I expressed my feelings about organized group religious worship on Facebook this morning and while I think I made my point I also failed to wish everyone a Happy Easter.
I'm pretty sure that defines the contradictions of my personal mission statement.
Having spent numerous Easter Sundays at church followed by an Easter egg hunt...it's hard to dismiss the behavior patterns that sit within the boundaries of my various lobes of memory and thought.
I thought I had a memory and then I remembered that the memory was just a passing thought and while it confused me I wasn't really upset....just temporarily internally perplexed.
The idea of an Easter egg hunt seems pleasant enough when there are very short people involved.
The idea of Easter Sunday being the main foundational structure of the world's largest organized religion is an entirely different story.
I often wonder why Muhammad didn't capitalize on the rising from the dead event. I suspect that it was a harder dealio to pull off 600 years later with all the modern media coverage.....After all, by 600 AD everybody had access to everything and word moved so much faster than it did at the time when Jesus walked the walk and talked the talk.
I like the idea of returning to life after being dead and I have a stinking suspicion that I'm not the only one. I do have a slight contradiction with the desire to be cremated but then again whoever said being human was a science. Cremation most likely doesn't take place until 7 days after passing so if something is going to return electronic circuitry to the body, it better happen within 3 days or things might get sticky....or gooey.....or whatever.
I hope I'm not keeping you from finding any eggs. I'm trying to remember the last time I hid an egg. Lily is 26 so it's probably been 3 or 4 years. I found some unique egg coloring dye a few months ago in one of my kitchen cabinets and used it on one of my paintings. The little bottles contained various neon colors and I was extremely happy how they appeared on the paper and held their intensity.
When color holds it's intensity I find the Universe to be a place of extreme wonder and magic.
A lot like Easter Sunday and Christmas morning.
Christmas just makes so much more sense to me than Easter.........but it's only March 31st so I have a long time to contemplate other mystical realms of magic and fantasy.
We human beings are a hoot....are we not?
Actually......my favorite holiday happens tomorrow.
Just kidding
maybe
Michael Timothy McAlevey
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
David Foster Wallace
I can't believe that I've only recently discovered the writing of David Foster Wallace.
Where have I been?
I'm slightly embarrassed....
.......but I shall make up for it by digesting as much of his work as time allows.
Currently I am engrossed in listening to an audio version of The Pale King.
Where have I been?
I'm slightly embarrassed....
.......but I shall make up for it by digesting as much of his work as time allows.
Currently I am engrossed in listening to an audio version of The Pale King.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Africa seems to be the current goal of soul ownership
Islam and Christianity are in a heated battle for the souls and bodies of the African population.
This is not a new confrontation....but the shape of the confrontation has a new form when it comes to how the battle is being fought.
It used to be fought on one side with peaceful missionaries trying to teach about Christianity and the other side trying to teach about Allah and his prophet Muhammad. Then the other side decided that AK-47's were a better teaching tool and currently in Africa we have multiple wars taking place....on three fronts. One within the Islamic faith and one within the Christian community and then ONE BIG battle with Islam vs Christianity.
Combine the battles taking place over non-religious issues and Africa is one huge powder keg.
But this story centers on religious issues so let me define the boundaries.
The northern part of the continent is Islamic, with a Sunni vs Shite battle, and the southern part is Christian, with a Catholic vs Pentecostal battle.
Africa is one of the few places in the world where Catholicism is growing. Islam on the other hand is growing in multiple locations.
IT TURNS OUT THAT IF YOU HAVE FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS AND ALSO DON'T MIND KILLING THE OPPOSITION....PEOPLE WILL CONVERT TO YOUR RELIGION.
The last time Christianity used that tool was during the Crusades and the Inquisition....WHICH WAS 1000 YEARS AGO. And although it's a dark mark in their history column, it's irrational behavior that they halted.
FUNDAMENTAL ISLAMIC FOLLOWERS USED THAT FORM OF CONVERTING....
YESTERDAY.....IN 2013!
Just to put things in perspective on a global scale check out the next map
And then it can be broken down into factions. Christianity has many. In fact, I think a new one just started this morning in Alabama. Islam has two.
IF YOU LIKE TO SEE THESE MAPS (AND MANY MORE) IN DETAIL GO TO.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-900-1&va=religious+maps+of+the+world
I realize the battle for souls is a very old battle but when weapons become involved then the soul is no longer the goal.
I'd hate to think that many of the wars being fought today and throughout history were and are based on different ways to LOVE GOD.
THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO LOVE GOD
JUST
LOVE
GOD
Wars over land and oil and diamonds and gold and slavery and ocean access MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE.
AFRICA APPEARS TO BE IN A BATTLE FOR EVERYTHING......AT THE SAME TIME.
THE BATTLE SHOULD BE TO STOP HUNGER AND POVERTY.
Which one of the major religions is making that a priority?
From what I've been able to determine......Christianity wins that battle. Islam appears to be centuries behind in the charitable realm of conducting their affairs.
If I'm wrong let me know.
Michael Timothy McAlevey
This is not a new confrontation....but the shape of the confrontation has a new form when it comes to how the battle is being fought.
It used to be fought on one side with peaceful missionaries trying to teach about Christianity and the other side trying to teach about Allah and his prophet Muhammad. Then the other side decided that AK-47's were a better teaching tool and currently in Africa we have multiple wars taking place....on three fronts. One within the Islamic faith and one within the Christian community and then ONE BIG battle with Islam vs Christianity.
Combine the battles taking place over non-religious issues and Africa is one huge powder keg.
But this story centers on religious issues so let me define the boundaries.
The northern part of the continent is Islamic, with a Sunni vs Shite battle, and the southern part is Christian, with a Catholic vs Pentecostal battle.
Africa is one of the few places in the world where Catholicism is growing. Islam on the other hand is growing in multiple locations.
IT TURNS OUT THAT IF YOU HAVE FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS AND ALSO DON'T MIND KILLING THE OPPOSITION....PEOPLE WILL CONVERT TO YOUR RELIGION.
The last time Christianity used that tool was during the Crusades and the Inquisition....WHICH WAS 1000 YEARS AGO. And although it's a dark mark in their history column, it's irrational behavior that they halted.
FUNDAMENTAL ISLAMIC FOLLOWERS USED THAT FORM OF CONVERTING....
YESTERDAY.....IN 2013!
Just to put things in perspective on a global scale check out the next map
And then it can be broken down into factions. Christianity has many. In fact, I think a new one just started this morning in Alabama. Islam has two.
IF YOU LIKE TO SEE THESE MAPS (AND MANY MORE) IN DETAIL GO TO.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-900-1&va=religious+maps+of+the+world
I realize the battle for souls is a very old battle but when weapons become involved then the soul is no longer the goal.
I'd hate to think that many of the wars being fought today and throughout history were and are based on different ways to LOVE GOD.
THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO LOVE GOD
JUST
LOVE
GOD
Wars over land and oil and diamonds and gold and slavery and ocean access MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE.
AFRICA APPEARS TO BE IN A BATTLE FOR EVERYTHING......AT THE SAME TIME.
THE BATTLE SHOULD BE TO STOP HUNGER AND POVERTY.
Which one of the major religions is making that a priority?
From what I've been able to determine......Christianity wins that battle. Islam appears to be centuries behind in the charitable realm of conducting their affairs.
If I'm wrong let me know.
Michael Timothy McAlevey
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
I realize I'm older but.....
I know younger people (even though we don't cruise together) than me but I never hear from them on what new recording artist I should listen to......last year I went to a Fun. concert and nobody ( I know) seem to know who they were.
It would seem that actual daughter Lily and my two surrogate daughters, Laura and Grace, would keep me casually informed about great new singers and songwriters.
I don't understand why nobody has told me, or anyone I know, about Annie Erin Clark....better known as St. Vincent.
She recorded an album last year, Love this Giant, with David Bryne and they are touring together in 2013. They were on David Letterman in January but to be honest David pretty much steals the stage.
Annie was simply eye candy and wonderful eye candy if I can be so cavalier. She is not only a great musician but she might be the prettiest adult singer/songwriter I've seen in a very long time. Taylor Swift is almost an adult but not quite yet.
Annie Erin Clark will be a much bigger star than she is today and touring with David Bryne will not ruin her climb up the popularity charts. I anticipate that she will write some songs in the next few years that will move her into a new category. Right now she's like a mysterious poet who plays with words in a fashion that fits her musical idiosyncrasies.
She is one of the most unique entertainers I seen in quite awhile and I haven't even seen her in person.
She could gravitate into any genre but right now she seems quite satified with the electronic tools at her disposal.
I'd like to hear more songs with just the guitar but that's my ancient self talking.
These four pictures shown above might be the least favorite of mine. Her true beauty is captured while performing. Still pictures do her no justice.
It would seem that actual daughter Lily and my two surrogate daughters, Laura and Grace, would keep me casually informed about great new singers and songwriters.
I don't understand why nobody has told me, or anyone I know, about Annie Erin Clark....better known as St. Vincent.
She recorded an album last year, Love this Giant, with David Bryne and they are touring together in 2013. They were on David Letterman in January but to be honest David pretty much steals the stage.
Annie was simply eye candy and wonderful eye candy if I can be so cavalier. She is not only a great musician but she might be the prettiest adult singer/songwriter I've seen in a very long time. Taylor Swift is almost an adult but not quite yet.
Annie Erin Clark will be a much bigger star than she is today and touring with David Bryne will not ruin her climb up the popularity charts. I anticipate that she will write some songs in the next few years that will move her into a new category. Right now she's like a mysterious poet who plays with words in a fashion that fits her musical idiosyncrasies.
She is one of the most unique entertainers I seen in quite awhile and I haven't even seen her in person.
She could gravitate into any genre but right now she seems quite satified with the electronic tools at her disposal.
I'd like to hear more songs with just the guitar but that's my ancient self talking.
These four pictures shown above might be the least favorite of mine. Her true beauty is captured while performing. Still pictures do her no justice.
If she put on a pair of glasses I might
melt.
HUGE TALENT
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Wild Bees
It's been awhile since I wrote about CCD and the BEE situation. CCD has a new twist. An agricultural scientist in Argentina now says that Domestic Bees don't do the same amount of work as Wild Bees.
Wild Bees sounds like a great name for a rock band....in fact I think I'll try to buy the domain name.
www.wildbees.com
Maybe I'll even rename my site......or share the site name......MIND JAZZ / WILD BEES or Wild Mind Jazz Bees.....Bees Mind Jazz Wild.......or ???????????????
The almond industry in California spends $239 million each year on rented Domestic Honey Bees to pollinate their orchards. WILD BEES can do it for free. The problem is that habitats for WILD BEES and other pollinating insects such as Butterflies, Beetles and Flies ( yes, I said flies) have been destroyed. Plowing landscapes into single-crop fields and orchards eliminates natural environment for the growth of wild pollinators....and farmers have to turn around and rent the little workers.
When Domestic Bees are mixed with Wild Bees the Domestic Bees work harder and get more done....so that leads me to believe that Wild Bees are the Bosses of the Domestic Bees.
Colony Collapse Disorder is a recorded collapse of Domesticated Bees......not WILD BEES.
I wonder how many Wild Bees are Killer Bees?
If we add the names together we get a gangsta mentality term.......WILD KILLER BEES!
www.wildkillerbees.com sounds more like a punk band.
The only thing I've really learned is that no one still knows what is causing CCD....but it might B that BEES don't like to B domesticated (DB) and they simply are staging a giant BEE protest. Maybe they aren't disappearing but simply hiding out with the Wild Bees. I'm pretty sure that if I was a DB I'd much rather B a WB....but then again that's just me beeing me.
After all is said and done......and I hate to sound raciest........but they all really do look alike...and who is actually doing the counting of Wild Bees?
Imagine if all the missing bees are actually in well hidden training camps throughout the world, learning how to be wild again. Once they are totally organized then they will form a union and demand that the human race stop destroying natural habitats. If the human race refuses then the entire bee population will withhold pollination services and we will be forced to domesticate
FLIES to do their job.
GROSS!
I can't even contemplate what a FLY HIVE would be like.
Butterfly Hives sound cooler but they move around so gracefully and slow that the work would never get done.
And there is no way that I'm getting near a Beetle Hive....and do all beetles pollinate? Do beetles fly to flowers are climb the stems?
I'm pretty sure we need to figure out a solution with the Bees and if it means sitting down with the Wild Bee leaders then I think it's something that we should do.
It's hard to sit down with ANYONE that has different beliefs and different viewpoints but it's something that obviously needs to BEE done.
Michael Timothy McAlevey
Wild Bees sounds like a great name for a rock band....in fact I think I'll try to buy the domain name.
www.wildbees.com
Maybe I'll even rename my site......or share the site name......MIND JAZZ / WILD BEES or Wild Mind Jazz Bees.....Bees Mind Jazz Wild.......or ???????????????
The almond industry in California spends $239 million each year on rented Domestic Honey Bees to pollinate their orchards. WILD BEES can do it for free. The problem is that habitats for WILD BEES and other pollinating insects such as Butterflies, Beetles and Flies ( yes, I said flies) have been destroyed. Plowing landscapes into single-crop fields and orchards eliminates natural environment for the growth of wild pollinators....and farmers have to turn around and rent the little workers.
When Domestic Bees are mixed with Wild Bees the Domestic Bees work harder and get more done....so that leads me to believe that Wild Bees are the Bosses of the Domestic Bees.
Colony Collapse Disorder is a recorded collapse of Domesticated Bees......not WILD BEES.
I wonder how many Wild Bees are Killer Bees?
If we add the names together we get a gangsta mentality term.......WILD KILLER BEES!
www.wildkillerbees.com sounds more like a punk band.
The only thing I've really learned is that no one still knows what is causing CCD....but it might B that BEES don't like to B domesticated (DB) and they simply are staging a giant BEE protest. Maybe they aren't disappearing but simply hiding out with the Wild Bees. I'm pretty sure that if I was a DB I'd much rather B a WB....but then again that's just me beeing me.
After all is said and done......and I hate to sound raciest........but they all really do look alike...and who is actually doing the counting of Wild Bees?
Imagine if all the missing bees are actually in well hidden training camps throughout the world, learning how to be wild again. Once they are totally organized then they will form a union and demand that the human race stop destroying natural habitats. If the human race refuses then the entire bee population will withhold pollination services and we will be forced to domesticate
FLIES to do their job.
GROSS!
I can't even contemplate what a FLY HIVE would be like.
Butterfly Hives sound cooler but they move around so gracefully and slow that the work would never get done.
And there is no way that I'm getting near a Beetle Hive....and do all beetles pollinate? Do beetles fly to flowers are climb the stems?
I'm pretty sure we need to figure out a solution with the Bees and if it means sitting down with the Wild Bee leaders then I think it's something that we should do.
It's hard to sit down with ANYONE that has different beliefs and different viewpoints but it's something that obviously needs to BEE done.
Michael Timothy McAlevey
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