she said, "so I told him

about Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and

Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this." She handed me

another paper napkin that had "Something For Stevie" scrawled on its =

outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at

me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply: "truckers."

That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie

is supposed to be back to work.

His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor

said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday.

He called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming,

fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy. I

arranged to have his mother bring him to work. I then met them in the

parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back.

Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed

through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and

busing cart were waiting.

"Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast," I said. I took him and his mother

by their arms. "Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming

back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me!" I led them toward a large corner

booth at the rear of the room.

I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens

of folded paper napkins. "First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said. I tried to sound stern.

Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the

napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he

picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table. Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother. "There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that

table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your

problems. "Happy Thanksgiving,".

Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and

shouting, and there were a few tears, as well.

But you know what's funny? While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table.

Best worker I ever hired!

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Plant a seed and watch it grow! If you shed a tear, hug yourself, because you are a compassionate person.

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PICS FROM OUR FAMILY PHOTOALBUM, sent in by Hem Sagar

We have so many "sisters and brothers" in our great, expanded, extended spiritual "efamily"! Some of our beautiful family lives in India, and our brother David is planning to have a special street-celebration for the "superpoor" kids to mark the Christmas-celebration. His plan is to get small, inexpensive, but useful and practical gifts for them—paper and pencils, to use in education, for instance. Please write to him! He would dearly love to hear from you! His ema is: lacindia@gmail.com

GOOD GUIDELINES FOR LIFE, sent in by Pat Goodman

Work with passion. Love without needing to be loved. Appreciate what you have. And do your best for a better world. Renounce greed. Give freely and happily.

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QUOTABLE QUOTES, sent in by Christine Finer

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of

enthusiasm."-- Winston Churchill

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"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."-- Samuel Johnson

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"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."--Walt Disney

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"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you too, can become great."-- Mark Twain

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DARKNESS OF HARMFUL RELIGION, GALAXIES OF HEALING SPIRITUALITY,

by Richard Francis

There is as much spiritual "distance" between religion and spirituality as there is intellectual "distance" between religion and engineering. Religion was originally conceived as the hand-maiden of spirituality, but has almost never been. Historically, religion has harmed as many as it has helped. But religion is not the "evil twin" of spirituality. It is a different species altogether. For religion is what you do on the outside; spirituality is what you do on the inside.

Spirituality must be a part of any recovery. If negative, religion might trigger discomfort or anger. Then, it is important to emphasize spirituality instead, and to clarify the differences. Religion is no demon from hell. But it certainly is no "instant solution," either. If religion is the problem, it cannot be the solution! But spirituality can create much interior healing. It is especially effective when it synergizes with psychology, in a "psychospiritual" blending.

"Spirituality" is an intrinsic aspect of psychology. Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers, among others, knew that spirituality played an indispensable role in psychological wholeness. If spirituality is so important, it is vital that we have a simple, workable definition of it. This must be general enough to have widespread understandability.

So, it is suggested that spirituality be defined as the consistent and voluntary practice of universal Love. This is loving the self, and then, extending that kindness to all others. This is an action, not just an intellectual belief. This definition, in turn, calls for the further clarification of "Love."

This Love cannot be exhaustively or "scientifically" defined. It is like pornography in law: You know It when you see It! You know Love when you feel it, in either giving or receiving; and you recognize It when you see it occur among others.

So, perhaps this Love is most clearly defined in terms of its subqualities: compassion, kindness, absence of greed, honesty, tranquility, justice, generosity, tolerance, eagerness to forgive and to make amends, and nonviolence, among others.

Major questions of psychology often orbit Love. A lack, or absence, of Love is a major cause of a spectrum of psychopathologies. Restorative Love could conceivably be at least part of a remedy. And Love is incredibly healing in almost every area of psychology. If you can convince the client that she has, deep in her mind, a vast reservoir of Love, she begins to heal.

With a client recovering from "negative religion," you can use a selfassessment form. It can contain questions about: feeling Love, or loved, childish godimages, a "higher Power," religion, prayer, forgiveness, and "surrender."

But this is not the end of therapy. Encourage, as expanded therapy, prayer (meditation) and spiritual reading. Encourage thoughts about Love, healing, and forgiveness. Reinforce general positivity.

In many of the deepest spiritual traditions, "Love" is shorthand for a special part of the mind. This is deep within the unconscious. This Mind is the Fountain of all Love. It is perfect. This is the deepest Mind. It is the Core of the Unconscious. (Ancients called it "Spirit," "Holy Spirit," "true Self," or simply "God.") This is God within. It was indescribably delicious! For a God that could be contained within mere human words was not much of a God!

Knowing this God of Love led to states described as "bliss," "rapture," and "ecstasy." It was a real mood-elevator!

Spirituality is Love. Sacred pursuits, stripped of Love, leave only the naked skeleton of dry religion, which can be antitherapeutic. A Loveless religion is all, and only, about administrations (priests, pastors, rabbis, mullahs, etc.), laws, doctrines, creeds, and ritual. The "nuts and bolts" of religion, including money-collection, buildings, pledge-drives, conversion-activities, and similar pursuits, are not in themselves "spiritual."

Much of religion is "mechanism," which means that simply by performing certain mechanical duties, you fulfill all that this religion demands. There is no interior transformation, as in true spirituality.

A form of mechanism is "legalism." One is thought to be spiritually complete simply by obeying laws. She can be the most evil of people, but as long as she "obeys the law," she is recognized as a "good member" of a faith.

Another form of mechanism is "doctrinalism." Simply believing certain intellectual ideas is said to create spirituality. In Christianity, by as early as 200 CE, if you believed the right dogma, you were a "Christian." But if you did not, you were not. So, men of the blackest reputations started to administer the Church. Rapists, liars, murderers, and thieves were the toughest men in the political system of that age (early fourth century). Their political power soon became ecclesiastical authority.

This nightmare was made possible by the intellectualization (Love-stripping) of Christianity. When "Christians" became defined by belief only, they stopped insisting on Love as the only evidence of enlightenment. Belief replaced Love. But deep within the Unconscious of every sentient being is a perfect Mind of joy, Love, and tranquility. Christianity, especially in its mystical (gnostic) form, wanted people to know this deeper Mind, and to manifest It. In fact, the gnostics saw the human mind as an "incarnation" of this transcendentally loving and compassionate Mind. It is manifested in actions, not beliefs. This "Spirit" is the "higher Power," and It is the "Loveself," or "Lovemind." Early gnostics taught that behavior was more important than beliefs. By emphasizing Love, we must, and help clients to, outgrow the "monstergod" of our youth—a fierce, ferocious "big daddy in the sky," who was punishing, psychotic, and just plain evil. Until we renounce this ghastly fantasy, this fairy-tale, we will never know peace. Our new definition of "God" must be the sum of all the Love in all the hearts on all the planets in all the galaxies!

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HYSTERICAL AND HILARIOUS SCREAMS OF LAUGHTER: HUMORTHERAPY

TEST OF SANITY, sent in by Christine Finer

You might want to think of how you would handle the problem!

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the
director, "What is the criterion that defines a patient to
be institutionalized?"

"Well..." said the director, "we fill up a bathtub, and we
offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the patient; and
ask him to empty the bathtub."

Let's stop the joke right here, so that you can take the "test of sanity" for yourself:

What would be your choice? After answering, please read on:

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would
choose the bucket, as it is larger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No!" answered the director. "A normal person would
pull the plug."

(You are not required to tell anyone how you did
on this test!:)

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FOOT IN MOUTH DISEASE: THINGS NOT TO SAY AT THE OFFICE (BUT YOU WISH YOU COULD!)sent in by Pat Goodman

1. I can see your point, but I still think you're dead wrong.***2. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.***3. How about never? Is never good for you?***4. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.***5. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to see it my way.***6. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.***7. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a

message.***8. I don't work here. I'm a consultant.***9. It sounds like English, but I can't understand a damn word you're saying.***10. Ahhh, I see the screw-up fairy has visited us again.***11. I like you. You remind me of myself when I was young and stupid.***12. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.***13. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.***14. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.***15. Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.***16. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean

you're an artist.***17. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.***18. What am I? Flypaper for freaks?***19. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant.***20. Do I look like a people person?***21. This isn't an office. It's Hell with fluorescent lighting.***21. I started out with nothing & still have most of

it left.***23. Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.***24. If I throw a stick, will you leave?***25. Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.***26. Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.***27. I'm trying to imagine you with a personality.***28. A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.***29. Can I trade this job for what's behind door Number One?***30. Too many freaks, not enough circuses.***31. Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?***32. Chaos, panic, & disorder - my work here is done.***33. How do I set a laser printer to stun?

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BEAR-HUNTING, GOBBIE (GOOD OL' BOY) STYLE, sent in by Geoffrey Stoermer 

The pope went to the mountains for some sight- seeing. Suddenly there was a

frantic commotion! A hapless Democrat environmentalist wearing a "Save the Whales" T-shirt was struggling frantically, trying to free himself from the jaws of a 10-foot

grizzly. A group of Republican loggers came racing up.

One quickly fired a .44 magnum into the bear's chest. The other two

reached up and pulled the bleeding semiconscious Democrat from the bear.

Then the three loggers threw the bear onto the bed of their truck while the

other tenderly placed the injured Democrat in the back seat.

  The pope said to the loggers, "I give you my blessing for your brave

actions! I heard there was a bitter hatred between loggers and

environmental activists, but now I've seen with my own eyes that love overcomes differences."

 As the pope drove off, one of the loggers said, "He sure doesn't know anything about

bear hunting. By the way, is the bait holding up okay, or do we need to go

  back to town and grab another one?"

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sent in by ty scharrer

Televangelist Robertson warns town of God's wrath:

Nov 11, 1:19 PM (ET)

By Alan Elsner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative Christian televangelist Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them on Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck.

Robertson, a former Republican presidential candidate and founder of the influential conservative Christian Broadcasting Network and Christian Coalition, has a long record of similar apocalyptic warnings and provocative statements.

Last summer, he hit the headlines by calling for the assassination of leftist Venezuelan Present Hugo Chavez, one of President George W. Bush's most vocal international critics.

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city," Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, "The 700 Club."

"And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there," he said.

The 700 Club claims a daily audience of around one million. It is also broadcast around the world translated into more than 70 languages.

In voting on Tuesday, all eight Dover, Pennsylvania, school board members up for re-election lost their seats after trying to introduce "intelligent design" to high school science students as an alternative to the theory of evolution.

Adherents of intelligent design argue that certain forms in nature are too complex to have evolved through natural selection and must have been created by a "designer." Opponents say it is the latest attempt by conservatives to introduce religion into the school science curriculum.

The Dover case sparked a trial in federal court that gained nationwide attention after the school board was sued by parents backed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The board ordered schools to read students a short statement in biology classes informing them that the theory of evolution is not established fact and that gaps exist in it.

The statement mentioned intelligent design as an alternate theory and recommended students read a book that explained the theory further. A decision in the case is expected before the end of the year.

In 1998, Robertson warned the city of Orlando, Florida that it risked hurricanes, earthquakes and terrorist bombs after it allowed homosexual organizations to put up rainbow flags in support of sexual diversity.

Gator’s comments: Due to nut cases like Pat Robertson, our country and the world is full of hate because of religious fanaticism. If there is an Armageddon for the world, it will be caused by religious fanatics who are hateful, not by a benevolent God.

I HEAR YA: LETTERS FROM BUDS, PALS, AND FRIENDS

From Barbara Siler:

Dearest Richard and Adamaria,

...But, I've witnessed a certain flow that could be called "divine order" through this whole process.  Repeating "This, too, shall pass" didn't hurt, either. :)

...I forget who you said collected elephants, but I always associate them with you, now.  And, how is little Elephatet, these days?  We miss you all! 

...The only thing I've looked forward to, in the e-mail, are your ULD messages.  You can't know how much they've helped to keep me going, through the roughest days.  You make good medicine. :)...

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Dearest Francisji and Mariaji, [the suffix "ji" in India means "beloved" or "special"]

Namaste and Shanti. [The first is a yogic mystical greeting meaning, "the divine in me salutes the divine in you," and the second word means "peace."] !!!!

I am very thankful to you for your three emails. I am so happy that you could access our ministry photos, and you are welcome to add those to the December 05 issue of Lovelight magazine. [We did; see later in this issue.].

I shall send a copy of the book [Falling in Love with Yourself; we have printed an edition in India] to the Evangelist in Pakistan. I have noted his address. Francisji another thing: Yesterday a doctor visited our house. We have known him for only a few days. He started continuously looking at the book, "Falling In Love With Yourself," and I could make out that he was very much interested in the book. So, I presented him with a copy. He became so happy. I briefed him about the book's contents. I told him about it's purpose, and why we published it in India.

Coming to Christmas for the poor Street Children: Certainly, Love Ministries and the Pneumariumfamily will come forward for this good cause. You know the best course of action to get this started. You can send donations by Western Union. If you send them now, that would be good; for they take a long time to arrive. If they reached me after the event on Christmas, then they would be of no use. And your friends, members, and other well-wishers can forward their donations to you. And you could send them all together to me by Western Union. The rest all depends on you, my brother. We want to do the best for the children!

Thank you very much for the prayers and love in your hearts for us. We always love you and pray for you.

     With much Sneham [Love], !!!

Bhai [younger brother] Davidji (Hem)

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ORGANIC CONSUMERS' NEWS

DEFINING "ORGANIC."

Last week, the Organic Consumers Association alerted you and all of our supporters about a "Sneak Attack" on organic standards in the U.S. Congress. As a result, network members deluged the U.S. congress with over 60,000 emails and 10,000 telephone calls. Thank you for your support. This nearly unprecedented grassroots upsurge has temporarily rattled Congress and the industry, delaying the initial Sneak Attack in the Senate on organic standards, resulting in a temporary compromise amendment (H.R. 2744), which calls for "further study of the issue." Unfortunately we are on the threshold of another, possibly even more serious, follow-up attack on organic standards in the House/Senate Conference Committee over the next week as Congress members put the final wording together for the 2006 Congressional Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The OCA is calling on consumers and the organic community to apply pressure to their House of Representatives members as well as their Senators to stop the Conference Committee from degrading the standards. If you haven't already done so, please send a letter to congress here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd-ofpa.htm

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GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PIGS FOR DINNER

The FDA has officially closed its investigation on a 2003 food safety mishap, wherein nearly 400 bioengineered pigs, developed for research, mistakenly ended up in the U.S. food supply. The University of Illinois says it accidentally sold the pigs to a livestock dealer, instead of incinerating them, as is required by law. The FDA claims it cannot make a statement regarding potential risk to human health, given the fact that the researchers kept insufficient records. The mishap follows on the heels of a similar situation occurring in 2001, when genetically engineered pigs were stolen from the University of Florida, and later turned up in the sausage served at a funeral in High Springs, FL. http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/pigs.cfm

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DRUGS NOT HARMLESS!

Recent studies show drug companies now spend a record $3 billion on direct advertising to consumers. A 60-second commercial slot on TV can tell a viewer what's wrong with her and what drug will "fix" her. And it works-- the advertising, that is. Recently released marketing statistics show that each year, prescriptions for the 50 most heavily advertised drugs rise six times faster than prescriptions for all other drugs. Unfortunately, the side effects of these same prescription drugs kill over 100,000 Americans every year. http://www.organicconsumers.org/Politics/drugcon091605.cfm

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TOXIC CHEMICALS AND KIDS

Study authors also addressed chronic exposure to herbicides due to re56t4rd cxcpeated applications on school yards, saying "the potential for chronic health effects from pesticide exposures at schools should not be dismissed." A piece of legislation that would reduce these chemical risk factors in schools is currently stalled in the House of Representatives. Learn more and sign on to support the School Environmental Protection Act here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/sepa-petition.htm

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