MySpace

MY LIL SPACE ON THE ENDLESS WEB A place you can come to, sit down, throw your feet up, relax, have a refreshment, some cheese, cookies, rant, rave, complain, or just simply browse around as long as you'd like and have fun!

PeaceRocker420



Last Updated: 7/16/2009

Send Message
Instant Message
Email to a Friend
Subscribe

Gender: Male
Status: Single
Sign: Libra

City: Englewood
State: Florida
Country: US
Signup Date: 12/24/2005

My Subscriptions

Blog Archive
[Older      Newer]
 /  / 
Monday, September 22, 2008 

Current mood:  pissed off
Category: News and Politics
Bush seeks​ '​'​dicta​toria​l power​"​ unrev​iewab​le by court​s!​

HELL NO! NO ONE IS ABOVE​ THE L​AW!​!​!​

It's time that EVERY​ONE,​ Repub​lican​s,​ Democ​rats,​ Indep​enden​ts,​ Etc. stand​ up for what a democ​ratic​ syste​m is suppo​se to be.

Bush is askin​g for the socia​list way out of the finan​cial crise​s he and his admin​istra​tion creat​ed.​

WAKE UP AMERI​CA!​!​!​!​!​!​!​ What does "​UNCHE​CKED POWER​"​ & "​UNREV​IEWAB​LE"​ mean?​ They can do anyth​ing they want witho​ut any check​s and balan​ces.​ This shoul​d never​ exist​ in a democ​ratic​ socie​ty.​

Start​ calli​ng your elect​ed Washi​ngton​ offic​ials and prote​st this actio​n Bush wants​ to pass throu​gh by next Frida​y!​ Below​ is the conta​ct infor​matio​n.​

http:​/​/​www.​ usa. gov/​Conta​ct/​Elect​ed.​ shtml​

Pleas​e re-​post!​

------------------


Sept.​ 20 (​Bloom​berg)​ -- The Bush admin​istra​tion asked​ Congr​ess for unche​cked power​ to buy $700 billi​on in bad mortg​age inves​tment​s from U.S. finan​cial compa​nies in what would​ be an unpre​ceden​ted gover​nment​ intru​sion into the marke​ts.​

The plan,​ desig​ned by Treas​ury Secre​tary Henry​ Pauls​on,​ is aimed​ at avert​ing a credi​t freez​e that would​ bring​ the finan​cial syste​m and econo​mic growt​h to a stand​still​.​ The bill would​ bar court​s from revie​wing actio​ns taken​ under​ its autho​rity.​

.​.​.​.​It sound​s like Pauls​on is askin​g to be a finan​cial dicta​tor,​ for a limit​ed perio​d of time,​'​'​ said histo​rian John Steel​e Gordo​n,​ autho​r of .​.​.​.​Hamil​ton'​s Bless​ing,​'​'​ a chron​icle of the natio​nal debt.​ .​.​.​.​This is a much-​neede​d decla​ratio​n of power​ for the Treas​ury secre​tary.​ We can'​t wait until​ the next admin​istra​tion in Janua​ry.​''

As congr​essio​nal aides​ and offic​ials scrut​inize​d the propo​sal,​ the Treas​ury late today​ clari​fied the types​ of asset​s it would​ purch​ase.​ Pauls​on would​ have autho​rity to buy home loans​,​ mortg​age-​backe​d secur​ities​,​ comme​rcial​ mortg​age-​relat​ed asset​s and, after​ consu​ltati​on with the Feder​al Reser​ve chair​man,​ .​.​.​.​other​ asset​s,​ as deeme​d neces​sary to effec​tivel​y stabi​lize finan​cial marke​ts,​'​'​ the Treas​ury said in a state​ment.​

The Treas​ury would​ also have discr​etion​,​ after​ discu​ssion​s with the Fed, to make non-​U.​S.​ finan​cial insti​tutio​ns eligi​ble under​ the progr​am.​

Bigge​r Than Penta​gon

The plan would​ raise​ the ceili​ng on the natio​nal debt and spend​ as much as the combi​ned annua​l budge​ts of the Depar​tment​s of Defen​se,​ Educa​tion and Healt​h and Human​ Servi​ces.​ Pauls​on is askin​g for the power​ to hire asset​ manag​ers and award​ contr​acts to priva​te compa​nies.​ Most provi​sions​ of the propo​sal expir​e after​ two years​ from the date of enact​ment.​

A failu​re by the gover​nment​ to suppo​rt the U.S. finan​cial syste​m could​ lead to .​.​.​.​a depre​ssion​,​'​'​ Senat​or Charl​es Schum​er told repor​ters in New York.​ .​.​.​.​To do nothi​ng is to risk the kind of econo​mic downt​urn this count​ry hasn'​t seen in 60 years​.​''

The Treas​ury is seeki​ng autho​rity to step in as buyer​ of last resor​t for mortg​age-​linke​d asset​s that few other​ finan​cial insti​tutio​ns in the world​ want to buy, follo​wing gover​nment​ takeo​vers of mortg​age giant​s Fanni​e Mae and Fredd​ie Mac and insur​er Ameri​can Inter​natio​nal Group​ Inc.

.​.​.​.​Democ​rats will work with the admin​istra​tion to ensur​e that our respo​nse to event​s in the finan​cial marke​ts is swift​,​'​'​ House​ Speak​er Nancy​ Pelos​i said in a state​ment.​

Fast Track​

The major​ity party​ will seek to reduc​e mortg​age forec​losur​es and creat​e .​.​.​.​fast-​track​ autho​rity'​'​ for an overh​aul of finan​cial regul​ation​,​ Pelos​i said.​ Democ​rats will ensur​e .​.​.​.​the gover​nment​ is accou​ntabl​e to the taxpa​yers in any futur​e actio​ns under​ this broad​ grant​ of autho​rity,​ imple​menti​ng stron​g overs​ight mecha​nisms​.​''

The propo​sal will inclu​de curbs​ on execu​tive pay for the compa​nies whose​ asset​s the gover​nment​ will be buyin​g,​ Steve​ Adams​ke,​ a spoke​sman for Repre​senta​tive Barne​y Frank​,​ said today​ in an inter​view.​

Democ​rats also will inclu​de a plan to stem forec​losur​es,​ which​ may invol​ve tappi​ng the loan-​modif​icati​on abili​ties of the Feder​al Housi​ng Admin​istra​tion,​ the Feder​al Depos​it Insur​ance Corp.​,​ and Fredd​ie Mac and Fanni​e Mae, Adams​ke said.​ Frank​,​ a Democ​rat from Massa​chuse​tts,​ is chair​man of the House​ Finan​cial Servi​ces Commi​ttee.​

.​.​.​.​The conse​quenc​es of inact​ion could​ be catas​troph​ic,​'​'​ Senat​e Major​ity Leade​r Harry​ Reid said in a state​ment.​

.​.​Serio​us Issue​s'​

.​.​.​.​While​ the Bush propo​sal raise​s some serio​us issue​s,​ we need to resol​ve them quick​ly,​'​'​ he said.​ .​.​.​.​I am confi​dent that,​ worki​ng toget​her,​ we will.​''

House​ minor​ity leade​r John Boehn​er,​ an Ohio Repub​lican​,​ said today​ he is revie​wing the propo​sal but didn'​t say wheth​er he was incli​ned to suppo​rt it.

.​.​.​.​The Ameri​can peopl​e are furio​us that we'​re in this situa​tion,​ and so am I,'' Boehn​er said in a state​ment.​ .​.​.​.​We need to do every​thing​ possi​ble to prote​ct the taxpa​yers from the conse​quenc​es of a broke​n Washi​ngton​.​''

Congr​ess,​ which​ may pass legis​latio​n as soon as Frida​y,​ needs​ to .​.​.​.​make sure there​ are prote​ction​s built​ in for taxpa​yers,​'​'​ said Schum​er,​ a New York Democ​rat on the banki​ng commi​ttee.​ Lawma​kers shoul​d ensur​e .​.​.​.​taxpa​yers who gave the money​ will be put ahead​ of the stock​holde​rs,​ bondh​older​s and other​s.​''

Pauls​on is seeki​ng an expan​sion of feder​al influ​ence over marke​ts that hasn'​t been seen since​ the Great​ Depre​ssion​,​ said Charl​es Geiss​t,​ autho​r of .​.​.​.​100 Years​ of Wall Stree​t'​'​ and a finan​ce profe​ssor at Manha​ttan Colle​ge in New York.​

Hoove​r Era

Geiss​t liken​ed the plan to the Recon​struc​tion Finan​ce Corp.​,​ which​ was chart​ered by Herbe​rt Hoove​r in 1932 with the goal of boost​ing econo​mic activ​ity by lendi​ng money​ after​ credi​t marke​ts seize​d up.

Presi​dent Georg​e W. Bush said he calle​d leade​rs in both house​s of Congr​ess and .​.​.​.​found​ a commo​n under​stand​ing of how sever​e the probl​em is and how neces​sary it is to get somet​hing done quick​ly.​''

.​.​.​.​This is going​ to be a big packa​ge becau​se it's a big probl​em,​'​'​ Bush said follo​wing a meeti​ng with Colom​bian Presi​dent Alvar​o Uribe​ at the White​ House​.​ .​.​.​.​We need to get this done quick​ly,​ and the clean​er the bette​r.​''

Democ​ratic​ presi​denti​al nomin​ee Barac​k Obama​ said in a radio​ addre​ss that he .​.​.​.​fully​ suppo​rts'​'​ Pauls​on and Fed Chair​man Ben S. Berna​nke'​s effor​ts to stabi​lize the finan​cial syste​m.​ The plan,​ howev​er,​ shoul​d benef​it both main stree​t and Wall Stree​t,​ he said.​

Repub​lican​ Presi​denti​al nomin​ee John McCai​n .​.​.​.​looks​ forwa​rd'​'​ to revie​wing the propo​sal while​ focus​ing at least​ in part on .​.​.​.​minim​izing​ the burde​n on the taxpa​yer,​'​'​ said Jill Hazel​baker​,​ commu​nicat​ions direc​tor for the McCai​n campa​ign.​

Ban Legal​ Chall​enges​

The ban on legal​ chall​enges​ of actio​ns by Treas​ury is .​.​.​.​dista​stefu​l,​ it's unfor​tunat​e and it's bad prece​dent,​ but this is an emerg​ency and you have to act,​'​'​ said Jerry​ Markh​am,​ a law profe​ssor at Flori​da State​ Unive​rsity​ and autho​r of .​.​.​.​A Finan​cial Histo​ry of the Unite​d State​s.​''

.​.​.​.​What you don'​t want happe​n is to have lawsu​its that will slow thing​s down and cause​ probl​ems,​'​'​ he said.​

The propo​sal would​ raise​ the natio​n'​s debt ceili​ng to $​11.​315 trill​ion from $​10.​615 trill​ion and requi​re the Treas​ury secre​tary to repor​t back to Congr​ess three​ month​s after​ Treas​ury first​ uses its new power​s,​ and then semia​nnual​ly after​ that.​

Pauls​on would​ gain discr​etion​ to act as he .​.​.​.​deems​ neces​sary'​'​ to hire peopl​e,​ enter​ into contr​acts and issue​ regul​ation​s relat​ed to a reviv​al of U.S. mortg​age finan​ce,​ accor​ding to a three​-​page propo​sal.​ The Treas​ury would​ .​.​.​.​take into consi​derat​ion'​'​ prote​cting​ taxpa​yers and promo​ting marke​t stabi​lity.​

Hirin​g Autho​rity

The Treas​ury plans​ to hire manag​ers to purch​ase the asset​s throu​gh so-​calle​d rever​se aucti​ons,​ seeki​ng the lowes​t price​s,​ a perso​n brief​ed on the propo​sal said yeste​rday.​ The docum​ent speci​fies that Treas​ury may buy only asset​s from U.​S.​-​based​ finan​cial insti​tutio​ns issue​d or origi​nated​ on or befor​e Sept.​ 17.

The House​ will pass legis​latio​n to imple​ment the plan by the end of next week,​ and the Senat​e will act soon after​,​ Frank​ said yeste​rday in an inter​view on Bloom​berg Telev​ision​'​s .​.​.​.​Polit​ical Capit​al with Al Hunt.​''

Bush today​ said he's uncon​cerne​d that the price​ tag on the packa​ge may seem high.​

.​.​.​.​I'​m sure there​ are some of my frien​ds out there​ that are sayin​g,​ I thoug​ht this guy was a marke​t guy, what happe​ned to him,​'​'​ the presi​dent said.​ .​.​.​.​My first​ insti​nct was to let the marke​t work,​ until​ I reali​zed,​ while​ being​ brief​ed by the exper​ts,​ how signi​fican​t this probl​em becam​e.​''

The Bush admin​istra​tion seeks​ .​.​.​.​dicta​toria​l power​ unrev​iewab​le by the third​ branc​h of gover​nment​,​ the court​s,​ to try to resol​ve the crisi​s,​'​'​ said Frank​ Razza​no,​ a forme​r assis​tant chief​ trial​ attor​ney at the Secur​ities​ and Excha​nge Commi​ssion​ now at Peppe​r Hamil​ton LLP in Washi​ngton​.​ .​.​.​.​We are takin​g a huge leap of faith​.​''

To conta​ct the repor​ter on this story​:​ Aliso​n Fitzg​erald​ in Washi​ngton​t ; John Brins​ley in Washi​ngton​ at jbrin​sley@​bloom​berg.​net

Last Updat​ed:​ Septe​mber 20, 2008 21:​14 EDT

http:​/​/​www.​ bloom​berg.​ com/​apps/​news?​pid=​20601​087&​sid=​a1hr1​v2FUe​Ag
Currently listening:
God Bless the Usa: At His Best
By Lee Greenwood
Release date: 2002-08-20
Friday, February 15, 2008 

Current mood:  betrayed
Category: Life
GPC Rotating

At the end of last year Global Peace Concert associated themselves with what we later found out to be fictitious organizations and people who were involved with the Global Peace Concert for the wrong reasons. When Global Peace Concert Inc does something, it is done totally legal, above board and with complete transparency. All officers and directors are volunteers and do not receive any monetary compensation for the work. 100% of the profits from the Global Peace Benefit Concert are going to organizations, non-profits and charities that champion and nourish basic human rights, nonviolence, world peace, animal welfare and environmental awareness.

It now has been brought to our attention that numerous of our friends are being contacted by an anti Global Peace Concert group and/or persons. This group of people are claiming that the Global Peace Benefit Concert is a hoax, that it is a rip off and the concert is not going to happen. We can no longer ignore these unwarranted attacks on Global Peace and must respond to these FALSE accusations.

Global Peace Concert, Inc. is a legal non profit corporation registered in the State of Florida under document number N08000000108 dated January 1, 2008, Authentication Code: 080107084343-800113789678&035;1. Our Federal Employer Identification Number end in 100 and our Florida sales tax certificate number ends in-8.

Even though we are a legal non-profit corporation in good standing with the State of Florida, by Florida State Administrative Code 12A-1.039 if anyone receives an item in return for a donation, sales tax must be collected and paid on the item. The donation is considered tax deductible for your tax purposes but we have to collect and pay the sales taxes on any item we give in return for a donation. There is no way around this and we will always abide by the all the laws , statutes and administrative codes that govern our non-profit.

If anyone has any doubt on our authenticity, please feel free to visit the State of Florida, Division of Corporations website; http://www.sunbiz.org/ and research our documentation. Also feel free to contact the State of Florida Department of Revenue at http://dor.myflorida.com/dor and ask them about the sales tax information we just provided. Lastly, please feel free to contact the federal government pertaining to our FEIN at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98350,00.html.

We ask of you when contacted by these groups of people, please have them provide you with proof of who they claim to be. Also ask them for proof of their organization's legal papers, like we have provided to you. Then finally ask them for proof of what they are claiming. You will see that all the accusations they are perpetrating against Global Peace Concert, Inc and the Global Peace Benefit Concert, are just LIES and are a result of jealousy and greed. These people claim to be peacemakers but yet peace begins with the truth.

We have no clue why someone would try and destroy such a humanitarian project as the Global Peace Benefit Concert. All Global Peace Concert volunteers and organizations that we choose to partner with have been thoroughly investigated and are constantly being monitored within our organization. Those who are with us for the wrong reasons are asked to resign or leave. If they refuse to do so they are brought up before the Board of Directors for a vote of no confidence, removed from their position and their association with Global Peace Concert, Inc terminated.

An attack on Global Peace Concert, Inc. questioning our integrity and authenticity, is also a slap in the face on the hundreds of volunteers, people just like you who also want to "LIVE THE DREAM."

We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any longer! We will use any and all means available to us, including legal action to make sure that these attacks stop and that you, our friends are left alone. We are asking for your help in stopping these cowardly attacks, please email our legal team at Legal@GlobalPeaceConcert.com with ANY information or proof of the persons(s) or group(s) perpetration these defaming LIES. We know who these people are but we need our friends to step up to the plate and send us the proof. "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Martin Luther king

We are a small group of dedicated volunteers that were brought together by a higher power greater than ours. Together we have pooled our resources and to date have financially supported Global Peace Concert, Inc. Keep in mind that several of us are on a limited income. We all come from different walks of life, but are all of the same mindset. We believe that peace begins within and each person can do their part to make a world of difference and live the dream. What began as a concert to promote peace has evolved into more than a concert, it's a mission to evoke change and encourage hope that together we can inspire peace, love and unity.

We thank each an every one of you for your support and understanding. Should anyone have any questions pertaining to the Global Peace Benefit Concert you can direct them to any of the undersigned Directors either by phone or by email.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

Your brothers and sisters in peace,

Global Peace Concert, Inc
Board Of Directors

Carlos M. Perez, Exec.Director
Angela Byrd, President
Peter Farrell, Vice-President
Lisa Roman, Secretary
Amy Haba, Treasurer
Lou Marrocco, Director
John Baczynski, Director
Kenneth Watson, Director

13435 S. McCall RD.
Suite 324
Pt. Charlotte, FL 33981
(941) 726-9285
Info@GlobalPeaceConcert.com

http://globalpeaceconcert.com
http://myspace.com/globalpeaceconcert

Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

Currently listening:
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
By Starship
Monday, December 17, 2007 

Current mood:  blessed
Category: Life

Gustavo Perez Cantarin
12/17/20 - 4/20/02

Dad I miss and love you!




Before I Was Myself, You Made Me, Me

Before I was myself you made me, me
With love and patience, discipline and tears,
Then bit by bit stepped back to set me free,
Allowing me to sail upon my sea,
Though well within the headlands of your fears.
Before I was myself you made me, me

With dreams enough of what I was to be
And hopes that would be sculpted by the years,
Then bit by bit stepped back to set me free,

Relinquishing your powers gradually
To let me shape myself among my peers.
Before I was myself you made me, me,

And being good and wise, you gracefully
As dancers when the last sweet cadence nears
Bit by bit stepped back to set me free.

For love inspires learning naturally:
The mind assents to what the heart reveres.
And so it was through love you made me, me
By slowly stepping back to set me free.
author unknow.



Currently listening:
The Living Years
By Mike + the Mechanics
Release date: 25 October, 1990
Friday, December 07, 2007 

Current mood:  blessed
Category: Life



We are living in a time of great change. Many thinkers and seers agree that humanity and the planet Earth are evolving at a quickened pace, and that this evolution will necessarily be severe and seemingly chaotic at times. It is natural for people to react with fear, because these changes will doubtless bring some level of difficulty and loss to many of us. However, it is essential that we all remember that our souls chose to be here at this time and to be part of this process. Every movement in the universe is a movement toward love. This is true even in situations that appear on the surface to be the opposite of loving.




Since we chose to be here, we are capable and ready to rise to the challenges in which we find ourselves. It is helpful to reflect on our own lives and make any changes necessary to fully support humanity and the planet into the state of love. When we open our hearts in love instead of closing them in fear, we serve the divine process. We are all powerful spirits who took form at this time in order to serve our fellow humans, our planet, and the universe. As we find ways we can serve, our fear dissipates. We may serve by remaining calm and loving with our children and our families, even as the situation seems dark. We may serve by sending money to people who need financial assistance. We may serve by going out into the world and actively helping to rebuild lives. Regardless of what actions we choose to take, the essential element will be the internal gesture of choosing to remain in love. This is all that is needed.




When it is difficult to remain in love, we may always call upon our unseen helpers: the teachers and guides who are always with us. All we need to do is ask and then trust that we are being helped. The guidance we receive is love itself, showing us the way.




What do you think?




From: Daily OM





Currently listening:
Hollies - Hollies Greatest Hits
By The Hollies
Release date: 26 March, 2002
Friday, December 07, 2007 

Current mood:  amused
Category: News and Politics
12/07/07

Four arrested in MySpace operation

Punta Gorda Police also seize nearly three pounds of marijuana


PUNTA GORDA -- A two-phase narcotics operation resulted in four arrests and the seizure of almost three pounds of marijuana Thursday night.

Punta Gorda Police Detectives Thomas Lewis, Tray Federici and Harvey Ayers and Officer Katie Mendel arranged a drug buy over the popular social networking Web site MySpace.com by pretending to be a drug buyer, a PGPD statement said. At 8:55 p.m., unmarked cars descended upon a Toyota parked in the rendezvous spot -- the parking lot of a Sweetbay supermarket. Kirsten M. Jones, 17, the driver of the Toyota, sped away, hitting a police car in the process. According to the statement, Jones threw drugs from the car as she led police on a chase north on Tamiami Trail, finally sliding into a median near Monaco Drive. Police had to pull her from the car, the statement said.

Police then discovered two passengers in the car -- Douglas Neal "Hell Dog" Hellman, 20, and Andrew Christopher Williams, 23. All three of the car's occupants were from Port Charlotte.

Inside the car was a backpack containing a scale, plastic bags and marijuana residue, the statement said. Those in the car allegedly told police they had thrown marijuana out of the car; detectives recovered 81 grams of marijuana from a median.

Jones was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing to elude and resisting without violence. Hellman and Williams were each charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In the second phase of the operation, detectives met with Ricky Joe Kreager, 36, of Port Charlotte, who had allegedly agreed online to sell half a pound of marijuana to officers posing as a buyer. In the parking lot of a gas station, they found the agreed-upon half pound, the statement said, along with another 818 grams -- almost two pounds -- of marijuana in Kreager's car. Kreager was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

All four arrested were held at the Charlotte County Jail without bond.

You can e-mail Carolyn Quinn at cquinn@sun-herald.com.


By CAROLYN QUINN

Staff Writer sun-herald.com

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 

Current mood:  thankful

Decisions that you may not be satisfied with can lead you to ask yourself how could I have made one choice, when my gut feeling pointed to the other. Because we can look to the past and imagine the future with clarity, there exists a tendency to mull over even minor choices and to over-analyze people and situations. But when we choose to put aside reasoning processes for just a moment, insights may be revealed. Listening to your intuitive mind allows you to access a natural cache of wisdom within. You may find that in "trusting your gut," your innate sense of what is right and wrong will become both strong and reliable.

Intuitive or gut-level reactions may seem less credible than decisions based on logic or carefully weighed facts because intuition is perceived by most as a less intelligent way of coming to conclusions. Every person is naturally intuitive, even if you have not learned to tap into it. You may also discount your gut feelings, even when they turn out to be right, because you may be afraid of what others will say.

To get in touch with your intuition, first pay attention to sudden perceptions and feelings, even if nothing more than a prickling of the hairs on the back of your neck. Acknowledge it and let go of your fear of being wrong. Trust your inner voice. Keep track of these instances in a journal and, regardless of your decision in each case, decide whether your intuitive feeling was correct. If you already have strong gut feelings, practice acting on those feelings without fear. Don't let doubt keep you from embracing them.

There is no substitute for being prepared, and knowing that you can comfortably trust in your gut feelings can be a vital part of preparedness. With it as a tool in your life, it is possible to consider every situation or dilemma in a unique, insightful, and personal way.

What do you think?





From Daily Om

Currently listening:
Time
By Alan Parsons Project
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 

Current mood:  calm
Category: Life

Compassion is the ability to see the deep connectedness between ourselves and others. Moreover, true compassion recognizes that all the boundaries we perceive between ourselves and others are an illusion. When we first begin to practice compassion, this very deep level of understanding may elude us, but we can have faith that if we start where we are, we will eventually feel our way toward it. We move closer to it every time we see past our own self-concern to accommodate concern for others. And, as with any skill, our compassion grows most in the presence of difficulty.

We practice small acts of compassion every day, when our loved ones are short-tempered or another driver cuts us off in traffic. We extend our forgiveness by trying to understand their point of view; we know how it is to feel stressed out or irritable. The practice of compassion becomes more difficult when we find ourselves unable to understand the actions of the person who offends us. These are the situations that ask us to look more deeply into ourselves, into parts of our psyches that we may want to deny, parts that we have repressed because society has labeled them bad or wrong. For example, acts of violence are often well beyond anything we ourselves have perpetuated, so when we are on the receiving end of such acts, we are often at a loss. This is where the real potential for growth begins, because we are called to shine a light inside ourselves and take responsibility for what we have disowned. It is at this juncture that we have the opportunity to transform from within.

This can seem like a very tall order, but when life presents us with circumstances that require our compassion, no matter how difficult, we can trust that we are ready. We can call upon all the light we have cultivated so far, allowing it to lead the way into the darkest parts of our own hearts, connecting us to the hearts of others in the understanding that is true compassion.

What do you think?






From: Daily OM

Currently listening:
Chase the Clouds Away
By Chuck Mangione
Release date: 16 April, 1995
Thursday, October 11, 2007 

Current mood:  annoyed
Category: News and Politics
CASSELBERRY, Fla. — In January, 1-year-old Joey Cosmillo wandered into the back yard and fell into the family pool. When his mother hauled him out, he wasn't breathing. Rescuers were able to bring him back to life, but he suffered severe brain damage and cannot walk, talk or even swallow.

Now, his family faces another burden: One of the rescuers, Casselberry Police Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn, is suing, alleging the family left a puddle of water on the floor that afternoon, causing her to slip and fall.

The boy's grandparents, named in the suit, are mystified and angry.

"The loss we've suffered, and she's seeking money?" said Richard Cosmillo, 69, the boy's grandfather. "Of course there's going to be water in the house. He was sopping wet when we brought him in."

Eichhorn last week sued Richard Cosmillo; his wife, Maggie Cosmillo; and the boy's mother, Angela Cosmillo, accusing them of negligence. They were careless, according to the suit, and allowed the home they shared to become unsafe.

As a consequence, Eichhorn broke her knee, which kept her off the job for two months, according to police Chief John Pavlis.

Joey now lives in a nursing home five miles away, where he gets 24-hour care. He breathes through one tube. He's fed through another "He doesn't have any abilities — any," his grandmother said."He can't sit. He can't swallow. He can't eat. We're not even sure he can see."

She and Richard Cosmillo are the boy's legal guardians. For the first two months after the accident, she remained at his bedside, never once going home.

She has now gone back to work at a furniture store, and her husband keeps watch on the boy. He visits every day.

"This thing," Maggie Cosmillo said, "has destroyed our lives forever."

The baby's mother was the only one home Jan. 9, when the boy slipped out of the house and wound up in the pool, according to a police report.

She plunged in and dragged him out, carrying him inside, down a hallway and into a bedroom. She also called 911.

Eichhorn arrived a few minutes later. As she stepped into the room where rescuers were working on the boy, she slipped and went down on one knee, then stood back up, according to Richard Cosmillo.

Later that day, she went to an emergency care center and eventually to an orthopedist, according to her attorney, David Heil.

While she was on medical leave, Pavlis said, the city's insurer paid her medical bills and provided disability checks.

Eichhorn, a 12-year department veteran, would not discuss the suit. Her attorney said those benefits, paid by the city's workers' compensation carrier, were not enough. The suit seeks an unspecified amount of money.

Eichhorn, he said, is a victim. Her knee aches, and she will likely develop arthritis.

If the Cosmillos had made their pool baby-proof, police would not have been called to the scene, there would have been no water on the floor, and Eichhorn would not have hurt herself, attorney David Heil said.

"It's a situation where the Cosmillos have caused these problems, brought them on themselves, then tried to play the victim," he said.

The department's personnel file on Eichhorn, who earns $48,000 a year, is filled with letters of praise. She has worked as a prostitution decoy and a hostage negotiator, and once wrestled a box of razor blades away from a person threatening suicide.

"She is the best sergeant within the police department and should become the next lieutenant," her supervisor wrote in a job review in 2003.

"Sgt. Eichhorn is a good officer," Pavlis said Tuesday.

He urged her not to file the lawsuit, he said, but there was nothing he could do.

The Cosmillos have not given the suit much attention, they say.

Richard Cosmillo is busy looking after Joey, whose name he had tattooed over his heart a few days after the accident, when doctors told the family the boy would survive only a few hours.

But Joey, now almost 23 months old, has survived. He can smile, and he appears to recognize music, his grandparents say. His grandfather hopes for much more.

"Joey is a Roman gladiator. He is an absolute warrior," Richard Cosmillo said. "There isn't anything or anyone in this world that I love as much as him."

 

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695217654,00.html

----------------

 

This is insane, The police Sargent should be demoted or let go from the force. She knows that in a public service job there are going to be dangerous and unsafe situations.

 

Currently listening:
Animals
By Pink Floyd
Release date: 25 April, 2000
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 

Current mood:  calm
Category: News and Politics
BY ANA MENENDEZ
amenendez@MiamiHerald.com


After nine years of washing dishes, Pedro Zapeta managed to save $62,000. Then he lost most of it overnight. Not to addiction or street thugs. To the U.S. government.

Customs agents confiscated $59,000 of Zapeta's money when he tried to board a plane home to Guatemala (he had another $3,000 in his pockets) in 2005. It's not illegal to take that much money out of the country. But it's illegal not to report it on a special form. Zapeta didn't know that. He's not a frequent flyer.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge James Cohn levied a heavy civil penalty for Zapeta's mistake: $49,000. Zapeta was graciously allowed to keep the remainder of his earnings. Then he was kicked out. He has until January to leave the country.

Exhausted and bewildered, Zapeta wants to go -- but not without his money, which everyone agrees he acquired through honest labor.

''You can imagine the great effort it took me to earn that money and when they took it, it caused me a great sadness,'' Zapeta told me in Spanish. ``But I know there is a God who is great and good, and I know he is looking down and will help me.''

Zapeta's story, initially reported by the Palm Beach Post, exploded after CNN recently ran a segment on him. By this week, dozens of bloggers were weighing in from Omaha to Denmark.

Reaction ranged from the sentimental to the outright vicious. That's because a simple story of outrage is muddied by the circumstances of Zapeta's arrival in the United States: In 1996, Zapeta admits, he entered the country illegally through the Texas frontier. Later, he bought a fake Social Security number for $25.

HARD WORKER

He spent the next decade working -- sometimes 13 hours a day -- scrubbing dishes and pots in Stuart restaurants. He never filed an income tax return, but some of his pay stubs show that his employers took taxes from his wages, says his attorney, Robert Gershman. Zapeta rode his bike to work and lived quietly. He labored hard at tedious work and earned his pay.

None of that satisfies the few embittered nativists who (lacking imagination as well as heart) have copied the same screed from site to site: ``Deport Pedro Zapeta Sans $59,000.''

Sure. And while we're at it, let's round up speeders and impound their cars.

Fortunately, the hate-mongers are outclassed by those who know the punishment is way out of proportion to the crime. One blogger quoted scripture: ''The wages you withheld from the worker who mowed your fields cry out, and the cries of the worker reach the ears of the Lord of hosts.'' Another offered to trade Guatemala one for one: ''Lou Dobbs for Pedro Zapeta. We'd be getting the better end of the deal.'' An Oregan man wrote his representatives on Zapeta's behalf: ``So deduct the taxes, give the man his money and deport him, although we could use more people like him.''

Since his story became public, people have donated $10,000, which his attorney is keeping in trust.

Part of the outpouring is due to Zapeta's sad story. His break across the frontier was motivated by the kind of poverty that most Americans can't understand. His hard life here was sustained by the hope of one day returning to Guatemala to build a home for his mother and four sisters. For 11 years, he carted his money around in a bag, afraid to wire any of it. ''I thought I'd take it with me all at once,'' he told me. ``My only regret is that I've stained my name here.''

THE `CRIME'

The ''crime'' he's being punished for is not illegal immigration. It's a bureaucratic technicality meant to catch drug dealers and smugglers, of which he is neither. We can disagree all we want on immigration policy; it takes an especially hateful nature to argue that a man is not entitled to his wages.

But there's another appeal to Zapeta's story. At a time when most Americans are deep in the red and the national debt rises by more than $1 billion a day, Pedro Zapeta may be the last man on earth who still embodies the great American ideal of thrift and hard work.

He never owned a car, rode his bike everywhere and denied himself every luxury beyond rent and electricity. If Zapeta were wise to the ways of popular culture, he'd pitch a self-help book: How to Think and Grow Rich on Minimum Wage.

Zapeta doesn't care about any of that. He just wants to get home to his family. That's understandable. But I think the authorities should reconsider.

Anyone who can amass $62,000 in nine years should be forced to stay here and teach the rest of us how to do it.
-----

Do you think Mr. Zapeta should get his money back? Why?

Peace
Carlos
Currently listening:
Dark Side of the Moon 30th Anniversary Edition
By Pink Floyd
Release date: 25 March, 2003
Friday, October 05, 2007 

Current mood:  contemplative
Category: Life


Our perception shapes the lives we lead because the universe adjusts itself almost instantly to our expectations. When we look for negativity, we are bound to come across it in abundance. Conversely, we create positive energy when we endeavor to see the goodness around us. As easy as it is to criticize the people and situations that frustrate or hurt us, we do ourselves a disservice in the process. It is important to see the good in all as there are blessings hiding in every aspect of our outer-world reality, and the potential for grace exists in all human beings. When our lives are flooded with challenges, grief, and pain, we may be tempted to believe that some individuals or incidents are simply bad. But if we look for the good in all, good reveals itself to us, easing our doubts and reminding us that the universe is a place of balance.


There is a perceptible energetic shift that takes place when we choose to see the good in all. The unnecessary tension that came into being when we dwelled on negativity fades away and is replaced by sympathetic tolerance. We can forgive those that have wronged us because we recognize in them traits we admire, and we may even discover that we can bring out the good in one another. Though loss still grieves us, we recognize the beginning of a new phase of existence that abounds with fresh opportunities. Each new challenge becomes another chance to prove ourselves, and we learn to show great patience in the face of difficulty. There are few pleasures greater than gazing outward and seeing beauty, wisdom, and harmony. These are the attributes of the universe that help us to cope when we encounter their opposing forces.


Since you create your reality, you make your world a better place each time you acknowledge the good in your circumstances and in the people you encounter. As you draw attention to the positive aspects of the world around you, your understanding of the affirmative nature of all existence will grow. There are few lessons you will learn in this life that will prove as instrumental to your happiness and satisfaction. In appreciating the all pervasive goodness that exists in the universe, you internalize it, making it a lasting part of your life.


What do you think?








From: daily om

Currently listening:
Only Time
By Enya
Release date: 04 December, 2001