Gaia Community: CalmEagle's Blog

There Is No Place Like Nebraska

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:01:41 GMT

A short video by Lisa Hannah about my beloved adopted home state, Nebraska. Enjoy!!

This Is Nebraska

Tags: nebraska

Happy Friday Gaia Peeps

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:15:01 GMT

Sarah Mclachlan - I Love You

Tags: sarah maclaughlan, i love you

Hey Guys, Legalize!

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:54:42 GMT

Long a quiet advocate for pot decriminalization, especially for genuine medical uses, and a firm believer in liberty, I stumbled across this good article earlier today. Healthier than either alcohol or tobacco, its leggal status has long been a mystery to me. Especially since there is so much money to be made by having it legal and regulated.

Tags: legalize pot, decriminalize pot, economics

Lily of the Mohawks

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:42:10 GMT

Today is the Feast Day of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, known as the Lily of the Mohawks.
Her cause for sauinthood goes before the Vatican soon. She was named Venerable in the early 1940's and Blessed in 1980 by Pope John Paul of blessed memory.

Leonard Cohen wrote a book called Beautiful Losers, and the following song which is dedicated to BL. Kateri & recorded by Buffy Sainte Marie.

God is alive; Magic is afoot
God is alive; Magic is afoot
God is afoot; Magic is alive
Alive is afoot.....

KateriOldestPicture

Magic never died.

God never sickened;
many poor men lied
many sick men lied
Magic never weakened
Magic never hid
Magic always ruled
God is afoot
God never died.

God was ruler
though his funeral lengthened
Though his mourners thickened
Magic never fled
Though his shrouds were hoisted
the naked God did live
Though his words were twisted
the naked Magic thrived
Though his death was published
round and round the world
the heart did not believe

Many hurt men wondered
many struck men bled
Magic never faltered
Magic always led.
Many stones were rolled
but God would not lie down
Many wild men lied
many fat men listened
Though they offered stones
Magic still was fed
Though they locked their coffers
God was always served.

2..

Magic is afoot. God rules.
Alive is afoot. Alive is in command.
Many weak men hungered
Many strong men thrived
Though they boasted solitude
God was at their side
Nor the dreamer in his cell
nor the captain on the hill
Magic is alive
Though his death was pardoned
round and round the world
the heart did not believe.

Though laws were carved in marble
they could not shelter men
Though altars built in parliaments
they could not order men
Police arrested Magic
and Magic went with them,
for Magic loves the hungry.

But Magic would not tarry
it moves from arm to arm
it would not stay with them
Magic is afoot
it cannot come to harm
it rests in an empty palm
it spawns in an empty mind
but Magic is no instrument
Magic is the end.

Many men drove Magic
but Magic stayed behind
Many strong men lied
they only passed through Magic
and out the other side
Many weak men lied
they came to God in secret
and though they left him nourished
they would not say who healed
Though mountains danced before them
they said that God was dead
Though his shrouds were hoisted
the naked God did live

3...

This I mean to whisper to my mind
This I mean to laugh with in my mind
This I mean my mind to serve 'til
service is but Magic
moving through the world
and mind itself is Magic
coursing through the flesh
and flesh itself is Magic
dancing on a clock
and time itself the magic length of God.

QUOTE The young woman whom God gave to us for our inspiration and guidance, Kateri Tekakwitha, was a member of the TURTLE clan of the Iroquois tribe. The turtle has long been a symbol of fertility and motherhood among the Native Americans and this symbol may be applied to a young woman such as Kateri even though she never married and had children in her lifetime, for she now has many children in her devoted followers. Among the Lakota, a baby's umbilical cord is kept in a small, beaded, leather turtle and given to the child to keep as a reminder of their day of birth and their origins. Like Kateri, we are baptized and now have our origins in God, the loving Spirit who creates us anew and gives us life within us rising up like a lively stream of life-giving water. UNQUOTE

More about Kateri here.

Tags: kateri tekakwitha, lily of the mohawk, patron saint of ecology

Here Comes The Pope

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:08:51 GMT

Here comes IL PAPA! Here comes the Pope!
Video from CNN, complete with cheezy commercial.

QUOTE

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the United States of America,
The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you! In just a few days from now, I shall begin my apostolic visit to your beloved country. Before setting off, I would like to offer you a heartfelt greeting and an invitation to prayer. As you know, I shall only be able to visit two cities: Washington and New York. The intention behind my visit, though, is to reach out spiritually to all Catholics in the United States. At the same time, I earnestly hope that my presence among you will be seen as a fraternal gesture towards every ecclesial community, and a sign of friendship for members of other religious traditions and all men and women of good will. The risen Lord entrusted the Apostles and the Church with his Gospel of love and peace, and his intention in doing so was that the message should be passed on to all peoples.
At this point I should like to add some words of thanks, because I am conscious that many people have been working hard for a long time, both in Church circles and in the public services, to prepare for my journey. I am especially grateful to all who have been praying for the success of the visit, since prayer is the most important element of all. Dear friends, I say this because I am convinced that without the power of prayer, without that intimate union with the Lord, our human endeavours would achieve very little. Indeed this is what our faith teaches us. It is God who saves us, he saves the world, and all of history. He is the Shepherd of his people. I am coming, sent by Jesus Christ, to bring you his word of life.
Together with your Bishops, I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: "Christ our hope". Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father. I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings. I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the great Assembly of the United Nations, to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfilment in the commandment to love one another. Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This "golden rule" is given in the Bible, but it is valid for all people, including non-believers. It is the law written on the human heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we come to address other matters we can do so in a positive and constructive manner for the entire human community.
Dirijo un cordial saludo a los católicos de lengua española y les manifiesto mi cercanía espiritual, en particular a los jóvenes, a los enfermos, a los ancianos y a los que pasan por dificultades o se sienten más necesitados. Les expreso mi vivo deseo de poder estar pronto con Ustedes en esa querida Nación. Mientras tanto, les aliento a orar intensamente por los frutos pastorales de mi inminente Viaje Apostólico y a mantener en alto la llama de la esperanza en Cristo Resucitado.
Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in the United States, I am very much looking forward to being with you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you, especially to the sick, the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for your prayerful support of my mission. I reach out to every one of you with affection, and I invoke upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Que la Virgen María les acompañe y proteja. Que Dios les bendiga.
May God bless you all. UNQUOTE

And an article from Inside Catholic on Benedict, the theologian.

QUOTE
What's characteristic is his capacity for integration. His scholarship is marked by a great integration of academic theology and spirituality -- and always in a way that speaks from within the heart of our cultural problems.

A sign of this integration: when you read his homilies, they provoke you into thinking, and when you read his theology, it inclines you to pray. Simply, he does theology in the manner of the great saints and doctors of the Church -- a way of doing theology that is badly needed in our time. UNQUOTE

Amen to that!! The problems of the West can all be traced back to the forgetfulness of God. In what sense is that true in America? Perhaps in our embrace of "the good life" to the exclusion of battle against the vices and embrace of the virtues. I am looking forward to the visit of the leader of the Church, who walks in the shoes of the Fisherman.

Tags: Pope Benedict, Pope visits USA, statement to Americans, Benedict the theologian

Requiem En Pacem, MLK

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:10:32 GMT

Today is the 40th anniversary of the assasination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King

Some kings rule their kingdoms sitting down
Surrounded by luxury, soft cushions and fans
But this King stood strong
stood proud
stood tall

When the driver told Rosa
"Move to the back of the bus!"
When the waiter told students
"We don't serve your kind!"
When the Mayor told voters
"Your vote don't count!"
And when the sheriff told marchers
"Get off our streets!"
using fire hoses, police dogs and cattle prods
to move them along
This King stood strong
stood proud
stood tall
Speaking of peace
of love
and children
hand in hand
free at last
free at last

When some yelled for violence
For angry revenge
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
He stood his ground
Preaching peace

And when some spit out hate
He stood there smiling
Spreading love
Until it rolled like the sea across the land
Sweeping away Jim Crow
Breaking down the walls
Ringing the bell
Joyfully
For Freedom

Until
Standing on the mountain top
They shot him
Coldly
Hoping to see him fall
Hoping to put him away
To bring him low

But this King
even in death
even today
stands strong
stands proud
stands tall
And we remember

by Jamie McKenzie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pride (in the name of Love)

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One come he to justify
One man to overthrow

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

(nobody like you...)

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If they can get along, why can't we all do it?

Dog, Cat, and Rat

Tags: Martin Luther King jr, dog, cat, rat, peace, kingdom of peace, equality, racial harmony, pride, in the name of love

Ostrogorski & More

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:24:02 GMT

“Of all races in an advanced stage of civilization, the American is the least accessible to long views… Always and everywhere in a hurry to get rich, he does not give a thought to remote consequences; he sees only present advantages… He does not remember, he does not feel, he lives in a materialist dream.”

          —Moiseide Ostrogorski (1902, 302-303)

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
                              -Albert Einstein

"The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust."
                                             -James Madison, FEDERALIST #57 (1787)

Tags: ostrogorski, einstein, madison, materialism, problem solving

This Looks Like Fun

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:11:44 GMT

Jet Li and Jackie Chan in the same movie. Too much fun, I may have to see it when it comes out next month.

Way too much fun. I am a sucker for Jackie Chan films, I admit it.

Tags: jackie chan, jet li, forbidden kingdom, too much fun

Alaska Ranger Post 2

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:54:28 GMT

SEABGB posted the following yesterday:

QUOTE

Latest news of this event from various sources is as follows:

1. Flooding started in the rudder room, which had always been a problem area on this vessel.

2. Vessel was a converted oil patch boat. Former captain considered her top heavy for a fish boat.

3. Crew told not to talk to the press by vessel's owners.

4. USCG crews undertook a brave and highly successful rescue. Individuals of the Coast Guard went above and beyond in rescuing crew.

5. Captain of Alaska Ranger made sure everyone put on their survival suits before abandoning ship.

6. Captain and 3 crew, including engineer and first mate, were the last to leave vessel. They apparently died of hypothermia after 6 or more hours in the frigid water.

7. Seas were in the twenty foot range, which isn't uncommon for the area this time of year.

8. It was cold enough to make ice. There was a report the deck of the other vessel, Alaska Warrior, which arrived to assist, had ice on its decks. The ice prohibited the Coast Guard Helo on scene from using the Warrior as a rescue platform.

9. The Alaska Range sank in 15 minutes in over 1,000 fathoms of water.

Questions about the cause of the vessel's foundering will remain open for some time. However, we can speculate that even if the entire rudder room was flooded, there had to be something else not quite right to cause the vessel to sink so quickly.

Our condolences to the family and friends of those who were lost. And our thanks to the men and women who assisted in the rescue of those who survived. UNQUOTE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My father has always said that a good captain always makes sure he is the last soul off the boat." - Scott Jacobsen, stepson of Captain Eric Peter Jacobsen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coast Guard rescues Alaska Ranger survivors

Weymouth native goes down with his ship off Alaskan coast

Tags: alaska ranger, seabgb, us coast guard, hypothermia, cold water rescue, character, courage, selflessness

The Wreck of the Alaska Ranger

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:21:00 GMT

QUOTE A Jayhawk helicopter was the first to arrive.

"As we approached the scene, we saw three strobe lights and we assumed those were rafts," flight commander Lt. Brian McLaughlin said. "The scene was very grim.

"We got a little closer and there was a fourth light, then a fifth, and a sixth and the numbers just kept growing. The ocean was flashing at us over about a mile-long stretch." UNQUOTE

When I was growing up in western Oregon back in the sixties and early 70's one of the folkies I really liked was ol' Gordon Lightfoot, whose whiskey and smoke edged voice and plain good journeyman guitar work combined with a bard's gift of storytelling to produce some fine, fine tunes. I couldn't get the song The Edmund Fitzgerald out of my head last night when I heard the news about the Alaska Ranger going down in the Bering Sea, 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Way out in the Aleutian islands, as far west as America gets, the US Coast Guard pulled off its largest coldwater sea rescue in its history. Kudos to them for their bravery, professionalism and quick response. Also, I think perhaps some Good Samaritan vessels helped with the rescue, props to them as well.

This is a saga, with heroes. This is a drama worthy of Titanic fame or Greek drama or Shakespeare. The captain, first mate and engineer made sure all others were off the boat, in survival suits and went down with the ship, losing their lives. Most others miraculously survived, 35 degree waters and prolonged immersion. The were bobbing, in the dark frigid Bering Sea, for 5, 6, 7 hours, stretched out over a mile long area-in 20-foot swells. The heroes of the Alaska Ranger died on Easter Sunday. I'm sure the Catholics and Orthodox amongst us know what that means, but for the rest of us ~ straight to Heaven. Do not pass go. Do not worry about $200. Do not worry about your sins and omissions. Ancient Church tradition has it that only the very very deeply good die on Easter, because they bypass the individual judgment and are shooed straight up to the bosom of Abraham and the right hand of the Compassionate One, like the Good Thief.

Mr. Lightfoot, are you still in the songwriting field? Because this saga needs telling, and telling for many years to come.

Rescued Alaska Ranger Crew Member Safely Aboard Coast Guard Vessel

Tags: Alaska Ranger, disaster at sea, Coast Guard rescue, edmund fitzgerald, heroism, self sacrifice, greater love hath no man, hypothermia, Easter Sunday, Dutch Harbor, largest coldwater rescue in US history

Good Friday

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:10:10 GMT

Those eyes so sweet, those lips, how perfect. How can my heart stand to see the Holy One hanging in agony on a tree? How can a heart hold this grief? How can we bear to stand at the foot of the Cross with His Mother, immobilized in grief? How can this suffering save the world? How can such a terrible gift from the Creator bring eternal heaven to creation? How can this crucifixion redeem the irredeemable?

The mystery of Christ, the paradox of Christianity is unfolded on this day.

A transformative and holy Friday to all.

Romanian Orthodox Byzantine Chant - The Lamentations

Tags: Romanian orthodox, byzantine chant, lamentations, good friday, passion, christ.redeem, Mother Mary

Holy Tuesday

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:26:21 GMT

From the Word Incarnate with thanks,

QUOTE

Six days before the Passover-that particular Passover that would forever change the course of human destiny-Jesus decided to relax a bit and enjoy a supper at the home of his friends-one of whom had died not long before, but who was now sitting with Him at table, also enjoying his supper. We are entering a time of the celebration of the greatest mysteries of our faith, of our salvation, and so we should expect to be immersed in wonders. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, manifesting that as the Son of God, life and death are in his hands. So if He can raise Lazarus, He can raise us too-but in a much more glorious way. Lazarus had to die again, but when Jesus raises us from the dead, we will live forever in the glory of his Kingdom. Jesus was also giving a sign (miracles are called "signs" in John's Gospel), a confirmation of his words about his own death and resurrection: "I have power to lay down [my life], and I have power to take it up again."

The raising of Lazarus is one of the climax points in the Gospel of John. For one thing, it is the turning point after which all our attention is focused on the imminent Passion. There are no more miracles in the Gospel after this. Once Lazarus was raised, the hearts of the chief priests and Pharisees were definitively hardened against Jesus, and the arrangements would soon be made for his arrest and condemnation. But there is another reason that this is a climax point. John's Gospel as a whole is about the manifestation, the revelation of the glory of God in Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son. In a very striking way, the raising of Lazarus opened the eyes of all people of good will to the glory of God. At the entrance of the tomb, when Martha objected to its opening, Jesus uttered a cry which is not only a key to the understanding of John's Gospel, but also (for me anyway) one of the most powerful utterances in the Scriptures: "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" (11:40).

Believe and see the glory of God: this is also a key to entering the profound meaning and experience of the Passion and Resurrection narratives, and a key to the whole of Christian faith. On this Palm Sunday we are to believe and see God's glory in Jesus' triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, was one who believed and saw his glory. This glory is not, for the most part, a blinding radiance perceptible to the bodily eyes. It is a spiritual perception granted through faith and love, an awareness of who Christ really is, and an ability to recognize in all He says and does the wisdom and power of God. Mary, recognizing the glory of God in Him, placed an act of love and humility-which Jesus described as a prophetic act, a symbolic preparation for his burial-as she anointed his feet with costly oil and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil, says the Gospel, and it was also filled with the spiritual fragrance of both divine and human love. Unfortunately there was another odor in the house, and it was not a pleasant one. Judas objected to Mary's loving extravagance, protesting that the poor could have benefited from the money wasted on expensive oils. John comments that this was just a ruse. Judas would have liked to have received the money as a donation from Mary, so he could spend it on himself, for, as John tells his readers, Judas, the community treasurer, was a thief.

Thus, in this atmosphere of both love and treachery, and of joyful exultation and bitter vindictiveness (which were the two responses to Lazarus' return from the dead)-this ambivalent atmosphere which so characterizes the whole human condition-Jesus left the house to move resolutely toward his Passion. John said earlier in his Gospel that Jesus had no illusions about the nature of man, of the human heart, knowing full well what lay within. So He wasn't deterred from his mission by the adulation of the crowds on that first Palm Sunday. He entered the city acclaimed as a King, and rightly so, but He didn't allow this passing praise to make Him think that perhaps He wouldn't have to suffer and die after all. For, as He would later tell Pilate, his Kingdom is not of this world, so He is not interested in being made an earthly king. Some time earlier He actually fled when the people wanted to declare Him king. But there was no fleeing now, for a prophet can only die in Jerusalem, as He said, and He knew He was riding straight into the jaws of death. If only we could know his thoughts as He slowly rode into the holy city...

In the film "The Passion of the Christ," there is a flashback to the entry into Jerusalem-as Jesus is exiting Jerusalem, carrying the cross. He remembers how a few days ago they were waving palm branches and singing his praises, but soon after that they were spitting on Him and reviling Him, pushing and kicking Him as He fell under the crushing weight of the cross of our sins. Yes, He needed no one to instruct Him on the unstable and treacherous nature of the human heart.

The Pharisees, says St John, were highly distraught as Jesus entered the city to the sound of universal acclamation. "What can we do?" they cried in dismay. "The world has gone after him!" They needn't have been so worried. The world goes after many idols and phantoms and dead ends, and its opinions are easily swayed or bribed. What the Pharisees should really have been concerned about-and after Pentecost they were concerned about this-was not the superficial hero-worship of a fickle crowd, but the determined fidelity of a small group of dedicated followers who were willing even to die for Jesus. It is these who will turn the world upside down, not the mindless and uncommitted masses.

We have to find our own place in the events of these days we are celebrating. At the tomb of Lazarus, are we among those whose faith is strong enough so as to enable us to see the glory of God in Jesus, or are we among those who become dismayed because his ways are not our ways, because He does things that upset our own plans or desires? In the home of Mary and Martha, would we be like her who humbled herself to make a public and extravagant act of love and devotion to her Lord, or would we be like him who grumbled about it, wishing he could gain some personal benefit, yet at the same time putting on a phony act of care for the needy?

(Contrary to what some people think, Jesus was not disparaging the poor, or exalting Himself, when He said, "The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me." This was an indirect reproach to Judas: "You, who say you care for the poor, have had many opportunities to help them, but you did not, because of your selfishness. But now you have a chance, and one chance only, to minister to Me, who alone can heal your avarice and forgive your sins. You have Me now, and only for a short time; abandon your pretense of love for the poor and repent in earnest; you will die in your sins unless you come to believe that I AM.")

On the road to Jerusalem, how shall we receive Him? On Palm Sunday we hold palm branches and sing "Hosanna in the highest"-just like the ones who called for his crucifixion a few days later. Are we going to crucify Him by returning to our sins once this celebration is over? Or are we going to follow Him all the way to the Cross, standing with Mary and John, professing our love and fidelity to Him?

Palm Sunday is a feast day; we are called to rejoice, to welcome our Savior into our church and into our hearts. On Monday we begin the great and holy week of our Lord's Passion. Let us embrace the Cross with the same zeal with which we eat and drink and celebrate a feast. The Lord has enough fair-weather friends in the world, enough of those who show up for feasts and then leave Him alone when He is hanging naked and scourged on the Cross. Our share in the sweetness of the resurrection will be proportioned to our share in the bitterness of the passion. So let us go the whole way-the joy, the sorrow, the agony, the ecstasy-for only in this way will our faith mature, our spiritual perception and awareness be sharpened. Let us abandon all wavering and embrace Him wholeheartedly in faith. For Jesus told us that if only we would believe-really believe-we would see the glory of God. UNQUOTE

Tags: lazarus, resurrection, human nature, passion, christ, holy week, power, Mary, passover

Saint Patrick's Day

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:38:16 GMT

It is also the feast day of St. Patrick of Ireland today, who managed to bring Christianity to Eire more or less without bloodshed by out-magicking the Druids, a feat that would've made the rest of the ancient world into as devout Catholics as the Irish had the apostles of the faith had the wherewithal & connectedness with the Divine to do it.

I LOVE St Pat's, I LOVE Eire, I LOVE the Irish! Slainte'!!!
(Although my celebration will be slightly subdued due to the infrequent intersection of Holy Week with Saint Pat's.)

Tags: patrick, eire, ireland, magick, druids, slainte, the irish

Great and Holy Monday

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:18:26 GMT

For Monday of Holy Week, from the Byzantine Rite Mattins service:

YOU TAUGHT YOUR DISCIPLES, LORD, TO DESIRE WHAT IS PERFECT,
SAYING: BE NOT LIKE THE GENTILES, WHO OPPRESS THE WEAK.
IT SHALL NOT BE SO WITH YOU, MY DISCIPLES.
FOR OF MY OWN WILL I AM POOR.
LET THE FIRST AMONG YOU, THEREFORE, BE THE SERVANT OF ALL.
LET THE RULER BE LIKE THOSE WHO ARE RULED.
LET HIM WHO IS FIRST BE LIKE THE LAST.
FOR I HAVE COME TO SERVE ADAM IN HIS POVERTY,
AND TO GIVE MY LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR THE MANY WHO CRY TO ME://
O LORD, GLORY TO YOU!

TONE 8

THE FIG TREE WAS WITHERED UP BECAUSE IT WAS UNFRUITFUL.
WE SHOULD FEAR THE SAME PUNISHMENT, O BRETHREN,
AND BRING WORTHY FRUITS OF REPENTANCE TO CHRIST,
WHO BRINGS TO US GREAT MERCY.

Tags: monday of holy week, byzantine church, bridegroom mattins, eastern rite catholic, Christ's passion

Let' s get ready for Saint Pat's...

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:50:55 GMT

A really big day on the Calm Eagle personal calendar.

I LOVE Ireland, the Irish, Guinness, Jameson's, Saints Patrick, Bridget, Columcille, Kevin, Fiona and all of CELTIC Christianity, all of Irish spirituality for that matter. Let's get ready for the big day!

Guinness St patricks Day ad

Tags: St. Patrick's Day, Guinness, Irish spirituality, Irish Christianity, Irish everything, celebrate

Who Is Arvel Bird?

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:59:00 GMT

Arvel Bird Video Bio

Here's a great musical find. I have just discovered Arvel Bird and his band, One Nation. Awesome!!

Arvel Bird and One Nation - 2007 Red Earth

Tags: Arvel Bird, One Nation, Native American band, Indian rock, NDN rock

Thou Shalt Be Green!

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:52:08 GMT

Woohoo! Good stewardship of mother earth just got a lttle bit more R-E-S-P-E-C-T from mainstream big Christian denominations known in the past for their ostrich head in the sand approach.

The Baptists have gotten on board the peace train with a formal manifesto - and the Catholics have made it a mortal sin to defile the earth. No kidding. Amazing stuff.

Mortal sins are the big ones, the ones which must be repented of & ceased, like, now. (For those non-Catholics among us.)

The seven social sins are:

1. ``Bioethical' violations such as abortion-causing birth control

2. ``Morally dubious'' experiments such as stem cell research

3. Drug abuse

4. Polluting the environment

5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor

6. Excessive wealth

7. Creating poverty

The original deadly sins:

1. Pride

2. Envy

3. Gluttony

4. Lust

5. Anger

6. Greed

7. Sloth

Philosophy professor on "Religious Environmentalism"

Tags: religous environmentalism, baptist green manifesto, religion and ecology, catholic new mortal sins, environmental sins, earth theology, greener faith

The Spirit of Excellence

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:39:56 GMT

This fantastic story of a retired greyhound who heard the roar of the crowd and took off racing around an English soccer stadium, much to the delight of the assembled crowd, shows that excellence and the spirit of winning are part of beings who carry them long after the heat of competition has faded.

Little doggie, every aging racehorse, fading beauty queen, former football hero and doddering Olympian salutes you!

From News.com (Australia)

A RETIRED greyhound disrupted a professional soccer game in England when the floodlights and crowd noise brought back memories of her racing days.

Fool's Mile escaped from owner Jane Holland and ran four circuits of the pitch, halting play between Blackpool Reserves and Burnley Reserves and prompting a standing ovation from spectators.

Holland said the five-year-old greyhound with 11 wins to her name appeared to be reliving her glory days.

"It was as if all her old instincts had come back," Holland told Britain's The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

"We were nearby and when she heard the crowd she was off."

Tags: greyhound, standing ovation, soccer match disrupted, excellence, spirit, winning, olympian

It's Alright Ma...

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:00:51 GMT

I have some sort of existential flu today, feel like cr*p. Hammerhead headache, bones ache, glands swollen, sinuses on fire with lead.

Bob Dylan - It's Alright Ma

Classic Dylan is medicine for viruses of this sort.

It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) by Bob Dylan

Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child's balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying.

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fool's gold mouthpiece
The hollow horn plays wasted words
Proves to warn
That he not busy being born
Is busy dying.

Temptation's page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel to moan but unlike before
You discover
That you'd just be
One more person crying.

So don't fear if you hear
A foreign sound to your ear
It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing.

As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don't hate nothing at all
Except hatred.

Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Made everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much
Is really sacred.

While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked.

An' though the rules of the road have been lodged
It's only people's games that you got to dodge
And it's alright, Ma, I can make it.

Advertising signs that con you
Into thinking you're the one
That can do what's never been done
That can win what's never been won
Meantime life outside goes on
All around you.

You lose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand with nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks
They really found you.

A question in your nerves is lit
Yet you know there is no answer fit to satisfy
Insure you not to quit
To keep it in your mind and not fergit
That it is not he or she or them or it
That you belong to.

Although the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to.

For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despise their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something
They invest in.

While some on principles baptized
To strict party platform ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And then say God bless him.

While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society's pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he's in.

But I mean no harm nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him.

Old lady judges watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn't talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony.

While them that defend what they cannot see
With a killer's pride, security
It blows the minds most bitterly
For them that think death's honesty
Won't fall upon them naturally
Life sometimes
Must get lonely.

My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards
False gods, I scuff
At pettiness which plays so rough
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs
Kick my legs to crash it off
Say okay, I have had enough
What else can you show me?

And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only.

Tags: flu, dylan, medicines, angst, ennui, despair, illness, healing

The Basement Farms Of Tokyo

http://CalmEagle.gaia.com — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 13:56:02 GMT

Who'd have known? The gardens in the basements of Tokyo. When one considers the amount of fossil fuels required to plant, fertilize, cultivate, harvest, and transport foods, this type of indoor growing is incredibly efficient. I've heard that they will get close to 100% usable foodstuffs - versus traditional farming's lower yield per plant.

Tags: gardens, indoor growing, indoor farms, tokyo, sustainable agriculture, LED lights