Apologies

My apologies for my continued long absence from this blog. I have been very busy with my life. I am continuing to piece together my essays, but my time is limited and there are few essays I can post to this blog. I am currently in the process of trying to arrange another bit of space on the web where I will continue to write on a regular basis using a pen name. The reason for all of this is that Mr. Smith knows about this blog and he continues to visit it. I do not wish this man to use my work to further his own goals and do not want to give him anything he can take and claim as his own work as he has done with all the work I did for him and his "organization", SCRI Foundation. To this day, he refuses to give me credit for the work and refuses to give me the payment we agreed upon for that work. There are possibilities of taking him to court over these things, but my time and options remain very limited. So until such a time as I find another space in which to post my work, there is little for me to write in here. I will try to notify everyone of the move and I will be keeping this blog open regardless, it will just be limited to contain those essays that do not pertain to my work and from which Ian has nothing to gain.

I apologize for the inconvenience and the long bouts of silence. I am doing what I can to get this back up and running on a regular basis while protecting my intellectual property from someone who has made clear that he would use it for profit while taking steps to ensure I cannot use it at all.

Honey and Cinnamon

In my various readings, I came across something about honey and cinnamon as a cure for many different things. Now, due to lack of time, I haven't been able to do much digging into it and thus haven't found credible sources to site. I do have the time to experiment with it though, seeing as preparation is minimal and easily done with working odd hours.

Pulled from Nourishing Traditions, page 536: Honey that has not been heated over 117 degrees is loaded with amylases, enzymes that digest carbohydrates, as well as all the nutirents found in plant pollens. This makes it an ideal sweatener for porridge and toast, as the amylases in raw honey help digest grains. Glucose tolerance tests indicate that, for most people, honey does not upset blood sugar levels as severely as does refined sugar.

There are many studies quoted throughout that book regarding refined products vs naturally occuring ones. Particularly in dealing with salts, fats and sugars, where the refined products always lead to ill health and diseases. A prevalent and common one today is Diabetes. This article I read said that even though honey is sweet, it does not harm a diabetic patient if taken in the right doses. As I mentioned, it was not a creditable source and I have not yet had time to look into. While this may be true, I question whether it is honey as readibly available in the grocery store or whether it would need to be raw honey.

The various "cures" I have found:

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when th e doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.
BAD BREATH: People of South America, first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so theirbreath stays fresh throughout the day.
BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.
CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cance r of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.
CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and one tablespoon of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food dailyrelieves complaints of cholesterol.
COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.
FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 p.m. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality&nb sp;of t he body within a week.
GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas. HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restore hearing.
HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.
IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protect s the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found th at honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.
INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.
INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.
LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.
PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.
SKIN INFECTIONS: Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.
TOOTHACHE: Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied three times a day until the tooth stops aching.
UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.
WEIGHT LOSS: Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

At any rate, I figure it can't hurt to test some of this out for myself. On one hand, it proves to be a waste of time. On the other hand, I finally manage to kick the worst of my fatigue, my shortness of breath and the arthritis in my knees.

According to the above list, I would need on a daily basis:
~half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder twice a day for fatigue
~a paste of honey and cinnamon spread on toast in the morning for shortness of breath/heart diseases
~one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder taken in the morning and at night for the arthritis

The recipe for fatigue and that for the arthritis are easily combined into one. I don't really think that altering one will drastically affect the effect of the honey and cinnamon. That is to say, I doubt the first recipe I listed, if accomodating the larger dose of the arthritis recipe will mean it won't affect the fatigue at all. I doubt consuming the honey and cinnamon in a way other than as a paste on toast will affect things either. Although I do wonder at the significance of putting it on a piece of toast in the morning. At any rate, those are my three problem areas that subsist to this day and were found in this article, so we'll see what I can work out for a daily experiment to test this theory out. If it fails, I may do more research. If it succeeds, I will definitely try to make time to do more research.

The End Result?

I'm sure that many tuned in to the Live Earth concert like many had tuned in to the Live 8 concert a couple of years ago. This time, instead of poverty, it was about the climate and raising awareness about global warming and the little things each of us can do to help reduce our consumption and waste. I suppose it's because poverty was already done and...well...that project didn't do much to the state of poverty, in the end.

I'm sure that the message in Live Earth got to a few, but most were probably only interested in the entertainment. Live 8 stood a better chance at success than Live Earth. I mean there's only so well that a message touching on over-consumption of resources can do when it is presented through a vast consumption of said resources and delivered by people who very likely use far more than the average person. But remember, the important thing wasn't the environment, but the entertainment. Forgive me while I roll my eyes and laugh at the whole thing.

Looking at the Wikipedia article, you can see just how much Live Earth cost us, if we listen to the Global Warming doomsday speeches:

The estimated carbon footprint of the event "at least 31, 500 tonnes"; further estimate places the need of 100, 000 planted trees to offset the carbon emissions
All together, performers flew around 222, 623 miles to attend the event; this does not include everyone else required to pull off the performance
People were so touched by the message in Live Earth that thousands of plastic cups were left lying around of Wembley Stadium alone. How much other trash was left lying around everywhere else these concerts were held? If I can find the time to dig around some more, I'll expand on this.
After their show, Razorlight went via tour bus with police escort to get on a private jet to Scotland, then a helicopter to Balado for additional performances.

I'm really going to listen about Global Warming from big fancy artists who ride in private jets and empty tour buses, preaching about how we should all cut down on our own travel pollution by, say, taking one car instead of two. Right. We need to cut down so they can enjoy their private jets and tour buses instead of a second car for a 4 member family meeting up at a weekend cottage. Makes me want to gag.

So, yeah, I'm sure it reached some...very few...poor souls. But I think it was the biggest waste and flop I have seen in a long time. I'm still not even sure how valid the message is. Right now, the Global Warming movement seems to be the next big money holder, so it's getting a lot of attention. Just like tobacco. Just like oil. Just like countless other things. Doesn't make it any more true than they were. I started off really concerned about where things were going. I fell in with someone who lets out loud outraged cries about Global Warming and is hell bent on creating his own little utopia of "elite" people (and THAT is a whole other can of worms). The most he did was open my eyes to a lot of things. Gave me some direction to support his own research, not figuring that I'd find something else and start to question what's being shoved down everyone's throats these days.

Yeah sure, Global Warming is real. It's happened time and again throughout the course of history. They even show that in "An Inconvenient Truth". And proceed to yell doomsday at everyone about how current numbers are off the charts and so much higher than past numbers. Without a warming of the globe, there can never be ice ages. It's common sense. So yes, it's happening. I don't think that's the issue, actually. The issue they push and that everyone seems to miss is how quickly it's happening. Supposedly much faster than any time previously. I don't even think that's as big a deal as it's being made out to be. But then, I'm a misanthrope and I don't think humans are all that we like to think we are. Life will continue to move forward, whether or not we are a part of it. And honestly, I think we fail as a natural species.

However, I don't think that global warming is all that publicity and big power-seeking figures are currently saying it is. Yeah, we're getting a little warmer. Read the little guy news once in a while. Ignore the big headlines and look at what's underneath them. Here are a couple of old articles I read and never found time to finish researching and writing about (those works for this blog are still in progress...just very slow progress):
Earth's Magnetic Field Weakens 10 Percent
When North Becomes South: New Clues to Earth's Magnetic Flip-Flops

Now, Mr. Smith ranted and raved at me about how bad it was that winter where I was living was so abnormally warm and mild. Granted, it was weird and caused a lot of worry about what the summer would be like for us. He used this to support his own doomsday plans. What gets me about all of that is the fact that it was abnormally cold where he was and they were getting a lot of snow, when they usually get next to none. You hear about this all across Canada and the States. In the news, they constantly show the record highs. I told you that Global Warming was the next big money holder. What they don't show is that beside these record highs in places that are generally colder, there are record lows in places that are generally warmer. I don't mean all-time records, but records like, "we haven't seen temperatures this high/low in _____ years." This is what is plastered all over the news. Well, the highs are. They ignore the lows because that would raise questions about the whole Global Warming outcry that's been picking up momentum.

My research is incomplete. I've been really busy trying to pull my own life together since September and haven't had nearly as much time as I'd like to continue the work I started with this blog. But...those two articles I linked above this section make sense to me in light of this. It makes sense that if the magnetic poles are indeed flipping around, then the climate would as well. It doesn't make so much sense to me that we are experiencing a warming of the Earth but yet some places are getting colder. On the whole, temperatures seem to be climbing a little, but not nearly so much as is being preached on the news. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt and form your own opinions based on your own experiences. Somewhere in there is the truth.

Remember what I said about the fact that I experienced a winter that was warmer than was usual for this city? And how we were all worried about the summer? Well, so far, the summer is about about 10 to 15 degrees C colder than it was when I visited last year around the same time. It's rather scorching at times and the grass is having trouble staying alive, but it's cooler than it was and cooler than the winter predicted. It also can't make up it's mind. One day, we are near 30 or 40 C and the next we are under 20, or, even more dramatically, under 10. All in all, I find the Global Warming cookie a little tough to swallow right now. Though I wouldn't say it is without concern or basis. I think it's very real...I'm just unsure how much is true and accurate.

As to Live Earth, we'll see if Razorlight plants those trees that will offset the emissions from their travel during the event ;)

Because it's easy

What's the point of reading books? It doesn't matter how many books you read, they're just words. Words are meaningless. We created words to help pass on knowledge, to help get our point across to those around us. We created words to make it easier on ourselves. Over time, we narrowed down the definition of those words and created new words to fill in the gaps left behind and we've lost all their meaning, we've lost the intent and the understanding. We've lost the ability to listen, to hear what is being said.

Take the word "fight" for example:

1. a battle or combat.
2. any contest or struggle
3. an angry argument or disagreement
4. a game or diversion in which the participants hit or pelt each other
5. ability, will, or inclination to fight
6. to engage in battle or in single combat; attempt to defend oneself against or to subdue, defeat, or destroy an adversary

When someone asks you to fight, you imediately think of ways to defeat and destroy that thing. You don't think of ways to make it better or to help it, you think of ways to kill it. The true meaning has been completely lost.

Parents no longer hear and understand their children, their babies. Children no longer hear and understand their parents. People no longer hear and understand each other. Mothers have lost touch with the babies growing in their wombs. We've forgotten how to listen because we are so caught up and lost in all these meaningless words. Words are but illusions, a means to an end and all too often, words are used to hurt people. They are deceiving. Since when has “easier” meant “better”?

Factories are set up to work with assembly lines because it is more a more efficient way to make more things and it's easier on the workers. It's “necessary” to become more efficient so that we can make as many things as possible in the shortest amount of time possible so that we can make more money and so that people don't have to wait as long for what they want. In other words, because it is easier. We keep “progressing” technology and coming up with new things every day to make something easier. But none of it makes things better. Take something done the old fashioned way and compare it to the same thing put together on an assembly line. The former is always of better quality and last longer.

Why is a chicken stuck in a little cage and fed the same food day in and day out? Why are cows and other livestock locked up and fed the same food day in and day out? Because it's easier that way (even though you lose the quality and much of the nutrients you would otherwise be getting from them). Grocery stores carry perfectly straight and perfectly ripe produce and their fruits and vegetables are all the same size. Why? Because it's easier. Stores sell pre-packaged foods and throw away tons of expired products even if they aren't “bad”. Why? Because it's easier. Some stores shove old products to the back where they go stale or moldy to make room for the new shipment instead of the new ones being put to the back so the old ones get sold first. Why? Because it's easier. A child does their best to do up a button on their shirt and the parent tells them to put on a t-shirt or sweater instead. Why? Because it's easier for the parent rather than let the child learn or help them do it. You can buy books at a used book store for a few dollars or a few cents, but people use the internet to read the reviews instead. Why? Because it's easier than going to the store and easier than reading the book. You have to write a report on a book you have to read for class, but you look up the answers on-line. Why? Because it's easier than reading the book. You could arrange to meet and speak directly to someone, yet you still choose to use your cellphone instead. Why? Because it's easier than meeting in person and it's easier to say the truth about what you think and how you feel over the phone than when you are face to face. People rely on mass media and propaganda to keep them informed about the world. Why? Because it's easier to read the paper than to do their own research on it. Schools shove students into a class based on age where teachers cram the same curriculum into their brains over and over again. Why? Because it's easier. A student can't keep up with the class, but the teach has to push through the material according to teh curriculum. Why? Because it's easier. A student chooses not to think for themselves, but always asks the teacher to give the answers. Why? Because it's easier.

All such questions can be answered with “because it's easier.” They can be answered in more complex ways, but the answers to the questions boil down to the same thing and they are answered in the same way. Why? Because it's easier! But “easier” has never meant “better” and making life easy is a very different thing than making life better, or making life happy. I think it's time to take back our understanding. Time to stop memorizing the words in books and regurgitating them. Time to speak with our “true” voices and to really hear with our ears; to become aware of what is around us. Time to learn, really and truly learn. True learning comes from within and not from a book. True learning is something that has to touch you personally. It speaks to your heart. Learning is all about our own experiences. It's about how we feel beauty within our hearts. Learning is all about how each of us experiences beauty in our heart of hearts.

We tend to live our lives in our own clouded reality. We tend to live our lives unaware of a single thing. We tend not to be aware even of the people closest and dearest to us. The understanding is gone, lost in a web of meaningless words. We don't see despite our eyes. We don't hear destpite our ears. We don't smell despite our noses. We don't taste despite our tongues. We don't feel despite our sense of touch. We don't think despite our minds. “To pollute this planet is to pollute your own self” and those who pollute themselves can only be destroying themselves. What do you think your body is made of? What are you? Your body is made from the air, the water, and other living things.

All of the food you eat, the air you breathe; it all becomes you. But what are you? The waves rush in over the waves that are rushing out. Those things that are “living” and those that are “not living.” The things that are seen and those that are not seen. The things that live inside the body and those that life outside the body. Everything that takes place on this planet is one and the same. The forms and the shapes all things on this planet take are all very different, but really, in the end, it is all the same. We were all one before we were born and we are all one when we die. The grass and the bugs, a human and the wind; they are all so different, but the same. We've all known this and we know it's true, deep inside. We just need to become aware again. Shed the confusion and deception of all these words and reclaim ourselves. No matter how happy we are, there are times when we feel so empty. No matter how close we get to a loved one, there are times when we feel so full of sorrow. Somewhere deep inside our heart of hearts, we feel it. We feel the suffering and the pain of this chaos and discord we've created. Somewhere deep inside of us, we feel the hurt of this planet, but we keep pretending that we don't know because it's easier to do that than to be aware and responsible. Live in the here and now. This moment is reality. It is a part of me and a part of you. It is a part of this planet and we are all connected as one. Don't live in the past, don't fret about the future, embrace the here and now and live in the present where past and future are one and the same.

It's time to wake up. It's time to think. It's time to learn. It's time to see. It's time to hear. It's time to feel. It's time to take responsibility. It's time to become aware and realize that everything is connected; that everything is one and the same. The air, the water, the plants, the insects, the animals; we are all one. There is something in nature specialized to eat everything else (like insects eat leaves), breaking it down, absorbing what can be used and is needed and returning the rest to the earth where something else will come along and use it. Well all need the other to replenish, to nourish, to cleanse, to break down, to create, to complete a life cycle.

Why not try to hear, to see, to be aware of all that is around you? Why rape the Earth to grow things more efficiently and easily? Why not give back to the Earth what we take? We might be surprised at how much so little can do. We might be surprised at how much better the food is if we allow it to grow naturally and consume what is in season. Everything is one and the same and all of it has it's place. Even the weeds. You might be surprised at what will come of it if you let the weeds grow with the flowers and vegetables around you and let the insects and small animals tend to your garden instead of dumping synthetic fertilizers on it to replace what you killed with machines and pesticides. They won't be perfectly shaped and all the same, but that never made them better. Be one with the world and let the world tend itself and you will find a naturally "easy" life; a better life; a happy life.

What will you choose? Will you choose what is easier? Or will you choose to become aware and embrace all you now...will you choose to hear the true voices in this world?