Caucasus Cirsis

Just been doing a little reading on the Russian invasion of Georgia. Seems Russia was waiting at a chance to put this little county that has been kissing lots of American Ass in its place. This Washington Post piece gives a good account of the current action. This piece shows that oil and gas do have a major role in this military action. Below is a map of the separatist areas of Georgia, but Russia has invaded cities beyond these areas.

Candidate Personalities

I heard a reporter sum of the two presidential candidates as one who “thinks but does not act” and the other as someone who “acts but does not think.” Can you guess which is which? Which would you rather have as president?

McCain’s true colors

Laid Back

Taking a break in Gabon

Back to Reality

To remind myself of what is Real I read some scripture this morning. This comes from the Yoga-Vasishtha, a series of discourses between the sage Visishtha and Rama.

Bhringi said to Shiva:

‘Lord, I am overwhelmed with sorrow at the sight of the boisterous waves of this deep and dark world we have been buffeted so long, without finding the calm and quiet harbor of Truth. Tell me, Lord, what is the certain truth and inward assurance whereon we may rest and repose in this shattered mansion of the world?’

The Lord Shiva replied:

‘Always place your reliance in unshaken patience and neither care nor fear for anything else: strive to be foremost in your renunciation of all passion and activity.
He is said to be the greatest actor who performs deeds as they occur to him, whether joygiving or otherwise, without any fear or desire for fruition.
He is said to play his part well who performs his duties without fuss or anxiety, and maintains his reserve and purity of heart without taint of egoism or envy.
He is said to perform his part well who is not affected by any person or thing, but regards all objects as a mere witness.
He is the greatest actor who looks at his own birth, life and death, and upon his rise and fall, in the same light, and who does not lose equanimity of mind under any circumstance whatever.
He is said to enjoy himself best who observes the conduct and behavior of mankind as an unconcerned and indifferent spectator, and looks on, without choosing anything for himself.
He is called the most satisfied man who sustains all the ups and downs of fortune with equal fortitude, as the deep sea contains the boisterous waves in its fathomless depths.
He to whom salt and sugar are alike and who remains unaltered both in happy and adverse circumstances – he is the best of enjoyers.
He is the best of renunciates who has given up thoughts of his life and death, of his pleasure and pain, and has firmly dismissed his merits and faults from his mind.
His said to have made the greatest sacrifice who has sacrificed his own mind and endeavors at the shrine of self-abgenation.
Meditate always on the everlasting and immaculate Spirit that is without beginning and end. By thinking in this way, you yourself become immaculate and are absorbed in the self-same Brahman, where there is all peace and tranquility.
Know the one undying Brahman as the soul and seed of the various productions that emanate from Him. It is His immensity which spreads throughout the whole of existence, as it is the endless sky which comprehends and manifests all things within itself.
It is not possible for anything at all, whether of positive or potential existence, to subsist without and apart from the universal Essence. Rest secure with this firm belief in your mind, and be free from all fears in this world.’

O most righteous Rama, look to the inner soul within yourself, and perform all your outer actions with the members of your body. By forsaking your sense egoism and personality, and being thereby freed from all care and sorrow, you will attain supreme felicity.

Campaign Junky

I have become a little obsessed with following the presidential campaign. I have been listening to the Washington Post Political Podcast, a free daily political news show with Ed O’keefe, who does his reporting in a 1920s fast pace style. You can find the podcast on Itunes. I have also been reading this Washington Post Campaign Blog.

I was in India during the entire ‘04 election and was happy to not be a part of the bombardment of media spouting bullshit on a daily basis, but for some reason I am embracing this race whole heartedly. I think a lot of it has to do with Barak Obama. I am so happy to have a guy who I can truly respect and believe in. I am aware that he a politician and therefor a trickster, but at least he is a trickster that I want to be tricked by. This guy was a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago. Can you imagine Bush trying to teach constitutional law? This New York Times piece: Teaching Law, Testing Ideas, Obama Stood Slightly Apart, shows what kind of a teacher he was. Don’t neglect the syllabus and exams on the side bar. The article ends with a quote from one of his former students:

So even some former students who are thrilled at Mr. Obama’s success wince when they hear him speaking like the politician he has so fully become.

“When you hear him talking about issues, it’s at a level so much simpler than the one he’s capable of,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “He was a lot more fun to listen to back then.”

Another aspect that excited me about Obama, is an opportunity for the US to gain back a little more respect among the international community. Bush has dropped US standing in the world to an all time low. I still vividly remember a night in Kashmir when an old Muslim Kashmiri man was so sure that Kerry would beat Bush that he was willing to bet me a Kashmiri rug on the outcome of the election. I took him up on the bet, but I still haven’t seen that rug. The international community was so sure that Bush would not be re-elected to a second term and the American population let them down. But now there is a chance to regain some credibility!

I guess I haven’t been posting on this blog as much lately because I have been spending too much time following the election. I am going to try and spend a little less time reading about the latest campaign news and dedicate my next post to William Blake.

Go Obama!

Obama Going Big In Denver

I got the e-mail today from the Obama Campaign stating that Obama will make his Acceptance Speech in front of 75,000 at a stadium in Denver and if I contributed before July 31 I might win a trip to the event. I am a little bit annoyed by this e-mail. I will donate when I feel like donating and I would rather not be thrown these stupid incentives.

I think it is a wise move to take the speech to the public and I hope it all goes well. The Washington Post has an article about the decision.

Faith, Government, and Obama

Obama’s announcement that he will expand and improve upon Bush’s faith based intiative has many progressive liberals upset. I understand the importance of “seperation of church and state” but I believe some Dems might be over-reacting to this policy. Clinton-Gore actually first started giving federal funding to faith based social services and Bush just put his evangelical spin on it. Washington Post Op-Ed Columnist, Michael Gerson, has a good piece discussing Obama’s announcement: Paying Tribute to a Good Idea. Gerson writes:

In his speech, Obama — both presidential candidate and professor of constitutional law — affirmed the central intellectual commitment of faith-based welfare reform: that government can support the secular social work of sectarian groups within the bounds of the First Amendment. And this, he argued, is not merely appropriate but necessary, because some problems are “simply too big for government to solve alone.”

Modern Kontiki

A friend of mine just turned me on to this blog. These guys are sailing to Hawaii on a raft made of plastic bottles to bring awareness to the gross plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean. The site states that they are:

SAILING TO HAWAII ON 15,000 PLASTIC BOTTLES AND A CESSNA 310, TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT PLASTIC FOULING OUR OCEANS.

Those guys are out there right now. Looks as though they are having a hard time getting out into the Pacific due to the currents and winds. Seems they are getting pulled down towards Panama. Give their blog a look over and a shout out.

Unity in Unity

Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama made their first public appearance together in a town called “Unity” New Hampshire. Pretty cheesy move, but I am sure a well thought out political move. Here is YouTube of the speeches. I just donated to Obama’s campaign. It will be so amazing if he wins. Talk about a breath of fresh air.