Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The world’s best long walks

For the ultimate in picturesque, outdoorsy getaways, check out these long walks from across the globe.

From Lonely Planet's Stepping out: the world’s best long walks!


Forget planes, trains and automobiles – the greenest and greatest way to travel is to use your own two feet. It immerses you in a country like nothing else. and, with time and a bit of fitness, you can traverse whole counties, countries – even continents. Here are a few trails to get your feet itching…

Waitukubuli National Trail, Dominica

Start/finish: Scotts Head to Cabrits

Length: 184km

The Caribbean’s first long-distance hike tip-to-toes the rugged, rainforested isle of Dominica – the alternative Caribbean, where nature still rules and you’re more likely to pass parrots than people. The trail is divided into 14 sections: pick a couple – the Boiling Lake bit, or bird-rich Morne Diablotin – or do the lot, using homestays en route.



St Paul’s Trail, Turkey

Start/finish: Perge to Yalvac

Length: 500km

Heard of Turkey’s coast-tracing Lycian Way? This is its offbeat brother – a wilder, inland ramble dotted with Roman ruins and mooching tortoises. Beginning near Antalya, it wends north, following St Paul’s first missionary foray into Asia Minor. Waymarking is complete, signposts non-existent – bring a compass and a sense of adventure.



Baekdu-Daegan Trail, South Korea

Start/finish: North Korea border to Cheonwang-bong

Length: 735km

This hike should be twice as long: it follows the Baekdu-Daegan ridge, which dragon-backs the Korean Peninsula for 1,400km. Only North Korea’s not keen on hikers… so stick to South Korea’s stretch. Here, the ridge is deeply spiritual – a symbol of nationhood – and small shrines dot the mountainscapes: to walk this path is to tread on Korea’s soul.



Bibbulmun Track, Western Australia

Start/finish: Kalamunda to Albany

Length: 964km

Waugal lead the way on this epic Aussie tramp: a rainbow serpent from the Aboriginal Dreaming, it’s depicted on the Bibbulmun’s waymarkers, ever-present amid the granite peaks, tingle forest and Southern Ocean beaches. Good but basic campsites are handily spaced every 20km – just watch out for the snakes…



South West Coast Path, UK

Start/finish: Minehead to Poole

Length: 1,008km

It started because of smuggling: in the 19th century banditry was so rife that guards had to patrol England‘s entire south coast. Today, those old patrol paths are the UK’s longest National Trail, tracing every cove, cranny and cute fishing village in Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. It takes eight weeks, non-stop, including 35,000m of climbing: a good excuse for fuelling on a pasty or two.


Via Francigena, Europe

Start/finish: Canterbury, UK to Rome, Italy

Length: 1,700km

The Via Francigena is the ‘other Camino’. While many medieval pilgrims embarked for Spain‘s Santiago de Compostela, some set off to worship saints Peter and Paul in Rome. Few use this way now, but it can still be walked – across England, France, Switzerland and Italy: an 80-day hike back in history.



Great Himalaya Trail, Nepal

Start/finish: Kanchenjunga to Humla

Length: 1,700km

Mountain walking doesn’t get much better: a traverse of the world’s highest range. Launched in 2010, the GHT spans the Nepalese Himalaya, passing rhododendron forests, high-altitude lakes, 8,000m peaks and the remote communities that call them home – providing vital income and support. Do the lot in 160 days, or choose one of ten tantalising sections.



Continental Divide Trail, USA

Start/finish: Antelope Wells, New Mexico to Glacier NP, Montana

Length: 4,960km

Connect Canada and Mexico via 5,000km of backcountry walking along the north-south spine of the USA. The Continental Divide follows the Rocky Mountains, dissecting New Mexican badlands, the gold ghost-towns of Colorado, the geyser-spews of Wyoming and the granite massifs of Montana. The trail is only 70% usable (though some have walked its entirety); dip in – at Yellowstone National Park or the San Juan Mountains – for a fine taster.




Trans Canada Trail, Canada

Start/finish: St John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia

Length: 22,000km

Got a spare few years and a very sturdy pair of boots? The grand dame of grand rambles is an east-west traverse that also shoots north to take in Canada‘s Arctic reaches. It’s a work in progress, currently comprising 400 mini trails in every province: chose from blueberry walks in Nova Scotia, gold-rush history in the Yukon – or do the whole lot…

Monday, August 29, 2011

2 died, 1 hurt in Anda landslide



2 died, 1 hurt in Anda landslide

Two persons died when a landslide hit a quarry operation in sitio San Isidro in barangay Candabong, Anda town on August 21.

Died on the spot was Romeo Galos, Jr, 14 years old. His friends, Eric Bernil, 21, died, while Mark Jericho Olaguer, 13, was badly hurt.

They were loading limestone from the quarry operation into a standby dump truck when tons of “anapog” rushed towards them and buried them alive around 11:30 a.m.

Galos and Bernil were totally buried while Olager’s head was spared from being buried by the tons of limestone.

After they were unearthed, Olager and Bernil were rushed to Teodoro B. Galagar District Hospital in Jagna town. However, both were immediately referred to Governor Celestino Gallares Hospital for immediate treatment. Attending physicians declared Bernil dead on arrival while Olaguer, who sustained minor injuries, was sent home after doctors declared him out of danger.

Romeo graduated valedictorian in elementary. He is a second year high school student and a consistent honor student at Candabong High School. The night before the incident, Romeo asked his father Romeo Galos, Sr to help him in the quary since it's a declared holiday. He even left a note listing the family members in his notebook. 

Eric Bernil would celebrate his birthday on Sept. 7.

Mark Jericho Olaguer is still in a state of shock. He has bruises in head and arms.

In a separate interview by the Bohol Chronicle, Police Inspector Miguel Andeza, local police chief, disclosed that the quarry site is owned by Anda Vice Mayor Paulino Amper. However, Andeza said that the quarry operation in the site have long been halted due to the imminent danger it posed to the people.

Andeza said that the hauling operation which claimed the life of two workers was done illegally and has no permit.

Per initial investigation by the police, it was found out that the dump truck is originally owned by Victor Bantol of Candijay, but was already sold to another hauler.

Banana a food like no other

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas.  He said the expression 'going bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain.  Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
Photo taken from http://www.healthcare-online.org

This is interesting.

After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.


Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power Research has shown that the potassium-packe d fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Photo from http://www.tootoo.com

H eartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!'


PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit !!!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

And now, J Rice to visit Bohol?

Mrs. Fudalan
Wake-uppers:
Seen: To avoid dengue, a teacher in Bohol urges students to wear long socks or pajamas in school to cover their legs. Grade 2 teacher Mrs. Euthropia Maslog Fudalan of  Booy South Elem. School has instructed her pupils to clean the surrounding and wear long socks or pajamas in school to prevent dengue. "This is to help my pupils. It's not an instruction from the principal; it's my own thinking for what is best for my children." 93 cases with two deaths were documented from January 1 to August 6, 21011 in Bohol according to the Provincial Health Office.

Seen: COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza told Boholano youth during the Pinoy LeadCon: “Upang bigyang tuldok ang operation sa Sangguniang Kabataan tinatanggap ko po ang hamon.  Subalit ang pagtanggap ng hamon na ito ay di magtapos sa pagsulat. Di dapat magtapos sa pagtugon ng COA. Subalit dapat magtapos sa pagcocommit ng bawat isang Boholano na hindi di na papayagan pang muli na may kabataang Boholano na maglalakas ng loob na nakawan ang iyong bayan.

Seen: At Pinoy LeadCon, Boy Abunda said: “Young people of Bohol never move from the point of you of your weakness… move from the point of your strength. I have a story that belongs to me and to me alone. At iyan ang puhunanan mo. And don’t afraid to commit mistakes…the biggest successes in this world and most successful stories in this world came from biggest mistakes.”

Scene: The youngest survivor of the ill-fated M/V Island Fast Craft 1 on Aug. 21 was three-month-old Rema May Abigial Tugap.  Her mother, Emmie Tugap, hugged her tightly before they jumped into the churning waters. Fortunately, a fisherman helped save them and the other passengers. Three dead while 70 others were rescued.

Scene: The last survivor who jumped from the M/V Island Fast Craft 1 was Merle Suarez Urbiztondo, Emmie Tugap’s sister. Merle told Bared that sea accidents are common in the country because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

Scene: Ivan Dorschner and Tyron Perez will be the guest stars in Miss Panglao 2011 on August 29.

Scene:  Learn to shoot better pictures with your DSLR! Sideroom Workshops will conduct Basic Photography Workshop on August 29, 10-5 pm at Crabhouse Resto. Registration fee is 1,500 pesos (inclusive of lunch, snacks, t-shirt and kit). Visit www.facebook.com/sideroom for more info.

Scene: Support Miss Mandaue 2011 (also a Boholana) Donna Maricel Cardino in Miss World Philippines. To vote, MWP <space> 18/Name, Address and Send to 367 for Smart and Talk N Text subscribers and 2344 for Globe, TM and Sun subscribers.  If Donna gets the most number of votes, she will be automatically become one of the 12 finalists during the pageant night on September 18, 2011. For the first time in the history of Philippine beauty pageants, the first Miss World Philippines winner will receive an unimaginable luxurious seaside condominium unit at Sea Residence and a cash prize of 1 million pesos.

***

So thank  you for the broken heart, oh yeah
And thank you for the permanent scar
Cause if it wasn’t for you
I might forget, how it feels to let go
And how it feels to get a brand new start
So thank you for the broken heart…

-Thank You For The Broken Heart
J Rice

As an avid music fan, I’m sure you are one of the thousands worldwide who have been captivated by the beautiful and vibrant sound of Thank You for the Broken Heart (part of lyrics above), one of the dozens of timeless hits popularized by J Rice of The Phantom Boys, one of the rising pop/RnB/soul singers in the US now.

Although he sounds new to music lovers, public interest in his music has remained undiminished and continues to soar through the years. J Rice has innumerable admirers who go gaga over his looks and this fact gets reflected in his latest music video Thank You for the Broken Heart (which can be viewed on YouTube). Coupled with his good looks is the lyrics of his songs which never fail to touch the heart of a listener.

“Yes, I am in love with J Rice,” Rainer Maria “Reyma” Cabagnot Aumentado admits to Bared when pressed if she is in love with J Rice. But even without verbalizing it, it is written all over her face that Reyma is so in love with J Rice. Her eyes and her smile say it all  while listening to J Rice’s “Stay With You and Thank You For The Broken Heart,” her  favorite songs.

Do you wish to meet J Rice?”Yes, I like to meet him personally,” says Reyma. “I will tell him he is a great, amazing and talented artist and handsome.”

On the other hand, US-based Boholano socialite Mikey Gatal likes J Rice’s Thank You for the Broken Heart. “Not in love with him, only his songs,” says Mikey. “I love that song, I can relate but I am not thanking him for the scar,” adds Mikey. 

Isn’t Mikey planning to meet J Rice?

“Why not, a celeb meets a celeb, humbly speaking” says Mikey.  If he will come to the Philippines, Mikey will volunteer to be J Rice’s guide to Bohol. “Hey J Rice, welcome to my country and keep on smiling, that's all,” says Mikey.

Will you say “I love you to J Rice? “He should say "I Love You" to me first then I will say na pa-hard to get style, yea, I might love you too J Rice hahaha,” says Mikey. “Yes, I'd say "I love you" to him because I'm one of his avid fans,” quips Reyma.

Another Boholana fan (who requested anonymity as of this time) told Bared that J Rice might come to Bohol. “He has plans to visit Bohol because of a very important person in his life.” However, the Boholana fan didn’t give further details. “You will know Leo, I will tell you in the near future. Just watch.”

Anyway, here’s a bio of J Rice courtesy of the “Boholana fan”:

J Rice grew up listening to artists like Take 6, Boyz II Men, Brian Mcknight, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny G and many other R&B/Jazz greats. He lived in a simple house where his parents taught him to work for everything he wanted.

At about age 11 he was running a paper route to pay for his first trumpet. It was obvious early on that J was blessed with a gift as he would move up through the ranks of his jr high. Later in high school he started taking his singing seriously and built his own studio in his bedroom.

Equipment was expensive so he had to improvise with dental floss stapled to the ceiling holding up the mic and a cool whip lid with a hole in it and nylons stretched across for the spit guard. He released two independent albums The Intro and So Close but felt he needed to be closer to where everything happens so he packed everything he could, and drove across the country to New York City from his home in Tacoma, Washington.

When he arrived in NY, he immediately started meeting with any writers/producers he could, but none seemed to be the right fit. J recently teamed up with hit producers Phantom Boyz (Alexandra Burke "Bad Boys") and has since released his third independent album "Phantom Boyz Present: J Rice" on iTunes.

He has gained much success on YouTube in the last year now averaging 50,000 views a day on YouTube and growing exponentially every month.
Thank God for love and music! It make the world glow and makes people sparkle — just like Reyma, Mikey and all the people out there!

(Postscript: Last night, J Rice replied to a post on his Facebook. I asked for his message to his Filipino fans. He said, “I love the Philippines!!  You guys have more love for music than any other place on the earth I think. I'm always grateful when you embrace one of my original songs.”)

***
Email leoudtohan@yahoo.com.

The Gospel of Judas

Note: The Gospel of Judas is a non-canonical gospel that purportedly documents conversations between the Disciple Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ. It is believed to have been written by an early alternative Christian movement, rather than by Judas himself, and probably dates from no earlier than the 2nd century, since it contains late 2nd century theology. In 180 A.D., Irenaeus, an influential Christian priest, wrote a document in which he railed against this gospel, indicating the book was already in circulation. In contrast to the canonical gospels which paint Judas as a betrayer of Christ who delivered him up to the authorities for crucifixion, the Gospel of Judas portrays Judas's actions as done in obedience to instructions given by Christ. The document also suggests that Christ planned the course of events which led to his death. The Gospel of Judas does not claim that the other disciples knew about Jesus's true teachings. On the contrary, it asserts that they had not learned the true Gospel, which Jesus taught only to Judas Iscariot, the sole follower belonging to the "holy generation" among the disciples. (From Wikipedia)


THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS
A Talk with Elaine Pagels

The first time I heard of the Gospel of Judas was about five years ago, when I got a call from someone who said, I have a book for you to edit—the Gospel of Judas. That astonished me, since I knew that the "church father" Irenaeus had mentioned such a gospel nearly 2000 years ago, denouncing it as terrible blasphemy: but no one had ever seen it, or known whether it actually existed.

But this dealer in Cleveland was telling me he had it there. Was he telling the truth? I called the Met, the Getty, and the Frist to ask about him, and they told me that he is a reputable dealer who has important material—but when I called back he suddenly stopped answering the phone. I realized then what already had seemed likely—that the book had been stolen from Egypt, and could not be legally sold.
I located a man who often bought rare books from this dealer, and who also has given many of them to Princeton, hoping that he might buy the Gospel of Judas, give it to Princeton, and then return it formally to Egypt, which would legalize the arrangement. Then we could photograph and publish it—that was the plan.

So I went to Madison Square Garden to meet the dealer, and confronted him: "I'm Elaine Pagels, why won't you talk to me?" Startled, he explained what we had suspected—that the owner of the text had told him not to talk about it, since it had been bought illegally. He then invited me out to Cleveland to see it, and I went, and looked at it. And there was the title—"The Gospel of Judas" in Coptic—and then he showed me the following five pages—which turned out to be five pages of rather uninteresting Coptic text. So I said, Okay, well, they've hyped it, they were hoping to get fifteen million dollars—it's not what they said.
But when suddenly it resurfaced last year, and I was asked to be on the advisory committee presenting it publicly, I learned what had happened: the dealer didn't realize that when you have a Greek or Coptic text, the title is often placed at the end of the text. It turns out that the previous 26 pages were the actual Gospel of Judas—a fascinating  dialogue between Jesus and Judas about what happened when Judas handed Jesus over for arrest—and why he did it. Startlingly, this gospel presents Judas Iscariot as Jesus' favorite disciple, the only one whom he trusts with his deepest mysteries. And all the other disciples appear as people who completely missed the message of Jesus, and entirely distorted it—and this is what has come down to us as "Christianity."

Many people see the main message of Jesus as "Jesus died for your sins"—and see Jesus' death as a sacrifice God requires to forgive human sins. This gospel asks, What does that make of God? Is he a bloodthirsty pagan god who demands human sacrifice? The God of Abraham prevented Abraham from offering his son as a sacrifice—does the God of Jesus then require it?
Second, we've all heard of Christian martyrs. This text sees Judas dying as a martyr—because here the other disciples hate him so much that they kill him! But the Gospel of Judas challenges the idea that God wants people to  die as martyrs—just as it challenges the idea that God wanted Jesus to die. Whoever wrote this gospel—and the author is anonymous—is challenging church leaders who teach that. It's as if an imam were to challenge the radical imams who encourage "martyrdom operations" and accuse them of complicity in murder—the Gospel of Judas shows "the twelve disciples"—stand-ins for church leaders—offering human sacrifice on the altar—and doing this in the name of Jesus! Conservative Christians hate gospels like this—usually call them fakes and the people who publish them (like us) anti Christian.  There was a great deal of censorship in the early Christian movement—especially after the emperor became a Christian, and made it the religion of the empire—and voices like those of this author were silenced and denounced as "heretics" and "liars." The story of Jesus was simplified and cleaned up—made "orthodox."

But what really happened in the early movement is far messier, more intriguing, and more human. These recently discovered sources show us what was censored—and what those who didn't become "orthodox" were saying.  For this is the only gospel we've ever seen that shows Jesus laughing at his disciples—because they have distorted his message and gotten it so wrong. What we have here is evidence of how some people in the early movement were struggling with the story of how Jesus died, betrayed by one of his own men.  We don't have any  stories of Jesus written down within 40 years of his death, but after that time many people wrote down accounts of what happened. One of the most puzzling  parts of the story is that people knew that Judas Iscariot, one of his closest followers, had handed him over to the people who arrested him, and to the Roman authorities who killed him. The question was,  Why? What was the motive? Why would Judas do that?

The earliest account that we have, Mark's account in the New Testament, gives no answer at all: it simply says that this is what happened. Judas handed him over—no motive given. The second account was by Luke who read the first, and apparently found it inadequate. Feeling that he had to suggest a motive, Luke retold the story saying  that Satan, the power of evil, entered into Judas Iscariot and made him do it. Satan embodied the evil power that opposed the divine spirit in Jesus—so Luke says—and that is why Jesus was overcome and killed.

A third account, that of the New Testament gospel of Matthew,  offers a different motive: he did it for money. The way Matthew tells the story is that Judas went to the chief priest and said, what will you give me if I hand him over to you? And having gotten a certain price he agreed to do it—so, according to Matthew, the motive was obviously greed.

This new account, the Gospel of Judas, says that Jesus not only anticipated that he would die and went into it with his eyes open, so to speak, aware that this somehow had to happen because there was a deep mystery in it, asked Judas to perform this act as a friend, and that Judas was the only one who could and would do it, and the others completely misunderstood it and took it as betrayal. Matthew's gospel says Judas was so remorseful he went out and hung himself. But this gospel says the others stoned him to death, out of rage. So it's a very different kind of account.

When the National Geographic first heard that there was such a Gospel of Judas, several experts interpreted it the way we have basically always have interpreted Gnostic text. When we first heard about Gnostic texts, we were told that they were "weird"—"Gnostic", that meant they were the wrong kind of gospel, not  like the "real" gospels.

But when (Harvard Professor) Karen King and I approach these texts, we treat each as another Christian gospel—another way that this powerful and strange and tangled story of betrayal was told by Jesus' followers in the decades after his death. We can't assume it tells us much about what happened between Jesus and Judas—it's probably guesswork, like all the other gospels—but it also offers a lot more than that: it places us right in the heart of the historical situation in the generations after his death.

Anyone who joined this movement was aware that he or she could be killed for it, as many had been—Jesus' closet disciple Peter was crucified by the Romans, Paul was beheaded, while other followers of Jesus, like his brother James and his follower Stephen, were lynched by public mobs and riots. It was very dangerous to be a part of this movement. And one of the most troubling problems with anybody associated with it was, what do you do if you're arrested? What do you do, knowing that this could happen? Do you run? Do you accept persecution as if this were something God wanted? There is a Jewish tradition about persecution and about martyrdom which sees dying for God, as they called it, as a way of witnessing God's power. The followers of Jesus argued intensely about that question. And the Gospel of Judas is one of the writings that comes out of these intense, painful arguments involving the threat of violence—arrest, threat of torture and public execution. This shows us what DIDN'T become Christianity—and casts very new light on what did.

For when Jesus' followers tried to make sense of how their messiah died, some suggested that Jesus died as a sacrifice—"he died for our sins." The idea that Jesus' death is an atonement for the sins of the world becomes the heart of the Christian message, for many. It's certainly the heart of the New Testament gospels. There Jesus, before he dies, tells his disciples, when you eat this bread you're eating my body, which I'm giving for you; you're drinking my blood when you drink this wine. Because I'm giving my body and my blood as a voluntary sacrifice for you. So the worship of Jesus' followers became a sacred meal in which people drank wine and ate bread, ceremonially reenacting the death of Jesus.

We call it the Eucharist, the Mass. We're so used to it we hardly see that it's a cannibalistic feast. But whoever wrote the Gospel of Judas has Jesus laughing at the disciples,  to say, what you're doing is ludicrous. Turning the death of Jesus into something like an animal sacrifice. Eating flesh and drinking blood ritually, even, is a kind of obscene gesture. This author, this follower of Jesus, sees the idea of Jesus dying for our sins as a complete misunderstanding of the whole message of Jesus.

So, although the Gospel of Judas is an authentic early Christian document, it was early condemned as "blasphemy". We don't know whether this actually IS what Jesus taught—for although New Testament Gospels say that Jesus did teach secret teaching, they don't tell us what it was. But we do have many new texts that show us secret teaching, like the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Gospel of Phillip. And probably Jesus, like other first-century rabbis, taught one kind of message in public, with thousands of people listening, and other kinds of teaching in private. We don't think the Gospel of Judas belongs in the canon—but we also don't think it belongs in the trash: instead it belongs in the history of Christianity—a history that now, in light of all these recent discoveries, we now have to rewrite completely.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Are You Denying Your Dark Side?

 

So many times we do refuse to see our darker side, and we all do have one.  Even the nicest of people do.  Some hide it, refuse to admit it, but it is there.  One has to have balance in life, both dark and light, good and not so good, lol.  And there is nothing wrong with a darker side of us.  The only thing we can do to live better lives is to live and recognize the balance in us, and in others around us.

Finding a person you dislike is an opportunity to embrace the paradox of the coexistence of opposites, and to discover a new facet of yourself. It is another step toward developing your spiritual self. The most enlightened people in the world embrace their full potential of light and dark.

Start very simply, with the most distasteful person you can think of. For example, think of Adolf Hitler and say, How could I possibly be like Hitler? Most people refuse to accept that they contain even the smallest shred of an Adolf Hitler. But think more deeply.

Have you ever expressed prejudice toward any group of people just because they had a certain name, or a certain skin color, or a certain accent, or a certain disability? If you can think of any example of that in your life, then you must embrace the similarity between yourself and Adolf Hitler.

We are all multidimensional, omnidimensional. Everything that exists somewhere in the world also exists in us. When we embrace these different aspects of ourselves, we acknowledge our connection to the universal consciousness and expand our personal awareness.

The traits we see most clearly in others exist most strongly in ourselves. When we can see into the mirror of relationship, then we can begin to see all of our selves. To do this, we need to be comfortable with our ambiguity, to embrace all aspects of our selves.

At a deep level we need to recognize that we re not flawed simply because we have negative traits. No one has only positive traits. Recognizing that we have negative traits simply means that we are complete. And in that completeness we gain grater access to our universal, nonlocal selves.

Adapted from The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press).

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Is Lady Gaga Satanic?

Note: Ooops! Got this email today and I am sharing this piece of information to all people out there. 


She needs more than prayer…..divine intervention! Lady Gaga is an illuminati puppet and her videos are riddled with occultist, satanic, illuminati & freemason /masonic symbolism!!! When you think about her target 'market' being young kids and her songs such as 'pokerface' (about oral sex) and lyrics like "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick" (penis), you can see that there are exterior forces working to seduce young venerable minds through her songs with perversion and occultist influences. People need to wake up and see that her music is simply not 'bubblegum pop' and there is a dark message in her music.

Note: if you feel this article has important truths in it, please share it on your email lists…remember what the bible says… the bible told us to not worship false idols….well guess what?…..right now Lady Gaga is more popular than God….is this the kind of world we want? (Save a soul and pass this on) The Song: Alejandro by Lady Gaga. Very subtly the devil sneaks into our lives to steal and destroy souls!

We don't even realize that just by singing the lyrics of a seemingly innocent song with a nice tune, we open the door wider for his evilspirit!!

Alejandro means: man's defender and protector (GOD).
Fernando means: ardent for peace (JESUS).
Roberto means: bright or shiningly framed (HOLY SPIRIT).
Babe is the same as child

The lyrics: "Don't call my name; don't call my name, Alejandro (GOD).I'm not your child, I’m not your child, Fernando (JESUS). Don't call my name; don't call my name, Roberto (HOLY SPIRIT) Alejandro; Alejandro (GOD) Just let me go."

Remember the images with her inside the egg carried on a cross? Hatching from an egg signifies the cold blooded rebirth. Implanted horns on her shoulders and cheek bone indicating the transformed BRIDE OF SATAN!

People, please stop listening to Lady Gaga! Real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She sold her soul to the devil for fame and fortune, suddenly having 8 million followers on Twitter; top selling artist, and the top winner at the Grammys. This is clearly the devil at work! Dear world….lady gaga is a blatant manipulating entertainer who serves satan and uses subtle AND not-so-subtle forms of mind control to
manipulate the masses…

LADY GAGA WITH DEVIL HORNS
Goat Head - The horned goat, goat of mendes, Baphomet, god of the witches, the scapegoat. It's a Satanists way of mocking Jesus as the "Lamb" who died for our sins.

LADY GAGA LIKES TO DO THE ONE EYE OF HORUS POSE…in this photo she does both the one eye of horus and basphomet!

This picture is very significant. It confirms the fact that the closed eye is used in the context of esoteric symbolism. Her left eye is in her hand, referring to the Hand of Fatima (evil eye). Also, one can’t ignore the resemblance with good ol’ Baphomet.

You only need to look at a couple of Lady Gaga pictures or videos to notice that she is constantly hiding one of her eyes. Most people will simply interpret this as ”a cool thing to do” or a “fashion statement”.

Those who have knowledge of Illuminati symbolism know that the All- Seeing Eye is probably its most recognizable symbol. The gesture of hiding one eye, usually the left one, goes way back in occult orders. Eye of Horus/ All seeing Eye Believed to be the eye of Lucifer and those who claim control of it have control of world finances. Used in divination. Hexes, curses, psychic control and all corruption are worked
through this emblem. one of the symbol of the Illuminati.

Lady Gaga manages to demonstrate a satanic symbol and message in all her attire and images. She always covers one eye in honor of lucifer, and in one of these image, she has a lightning bolt on the other which is also a satanic symbol.

All Seeing Eye on the backs of Gaga’s dancers during her Monster Tour.
Udjat or all seeing eye. one of few symbols referring to Lucifer (king of hell), whom it is though will pass judgment. Below the eye is a tear because he mourns for those outside his influence.

Lightning bolt: Represents Satan, as found in Luke 10:18, "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan AS LIGHTNING fall from heaven." Also referred to as the "Satanic S". This symbol is unique to Satanism. The number 666: Represents the mark of the Beast and the number of the Anti-Christ (666) as found in Revelation 13:18. These signs gestured by Lady Gaga symbolizes the sign of 666 or the Eye of Horus

LADY GAGA’S TRIBUTE TO ANUBIS (EGYPTIAN VERSION OF SATAN) LADY GAGA’S BLOOD SACRIFICE TO SATAN PERFORMANCE AT 2009
MTV MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS SHOW
“Right after her performance, Gaga appears dressed all in red, with her face completely covered in red. She is basically a walking, talking blood sacrifice. It represents the aftermath of fame, the hellish life that follows the sacrifice, the selling of the soul for success in the music industry.”

LADY GAGA TRIBUTE TO LUCIFER (RED COLOR, ONE EYE, LIGHT)

BAD ROMANCE VIDEO :
Inverted cross and inverted pentagram as satanic symbols The inverted cross, placed on Gaga’s crotch,

Bad romance
http://vigilantcitizen.com/musicbusiness/lady-gagas-bad-romance-theoccult-
meaning/

The video is dense with symbols and odd images. Some are significant while others seem to be random.
In this scene : Her hands are strategically placed under the horned heads. Immediately after, a fire ignites the room.

On each side of the bed are gazelle heads, who symbolically refer to Baphomet, the horned idol of Western occultism.

In many photos Gaga is shown posing in the same way as the image above. Strategically placed horned heads have appeared in her past videos and photo shoots. Having said that, the presence of those horned heads in that room is not merely decorative, it is very symbolic.

Gaga is “offering herself” at the altar of Baphomet in order to become initiated and accepted into the Order. She does not want “to be friends” with the music industry, she wants to be an insider (she’s not a “Fame Monster” for nothing). So this offering gets consumed by fire, and not  sex, because it is about Baphomet and not the Russian guy. He was just a means for her to obtain what she wanted..fame.

When the fire starts, another scene plays simultaneously showing Gaga and masked dancers dressed in red, the color of sacrifice and initiation.

The virginal white garments she wore during most of the video are replaced by bloody red, a visual confirmation of the fact that she is now initiated and accepted as an insider.
Gaga then makes her trademark “Eye in the triangle” hand gesture after her initiation to make it clear who owns her now…the Illuminati.

The final scene shows Gaga lying in bed with the burned skeleton of the Russian mafiosi. Notice how everything is burnt except the two gazelle heads. The real “intercourse” happened between Gaga and Baphomet.