SETI SHUTDOWN METAPHOR FOR HUMANITY SHUTDOWN?

SETI telescope array suspends operations due to financial constraints

(PhysOrg.com) -- SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence group that has been using radio telescopes since the 1960’s to "listen" for signals from deep space that could prove the existence of other life in the universe, has had to temporarily suspend operation of its Allen Telescope Array, (ATA) due to a lack of funding.

In this era of "Cut This, Cut That" because we're running out of money, the cuts to SETI, for me, has a much broader implication. Humanity is what it is because of its curiosity. This basic trait led to controlling fire, molding metals, arts, sciences, civilizations, experimentations, and discoveries.

SETI represents all that is positive in humanity. It symbolizes the desire to know, for the sake of knowing. Many things we did in our explorations into space was for the sake of knowing. Sure, many practical things came from the quests and still do, but we went to space to learn, to discover our place in the vast unknown. SETI is the same as 'humanity calling,' a reaching out and a bringing into our consciousness a desire to get to know the neighborhood of life.

With the loss of funding for SETI, it seems we have also lost our desire to know. We have put aside the stars in favor of the mundane, the boring, the drudgery of everyday life. The fire, the dream has given way to the beast, seeking only to survive the day. Is this what we have become? Is this what life is about? Can our species even survive if we have no dreams? Should we survive if the heavens no longer entice our hearts, minds and souls?

CHOOSING, VALUES, THE ROAD TO 2012

Only that which we perceive has value, has any value. If we had no use for gold or diamonds, they would have little value. The same goes for money. Despite the memes created by the economics elite, much of what we call economics is a big lie that, unforyunately, most people believe. Give a poor man a dollar, and it is worth a dollar. Give a millionnaire a dollar, and the value is the same. We have all agreed what a dollar is worth, even though it is merely a piece of paper with no intrinsic worth.

Overtime, economists have convinced us that others can and should determine the value of a dollar. Investors, banks and even foreign governments determine the value of the U.S. dollar and, we also determine the value of foreign currency. But in truth, all of this is simply what people say something is worth. We are convinced by economists and politicians that money is limited. Limited, that is, until they want to print more. There are no laws in the universe that say if you have more money it is worth less and if you have less money, it is worth more. If that were true, poor people would be the wealthy ones and the rich would be poor.

We, as a society, choose what has value. Things we want are produced; things that we don't want, are not. Quite simply and it has nothing to do with hedge funds, equities, futures, etc. All of those things are merely a way for the few to accumulate wealth at the expense of the poor. Take a look at the 2012 budget proposals. Both the Obama and the Republican budgets are in the same league with respect to the amount of cuts. What's a few trillion among friends?

However, it is not how much is being cut, but rather how the cuts are made. that will help determine the future of our society. Obama has drawn a line that, hopefully, he will stick with. ON onwe side of the line (Republican/Tea Party) we have trillions in cuts shouldered by the poor and the middle class. The wealthy get more; the military gets more, and the middle class and poor get less. On the Obama side, the wealthy and military get less and at the middle class and the poor fair much better. The way we go is a fundamental choice and statement about our future. Do we value the elderly, the poor, those struggling to get by, the American dream; or, do we value the wealthy, banks, Wall Street, the goals of an aristocracy?

These are the choices we must make. Personally, I could care less about deficits. Simply print more money and pay the bills and tell people this is what our currency is worth. Live with it. We have placed the value of a piece of paper above the basic needs of people and this will lead us down a path that is the worst of 2012 prophecy.

I have mentioned on numerous occasions  that the prophecies of the likes of Nostradamus, the Mayans, Hopi, DaVinci and others speak of the consequences of choices that we are offered and not some predestined plan. They tell us that if we stay on this road we will fall off the cliff. The soon to be released BOOK III of the WAKING GOD TRILOGY: THE SECOND COMING OF HUMANITY clearly describes how our choices will determine how we fair in the very near future. We are in a Time of Choosing. There are many choosing freedom over tyranny; spirituality over worn out religious dogma; helping the environment rather than destroying it; and, people over bucks. What will be your 2012 reality?

OIL PRICE BS!

We keep taking it on the chin and Big Business/WALL STREET is throwing the punches. In addition to Republicans asking for more tax breaks for the wealthy, we are all drowning under the weight of oil prices. But why? Is there a supply issue? No, not really. Has there been a huge increase in demand? No, not really. So why?

http://useconomy.about.com/od/commoditiesmarketfaq/p/high_gas_prices.htm

What Is the Biggest Factor in High Oil Prices?:

Like most of the things you buy, oil prices are affected by supply and demand. However, oil prices are also affected by oil price futures, which are traded on the commodities futures exchange. These prices fluctuate daily, depending on what investors think the price of oil will be in the future. When traders think oil will be high, they bid it up even higher. This soon causes high gas prices..Another reason for high oil prices is the declining dollar. Since oil is denominated in dollars, the 40% decline in the dollar in the last six years puts upward pressure on oil prices. (Source: BBC, Oil Price May Hit $200 a Barrel, May 7, 2008)

Sometimes commodities traders drive up the price of oil, even when supply increases and demand falls. The EIA cites an increased flow of investment money into commodities markets. In other words, money that used to be invested in real estate or the global stock markets is now being invested in oil futures. (Source: EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook)

So you see, what is messing with everyone's  paycheck are a bunch of people making billions by BETTING on the price of oil.

Wall Street's Free Ride

No Good

REDUCE SOCIAL PROGRAMS AND GIVE MORE TO PENTAGON?

News reports indicate that Republicans want to increase funding for the Pentagon and pay for it by reducing funding for domestic social programs. So, it seems that taking care of our own domestic needs and problems should play second fiddle to funding stupid wars?

What is the point of a nation that puts the needs of weapons above the needs of the poor, the elderly, the sick and those in need of education? Is this not what we are using our military to do abroad? Are we not spending billions to keep dictators from operating their police states while their people suffer? And this is what the Republicans want for us? Go figure!

How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sandy Sims about his new book: How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century. I thin you will all enjoy the interview and enjoy the book even more!


"As we approach the much talked about 2012, humanity as a whole is confronted by a climate of fear that may very well create/manifest all that is least desired in the misinterpreted prophecies of the likes of Nostradamus, the Hopi and the Mayans."

What is the role of the individual in either creating a negative/positive environment for themselves and others?

(Sandy)I feel it is all about individuals first taking care of themselves so that they can assist others. Learning what to think about and how is the critical issue. There is a saying that the quality of our lives is determined by the questions we ask. Asking questions with intent sets the process in motion. For example: “What are my gifts? How can I best use these? How can I be happy? The answers may not appear immediately, but they do come, and when they do one must summon the determination to act.

The real challenge occurs when people become overwhelmed with circumstances that they lose this focus and begin blaming their personal condition on the environment. They lose l contact with their personal power.


Will an environment of social, economic, political and religious turmoil increase the likelihood of more societal problems?

(Sandy)I feel we really don’t have a good grasp on this. The immediate surface answer would be yes. There will be those that resist changing, and there will be those promoting it. This dynamic tension will most likely always exist. Yet if we see more conscious awareness developing, then the over all movement will be to improve society.

I believe the Dalai Lama was once asked how he viewed the 20th century with all of the wars and bloodshed. He answered by saying that on balance it had been the best century when you look at number of lives, the standard of which, had improved worldwide.  It is the nature of the challenge now that is important. We seem to be facing structural changes as opposed to just cyclical ones: that is the thinking and structures in place to deal with economics, politics, education, global interdependence, etc. are all in search of new models.

If society does not view its problems holistically and fails to understand that you cannot separate economics from such things as climate change, human rights, environmental protection, etc. is there any hope that humanity will keep its position as the dominant species?

(Sandy) If you accept the idea that the human species has immense personal power potential and that we are connected as Rupert Sheldrake surmises through the morphogenetic field or collective unconscious, then we might say that all is possible, that we can change our consciousness. The issue at stake is how far we go towards the brink of some environmental disaster through nature or nuclear war that we cannot reverse. Then all bets would be off.  But I would venture to say that as long as man is on the planet with the knowledge gained so far, that even with an enormous set back, a wiser generation would emerge.

Humanity is facing a crisis; what can one person do?

(Sandy) I had the good fortune once to spend time with Eileen Caddy the co-founder of The Findhorn Community in Scotland, years ago addressing this very same question. Her comment was that each person is responsible for taking care of one person, themselves. If enough people can rise to that level of awareness they will be able to assist the less fortunate, disabled, sick, etc. In this regard she was referring to each person becoming aware of their own personal power through the proper use of their minds, which means practicing and developing their minds to accomplish the tasks in front of them.  This, of course, is the subject matter of the human potential movement.

Our 'times' are the culmination of synchronicities, is the future written or is their choice?

(Sandy) When you think about synchronicities as being meaningful coincidences it is extremely easy to imagine your connection with these synchronicities as messages from other consciousnesses. I like to think about these events as perhaps communication from your invisible partners. If this is indeed a reality then the future might not so much be written but explored jointly between ourselves and these partners. 




For more information about Sandy Sims and How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century, visit http://creativethinkingbook.com/ and visit this page to get the Amazon links http://creativethinkingbook.com/buy-your-copy/.  


Why I Wrote – How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century – Comments from Sandy Sims
Originally I knew this would be a story of interest to people who follow architecture. After reading Wright’s autobiography I had been struck by the idea that not only was he famous but his drawings at the time were selling at auction for the same price as those of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.  He had designed over 1,000 designs but some 500 remained unbuilt. In an “a ha” flash I imagined that a collection of Wright’s unrealized designs built in Hawaii would be stunning.
The pursuit of this idea was so compelling, that I innocently and naively began the journey, and what a journey it was. I was cordially invited into many of Wright’s private homes, to meet their owners, and to hear their stories.  I became friends with those in the Taliesin Fellowship, some of whom were the earliest apprentices to Frank Lloyd Wright. It was a rich journey. While in the beginning I was attracted to the financial rewards that might have accrued, I later became fascinated by the idea of what it would be like to live inside of the space created by both a mystic and a genius. I found out


Sandy Sims Bio –

Sandy Sims was raised and educated in the South.  After serving as Naval Officer and finishing graduate business school, he followed a dream to live in Honolulu where he built one of Hawaii's most successful advertising  agencies.

The crisis of personal health and business setbacks opened the way to larger spiritual dimensions including a long association with the Caddy family, founders of the Findhorn Spiritual Community in Scotland His book,”How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century,” is a memoir of his journey culminating in a 20 year project with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

He has collaborated with Psychiatrist, Kerry Monick MD, and authored Creative Thinking For The 21st Century, An Experiential Guidebook. Accepting the science that our intention does indeed affect the material world, it addresses what to be thinking about, how to shape these thoughts, and what might be the best way to avoid unintended consequences.

When not travelling, Sandy resides in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where you can find him writing, playing tennis, poking around with his camera and embracing a new culture.