John Butler Trio - Ocean

Probably the best live acoustic I've ever heard... certainly one with the most heart. Consider yourself warned.



www.johnbutlertrio.com

Happy winter holidays everyone

More videos at the official Simmon's cat website.

Veganism and the B12 conspiracy

One of the main concerns of people considering a vegan diet (and a question that I get asked often as a vegetarian) is the possibility of B12 vitamin deficiency.

The B12 deficiency conspiracy has been completelly blown out of proportion by those who cling to the idea that meat is necessary for a healthy body. First it was the protein deficiency risk, then the omegas deficiency risk and now the current vegan bogey man is the unlikely possibility of B12 deficiency. The fact is that the biggest mammals on Earth are herbivores and I never heard them having any B12 deficiencies, so what real reason of concern is there for vegetarians and vegans?

Multi-vitamins & minerals

The following article Vitamin B12: Facts for Vegetarians contains a full overview of vitamin B12. It starts by pointing out that:

"Vegetarians who continue to eat dairy products and eggs therefore also have no trouble supplying their bodies with enough B12."

Great, so if you're vegetarian you can stop worrying about the risk of B12 deficiency. But how about vegans? To answer this question, lets fully understand the B12 origins.

"The vitamin in fact does not technically come from animals or plants. It is made by micro-organisms such as bacteria and algae that are found in and on the foods we eat.
[...] Changes in agricultural production have also eliminated another reliable plant-based source of B12: the soil on the surface of fresh vegetables. In the past, when people ate carrots, beets, turnips or mushrooms fresh from the ground, the soil left clinging to the vegetables often contained Vitamin B12."

So, in short, herbivores eat some soil with their grass, which contains micro-organisms which produce vitamin B12. Suggestion — grow your own organic veggies, don't wash them and you'll be fine!

Vegetable patch (with plenty of B12)

Also, apparently our bodies store B12 for a long time, so it's not something vegans need to consider daily but I would still recommend reading the full article: Vitamin B12: Facts for Vegetarians.

"For most of us, excess B12 can be stored in our bodies for three years, although this varies."

The reality is that anyone is at risk of a dietary deficiency if we don't eat a varied range of foods but, contrary to the still widely believed myth, this does not have to include meat. In fact I would go as far as saying that there are plenty of meat eaters deficient in all sorts of vitamins and minerals for lack of eating enough fresh vegetables and fruit but it's easier to focus the unlikely risk of B12 deficiency of those who do not follow the conventional omnivore diet... lol it's laughable really.

A diet for all reasons

In this relatively old presentation, Dr. Michael Klaper explains the shocking effects of animal fats in the human body and what constitutes a balanced diet, in what is probably the best summary of vegetarianism ever, compacted into one hour. Even if you think you already know all there's to know about diet, chances are you'll still get something out of it. At least I still do every time I watch it.

Wikileaks' Cablegate: the truth is out there

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The humbling silence

Sunset at Azambujeira beach, Portugal

Today I went to a funeral of a grandmother of a couple of friends. The lady was in her eighties and had been loosing her strength for a few years. I barely knew her but regardless of the degree of closeness or surprise of one's loss, moments like this always make me stop and wonder about the unanswered questions of life. And although some of us live our lives in denial of the harsh truth, of our time limited existence, at one point or another we'll have to confront the reality of ceasing to be... at least in this reality or who knows forever more.

As I stood in the crowd, the priest's words faded into the distance while uncomfortable questions scrolled through my mind. What is the purpose of life? Why going through the trouble of getting born to end up like this? Is this really the end? Who and what the heck am I?

For as pointless as this exercise seemed at the time, to ask seemingly unanswerable questions, seeking to understand myself has got to be one of the most grounding experiences ever. As the inner silence fails to eco an answer, the dawning realisation of one's self-ignorance can be as humbling and as liberating as the answers themselves.

R.I.P. Maria

Nine Inch Nails - Right Where It Belongs

"Right Where It Belongs"

See the animal in his cage that you built
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?
See the safety of the life you have built
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart
And it's all
Right where it belongs

What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks?
Would you find yourself
Find yourself afraid to see?

What if all the world's inside of your head
Just creations of your own?
Your devils and your gods
All the living and the dead
And you're really all alone?
You can live in this illusion
You can choose to believe
You keep looking but you can't find the woods
While you're hiding in the trees

What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you used to know
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks
Would you find yourself
Find yourself afraid to see?

The Flashbulb - Undiscovered Colors

Stop. Breathe... ... ... FEEL.

Anonymous recruits Everyone for OperationPayback

LOIC

In their latest press release, Anonymous defines itself as a group of "average Interent Citizens" with "a collective sense of being fed up with all the minor and major injustices we witness every day".

"Our current goal is to raise awareness about WikiLeaks and the underhanded methods employed by the above companies [Amazon, PayPal, VISA, MasterCard, etc] to impair WikiLeaks' ability to function."

And so with the aim to increase their numbers and effectiveness, Anonymous have placed their "weapon" of choice online, called JS LOIC (JavaScript Low Orbit Ion Cannon), enabling anyone courageous enough to join OperationPayback at the click of a button. At what cost and consequences, we'll soon find out. But the last time I checked, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks were illegal.

http://www.calgarc.com/jloic.html

WikiLeaks: The perfect check mate

Recently I've had a few heated discussions regarding WikiLeaks with people who question the motives and consequences of leaked secret documents. Some believe a leak this massive is only possible if it is either a disinfo operation run by those seeking to further censorship the internet or in the best case scenario, it is being exploited to leak false or filtered documents that will push the globalists agenda. From what I gather, WikiLeaks sceptics think this way because, they say, WikiLeaks has had mass media attention. Because the content is slanted or unimportant. Because it promotes war with Iran and because it blames the US. Oh, and the fact that Assange hasn't caught up with the inconsistencies in the main stream story of what happened on 9/11. Some also claim a "fishy" gut feeling that something isn't right but they can't put the finger on it! Hmm...

Spinning the spin

Fair enough, Assange has discredited the 9/11 movement but I know plenty of intelligent people who still to this day don't dare looking at the evidence of what happened. Like Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore for example. Could this be a symptom of main stream indoctrination and arrogance of knowledge? Or is it necessarily a conscious and deceitful action of a "disinfo agent"?

So the leaked documents marginalize the US and don't put Iran in a good light. They also reveal embarrassing facts about other countries like China, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Saudi Arabia and many more. Just because the main stream outlets focus on Iran and try to spin the information to fit their warmongering agendas, does it mean that the info itself is biased? Why would WikiLeaks bother releasing information that affects a huge amount of diplomats/spies all over the world across a broad range of countries? How else could they have shown neutrality? Also, why would a disinfo campaign disclose that US diplomats spied on UN leadership and were asked to collect passwords, credit card numbers and biometric data including fingerprints, iris scans and DNA?!!

It's true WikiLeaks has had the mass media attention but it would be hard to ignore a movement that has been causing an ever growing buzz on the internet over the past 4 years and that has had at least 3 major leaks just over the past year, the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs as well as the very graphic Collateral Murder video. The later shows a US Apache helicopter killing over a dozen of civilians indiscriminately. I'm still to see how this supports the disinfo operation theory.

It is also true that there are moves to further tightening the censorship of the internet. But is this a knee jerk reaction to turn an unpredicted crisis into a useful tool or is it all part of a carefully planned operation? Well, it may be either really. But if WikiLeaks is indeed part of a bigger plan to further erase human liberties, why did Amazon refuse to host the site? Why did Paypal suddenly realise that the WikiLeaks donations account was not in accord with their terms and conditions? Why are there politicians calling for the website to be taken offline or even Assange's assassination?! Why was the website's DNS routing service dropped? Why did MasterCard make it impossible for people to donate? Why was the Swiss bank account frozen? Why the smear campaign of Assange and now his arrest? Why confirming the corruption up high that most already suspected and spreading further distrust of the political system?

I have to say, if WikiLeaks is indeed a disinfo operation, they sure are putting up a heck of a show! But what do I know?

The victory of cynicism

Assange has a whole team of committed volunteers behind him but the media focus is mainly on the man. He's the "lightening rod" of WikiLeaks as he puts it. Now, if there's something that those at the top want more than anything, is to program in the masses the deeply cynical belief that an individual cannot ever possibly make a difference. That individual effort will always be in vain. That any apparent positive change always has a negative agenda behind. So that when someone really does stand out and really does rock the boat people will see it as another covert operation. This is one of the ways how the small elite keeps the power from the huge majority. By making you believe that you are insignificant that you have no power.

Beyond content

But this isn't the full story. Of course Assange and WikiLeaks have an agenda. Even if they're trying to achieve transparency it is still an agenda. But how they plan to achieve this is not through the leaking of crucial, incriminating juicy content itself as the disappointed public expects. Apparently, which information is leaked is unimportant. Yes, you read it right, the information is secondary.

In an essay written by Assange in 2006, entitled "State and Terrorist Conspiracies", the hacker equates a secret cabal to a computer network and explains how it cannot survive in an environment where secrets can be leaked. He argues that not only will the network have to adjust to the constant whistle-blowing, therefore distracting it from its main agenda, but will also become highly paranoid and therefore ineffective. And so far that is precisely what we're seeing as those affected by the leaks run around like headless chickens desperately trying to shut down, to censor and to stop that which is unstoppable. It is the perfect check mate.

O agricultor rebelde visita Portugal

O agricultor Austríaco, Sepp Holzer, é tão famoso pelos seus métodos de agricultura ecológicos como pelo seu caracter de rebeldia contra a autoridade que, no ponto de vista dele, está desligada da realidade devido á falta de experiência prática.

O agricultor mais multado da Austria, diz-se um defensor da natureza e por isso nunca seguiu nem nunca seguirá leis que vão contra ela. A natureza é a sua professora, e Sepp acredita vivamente que fala connosco se nos pusermos nos pés dela. Segundo ele não existem maus terrenos de cultivo, apenas maus agricultores. E até mesmo áreas desertificadas podem ser tornadas em áreas férteis e abundantes se aprendermos a trabalhar com a natureza em vez de contra ela (como temos feito até agora).

No último Domingo o agricultor rebelde veio á Maia (perto do Porto) dar uma palestra acerca do seu tipo específico de permacultura — um termo inventado nos anos setenta pelo Australiano Bill Molison para designar uma espécie de agricultura permanente. Com a ajuda de uma tradutora da eco-aldeia de Tamera, Sepp mostrou a sua quinta na Austria, deu exemplos de projectos em que ajudou a revitalizar largas paisagens há muito tempo negligenciadas e respondeu a perguntas da plateia curiosa, inspirada e até mesmo séptica, de cerca de 120 pessoas. O video seguinte é da palestra inteira. O debate pós-palestra está disponível aqui, graças á Quercus do Porto.

Long live freedom of truth

We open governments.

On 28th of November WikiLeaks revealed hundreds of thousands of secret USA embassies cables. Since then, WikiLeaks has been criticised, attacked and even censored by regimes that call themselves open and free. Here's small snapshot of the world's reaction, via Twitter, to this unprecedented event:

1. US Government is just about to find out what it feels like to go through a nudie-scanner. #cablegate 
2. In China or North Korea, if they don't like a website, they block it in their country. In the West, they destroy the site. #imwikileaks  
3. I don't see how the leaked cables could possibly be as embarrassing as our government's hostile response to them #imwikileaks 
4. "The problem isn't that #WikiLeaks is lying, the problem is that they're telling the truth." - http://bit.ly/elAJRy #imwikileaks
5. USA, land of the free. Except when you disagree with 'em. #hypocrits #imwikileaks
6. "They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority." - Gerald Massey #imwikileaks 
7. Wikileaks is trying to unplug us from the Matrix. Time to wake up! #imwikileaks #wikileaks #cablegte #assange
8. "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell #imwikileaks 
9. Buddha: "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." #imwikileaks
10. Here's a big list of wikileaks mirrors: http://bit.ly/h9uoyV #imwikileaks

History has never been made at this ever accelerated rate.

The invisible noose

GMO

A subject that concerns me deeply is the one of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or Genetically Engineering (GE). The negative consequences of this technology are as deep and as vast as they are misunderstood or unknown to the majority of its consumers.

Aside from the many misconceptions and straight out lies created by the industry, regarding the safety and even the necessity of GMOs, there is an ever growing number of studies warning of its dangers not only for human health but the environment as a whole.

• 1999: Scientists highlight hazards of GM food 
• 2009: GM soy herbicide linked to birth defects
• 2009: Study proves 3 Monsanto corn varieties' noxiousness to the organism
• 2010: GM maize 'has polluted rivers across the United States' 
• 2010: Genetically Modified soy linked to sterility, infant mortality
• 2010: Big Ag lobbyists wrote UK government's report on GM foods

And if these aren't enough, the documentaries The Future of Food and The World According to Monsanto will give you a scoop into the technology, the industry and the people behind GMOs. Once you learn about it, you'll never look at your plate the same way and, hopefully, it'll become obvious what is driving the Organic movement and why it's so vital.

The Future of Food documentary film

The 9/11 scepticism pickaxe

The Twin Towers' destruction on 9/11

After nine years of the dramatic and drastic events of September 11^th 2001, despite the ever growing number of Architechts & Engineers, Schoolars, Pilots, Firefighters, Political Leaders, Veterans, Military Officers, Scientists and many many more groups of people questioning the 9/11 events, some people still find it easier to go with the official story of what happened. Not surprisingly as the implications of some inner involvement in the killing of 3000 people are obvious and far reaching indeed. But we'll talk about those another time.

The purpose of this post is to break through the shell of the hardest sceptic. The inconsistencies of the official story are endless but, for now, we'll focus on 10 facts regarding the bizarre collapse of the twin towers, that contradict the official explanation that gravity alone brought down the twin towers and building 7, which most people never heard about.

1. Destruction proceeds through the path of greatest resistance at nearly free-fall acceleration
2. Improbable symmetry of debris distribution
3. Extremely rapid onset of destruction
4. Over 100 first responders reported explosions and flashes
5. Multi-ton steel sections ejected laterally
6. Mid-air pulverization of 90,000 tons of concrete & metal decking
7. Massive volume of expanding pyroclastic-like clouds
8. 1200-foot-dia. debris field: no "pancaked" floors found
9. Isolated explosive ejections 20 – 40 stories below demolition front
10. Total building destruction: dismemberment of steel frame

These can be found on the Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth website along with tons more of explosive evidence. At the time of this post, there are 1373 Architects and Engineers that support this evidence and question the official one. Do you?

The cosmic sense of humour

Life's a funny thing. You're born, you meet a bunch of people while stuff happens and then you die. And of the people you meet, they either grow up with you or they help you grow, some both. Whether we're aware of it or not, grateful or otherwise. Most pass by like a breeze but few leave a footprint the size of a galaxy. And when they do you better be fucking ready or you'll be cursing the day you were born until the day you die.

Only the strongest guts will survive

Last night a dear friend told me she had watched a documentary, which really shocked her. "Oh my God, I had no idea! It's like a horror movie, except real! I have to share this with everyone." ­– she said.

This is not a uncommon reaction for people who manage to win the challenge of watching the Earthlings documentary to the end. Even the most courageous find it difficult to sit through the most extreme raw footage of the mistreatment (that's an understatement) of animals. But I don't think this is what shakes them the most.

What shakes the viewer of Earthlings to the core is the questioning of what we take as "normal", species discrimination or specie-ism. It's the undeniable proof of the madness of the human relationship with the rest of the animal kingdom. It is the revelation of the selfish savage exploitation of sentient beings by us, the self-aware animals, all intelligent, self proclaimed pinnacle of evolution on Earth.

And that's not all, at the end, the moral weight that rests on the viewer's shoulders cannot be ignored. Something must be done. And this is why this documentary is so powerful. It breaks through apathy. It opens the hearth to the responsibility of compassion by exposing the true impact of our actions... or inaction, after you watch this. Do you have the guts? Here's the taster.


Make the Connection. EARTHLINGS.com

Chuck Lorre's spiritual insight

The Big Bang Theory - Easter egg S01E15

Wikileaks prepares to redefine history

Launched in 2007, WikiLeaks receives confidential material that governments, intelligence agencies and businesses want to keep secret and posts it on the Internet.

Amongst the organisation's biggest releases are a video filmed by a US Apache helicopter killing civilians indiscriminately, called "Collateral Murder". And 391,832 reports, "The Iraq War Logs", documenting the war and occupation of Iraq, in what is so far the largest classified military leak in history.

However, on 22nd of November 2010, Wikileaks posted an intriguing tweet (below) promising that they're just warming up and that the pillars of global secrecy and deception are yet again about to be shaken harder than ever.

The coming months will see a new world, where global history is redefined. Keep us strong: http://is.gd/hzbIa

Boy, I can hardly wait to get the popcorn out. Said that, at the time of this post wikileaks.org is down... damn you Pentagon!

Why being socially accepted might kill

Because information is power and what you don't know may kill you, today I decided to call atention to a crucial piece of health information that is still not as widespread as it should be. Since the natural human smell (i.e. stinking like a pig... actually pigs don't smell that bad!) is not socially acceptable, we all take measures in personal hygiene to ensure we don't repel other human beings. But have we ever questioned at what cost?

Some of those measures may be in the form of antiperspirant deodorants and the deadly aluminium in them. The following article Antiperspirants – Aluminum & Alzheimer’s Disease contains a thorough explanation of this dangerous metal and its effects on the human body when absorbed through the skin. If you're minimally concerned with your health, and aren't yet aware of this, you'll want to read it.

10 things you can do to save the Earth by John Perkins

Today I added John Perkins to the Teachers list on the right hand side. John worked for many years around the world as, what he calls, an "Economic Hit Man" and has written several books documenting his experiences. His contribution has been invaluable in bringing to light the deception and real intentions of the IMF (International Monetary Fund), World Bank and respective globalists. Not to mention the set up of the current economic system.

On his website, there's a list of "10 thing you can do to save the Earth" (or rather humanity as the planet will be fine, whether we make it or not), which I replicated below — not a bad starting guide.

1. Demand a world where the models for our children are the founders and managers of institutions that restore rain forests and polluted lakes, promote sustainability, and help starving people feed themselves — not the CEO‘s of irresponsible corporations, overpaid athletes and celebrities.

2. Break the pattern and rid our world of the viral form of predatory capitalism that has a stated goal of maximizing profits regardless of the social and environmental costs.

3. Bequeath a world to future generations that is headed toward sustainable, just and peaceful societies for all of us.

4. Join organizations that represent your passions, support them with your energy and/or money.

5. Use materials that are environmentally and socially responsible.

6. Support politicians who are in favor of the environment and will enact changes to protect it for future generations.

7. Vote in the marketplace for companies committed to doing the right thing environmentally and socially.

8. Let leaders know you want wholesome food, clean water and air; send emails — they do count, big-time.

9. Demand that every person on our planet has access to clean air and water, sufficient food, clothing and shelter, health care and a decent retirement.

10. Support companies that sell organic and local foods and operate on the basis of making profits but only while creating a sustainable, just, and peaceful world.

The Big Bang Theory and Easter Eggs

The Big Bang Theory sitcom is my latest obsession. I know, I'm 3 years late and I have no excuse!

But, it's refreshing to find a comedy series where geekiness, nerdiness and intelligence is no longer ridiculed or feared. Ok, maybe it is ridiculed a little but in an endearing sort of way. Perhaps this is it, a symptom of the evolution of human consciousness reaching a point where the strange and odd is not only embraced but actually explored with curiosity and celebrated. Or maybe Hollywood just ran out of Joey jokes.

Either way, one of the oddities of the series is that each episode has an "Easter egg" (Google Easter Egg if clueless). This flashes for a second before the end credits, in the form of text written by the show's creator, Chuck Lorre. Below is the screenshot of the text in episode 9 of the first series, which I found rather hmm... wholesome.

The Big Bang Theory S01E09 Easter Egg

Forgetting

Maybe instead of forgetting it's easier to... oh, look a bird!

We'll cast some light and you'll be alright

Music: Jose Gonzalez - Crosses | Video: AL

Don't you know that I'll be around to guide you
Through your weakest moments to leave them behind you
Returning nightmares only shadows
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright for now

Crosses all over, heavy on your shoulders
The sirens inside you waiting to step forward
Disturbing silence darkens your sight
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright for now

Crosses all over the boulevard
Crosses all over the boulevard
Crosses all over the boulevard
Crosses all over the boulevard

The streets outside your window overflooded
People staring, they know you've been broken
Repeatedly reminded by the looks on their faces
Ignore them tonight and you'll be alright
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright

Seeds

Seeds of infinite possibility,
plunged
into a dungeon of delusion.

Slaves to insatiable dread,
mind-bound,
by forgetfulness of their origins.

Coldly use, betray and abandon
lifetimes,
depths of sentience.

Blindly seeking themselves,
lost,
shredded hearts pave their paths.

Reaching for Truth
outside,
eternally searching,
perpetually trapped.

AL 12/8/10

Bias

Pebble

Picked up a Pebble
it was smoothly bright
made his heart tremble,
never felt so right.

Dazzled by Its essence
he had found home
as if in adolescence
falling in love syndrome.

Without asking a question
and assuming mutual attraction
became the inevitable obsession,
main source of satisfaction.

Never lost from vision,
admired Its countless strengths,
Its stunning light emission,
along all Its lengths.

One sad gloomy night
noticed a small crack
the shock, the fright,
felt like an attack.

Filled with great gratitude
for having found love
tried ignoring Its attitude,
tried to rise above.

But he was weak
and the wee break
started to look bleak,
despite it being fake.

Until the inevitable arrived,
from squeezing too strong
It had not thrived,
was sad too long.

In fear and pain
the final wrath strike
how unfair, how insane
It slipped in dislike.

Under abysmal irreversible damage
It had to return,
wished It bon voyage
repressing his own heartburn.

Realizing what he wasted,
how profound the upset,
wished it had lasted,
too late to regret.

Rhymes describe the experience,
superficiality of the observable,
never the true grievance,
the feelings, the Pebble.

AL 28/7/10