ADVENTURES ON THE WHEEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Random House · Read this: The Head Trip by Jeff Warren, an excellent recent book on consciousness exploration. "The book has much to offer both to those who are new to thinking about the nature of the mind, and to those long experienced in investigating the various states of consciousness available to all of us. With roots in a long literary tradition and continuous reference to current scientific study, Warren embarks on an admirable attempt to get his head around his own head, and his thoroughly researched journeys are rich with insight and provocative potential..."

The Head Trip Official Site is HERE | The Head Trip at Amazon.com is HERE <<

ABU DHABI AIMS TO BUILD FIRST CARBON-NEUTRAL CITY

NPR, May 06, 2008 · The future is now, and it sounds like something from a William Gibson novel: "In Abu Dhabi, there's an area of nothing but wind-swept desert. But 10 years from now, if all goes according to plan, a city of 6 square kilometers housing 50,000 people will rise in the United Arab Emirates — and it will be carbon neutral. The project, called Masdar City, will burn no gas or oil. Masdar is the centerpiece of emirate Abu Dhabi's plans to get into the renewable energy market, a hedge against the day its oil wells run dry."

Listen to the 8-minute NPR segment & see video HERE <<

THE AGE OF iPOD POLITICS

TIME.com · This excellent short political essay by James Poniewozik is perhaps more timely now, in the midst of the longest presidential campaign in history, then when it was first published in 2004: "The problem is, American politics are un-American. At least, they no longer fit the a la carte ethos of iPod America. You and I can't each have our own President. We can't have our own Supreme Court or our own assault-weapons law. If you don't like the USA Patriot Act, you can't delete it from your digital playlist."

Read the Time Magazine Essay HERE <<

THE DHAMMA BROTHERS: DOCUMENTARY OPENING SOON!

FudoMouth.net · East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison —the end of the line in Alabama's correctional system— is forever changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. A spark is ignited when the Donaldson Correction Facility becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days.

THE DHAMMA BROTHERS tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely follows and documents the stories of the prison inmates who enter into this intensive program. This film, with the power to dismantle stereotypes about men behind prison bars, opens in New York on April 11 at Cinema Village -- see the film's site for show times near you...

The Dhamma Brothers Official Site is HERE | Read the NY Times Feature HERE <<

SITUATION IN TIBET INTENSIFIES

BBC, March, 20 2008 · China has said that only 13 people have been killed during the protests, and that all were innocent and killed by "rioters" in Lhasa. The Tibetan government in exile has said at least 99 people have died so far, including 80 in Lhasa - and have accused the security forces of firing on crowds. Earlier on Thursday, China admitted for the first time that the protests had spread outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region to nearby provinces in south-western China where large numbers of ethnic Tibetans live.

Read this and other BBC News stories HERE | see also: New York Times
"China Dials Up Rhetoric on Dalai Lama": Related story at NPR
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2007 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD

www.lcv.org · The League of Conservation Voters, an independent voice for the environment, has recently released this annual measure of lawmakers' votes on environmental issues. The Scorecard reflects significant improvements in the new Congress, and is especially timely because it highlights all three front-running presidential candidates: John McCain (R-Ariz.) scored 0 percent in 2007 -- learn why, and how the other candidates scored, as well as lawmakers from your state...

Check out the 2007 Environmental Scorecard HERE <<

CANCEL THE APOCALYPSE

Burning Man 2006 · In this straight-forward public talk, author Daniel Pinchbeck explains his work exploring the evolution of consciousness as it relates to global warming and the climate crisis. Pinchbeck contextualizes his writings about psychedelics and the prophetic year 2012 by offering them as a thought experiment, one means among many for assessing our relationship with ourselves and our planet. Highly recommended.

Download the Hour-Long Podcast HERE <<

DON'T (ALWAYS) BELIEVE THE (ORGANIC) HYPE

NPR, June 21, 2007 · For many, eating right means eating organic. Cindy Burke, author of To Buy or Not to Buy Organic, says organic doesn't always mean better. In this informative segment, Burke compares and contrasts conventional, organic, sustainable, and local foods by taking the economic, environmental and health costs of each into account.

Listen to the NPR segment HERE <<

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CANDIDATES

WMUR-TV · WMUR New Hampshire is now hosting an excellent series of Town Hall Meeting-style forums with 2008 presidential candidates from both parties. These extended interviews and interactive Q&A sessions provide a fairly in-depth yet conversational look at each candidate's platform and positions. Running time of 30min each. Inform yourself.

Watch the continuing video series HERE <<