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treesnow

The place where you are now is vital. Never avoid what you must face. Challenge your circumstances and steadily persevere. The path toward victory opens from where you stand.

● Quote by Buddhist Philosopher Daisaku Ikeda
LINK – Daily Quotes

Photo by Ann J P
click on image to see her work


snowbackground snowbackgroundd
boo whoooooo – they’ve switched it off!
could have been contributing to the green house effect – processing power required
13 January 09
Happy marvellous brilliant abundant joyful pivotal new year to you!


Just discovered that the snow angle direction is determined by your mouse’s position on the page!


angleukdaye

It is the function of evil to divide, to alienate people from each other and divide one country from another. The universe, this world and our own lives, are the stage for a ceaseless struggle between hatred and compassion, the destructive and constructive aspects of life. In the end, the evil over which we must triumph is the impulse toward hatred and destruction that resides in us all.
Daisaku Ikeda

● Quote by Buddhist Philosopher Daisaku Ikeda
LINK – Daily Quotes

…factors that can create a “perfect storm” which leads good people to engage in evil actions. This transformation of human character is what I call the “Lucifer Effect”, named after God’s favorite angel, Lucifer, who fell from grace and ultimately became Satan….Although it is often hard to read about evil up close and personal, we must understand its causes in order to contain and transform it through wise decisions and innovative communal actions. Indeed, in my view, there is no more urgent task that faces us today.
Dr Philip Zimbardo – Stanford University – Psychology

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LINK – Download podcast [mp3] or see or listen to Zimbardo’s facinating, enlightening lecture on The Lucifer Effect given at the TED conference

Many thanks to JAX 60, for your beautiful photograph
LINK – original photo [& find out more about this 50m high sculpture - Angel of the North?]

● A few of the things mentioned in Zimbardo’s talk on, The Lucifer Effect that were eye openers for me
- Power lies in the system, that corrupts people.
- The Lucifer Effect – It’s about the crimes against humanity – Its about power, the key is power – perpetrating of evil acts against humanity/people.
- Anonymity – uniforms make one anonymous  - make many capable of terrible things [behind closed doors - domestic violence]
If someone else  takes responsibility for our actions we can seriously harm or even kill others if told to do so – eg the electric shock experiment and the fake jail experiment – fascinating stuff
- Evil – that people can BECOME, not ARE.
- and what we can do to change it – education of children [& adults] in taking responsibility/deciding to be a hero in waiting

LINK – Zimbardo’s web site on The Lucifer Effect

lucifereffect

LINK – To join Zimbardo’s HERO PROJECT – Exploring And Encouraging Our Inner Heroes – to create an international organization to promote heroism as an antidote to evil and as a celebration of what is best in human nature.

LINK – Every day heroes site – Who will be the heroes of the 21st Century? What is heroism in the digital age? These are a few of the questions this site seeks to understand and explore.

LINK – 10 questions answered by Zimbardo re The Lucifer Effect

devilmaskb ……philipzimbardolucifereffect
Image left
Original courtesy of Malachi Lopez

Image right
Phil Zimbardo
Photo courtesy Skeptic

LINKEVIL google search – result – about 223,000,000 [223 million] in (0.19 seconds)!!

LINKGOOD Google search – result – about 2,210,000,000 [two thousand two hundred and ten million] in (0.15 seconds) – pheeeyou!

Google YES – Results of about 857,000,000 for YES [definition]. (0.05 seconds)
[857 thousand million]
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=opera&rls=en&q=+yes+&btnG=Search

Google NO – Results of about 7,510,000,000 for NO (0.06 seconds)
[7 trillion 510 thousand million] interesting!
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=opera&rls=en&q=+no+&btnG=Search

VIVA! PHIL ZIMBARDO VIVA!


ctndawn0550octa

Look to this day
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities
Of your existence
The bliss of growth
The glory of action
The splendour of beauty
For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday
A dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore to this day
Such is the salutation to the dawn.

Kālidāsa [600 - 1200 AD ]
[Sanskrit poet and dramatist]

LINK – more about Kālidāsa

LINK – Dale Carnegie [1888 - 1955]

LINK – How to Stop Worrying and Start Living 1948 [!] [excellent & funny & charming - an other amazing person - Dale Carnegie]

LINK – Photo Webcam – Cape Town dawn – South Afreeka – November 5ish


Abdi Sirej from Ethiopia was murdered in Masiphumelele on Friday the 7th November. After the initial xenophobic attacks in May he sought refuge at Soetwater.

After overtures from the community he returned to Masiphumelele. He appeared in a documentary ” Baraka”. The words he spoke during his interview “No answer, no safety.no guarantee” have turned out to be chillingly prophetic.
The interview can be seen at:
http://www.vimeo.com/2204139

by Tracey Saunders

Email: peace4africa@gmail.com
Mobile:084 561 9131
Fax: 086 611-7167

LINKThe Genocide List

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Your brain will pay attention to what you are thinking and saying to yourself and others and make sure that’s what you get!

Rather than focusing on how terrible things are try focusing on what is wonderful in your life! What you are greatful for.

What have we got to be grateful about?

Our health, family, friends, partners, pets, animals, our job, employer, food on the table, roof over our heads, running water, chocolate cake, great teachers, blue sky, the sun, rain, thungderstorms, forrests, art, music, litrature, food, singing, the wind etc

Rather than being concerned about poverty and the financial uncertainty which the media are having a humungous field day with….

We need to be concerned about abundance for all!

If we focus on poverty we give it more ‘power’ ‘energy’ ‘force’[?]

We might then get fearful and slip and slide all the way into a jolly depressing powerless place which also adds to all the others who are thinking similarly to you which then becomes the general trend and guess what? it happens – its called a self fullfilling prophesy

Top Photo by © Miguel Ángel HorcajadaLINK – to their stunning work

So what can we do?

What we need to do is focus on how we want things to BE – according to the ‘law of attraction’ & deal with NOW – not worry about what has been or what might happen

FEEL the feelings of how you want things to be.

Not on how you are being told things ARE or how things MIGHT be

Yes? Are you with me?

For example – instead of being ANTI WAR – which keeps one focused on war, violence, destruction etc

Rather we must focus on PEACE – fulfilment – tranquillity – well being – our community – fun – laughter – caring – all the goooooooood stuff we love and want around us and in our communities

After all this is what makes us feel gooood and safe and secure and happy – all we can really be ‘in control of’ and influence – our immediate community

We must not focus on the things we do not want

We must not focus on the things we do NOT want

WE MUST NOT FOCUS ON THE THINGS WE DO NOT WANT!

WE MUST NOT absolutely NOT FOCUS ON THE THINGS WEDO NOT

WANT

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU

DOOOOO WANT

ONLY!

It took me a while to get that one!

So what are some of the gooood powerful words we can start to use and focus on no matter how under whelmed we feel?!

Abundance …. Vitality … Relaxed Enthusiastic … Caring … Joyful … Loving … Patient … Considerate … Listening … Sharing … Generous Prosperous … Invincible … Keep on till it’s sorted … Finding Solutions … Seek the positive aspect in all challenging situations … being energised … See The Bright Side Of Life … Laughing … Smiling!

A friend told me they saw a graffito that said

Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty!

Anthony Robbins [The power with in] encourages us to turn the volume of harsh angry destructive words down and turn up the intensity of the good things or ordinary things!

Lets say you’re fuuuuuuuming and steam is coming out of yr ears…..

“I’m feeling a tad irritated” ! [& and a smile would be excellent too!]

Did you know that your brain can’t tell the difference between you smiling or laughing and faking a laugh or smile?!

So if laughter makes you feel good then if yr feeling seriously miffed, a tad concerned about the sate of affairs

Try laughing or even just hold a smile – fake it

Smile at everyone – and see what happens!

The muscles that we use to smile tells the brain that we are happy and it releases the appropriate feel good chemicals – endorphins i think they are called

The power of smiling

We are wired up to feel good when we see one and when we use one!

[even if yr feeling a smidging under the weather]

Smile Smile Smile

Try it!

I found out that there are laughing clubs!

Hooo hoooo hooo haaaa haaaa haaa hooo hooo hooo haaa haaa haaa

See if there is one near you or start yr own!

I’m going to get the neighbours in for a good laugh and maybe a tipple too!

Here’s a brilliant site that tells you where to find one and if there isn’t one near you how to start yr own and how to do it!

How generous is that?!

heee heee

LINK – to laughter groups in your area!
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Sources & Enourmous Thanks to:
Daiskau Ikeda
SGI Buddhism
Dale Carnegie [1888 - 1955]
Anthony Robbins – Feel good expert
Gregg Braden – Scientist


obamaliquidsquid

My sense of gloom about the states’ administration & modis operandi has lifted – Obama is going to need all the help he can get
I just watched Obama’s first speech – to listen to someone who talks so fluidly and who speaks like a normal person is bloody marvellous! At last a person who seemingly listens to others and uses the technology of the day and gets the ideology of the politically powerful

LINK – Acceptance Speech

Now, what did he do to raise all that loot over the internet? – must go to his site to take a look – the way to success is to copy those that are already successful.  [Anthony Robbins] – Image by Ron English -

[If you are using INTERNET EXPLORER 6, for some inexplicable reason - which hasn’t been identified yet by the wiz kids at WordpPress support – there is an image in the blank space – pls click on it or on the title of this post to see the brilliant drawing of Obama]

The first thing Obama needs to do is change the horrendous 2 yr lead up to electing a president that those of us who don’t live in the states are subjected too!

Electioneering has to be a multi billion dollar industry!
The fickle world of politics…..

PS.
Well done campaign chief – a brilliant production & it wouldn’t have been possible with out the internet!
Viva! the internet viva!
Obama it is said has a 7 to 8 million mailing list – nice
obamawebsite1 obamadonate
the obama blog – not powered by wordpress!

LINK – Obama website

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LATEST information on the South African xenophobia refugee status of affairs – articles and URLs to articles on the ongoing dreadful saga.

I am entering them as I receive them [via email] I wish there was a website I could give you where you can find all the following info if I find one i will post it here as many of the entries do not have links. All articles like this will be entered at the bottom of the URL links so you can read them some of the documents are PDF files so unfortunately I am unable to copy and paste them here.

● Many thanks to Tracy Saunders for keeping us updated
If you wish to contact her peace4africa [at] g mail [dot] com
Mobile: +27 084 561 9131
Fax: 0 8 6 6 1 1 -7 1 6 7

At pains to leave SA Mail & Guardian Online [4.5.09]
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-05-01-at-pains-to-leave-sa

South Africa countering xenophobia with help of UN refugee agency [4.5.09]
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30659&Cr=xenophobia&Cr1=#

Xenophobia: the bill By Anel Powell – 27th Nov 08 The City of Cape Town spent at least R108-million on relief to victims of xenophobia, but so far has only been reimbursed R17-million by the provincial and national governments. City chief financial officer Mike Richardson said the R91-million shortfall, which had to be siphoned from various council departments, would affect their budgets. Housing mayoral committee member Dan Plato said the money used for xenophobia relief measures were needed for other projects…….

● [Scroll down on next page to see all entries - there are lots unfortunately] Continue reading ‘●South Africa: Xenophobia refugee related information – URLs [if available]‘


From a healed, peaceful heart, humility is born; from humility, a willingness to listen to others is born; from a willingness to listen to others, mutual understanding is born and from mutual understanding, a peaceful society will be born. Nonviolence is the highest form of humility; it is supreme courage.

● Quote by Buddhist Philosopher Daisaku Ikeda
LINK – Daily Quotes
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[If you are using INTERNET EXPLORER 6, for some inexplicable reason - identified by the wiz kids at WordpPress support – there is an image in the blank space to the right of the text – pls click on the title of this post if you wish to see it]


UN Body To Probe [their] Staff In Sout Africa
The Geneva head office of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) has launched an inquiry into complaints made against its local staff.

A three-member panel will fly to South Africa to conduct the inquiry, the UNHCR’s Antonio Guterres said yesterday.

In the wake of the xenophobic attacks this year, civil society organisations, including the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), the Aids Law Project and displaced people’s representatives, last month demanded the UNHCR set up a commission of inquiry.

They alleged that “the UNHCR observed horrific conditions in the camps over several months without appropriate intervention”.

They say that the UNHCR failed to advise the government that some sites in Gauteng were unsuitable for setting up camps.

“One site, Wadeville, had to be closed due to poor planning, and another, Vickers Road, was never utilised because it was unsuitable and unsafe,” says  TAC .

They also allege that the UNHCR “supported camp closure, with no reintegration plan”.

The UNHCR’s Olivier Beer said: “It is good and we will be able also to respond to the allegations. ”
by Anna Majavu - 15 October 2008 THE sowetan

http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=863268


“South African civic organisations are demanding an inquiry….”

●UNHCR ‘failed’ S Africa migrantsby Martin Plaut

South African civic organisations are demanding an inquiry into the United Nations refugee agency’s response to May’s xenophobic violence.

The UNHCR has not fulfilled its mandate to refugees and displaced people under international law – Lawyer Fatima Hassan
LINK – to article

(Story by Martin Plaut – from BBC NEWS – Published: 2008/10/13 13:34:50 GMT)

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● Eight foreigners killed, claims volunteer

By Craig McKune

Eight of the people from the Soetwater camp alone had been murdered since returning to communities, Saunders said.She said the work the facilitators were doing needed to be made visible to refugees in the camps who feared for their lives.
LINK – to article

(This article was originally published on page 3 of The Cape Times October 13 ‘ 08
Published on the Web by IOL on ‘08-10-13 05:35:00)
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LINKExcellent blog for up to date news on xenophobia situ in SA & else where
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Sherwood Forlee

New age thinker  - brilliant problem solver & excellent photographer says,

Stealing your co-worker’s lunch is a downright contemptible act…. if you’ve ever had your lunch stolen, you know the frustration and anger it causes. You know the revenge and ill-will it inspires. And you know that no matter how well you try to hide your lunch bag at the back of the refrigerator, something’s gonna be missing when you open it. Well, lament no more…

The Anti-Theft Lunch Bag
to the rescue
. . .
. .
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.
.
.
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Touch this & you’ll get seriously sick don’t you think?

YES!
Just put your lunch in this and your lunch wont be going anywhere
. . .
. .
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Such ingenuity!
If you need help get in touch with fellow sufferer @
skforlee [at] gmail [dot] com
LINK – For more infomation

“If you’re interested in getting your hands dirty with these bags,
please send an email to
moldybag [at] gmail [dot] com
and I’ll let you know when they become available” – Sherwood

photos by Sherwood

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Too many refugees denied their rights, despite recent gains – UNHCR’s 76-member Executive Committee @ AGM – Switzerland

UNHCR – – The United Nations H? C? Refugee Agency [amazing their website doesn't say what HC stands for! grrrrrrr High Commissioner? what is a high commisioner? is there a mid & low one too?]

LINK – UNHCR – Refugee Agency

LINK -UNHCR’s track record – [Helped "50 million people restart their lives" in 50 yrs]

UN official Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Erika Feller described the past year as “not the worst but certainly not the best of times” in terms of the international community’s performance on refugee protection issues, in an address yesterday to the annual meeting of UNHCR’s 76-member Executive Committee in Geneva.

Continue reading ‘●Geneva: UN refugee agency – report on international protection issues’


Attacks on Somalis spread, fuelled by rumours of rapes.
ANOTHER attack on Somali- owned shops on Tuesday night led to the ransacking of one shop and the evacuation of more than 20 others in KwaNobuhle outside Uitenhage.The latest looting and riots were apparently triggered by the alleged rape of two young girls, aged nine and 13, by a Somali, 30, in KwaNobuhle on September 29, although it was only reported on Monday.Word about the alleged rape spread rapidly through the community. The unrest may also have spilled over from a violent outbreak in Jeffreys Bay on Monday night.Police spokesman Marianette Olivier said the two girls had been admitted to the Provincial Hospital on Monday, and the accused Somali had been arrested.Abdi Habarwa, spokesman for the Eastern Cape division of the Somali Association of South Africa, claimed the attacks on Somalis stemmed from xenophobia.

“We are very frightened. We don‘t feel safe here any more. The xenophobia started as a small thing in Jeffreys Bay, but now it is in Uitenhage and it‘s spreading,” said Habarwa.

Continue reading ‘●KwaNobuhle: Xenophobia attack near Uitenhage South Africa’


LINK – To article on Protest march in Queenstown by residents – walking side by side with Somalis yesterday to protesting against ongoing attacks against nationals from the east African state. A Somali mother, Sahra Omar Farah, 41 and her three children, Mohamed Isse Osman, 19 and Ibrahim Isse Osman, 14 and Asha Isse Osman, 12, were brutally stabbed and hacked to death in their spaza shop two weeks ago.

“QUEENSTOWN PROTEST: Community members gather for the anti-xenophobia march yesterday, joined by Somalians who shared the pain of the family of the murdered mother and her three children.”
Picture: THEO JEPTHA

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Latest info on refugee camps status by Tracey Saunders
Re: Extension Of Closure Deadlines & DHA Rapid Status Determination Process.

Deadlines Loom For Displaced People In The Western Cape As Camps Face Closure – 8 October 2008

Continue reading ‘●Cape Town: Xenophobia latest – Solamli family murdered & camps about to close’