Information........

It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us. - Epicurus
Spinoza famously said, “I have made a ceaseless effort not to

ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand

them.” If I truly want to live by Spinoza’s example

— and I do, though I freely admit to massive imperfection —

I must, must remember that. I may disagree, I may worry about the

negative consequences, but I do not have to scorn the human impulse.[atheist a go-go]

"A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need

a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free

intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men. It needs a

fearless outlook and a free intelligence. It needs hope for the future,

not looking back all the time toward a past that is dead, which we

trust will be far surpassed by the future that our intelligence can

create."[Bertrand Russell]

Interesting find = Total Politics - sadly Spain doesn't seem to have got on this bandwagon as yet, but plenty to read whatever your persuasion :)

Apparently these are the top 20 green blogs
1. The Daily (Maybe)
2. Two Doctors
3. Another Green World
4. Coventry Green Voice
5. George Monbiot
6. Green Ladywell
7. Philobiblon
8. Flesh is Grass
9. Peter Cranie
10. Barkingside 21
11. Paul Kingsnorth - Know Your Place
12. Transition Culture
13. Greenman's Occasional Organ
14. Jason Kitcat
15. La Lutte Continue
16. Ruscombe Green
17. Conservengland
18. Rupert Read
19. Adrian Ramsay
20. Scribo Ergo Sum

Green Solutions Magazine

Jason Randhawa is a student, currently living in Canada. He is attending McGill University. His site - what is metaphysics and a great article Being the Change - click on his name to download the pdf - a good and inspiring story :)

Another interesting read - yep I certainly have been having a catch up on my reading LOL - I like this one in so far as Mellen concurs that what he had thought had become his reality, I see no reason to doubt his story, he's not trying to sell anything on the back of it - I hesitate at his use of God, I would rather it be named Universe - as I begin to realise that "man" turned universal Principles into Gods - and as science progresses this is what will ultimately be revealed - there is no above nor below, no heaven nor hell, life in all it's varying forms is but circles within circles - cyclic - [one man's up is another man's down :)]

Lots of laughter

If yesterday's video made you smile then try this one - the outtakes - I am still grinning :)

Well the internet is full of laughs this morning

Here is John McCain's good friend "Pastor" John Hagee on women and marriage, from his book What Every Man Wants from a Woman:

Only a Spirit-filled woman can submit to her husband's lead. It is the
natural desire of a woman to lead through feminine manipulation of the
man. The battle of the sexes began in Genesis 3:16, when God said to
the woman, "Your craving shall be for your husband and he shall rule
over you." In the Art Scroll Tanach Series, author Meir Zolotowitz
stated, "Woman's punishment is measure for measure. She influenced her
husband and he ate at her command. Her punishment was that she would
now become subservient to him."

Why did Saint Paul say, "I do
not permit a woman to ... have authority over a man" (1 Tim. 2:12)? It
was because it is the natural thing for a woman to try to do. She is,
by instinct, a manipulator of the situation. Fallen women will try to
dominate the marriage. The man has the God-given role to be the loving
leader of the home. [Pages 12-13] (Brilliant at Breakfast)

I think I should have set up camp at L E this week as a phone call last night from Frank saying he has to go off to Chile tomorrow, so we must meet up today and sort out what's to be done etc and to take Keef up so he knows what he has to do also - then we are told the AC man is arriving 8ish could we "pop" up to give him access, which we did. In fact I am seriously think of staying over tomorrow night so I can be up bright and early and work in the cool of the early morning - yesterday our bedroom was topping 35 so had to be well into the 40s outside and certainly up at L.E. as it sits in the direct sun for most of the day.

More news on the quarry - looks like it will have to go ahead as the UK company is threatening to take the town hall to court if it doesn't get it's way and as the TH is already broke, allegedly {hehehe}, there is a meeting tonight which we will try and get to to find out more - I am with the greens in not wanting it as I really believe this village should be promoted as a place for peace/walks etc but with the booming of a working quarry that will be well screwed.........on the other hand if it threatens to bankrupt the village and still go ahead they may as well make the best of it and take the annual "pay off" - it will be interesting to find out who the company is..............

Einstein - Ethical axioms are found and tested not very
differently from the axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test
of experience.

Oh Val Cedar Key looks sooo beautiful, I am looking forward to you retro blogs mmmmm LOL ahhh the pelicans I have many pics of them from many years ago when we spent a week in Naples, obviously not the Italian one :)
Finishing with another video again the Sand Lady has been creating again and now in colour, there are some beautiful animal ones too, [You Tube - sandlady}

Newsy nosey.......

Tesco thwarts Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's chicken challenge

Tesco faced a storm of protests at today's AGM, including the American United Food and Commercial Workers' Union (UFCW) which is complaining about working standards at Tesco's US chain Fresh & Easy.This week Barack Obama wrote to a second letter to Tesco, this time to Sir Terry Leahy, its chief executive, urging him to engage with unions.Also, War on Want, the charity, this week accused Tesco of using slave labour after an investigation found that an Indian textile factory the UK company sources goods from pays staff just 16p an hour.War on Want, the charity group, alleges Tesco buys clothes from a Bangalore factory where workers can earn less than £7 a week.

What a sad indictment of our times that folks have no thought nor care for the treatment of the produce they put into their bodies, be it animal, vegetable or mineral - obesity is on the rise, people flock to the Doctor's surgery on a regular basis and what is the common denominator - crap food!! So long as the unthinking masses can shovel grub into their gobs it doesn't matter what or who has suffered, seems to be the same when it comes to clothing, just gotta have that retail therapy, so long as it does ME good mmmmmmmm, now all of this does get to my heart/emotions, this is the kinda thing that makes me sad and wanna cry -- how can we be happy/satisfied/content/joyful if what we do has caused another's suffering in any way shape or form???
Funnily enough I was asked to bake a carrot cake last week - the eggs, cream cheese and carrots were provided - all supermarket bought and what a difference the eggs were old and pale and the carrots were tasteless - the eggs cost no less than the local ones which can be got anywhere and everywhere in the village during spring and early summer, the egg season will be slowing down as the heat rises and the hens don't lay so many, so less eggs will get eaten - in this home. Another friend dropped some left over food before heading back and in this was some more supermarket eggs and I made pancakes at D's request the mix was a greyish colour rather than the usual bright and vibrant orangy yellow, I never did need proof but I certainly have it now!!
I can appreciate the folks who get pissed at some "celebrity" telling us how to live, I get pissed at anyone telling me how to live LOL - but as someone who is not wealthier than the average dude in fact I would say we have less than even the average {due to falling pound it has gone from over €5thou to less than}, I owe my bestest buddy a couple of thou and the dentist 18 mmmmm so any extra pennies earned are well gobbled up, pardon the pun hehehehe} Much gratitude and thankfullness that circumstance brought us here and enabled us to buy this house, considering I had always lived in rented accommodation it had never crossed my mind that I might become a house owner and D had handed everything over to Lorna when they parted company, so it wasn't from any conscious planning that we are here, 7 years on and my awareness/consciousness has definitely expanded LOL. Also I spent 5 years as a single mum of 2 - the dreaded kind - on benefits - I can empathise with the difficulties of making ends meet, but like so many in that predicament I did work for cash in hand, well how else is one supposed to survive and there is always some dude who is happy to exploit this - mine being a landowner who was also a magistrate!! I know it was over 20 years ago but 5 quid for looking after his horse every day - including high days and holidays - well you decide..........

OK before I get too emotional here are a couple of other snippets D found - the news they like to "tuck away"
The discovery of a toxic cargo on board a sunken Philippine ferry halts an operation to recover hundreds of bodies inside.
Ten tonnes of endosulfan were illegally in the cargo, destined for a Del Monte pineapple plantation, officials said. Read on.......
The man from Del Monte say OOOOOOO shiiiiiit - will you continue to get you del monte fruit then?

Mining giant defends Zimbabwe plan now aint this interesting , I hear Mr Brown says it is terrible what has happened in Zimbabwe blah blah blah - then we read this - their reasoning is that if they don't then the Chinese or the Russians will - they are not doing anything illegal - eh hem what about immoral then?

Watching the gheckos my mind wanders to Val - yep I liked those monsters too and am looking for places to get fiberfill {or fibrefill}, laughing at the frogs, our first spring in CasaraB was spent out on the campo and boy do the frogs sing here too - they only ever seemed to be silent for an hours siesta every afternoon, I had never heard such a noise before and it went on for at least a couple of months well felt like that.......I have now found some fabby yarn outlets, including hemp, through a blog I came across Purlpower shame we aren't a bit closer, sounds like my kinda gal LOL

Well a chilled day, staying cool and catching up with radio 4 progs I have missed, more of Glastonbury and the Mandala concert - next week is a busy one, what with La Era, Marta coming to stay tomorrow night, paying guests on Friday/Sat/Sun, better get some housework done.........but not today
Sa am thinking of you all and hoping the move goes smoothly - keep those new neighbours in check :) Lots of big breathes - let it ALL go - onwards and upwards to new opportunities/experiments and experiences xxx

Ah sweet Eli - you have been well gripped by the Phoenix Tears and Rick's story - there are many good dudes out in the world - all it needs is for all to unite and become the greater mass - the "thinking masses" rather than what we have now "unthinking masses" but it is changing as I write - it is one of the bonus's of this lifetime witnessing these great changes and the growing understanding of the interdependence{collective} that is replacing the independence[me me me] celebrating and sharing our differences and sameness, living and learning from one another........waking up and smelling the roses, [jasmine mock orange LOL] hearing the birds - people living their lives - children playing and laughing

Strange night sleep eluded me - unusual - lights in the room, went downstairs - outside the air felt really clean fresh special, sounds on the air - we didn't make it to market this morning.........
Brightest Blessings - let your life sparkle