Main causes of suffering
selfishness
unacceptance
greed
folly
Wanting things
blindness to the truth about things
unreasonable desires
all boils down to selfishness really, if you are less concerned with yourself you will definitely suffer less
selflessness does not suffer
selflessness
does
not
suffer
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Do Not Impeach Obama
Why not?
Couple of things I still object to.
Killing of Bin Laden and
Military action against Libya
And they still seem unlawful to me
But....
After thinking about the philosophy of law, I had a little epiphany regarding these questions.
Mr. Obama claims to be doing what he thinks is right under the circumstances. He points out how each situation is unique. And that is true.
Every situation is unique.
In fact, all our abstractions and generalizations take us away from the truth in some very deep sense.
And yet, in order to function we must generalize, we must form concepts, we must deal with the abstract.
So,
law has many aspects
the letter of the law
and
equity
Equity concerns itself with those situations that the law does not cover well. It concerns situations where a strict application of the law would yield an unfair result.
And equity is valuable and necessary for us to live as reasonable men in this difficult and complicated world.
So,
Mr. Obama has been making equitable decisions. And in a way, these are lawful decisions. Because equity is a form of law, and ultimately it is the higher law.
But still, we should not habitually resort to equity. It should only be used rarely, when the law does not suffice, in emergency situations, when the normal process would take too long and lead to harm.
So,
Be careful when you step out of the law into equity. It is a risky path and can potentially lead to lawlessness.
Couple of things I still object to.
Killing of Bin Laden and
Military action against Libya
And they still seem unlawful to me
But....
After thinking about the philosophy of law, I had a little epiphany regarding these questions.
Mr. Obama claims to be doing what he thinks is right under the circumstances. He points out how each situation is unique. And that is true.
Every situation is unique.
In fact, all our abstractions and generalizations take us away from the truth in some very deep sense.
And yet, in order to function we must generalize, we must form concepts, we must deal with the abstract.
So,
law has many aspects
the letter of the law
and
equity
Equity concerns itself with those situations that the law does not cover well. It concerns situations where a strict application of the law would yield an unfair result.
And equity is valuable and necessary for us to live as reasonable men in this difficult and complicated world.
So,
Mr. Obama has been making equitable decisions. And in a way, these are lawful decisions. Because equity is a form of law, and ultimately it is the higher law.
But still, we should not habitually resort to equity. It should only be used rarely, when the law does not suffice, in emergency situations, when the normal process would take too long and lead to harm.
So,
Be careful when you step out of the law into equity. It is a risky path and can potentially lead to lawlessness.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Business Is Good (VERY GOOD)
So....
Finally had a vacant apartment coming up
Tenant is moving end of May
Started showing it on May 16
New tenant signed lease on May 18
THREE DAYS ON THE MARKET
It works for me to get a new tenant lined up before the old one is even out.
I believe that the secret here is to ask a reasonable price.
People jump on a good deal every time.
BUSINESS IS VERY GOOD
Finally had a vacant apartment coming up
Tenant is moving end of May
Started showing it on May 16
New tenant signed lease on May 18
THREE DAYS ON THE MARKET
It works for me to get a new tenant lined up before the old one is even out.
I believe that the secret here is to ask a reasonable price.
People jump on a good deal every time.
BUSINESS IS VERY GOOD
Friday, May 20, 2011
Impeach Obama
I don't know who wrote what I quote below, but I agree. And it seems to me that the proper remedy for an out of control executive is impeachment. As it stands the current administration laughs at the constitution and the law. We are living not under the rule of law but under an autocrat.
To me this is tragic and sad and confusing.
We need the law. We need due process. We need a government that obeys the law.
"As a lawyer and former professor of constitutional law, I agree completely with candidate Barack Obama's presidential campaign statement that "the President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." As a citizen who voted for Mr. Obama on the mistaken assumption that he meant what he said, I must recognize the wisdom of Lord Acton's adage that "power corrupts, ...See Moreand absolute power corrupts absolutelty." Contrary to the tenor of this article, no serious and honest legal scholar can read the Constitution -- as well as our Founding Fathers' statements concerning the relative powers of Congress and the President respectively to decide when to go to war and who shall be in charge of waging war -- and come to any conclusion that candidate Obama's statement was and is exactly right. Further, there is really no substantial argument that Congress did not have the constitutional authority to enact the War Powers Act of 1973, which by the way Congress did by overriding President Nixon's veto with the overwhelming votes of 2/3 of both houses of Congress. The War Powers Act in no way purports to "usurp" the Article II power of the President to serve as Commander-in Chief of our armed forces; it simply asserts the Article I power of Congress to "declare war" -- while expressly recognizing that in case of attacks on our nation or our armed forces, as Commander-in-Chief the President has the constitutional authority to respond without prior legislative authorization. As to Libya of course there has been neither legislative authorization nor an attack upon our nation or our armed forces. Consequently President Obama's non-defensive military attack against Libya (a sovereign nation whose government the President officially recognized and did business with until attacking it) was and is plainly not only an unconstitutional usurpation of the Article I powers of Congress, but also a flagrant violation of the War Powers Act. Section 5(b) of that Act specifically provides: "At any time that United States Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the territory of the Unitedi States . . . without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be removed by the President if the Congress so directs by concurrent resolution." It is shameful that Congress has not acted and apparently will use its constitutional and statutory authority to stop a plainly unlawful and unconstitutional war in Libya."
To me this is tragic and sad and confusing.
We need the law. We need due process. We need a government that obeys the law.
"As a lawyer and former professor of constitutional law, I agree completely with candidate Barack Obama's presidential campaign statement that "the President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." As a citizen who voted for Mr. Obama on the mistaken assumption that he meant what he said, I must recognize the wisdom of Lord Acton's adage that "power corrupts, ...See Moreand absolute power corrupts absolutelty." Contrary to the tenor of this article, no serious and honest legal scholar can read the Constitution -- as well as our Founding Fathers' statements concerning the relative powers of Congress and the President respectively to decide when to go to war and who shall be in charge of waging war -- and come to any conclusion that candidate Obama's statement was and is exactly right. Further, there is really no substantial argument that Congress did not have the constitutional authority to enact the War Powers Act of 1973, which by the way Congress did by overriding President Nixon's veto with the overwhelming votes of 2/3 of both houses of Congress. The War Powers Act in no way purports to "usurp" the Article II power of the President to serve as Commander-in Chief of our armed forces; it simply asserts the Article I power of Congress to "declare war" -- while expressly recognizing that in case of attacks on our nation or our armed forces, as Commander-in-Chief the President has the constitutional authority to respond without prior legislative authorization. As to Libya of course there has been neither legislative authorization nor an attack upon our nation or our armed forces. Consequently President Obama's non-defensive military attack against Libya (a sovereign nation whose government the President officially recognized and did business with until attacking it) was and is plainly not only an unconstitutional usurpation of the Article I powers of Congress, but also a flagrant violation of the War Powers Act. Section 5(b) of that Act specifically provides: "At any time that United States Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the territory of the Unitedi States . . . without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be removed by the President if the Congress so directs by concurrent resolution." It is shameful that Congress has not acted and apparently will use its constitutional and statutory authority to stop a plainly unlawful and unconstitutional war in Libya."
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Economics of Obesity
Whenever I hear about someone who weighs 500 or 600 pounds or more, I always want to hear about their livelihood.
What do they live on?
What is their source of income?
Who supports them?
It must cost a lot to feed someone who is that fat.
They also seem to have special needs, expensive special needs..
So who pays for it?
That should always be part of the story.
Who pays to keep the person fat.
Who buys the food
what is the economics of obesity?
What do they live on?
What is their source of income?
Who supports them?
It must cost a lot to feed someone who is that fat.
They also seem to have special needs, expensive special needs..
So who pays for it?
That should always be part of the story.
Who pays to keep the person fat.
Who buys the food
what is the economics of obesity?
How To Lose Weight
Exercise will not do it!
It just makes you hungry!
But you must have exercise in order to be in good health.
But that is not a reasonable way to lose weight.
The only reasonable thing is to eat less.
And to eat a healthy diet.
A low calorie healthy diet.
That is the only way.
And it will work.
Calorie reduction will lead to weight reduction.
Reduce calorie consumption enough so that you burn more calories than you take in.
Then you will gradually lose weight.
And the funny thing is
Everyone already knows this!
It just makes you hungry!
But you must have exercise in order to be in good health.
But that is not a reasonable way to lose weight.
The only reasonable thing is to eat less.
And to eat a healthy diet.
A low calorie healthy diet.
That is the only way.
And it will work.
Calorie reduction will lead to weight reduction.
Reduce calorie consumption enough so that you burn more calories than you take in.
Then you will gradually lose weight.
And the funny thing is
Everyone already knows this!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Avoiding Hubris
Thinking you can avoid hubris
is in itself a form of hubris
Pride that is harmful
not the OK kind of pride
It is OK to be proud of achievement
as long as you keep your proper perspective
But achievement and position and skill
and winning and even luck
almost always go to the head
which is HUBRIS
and which leads to other bad consequences
like thinking you are invulnerable
so it is good to bleed once in a while
so you remember that you are mortal
is in itself a form of hubris
Pride that is harmful
not the OK kind of pride
It is OK to be proud of achievement
as long as you keep your proper perspective
But achievement and position and skill
and winning and even luck
almost always go to the head
which is HUBRIS
and which leads to other bad consequences
like thinking you are invulnerable
so it is good to bleed once in a while
so you remember that you are mortal
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mister Bix
Introducing Mister Bix
he has been around for a while and now he is stepping up to the plate
Songwriter
Singer
Composer
Piano player
Arranger
His new song is about to be released
It will be available online at CDBaby, Itunes and many other online music distributors.
"THIS IS AMERICA"
Written and sung by Mister Bix (Joe Oliva)
Produced by Terry Wollman
Drums, Herman Matthews
Bass, JV Collier
"This Is America"
A patriotic song with a twist about a husband and wife
enjoying themselves at the beach, the mall, and at their home.
When you hear it you just can't help but smile!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Maura Leon "Meet every challenge with gratitude"
"Do you know who you really are?"
Last year I had the privilege of attending a going away party for Kebmo at his home in West Los Angeles. I talked with a lot of beautiful people that day.
I met Maura Leon and Keith Leon. She made interesting claims about intuition and life coaching.
I asked her what to do about all the people I know suffering illness. She said to meet every challenge with gratitude. It is all teaching from the cosmos.
That was some of the best advice I have ever gotten!
Meet every challenge with gratitude.
It is all teaching from the cosmos.
So on reflection I think that maybe acceptance is not enough. Acceptance does not go far enough. Whatever happens I can go beyond just acceptance and go all the way to gratitude.
I am absolutely grateful for absolutely everything.
Last year I had the privilege of attending a going away party for Kebmo at his home in West Los Angeles. I talked with a lot of beautiful people that day.
I met Maura Leon and Keith Leon. She made interesting claims about intuition and life coaching.
I asked her what to do about all the people I know suffering illness. She said to meet every challenge with gratitude. It is all teaching from the cosmos.
That was some of the best advice I have ever gotten!
Meet every challenge with gratitude.
It is all teaching from the cosmos.
So on reflection I think that maybe acceptance is not enough. Acceptance does not go far enough. Whatever happens I can go beyond just acceptance and go all the way to gratitude.
I am absolutely grateful for absolutely everything.
Friday, May 6, 2011
I absolutely accept absolutely everything
why shouldn't I?
can I fight the cosmos?
would anything be here without God's permission?
If I don't accept then am I not refusing God?
refusing God's creation?
God is the only power
there is no other power
God's creation
I accept it all
right now
and eternally
can I fight the cosmos?
would anything be here without God's permission?
If I don't accept then am I not refusing God?
refusing God's creation?
God is the only power
there is no other power
God's creation
I accept it all
right now
and eternally
Why Do We Have Enemies?
Does everyone have enemies?
Why us?
Why now?
This is the unasked question.
On the news I hardly hear anyone asking why anyone would want to attack us.
It is assumed the enemy is crazy or evil or both. I don't believe it!
They are men and women just like us. With dreams, with family, with needs and wants.
Are there countries that do not have enemies?
Does being a country automatically create enemies?
Is it possible to live a normal life without creating enemies?
There is always the GOLDEN RULE
treat others the way you would like to be treated
so if you are nice and patient and loving are you going to have a lot of enemies?
I am afraid to state my conclusion. Because the impatient ambitious selfish ones
may take offense.
My conclusion is that we are creating enemies with our behavior. We need to work on our behavior. People don't hate us because we are smart or rich or good looking.
They hate us because we a rude and selfish and cruel and unjust.
We can fix these things.
We can stop fighting and attacking.
We can make peace by becoming good guys. Really good guys.
Not the kind of good guys we have been.
Really good guys.
Really kind
Really patient
Really fair.
I am going to start working on this yesterday!
Why us?
Why now?
This is the unasked question.
On the news I hardly hear anyone asking why anyone would want to attack us.
It is assumed the enemy is crazy or evil or both. I don't believe it!
They are men and women just like us. With dreams, with family, with needs and wants.
Are there countries that do not have enemies?
Does being a country automatically create enemies?
Is it possible to live a normal life without creating enemies?
There is always the GOLDEN RULE
treat others the way you would like to be treated
so if you are nice and patient and loving are you going to have a lot of enemies?
I am afraid to state my conclusion. Because the impatient ambitious selfish ones
may take offense.
My conclusion is that we are creating enemies with our behavior. We need to work on our behavior. People don't hate us because we are smart or rich or good looking.
They hate us because we a rude and selfish and cruel and unjust.
We can fix these things.
We can stop fighting and attacking.
We can make peace by becoming good guys. Really good guys.
Not the kind of good guys we have been.
Really good guys.
Really kind
Really patient
Really fair.
I am going to start working on this yesterday!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
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