Men's issues

War, religion, uncontested sex etc

http://alcuinbramerton.blogspot.com/2006/06/mens-issues.html
Alcuin Bramerton profile ..... Index of blog contents ..... Home
Page update: 16.08.09

A man is a grown-up, male human being. Illustrations of archetypal men can be viewed here, and here, and here.

The kind of things which typical men do are pictured here, and here, and here.

This is a man-friendly blog. We have addressed the core issues of what it is to be a man in the modern world, in several important places. Examples are linked below:


The good modern husband

Marriage night

Marriage in trouble

Demanding lover

Distant and severe


Olive restaurant in Bromley

Poodle parlour in Purley

Obituary of Hank Texasburger III

Cricket on the radio

Disclaimer in the corporate boxes


Underpants

Magic Roundabout pyjamas

Preconceived idea

You can pretend

Small but passionate


The police are very good

Interdimensional travels

Heretic unfrocked

Nothing passes

Ontological real deal


Cybore

Magnanimous gesture

Interview for a new USA president


……………….…

Women's issues

………….………


More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Marriage night

http://alcuinbramerton.blogspot.com/2006/06/marriage-night.html
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It will be
The perfect
English wedding.

Gorgeous spring weather,
Large cathedral,
Twelve bridesmaids,
Twelve pages,
Two bishops,
Flowers on every gargoyle,
Orchestra
And full choir.

Elegant reception
In a pink
And green
Marquee
In the cloister garden.

You will take care
Not to drink too much.

At last,
At the end of the day,
And feeling like
The Leaning Tower
Of Pisa,
You reach
The honeymoon hotel
Bedroom.

And then the glorious
Consummation.

Your young wife
Tells you
That she
Has a headache.

It is important
To be positive
And understanding
At this point.

Give her the benefit
Of the doubt,
And acknowledge
That there is at least
A twenty per cent
Chance,
That she is telling
The truth.



...........................


Demanding lover

Marriage in trouble

Men's issues

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Stream of consciousness

This is a stream
Of consciousness.

Politics is an elaborate
Metaphor
For croquet:
Painted balls.

I've forgotten to see
Those movies.

I forget everything
These days.

I forgot to get up
Yesterday.
And now it's today.

I adopt the lexical orthodoxy
Of Western linear time concepts here.
Excuse me.

I need chocolate.
I need chocolate fast.

Whose consciousness
Is this a stream of?
And how can I be sure?

Oh, look!
There's a squirrel.
That's nice.

What's a squirrel doing
In the deep-freeze?

The kettle's boiling.
I can see it boiling over there.
It's a steam of consciousness.

Water vapour is a more important
Greenhouse gas
Than either carbon dioxide
Or methane.

There are geeks
Who don't know that.
There are geeks
Who have no consciousness
At all.
Some geeks
Are just aural in-your-face
Non-sentient data complexes.

I like geeks.
The richest man in the world
Was a geek once;
A computer-geek
Who wrote source code.
Now he's the biggest do-gooder
Who has ever done gooding
On the planet,
Except for Mother Teresa.

Ah, good. Yes.
There's the chocolate.
I need chocolate to power up
My stream of consciousness.

I'm glad I saw those movies.
This is balls.


Contemplating an artwork

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Women's issues

Burqas, babies, chocolate, guilt etc

http://alcuinbramerton.blogspot.com/2006/06/womens-issues.html

Alcuin Bramerton profile ..... Index of blog contents ..... Home

Page update: 16.08.09

A woman is a grown-up, female human being. Illustrations of archetypal women can be viewed here, and here, and here.

The kind of things which typical women do are pictured here, and here, and here.

This is a woman-friendly blog. We have addressed the core issues of what it is to be a woman in the modern world, in several important places. Examples are linked below:


Toenails

Seven toffee doughnuts

Into Bodmin to shop

Wiltshire wheat

Casualty

Intruders

Office separation


Sympathetic help for unacceptably fat women

Lose weight feel great

Strong decision

Eating disorder

Blue mouthwash

Novel in Burnley

Platonic relationship

Lent in the open ocean


Female bishops

Convent girl

Disappointed at Greenbelt

A new scripture shortly to be published

Men make such hopeless priests

Man-machine


Elvis in Bedfordshire

Circus in Southwold

Worth Matravers in Dorset


Creepy

Contact

Mermaid

Reflective


Gender confusion

Unguarded level crossing

Jellybabies theme park

Patio window

School run


Reasonable request

Another woman

Private collection

Pumpkin candlelight


Student life

Tuesday girl

Slinky ClubGirl goes out on the town



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We offer the following pastoral support for desperate women
Emergency chocolate cake pictures


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Waiting for the perfect man
A picture


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Men's issues

The good modern husband

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Very refreshing

In a deserted house,
A shower can be a
Very
Refreshing experience,
If there is no-one in it
And you yourself
Are miles away.

It raises questions.

Why is the shower running?
Why is there no-one in it?
Who is listening
To the steady splash
Of the water?

What is the agenda here?

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Interview for a new USA president

Dangerous tree in Warwickshire

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Never settle down

Not ready
To settle down?

No, not ready
To settle down.

Life never settles down.

Life is a continual process
Of becoming more;
Stasis is not even
Theoretically possible.

Never settle down.

Keep moving;
Keep moving forwards.
Keep growing;
Keep growing bigger.

Never settle down.

Only in the matrix
Do people settle down.
They settle down to stay small;
They settle down to die.

But there is
No such thing
As death.

Therein lies
The intrinsic lie
Peddled by
The insistent
Death-mongers
Of material illusion.

It is dangerous
To get comfy
Down here
In the matrix.

There is more
To life
Than a three-dimensional
Hologram
Of half-experienced being.

Never settle down.


Interdimensional travels

The libraries do not fool us

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Magnanimous gesture

http://alcuinbramerton.blogspot.com/2006/05/magnanimous-gesture.html
Alcuin Bramerton profile ..... Index of blog contents ..... Home


Very kindly,
Mr Tissington,
Of Ashbourne,
Derbyshire,
Signed papers
At his local hospital,
And officially
Committed himself
To an organ donor programme.

In the rubric
Of the document,
Deep down
In the small print,
He donated his head
To science.

It was a magnanimous gesture,
But a stupid head.

Stupid heads
Cannot easily be
Relocated.

But eventually
They found a stupid body
And attached Mr Tissington's
Stupid head to it.

There was genuine hope,
Among the medical team,
That once the transplanted organ
And its recipient body
Had acclimatised,
And come out of life support
And counselling,
They might have a useful role
To play
In the war
Against terror.




.........................



A taxi is possible

Sympathetic help for unacceptably fat women

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

The angel paths are open

Perhaps what we call death
Is not that at all.

Perhaps what we call death
Is just a change
Of address.

We slip through
An interdimensional portal
Back into our real home.

Perhaps death was where we were,
Down here in the matrix,
Not where we go
Up there
When we leave.

Deep down we know that
The angel paths are open;
The angel paths are beckoning;
The angel paths remember
The fluttering feel
Of our feet.


Undead but positive

The consciousness of the angels

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

The good modern husband

Quite properly, a legally constituted pair-bond between husband and wife allows for give and take on both sides. But in these changing times, people can become confused about their role within the family. In response to numerous requests, we offer the following advice to men of advanced character.

Have dinner ready. The good modern husband always has dinner ready. He plans ahead, the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his wife's return. This is a way of letting her know that you are thinking about her and are concerned about her needs. Most women are hungry when they come home from work and the prospect of a good meal, especially her favourite dish, is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take fifteen minutes to rest so that you will be refreshed when she arrives. Touch up your aftershave, put on a new tie and be fresh-looking. She has just spent the day with a lot of demanding, work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for her. Her tedious day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your wife arrives home, gather up school books, toys, paper etc. Then run a duster over the tables. In the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for her to unwind by. Your wife will feel that she has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for her comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces, comb their hair and change their clothes. They are little treasures and she will like to see them playing their part.

Minimise all noise. At the time of her arrival, eliminate all noise from the dishwasher, the washing machine and the vacuum cleaner. Encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see her when she arrives home. Greet her with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please her.

Listen to her closely. You may have a dozen important things to tell her, but the moment of her arrival home is not the time. Let her talk first - remember that her topics of conversation are far more important than yours.

Make the evening hers. Never complain if she comes home late, or goes out to dinner with others, or to places of entertainment without you. Instead, just try to understand her female world of strain and pressure and her very real need to be home and to relax without judgement.

Your goal is to make your home a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your wife can renew herself in body and in spirit.

Some obvious don'ts. Don't greet her with problems and complaints when she comes home. Don't complain if she's late for dinner. Don't complain if she stays out all night. Count such things as minor compared with what she must have gone through during her busy, difficult day. Don't interrogate her about her actions or question her integrity. Remember, she is the master of the house and as such she will always exercise her will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no need to question her.

A good modern husband always knows his place.



.......................


Marriage night

Marriage in trouble

Casualty

Men's issues

Women's issues

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Good like that

He was very short
Of money.

He only had
Twenty three pounds left
To get him through
To Friday,
And there were still
Four days to go.

So he decided
To go out
And give some of his money away.

He gave ten pounds
To a tramp
On the corner
He had not seen before,
And eight pounds
To a woman
At the Post Office
Who hadn't got enough
In her purse
To send a parcel
To her mother
In Africa,
And four pounds to
A student
With a green box
Collecting for
A rainforest biodiversity
Charity
In Sulawesi.

Then, on Thursday,
A letter arrived.

It contained a cheque
For two hundred and fifty pounds
From an old aunt
He had forgotten he had,
And who said she had more
Money than she needed
And was sure that he could
Put it to better use
Than her.

The universe
Is good like that.



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A New Age prospectus

The central question of the universe

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

The feast of Corpus Christi

Dr Piers Stockton,
Of Cambridge University,
Is a
Closet
Anglo-Catholic.

Late at night
On the eve
Of the feast
Of Corpus Christi,
He creeps into the
Holy Office,
Retrieves the key of the
College chapel,
Enters the building by
The south chancel door,
And,
Approaching the high altar,
Neatly places
A fresh, hot
Slice of
Stuffed-crust pizza
In the hanging pyx.


Why is church so serious?

The Piers Stockton cycle of koans

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Interview for a new USA president

Page update: 25.04.08

Because of widespread electoral corruption
In the United States of America,
We have decided to address
The democratic deficit
And appoint the next president ourselves.

The selection process
Will be rigorous,
But fair.

Only white males
With non-Jewish names
And proven business connections
With the Bin Laden family
Will be considered.

There is a person specification
And there is a job specification.

The person specification is as follows:
The successful candidate
Will appear politely stupid,
But under the surface
Of this undemanding
Theatrical carapace
He will be deeply evil
In a down-home
American sort of way.

The successful candidate
Will be a spiritually illiterate fundamentalist,
But not just a religious fundamentalist –
He will also be
An educational fundamentalist,
An economic fundamentalist,
An environmental fundamentalist,
A cultural fundamentalist,
A political fundamentalist,
And a moral fundamentalist.

The successful candidate
Will be an American supremacist
With a sovereign disregard
For the good of the wider world.

He should also be capable
Of playing a tolerable
Round of golf
With corrupt buddies
During office hours.

The job specification is as follows:
To lead America
Into splendid isolation
And, once there,
To bomb
The rest of the planet
To pulp.

We invite applications
From persons of good standing
Within the Christian community.




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Bush White House begins to disintegrate

The American Problem

Jesus recounts a dream he had about George Bush

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Maybe try Romanism?

http://alcuinbramerton.blogspot.com/2006/05/maybe-try-romanism.html

Alcuin Bramerton Twitter

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Page update: 04.07.10


We are often asked by innocent, impressionable young people, with iPods in their pockets and Rampant Rabbits in their sportsbags, what, exactly, we think of Roman Churchianity (also known as the Roman Catholic Church).

Our response to these enquiries is always measured, balanced and responsible.

We point out that although the quality of popes has declined recently, and there are no longer the fringe benefits for altar boys which once, in happier times, were enjoyed by many, Roman churchianity is still a hobby worthy of consideration, particularly by those with dark-side antiquarian interests.

If, for example, a modern young person is looking for religion rather than spirituality, then Roman churchianity may well be a live option.

Some well-informed, contemporary authorities say that Roman churchianity is church with the Christianity taken out, and a sprinkle of negative energy and spiritual fascism added in. This is a fair comment, but it is not the whole story.

Certainly, if guilt, sin, sectarianism and dogmatic-style unprotected sex are what you are looking for, then Roman churchianity may be right up your street.

But others say that Roman churchianity is not a thing to get involved with if you are of a nervous disposition and feel uncomfortable with a religion which apes the style of the Bush-Cheney White House, i.e. one which combines fundamentalist mantras with an all-consuming desire to dominate the weak.

In our view, this is slightly unfair. Many people who, in past centuries, proudly attached their undergarments to the mast of Roman churchianity, have now been reincarnated into quite positive, fun-loving, New Age careers.

And it should not be forgotten, that Roman churchianity generates a good deal of helpful literature. We would notice especially, in this context, the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church. This is a well thought-out book which offers the informed reader many interesting old ideas which can form the basis of a lively, individuated, do-it-yourself church lifestyle. And the book contains several interesting theories which can be useful as discussion-starters when having a drink with Muslim friends.

In this modern age, Roman churchianity needs all the help it can get. And it is getting a lot of help from the media. This popular support is to be welcomed and trusted.


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The Criminal History of The Papacy (3 pdf files) 1 .. 2 .. 3
The endemic corruption which has blighted Roman Churchianity for over ten centuries. Tony Bushby writes in Nexus Magazine (2007).


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Why is church so serious?

Sermon abuse

What caused the death of religion?

The Gospel of Judas

Da Vinci's Magdalene

Index of blog contents

Only Now

Perhaps Grace
Is the sacrament
Of the present moment;
The abundance
Of the universe
Which knows only Now.

Perhaps Grace
Is the realisation
In felt experience
That there is nothing
Knowable
Outside
The I am
Which is God.

Perhaps Grace
Is the incoming
Niagara
Of love
Which pours into the soul
When you realise
That you are
Sufficient
In yourself
And need no other
To complete
The full and fearless
Experience of your being.

Perhaps Grace
Is detachment
From the matrix illusion
Of need.


Interdimensional travels

More Norfolk koans

A New Age prospectus

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Generation gap

Dr Piers Stockton
Of Cambridge University,
Is spending the day
With his young nephew,
Alexander,
Aged 8.

They find themselves
In a hamburger emporium
In the remote
Cathedral city of Ely.

Despite the fact
That both his parents
Read arts subjects
At a northern university,
Young Alexander is
A surprisingly bright child.

Dr Stockton is introducing him
To the rudiments
Of quantum mechanics.

“Now obviously, Alexander,
In a classical mechanical system,
The state-space
Composed of n particles,
Obtained by specifying the values
Of 6n real-valued quantities —
Three components of position and
Three of momentum
For each particle in the system —
Is a 6n-dimensional coordinate space ….”

“May I have another
Butterscotch milkshake,
Uncle Piers?”

“Not until you’ve grasped
The rudiments
Of quantum mechanics,
Alexander.”

“But Uncle, that will take
Millions of years
And by then
All the butterscotch milkshakes
Will have become the
Fossilised artefacts
Of a bygone age.”

“Only if you accept uncritically
The prevailing Western notion
Of linear time,
Alexander.”

“Yes, Uncle Piers.”

“Now clearly, the situation
Is a little different
In quantum mechanics,
Where there are mathematically
Describable ways
Of combining the values
Of the quantities
That don't represent
Physically possible states.
Indeed, the state-spaces
Of quantum mechanics
Are special kinds of vector spaces,
Called Hilbert spaces ….”

“When I grow up,
Uncle Piers,
I’m going to be a politician.
And then I’m going to
Use my power to
Steal some extra votes
In Florida, Ohio and Sedgefield,
And become
A benign dictator.
And then when I am
A benign dictator,
I will ban all science –
Not just practical science –
I will ban all talking
And all thinking
About science.
Only in that way
Can the world
Become a better place.”

“Yes, Alexander.”


The Piers Stockton cycle of koans

More Norfolk koans

Science = Religion ?

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

The unknown ear

Words are signals:
Energy signals
Sent fluttering
Soul to soul,
Quietly searching,
Seeking a niche,
A nest.

Speak well;
Use good words.

Locate
The unknown ear
Which waits,
Softly listening.


The central question of the universe

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Cybore

Marcus Nightingale of
Geek Central,
Buckinghamshire,
Is a purveyor of
Froth on stilts
To the cyberweary.

He edits a rich
And interdigitating
Complexus of
Blogs
Dealing with the
Shifting ephemera of
Virtual perception
At the elliptical edge of
Human confusion.

Much of what he says
Is listened for,
But none of it is
Heard.

Marcus Nightingale is
A much-linked-to blogger,
But his links function more
As fashion accessories
Than as required arteries
Conveying essential nutrients
From the heart of profundity.

Critics suggest that,
Marcus Nightingale
Is an uncomplicated
Prat.

But that is a little
Unfair.

It is a little unfair
On the word
Uncomplicated.

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Directory of blogs written by insects

#

MyTextBeboSpaceFrothHead

Weblog spirituality

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Distant and severe

Dr Piers Stockton
Of Cambridge University,
Although superficially
Distant and severe
In his personal manner,
Does not hesitate
To welcome into his bed
Female undergraduates
From both
Private
And comprehensive
Schools.


The Piers Stockton cycle of koans

Cambridge Science Park

More Norfolk koans

Index of blog contents

Spirituality websites worth watching

Bravo Falun Dafa! Bravo Falun Gong!

Page update: 06.08.07

On Thursday April 20th 2006 in Washington (USA), the leaders of the world’s two main terrorist states held meetings.

China was a superpower on the way up; the USA was a superpower on the way down.

A welcome ceremony for the Chinese President Hu Jintao was hosted by the American President George W. Bush on the White House lawn in front of the international press.

Dr Wenyi Wang, aged 47, a female reporter with The Epoch Times was on a camera stand in the press section, directly in front of Hu and Bush.

As the Chinese President began speaking, Dr Wang shouted out in Chinese: "Evil people die early …. Hu, your days are numbered …. no more time for China’s ruling party."

Then she changed to English: “President Bush, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong! Stop him from killing! Stop the torture and killings! Falun Dafa is good."

As Dr Wang was shouting, she unfurled a red and yellow banner bearing Chinese characters ­and Falun Gong logos.

Hu stopped speaking briefly until Bush lent over and reassured him.

Dr Wang continued heckling the leaders loudly for over two minutes until she was escorted away by uniformed American security guards.

In China, television screens were blanked out when the protests became audible. The American television channel, CNN, said that its signal to China was interrupted twice: first when Dr Wang was shouting and later when the network reported the incident.

The incident took place immediately after Bush had urged Hu to allow the Chinese to “speak freely”.

President Bush later apologised to President Hu. "This was unfortunate and I'm sorry it happened,” he said.

The Epoch Times (New York, USA) said: “Dr. Wang attended this event on Epoch Times press credentials. However, her actions this morning were her own. In protesting in this manner, she did not act on behalf of The Epoch Times. Moreover, she had not consulted any of her Epoch Times colleagues beforehand about her staging this protest.”

Falun Gong practitioners make it their business to protest whenever and wherever senior Chinese leaders travel abroad. Five years ago, in 2001, when President Jiang Zemin visited Malta, Dr Wang was there to heckle him.

The Falun Gong is a peaceful meditation movement which is banned in China. Hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong meditators have been tortured, sexually abused or murdered in labour camps by agents of the Chinese Communist regime.

At the time of Dr Wang’s White House protest there were tens of thousands of missing Falun Gong practitioners in China. Their families were searching for them, but had no clue as to their whereabouts.

At the same time, in April 2006, The Epoch Times reported that, based on the statements of doctors performing organ transplants in China, in the following eleven days thousands of Falun Gong practitioners would be terminated in China by having their organs harvested while they were still alive. More details here.

One of the Chinese labour camps where Falun Gong meditators are held is referred to, in the West, as the Sujiatun concentration camp. It is a secret underground facility in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province.

On the 20th April 2006, U.S. Newswire (Washington) reported that the key witness who exposed the Sujiatun concentration camp and organ harvesting from live Falun Gong meditators would testify in public for the first time.

The Sujiatun concentration camp was exposed in early March 2006. The witness, a former employee of the Sujiatun facility, decided to come forward despite the danger that such a disclosure would put her in. Initially she had hoped that the international community would carry out a full investigation after she revealed the information in March. But to her outrage, within three weeks of the news leak, the Falun Gong meditators held in Sujiatun had been relocated and the facility was sanitized. This done, Chinese officials were instructed to address the media and invite international observers to the site.

On Friday 21st April 2006, the White House heckler, Dr Wenyi Wang, was charged with harassing a foreign official - a federal misdemeanour punishable upon conviction by up to six months in prison and a fine of $5,000. She appeared before Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson in Washington. A preliminary hearing in the case was set for the 3rd May. Dr Wang was freed on her own recognizance, but ordered to stay away from the White House.

After her court appearance, Dr Wang, a Falun Gong meditator, said she had not committed a crime, but an act of civil disobedience. The real crime, she said, is being committed by China's Communist government, which harvests organs from living Falun Gong meditators in hospitals, labour camps and detention centres before throwing their bodies into incinerators.

Falun Gong was initiated by a Chinese Buddhist spiritual teacher, Li Hongzhi, in 1992. He gave a series of nine widely distributed lectures collectively referred to as Zhuan Falun.

Falun Gong is neither a religion nor a sect. It is a peaceful self-development spirituality which through meditation and yoga-like physical exercises seeks to improve the body, mind and spirit.

On the 25th April 1999, in central Beijing, the Chinese capital, tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners held a peaceful human rights protest outside the main Chinese Communist Party offices.

Thereafter, the Chinese government sought to repress the Falun Gong and on the 21st July 1999 declared it an illegal “evil cult” based on outdated “superstitions”.

The Chinese government fears the Falun Gong for five reasons. First, as a spiritual movement, the Falun Gong does not buy into the anti-spiritual, materialistic dogmas of the Chinese Communist Party.

Second, the Falun Gong, using the internet, is adept at getting huge numbers of people out onto the streets for what appear to be spontaneous protests – protests which are not foreseen by the government security organisations.

Third, there are well over a hundred million active Falun Gong practitioners in China. They hugely outnumber the membership of the Chinese Communist Party, which is diminishing steadily year by year.

Fourth, many members of the Chinese Communist Party, including scores of senior local and central politicians and security personnel are covert Falun Gong practitioners.

Fifth, because of their internet skills, the Falun Gong has linked into many international human rights groups. This has brought Chinese human rights violations to a wider public, including the United Nations. The Chinese Communist Party is facing a devastating public relations and public order disaster during the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. Demonstrations are expected by Western visitors, including leading athletes on the medals podium and at medal winner’s press conferences.

Li Hongzhi left China in 1998 and now lives in New York (USA) with his wife and daughter. He has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. There are active Falun Gong meditation groups in every major Western country.

................................

What is Falun Gong?
An article by Human Rights Watch

Falun Dafa (Falun Gong)
Introduction by Altreligion.about.com

Introduction to Falun Gong & Falun Dafa
Background from the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance

Falun Gong - an evil cult?
BBC h2g2 article

Dangerous meditation – China’s campaign against Falun Gong
A Human Rights Watch document dated January 2002

Fear for safety of Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun City
An Amnesty International document dated March 2002

Zhuan Falun
The foundation text of Falun Gong – nine lectures by Li Hongzhi

Who is Li Hongzhi?
BBC article dated May 2001

Glossary of technical terms
Vocabulary pertinent to an understanding of Zhuan Falun

China Cracking
Article by Frederick Stakelbeck in FrontPage magazine (Los Angeles, USA) dated December 2005

China - Time Bomb Walking
Symposium in FrontPage magazine (Los Angeles, USA) dated April 2006

Organs for sale
China accused of killing Falun Gong members – article in PureAwakening.net (Calgary, Canada) dated April 2006. PureAwakening.net is a Falun Gong website.

China’s enemy within: The Story of Falun Gong
Article by Paul Vallely and Clifford Coonan in The Independent newspaper (London) 22.04.06

A cry to awaken our conscience
Personal statement by Dr Wenyi Wang on why she protested at the White House – The Epoch Times (New York, USA) – 24.04.06

Essential Information on Organ Theft from Falun Gong Practitioners in China
Article in The Epoch Times (New York, USA) – 24.04.06

Fleeing a Tibetan monastery
Jan Willem den Besten interviews a young Buddhist monk describing Chinese religious persecution at the Ganden monastery in Lhasa. BBC (India) 27.04.06

Why Wang Wenyi was shouting
Comments by Makina on the Between Heaven and Earth blog (Canada) - 30.04.06

'Falun Gong, Keep up the Good Work!'
Interview with Attorney Gao Zhisheng in The Epoch Times (New York, USA) - 01.05.06

The Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party
An editorial series in The Epoch Times (New York, USA), describing the nature of the CCP, its control methodologies and its ongoing internal disintegration.

China bans reincarnation in Tibet
United Press International (Washington, USA) 03.08.07

China tells living Buddhas to obtain permission before they reincarnate
The Times (London, UK) 04.08.07


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Meditation - the direct encounter

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Multitasking

Edward Scotswood
Of Elswick,
Newcastle,
Is a modern man.

He is good at cooking:
He knows how to
Boil a kettle
Without burning
The water inside,
And he knows how to
Unwrap a chocolate bar
Without guilt.

Guilt is a
Girl-thing,
Anyway.

Edward
Looks around
For a girl.

He is feeling
Hungry.


Olive restaurant in Bromley

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We are water beings

Alcuin Bramerton profile ..... Index of blog contents ..... Home

We are water beings
Living
On a water planet.

Listen:
Sometimes it rains.

Perhaps raindrops are angels
Training for a higher destiny:
A liquidity of light
In the empyrean.

Listen:
Sometimes streams flow.

Perhaps flowing streams are angels
Trying to take off:
Bounding bubbles
Aspiring upwards.

Listen:
Sometimes water stands still.

Perhaps standing water
Is a concentrated tincture
Of angels:
Cordial for the crestfallen.

It is difficult to know.

But it is easy to hope.

Hope is fluent:
It flows like water
And forms droplets
On that which is
Unnecessarily dry.

Listen well to the water;
Learn its fluidity of being.
Return to the experience
Of smooth,
Bubbling,
Lubricity,
And flow free.

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Water droplets on a grass leaf
Photograph by Mary Stebbins

Flowing stream in Autumn
Photograph by Mary Stebbins

The Deleware Water Gap in October
Photograph by Mary Stebbins

More of Mary Stebbins’ work can be found here and here.

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Very refreshing

Unusual cloud-form over Launceston

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About netball

Even in
Casual conversation
With female undergraduates
About netball,
Dr Piers Stockton,
Of Cambridge University,
Lards his observations
With layers
Of arcane symbolic referents
To Beowulf
And the Teletubbies.


The Piers Stockton cycle of koans

Myth signifiers

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Science = Religion ?

Page update: 31.05.06

Religion, like science, helps people understand a complex and uncertain world. Like science, it helps people define priorities and choose lifestyles. And like science, it is full of competing claims made by sincere people struggling to interpret basic truths.

This is the opening paragraph of an article entitled Evangelicals and environmentalists united by R.Bruce Hull, Professor of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, USA). It was published in the New Scientist (London) on the 1st April 2006.

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The Counterbalance Meta Library
A shared collection of topics, definitions, audio and video clips which cover the constructive interaction of science, ethics, philosophy and religion.

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Cambridge Science Park

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