The Technology of the Heart

His Holiness The Karmapa speaks about the importance of using the advantages of increased communication and technology to energize the heart connection between people and motivate people to do good in the world.

Follow the link for this TED talk (25 minutes)

http://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_the_karmapa_the_technology_of_the_heart.html

Wahchitchu: One who takes the best meat for himself

Aaron Huey's effort to photograph poverty in America led him to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where the struggle of the native Lakota people -- appalling, and largely ignored -- compelled him to refocus. Five years of work later, his haunting photos intertwine with a shocking history lesson in this bold, courageous talk from TEDxDU.



Here is American History that exposes the genocide against the Lakota, and by extension all indigenous peoples in this country. This is a powerful 15 minute talk about the events that have led to present day reality for the Lakota.

Follow the link for this TED talk

http://www.ted.com/talks/aaron_huey.html

Change is in the air.

Last week (October 11 and 12) I took a hike to Black Balsam in western North Carolina near Asheville. Climbing upward along the worn path I was filled with gratitude about being able to access such magnificent beauty with relative ease. On the first hike I was accompanied by Jane

and we made the excursion after work. One the second hike I was accompanied by Steve.

Color was everywhere. Russets, golds, reds, and deep yellows painted broad swaths from the base of the mountains to the top, the colors changing as a function of altitude and sunlight.

It is easy to embrace the change of seasons when it is hearlded by such fanfare.

 

Anti-Bullying campaign

As a response to the recent teen suicides in September and October of 2010, I decided to send a letter to all my friends asking them to contact their local school administrative units and inquire about the anti-bullying policy in affect. Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to them that this is an important issue that needs to be reviewed and strengthened. Here is the text. Feel free to do your own activist thing and contact your local schools.


Friends,

October 11 is national Coming Out Day! You may not have been aware of that but I think it is the perfect opportunity for us to stand up against oppression and "come out" for clear and tough rules about bullying in schools.

I am talking about the oppression both subtle and overt of students that do not fit into the culture of conformity, so much a part of adolescence. Aggression and micro-aggression not only against students with an expressed different sexual orientation, but also against students with intellectual, physical, and emotional handicaps, as well as different religious beliefs and practices.

The news this week has been grim since the spotlight has been turned onto a rash of tragic suicides resulting from bullying of some kind within the school setting. I am sure this happens more frequently than we can imagine, but now that the media has turned their attention to it, we are suddenly made aware in a powerful way. In one survey (2009 GLESEN survey) 9 out of 10 gay and lesbian students reported being harassed in the previous year.

U.S. Secretary of Education Anne Duncan recently said; "This is a moment where every one of us -- parents, teachers, students, elected officials, and all people of conscience -- needs to stand up and speak out against intolerance in all its forms," "No more. This must stop."

I would add that the argument the suicides are the result of an unhealthy life-style is dangerous and leads to a certain absolution of guilt on the part of society in general, and possibly on the part of organizations charged with the safety of children.

So, here is what I ask you to do for your very own "Coming Out" . Please contact your state and local school officials and ask that they review and strengthen

their policy against bullying in schools (if they have one!). If they have a policy, ask that it be sent to you. This will let them know that the issue is important and demands attention.

Please feel free to forward this message to all your friends wherever they may live.

Thank you in advance, and thank you for coming out!!!

William

For North Carolina:



Bev Purdue (Gov.)
919-733-4240
www.governor.state.nc.us/eTownhall/suggestionBox.aspx

NCPublic Schools:
919-807-3300
Asheville City Schools:
828-350-7000 (Ask to leave a message for the Superintendent)
Buncombe County Schools:
828-255-5921 (Ask to leave a message for the Superintendent)
communication@bcsemail.org

Other States:
Google state government for you state or city. Contacts are not always easy to find as numbers are sometimes buried under much information (imagine!!), but they are there .




Sample request:
Yes, my name is ___________and lately I have been thinking about the recent rash of teen suicides around the country stemming from aggressive and subtle bullying of students who in some way do not conform to the general population in either orientation, religious beliefs, or because of physical or intellectual
handicaps. I was hoping that you could inform me of the policy against bullying that is in place for your schools. I would also ask that you bring this issue up for current review and do all that you can to strengthen this policy so that there is no misunderstanding about the severity of the problem for these students. I thank you in advance for all your efforts in creating a safe environment for all students, especially those who in some way do not conform to the standard population.

My phone number is ______and my email address is____________. I would appreciate any contact regarding this issue that is very important to me.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.







=============

National Coming Out Day

October 11 is National Coming Out Day It is significant for several reasons. First, it is a day for the LBGT community to celebrate their diversity and the contributions they make to the community. Additionally, it is a day for closeted individuals to come out into the open about their orientation if this can be done safely, liberating themselves from a certain amount of shame and hiding. Plus, it is a day when we can all come out in support of the rich diversity that makes this nation so vibrant.

Our society has come far in its acceptance of LBGT people, especially with the passage of an inclusive hate crimes bill on 22 October 2009, and signed into law by president Obama on October 28, 2009.

This legislation will help protect every person in the U.S. from being the victim of a hate crime in eight separate ways, on the basis of their: Race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Although we can feel proud of this achievement, there is still work to be done in affording equal rights to this group, including the right to get married, raise a family, and take care of and make decisions for a sick partner. Showing support for this group, and particularly support for individuals you know personally will help advance the struggle for equal rights and greater tolerance of diversity in all its forms, and could save someone from depressed isolation or suicide. October 11 is a day we can all come out for greater tolerance. I encourage everyone to reach out to someone in this group and let them know that they are valued and loved for who they are, no matter what their sexual orientation might be. If you know someone who is struggling with their sexual identity, let them know they are welcome to use you as a support person. If you are a parent of a LBGT person, rekindle or strengthen the love between you with acceptance and understanding. Vow to undertake the journey of finally seeing sexual orientation as God-given and nothing to be ashamed of. Stand up and interrupt oppression if you can by refusing to participate in anything that devalues this group. If your child goes to a school that does not have a way for LGBT students to gather and support and be supported by each other, try to establish such a group, or ask that it be established.

Song of Life (William Stanhope)

Song of Life

This urgent song- a sudden cry
Springing forth from deep morning slumber
Like a  fountain
Filling the eager emptiness with 
Divine vintage

Uncorked and served
To any weary traveler
Awake enough to fetch an
Empty wine glass from the closet
And turn it heavenward

O Winemaker!
 Fill my cup
With this sublime vintage
Pressed abundantly from the long sweet -and- bitter
harvest of time

With your caress and wink
And gentle pull
Bring my lips to the cup's edge
And let me fall drunk
Into your awaiting arms

O weary man!
Why refuse the proffered cup
Brimming over with the fruit of
Joy-filled vineyards

Let this holy nectar
Smooth your troubled brow
And like a warm fragrant blanket
Cover your sorrow
And open your heart

(July 6, 2010)

Through my Window (William Stanhope)

Through my window I see
Swaying in the wind a
Whispered invitation to dance
The warm hand of that light
Smooths rough linear bodies
Stretching up and out to endless blue
Wet lambits of cloud
Catch wildly in the
Bony extremities of branch

O! To become once again
A lover of trees
To feel their strength inside
My own feeble bones
To stretch my body
Along soaring flanks of bark
To drink the rising life sap
To be loved again
By forest glade
To become the honored guest