Kava Bar & Botanical Lounge (the Valley)

KBBL (kavabotanicallounge.com), Reseda, Los Angeles; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen Bradshaw (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The root of this plant has special properties.

What if someone in Los Angeles opened a kava bar? You know, a lounge that serves kava drink from the South Pacific. The kava plant is from the island of Vanuatu, where such bars are called Nakamal, traditional meeting areas to build community.

Drinking kava is ceremonial. Gradually traditional Nakamals became less prominent, and they started functioning as prep and serve sites for groups.

As the popularity of kava grew, kava bars began to spread from the South Pacific to the USA. In recent years, they have been sprouting up in different cities across the country, such as Sedona, Arizona, but tropical Florida still leads the pack.

Current trends make kava a great social drink because people loosen up, relax, and plunge into a happy and relaxed mood. The best part is it gives one a good night’s sleep without the dreading have to nurse a nasty hangover the following morning.

Its popularity is on the rise, gaining momentum as a healthier alternative to alcohol. Some claim it offers the potential for weight loss. Is it the next innovation for coffee shops from coast to coast?

Learning about Kava

Maybe it’s a misspelling of Spain’s famous sparkling wine “Cava”? Kava is from the South Pacific with a long history and robust flavor that is experiencing a rise in interest in major US cities.

Made from the ground root of the kava plant, fans of the intoxicating beverage say it produces a state of calm relaxation and can reduce anxiety. Research suggests that frequent use does not impair cognitive function.

Its popularity has led to the opening of several kava bars that serve as pleasant social lounges, a new sort of cafe with comfortable seats, relaxed lighting, and lots of conversation.

Kava bartenders, kavatenders, are encouraged to socialize, talking up the plant’s history.

Positive Effects of Kava

Patrons of the kava community often hear a cheer from Fiji. It’s the catchall phrase “Bula!” when sharing drinks.

What is it? Most of KBBL’s kava is sourced from Fiji and Vanuatu, but there are also showcase strains from other islands. It is the root of the pepper plant Piper methysticum, hand squeeze into a semi-intoxicating drink customers find helps reduce stress, relieve muscle aches, and lubricates socializing for wallflowers.

Traditionally, kava was ceremonial on the islands bringing together friends and neighbors. Kava has a reverse tolerance. So those new to it should let KBBL know to help ensure an excellent first experience.

The more often it is consumed, the less of it that is needed to feel the effects. A bula is a shared experienced.

Customers at Kava Bar & Botanical Lounge, a non-alcoholic bar in the Valley in Los Angeles, enjoy traditional kava and premium organic mock-tails inspired by ancient island tradition.

The atmosphere in Reseda is unlike any other: Conversing, studying, gaming in the arcade are just some of the things visitors enjoy. There is a private outdoor patio, Live Music Fridays, and a plethora of events planned for this calendar year.

The community is extremely welcoming and provides a much-needed alternative for those who crave a social experience better than the average bar scene. Alcohol is so 2023. KBBL is embarking on a journey to grow the biggest sober scene in LA.

Looking for a kava bar? Look no further then Reseda’s Kava Bar & Botanical Lounge.

• Website: kavabotanicallounge.com
• MAP: Kava Bar LA & Botanical Lounge

Teatime Q&A with Ajahn Sudanto (video)

Ajahn Sudanto (Pacific Hermitage, Washington, USA) via Ajahn Sona (Birken Forest Monastery, BC, Canada), May 3, 2020; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Teatime Q&A with Ajahn Sudanto

Submit questions to Ajahn Sudanto for retreat teatime Dhamma Q&A, 4:00-5:00 pm PDT.

Questions submitted by 9:00 am PDT daily were considered for that evening’s teatime. They were submitted using this form: docs.google.com...

May 2-9: Ajahn Sudanto is from Pacific Hermitage in Washington state hosted these teatime sessions and answered a few questions submitted online.

May 10: Ajahn Sona hosted the final teatime with pre-submitted questions from Pacific Hermitage virtual online retreat participants.

Talk by American monk: Ven. Kusala (audio)

Ven. Kusala Bhikshu (a.k.a. Thich Tum Thien, urbandharma.org), AgainstTheStream.org, Melrose Avenue, Hollywood; Seth Auberon, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Ven. Kusala (center) at IBMC, the International Buddhist Meditation Center, L.A.

PODCAST: "More Than One," a Dharma talk by Ven. Kusala, Nov. 29, 2017, L.A.

Talk on white supremacy at POC/Allies Against the Stream Group, LA (JoAnna Harper)

Ask a Ninja: How to Meditate: 5: Restlessness

Seth Auberon, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Ven. Nyanaponika, Five Hindrances and Their Conquest: Selected Texts from the Pali Canon and Commentaries

Think. There are hindrances to meditation. Overcome them and be a ninja.

"Most of the things you worry about never happen!" (halfwaybetweenthegutter)

.

"This year, rise above it"! (AB)

This is Part V of a seven-part series (see Part IV) on overcoming the Five Hindrances, culminating with what to do as an enlightened Meditation Ninja. Reaching enlightenment may take anywhere from seven days to seven years, according to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Sutra. But it depends on effort, sustained-ease, and consistency. Over-effort is something to be overcome by calm; under-effort is overcome by energy: balanced-effort is the goal. There is much more to be gained by practicing a little every day rather than a lot on Sunday and none at all the rest of the week: Consistency over time is the tortoise's secret, leaving the hare far behind. Everything can wait, but the search for enlightenment cannot wait.

4. Restlessness and Remorse
A. Nourishing of Restlessness and Remorse

There is unrest of mind. Frequently giving unwise attention to it is nourishing the arising of restlessness and remorse (distraction and worry) that have not yet arisen and for the increase and strengthening of restlessness and remorse that have already arisen. — SN 46:51
 

B. Denourishing of Restlessness and Remorse

There is quietude of mind. Frequently giving wise attention to it is the denourishing of the arising of restlessness and remorse that have not yet arisen and of the increase and strengthening of restlessness and remorse that have already arisen. — SN 46:51

Six things are conducive to the abandonment of restlessness and remorse:

1. knowledge of the Buddhist texts (sutras, scriptures, the Doctrine and Discipline);
2. asking questions about them;
3. familiarity with the Code of Monastic Discipline (Vinaya) for monastics and intensive practitioners, and for lay followers the principles of virtue (sila, as detailed in the Sigalovada Sutra);
4. association with those mature in experience, who possess meditative serenity, restraint, and calm;
5. noble friendship (wise association with a kalyana-mitta);
6. suitable conversation.

These things are also helpful in conquering or calmly overcoming restlessness and remorse:

1. rapture (piti, bliss), one of the Five Factors of Absorption (jhana-anga);
2. concentration, one of the Five Spiritual Faculties (indriya);
3. Tranquillity, concentration, and equanimity, three of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga).

Waves atop Morningstar Beach, Mars (C2C)

When the mind is restless, it is not the proper time for cultivating the following Factors of Enlightenment: keen investigation of phenomena (dharma), energy (viriya), or rapture because an agitated mind can hardly be quietened by them.
 

When the mind is restless, it is the proper time for cultivating the following Factors of Enlightenment: tranquillity, concentration, and equanimity because an agitated mind can easily be quietened by them. — SN 46:53

C. Simile

Sometimes restlessness overwhelms me.

If there is water in a pot, stirred up by the wind, agitated, producing ripples and waves, a person with a normal faculty of vision would not properly recognize and see the image of one's own face (using the surface of the water as a mirror). In the same way, when one's mind is possessed by restlessness and remorse, overpowered by restlessness and remorse, one cannot properly see the escape from restlessness and remorse that have arisen. Then one does not properly understand one's own welfare, that of another, nor that of both. And texts memorized a long time ago do not come to mind, to say nothing of those not memorized. — SN 46:55

• Buddhist Association of the United States (NY) 
• Remember: Space is dangerous (CNN)
• VIDEO: Fix your skin with laser technology
• Could Bigfoot exist in N. America (Straight Dope) 

Ask a Ninja: How to Meditate: 4. Sloth/Torpor

Seth Auberon, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Ven. Nyanaponika Thera, Five Mental Hindrances and Their Conquest: Selected Texts from the Pali Canon and Commentaries

Wait, what was I saying? Oh yeah, I'm a ninja, an expert, a master, so listen up.

Novices yawn, stretch, prepare to overcome the Five Hindrances (Filip Wolak/flickr).

.

"This year, rise above it" (AB).

This is Part IV of a seven-part series (see Part III) on overcoming of the Five Hindrances, culminating with what to do as an enlightened Meditation Ninja. Reaching enlightenment may take from seven days to seven years of effort depending on dedication and consistency. Overdoing effort is not as good as consistent-effort. There is much more to be gained by practicing 10 minutes a day rather than piling on 70 minutes every Sunday: Consistency was the tortoise's secret as the hare assumed there would be time to catch up.
 

3. Sloth and Torpor

A. Nourishing Sloth and Torpor

There arises listlessness, lassitude, lazy stretching of the body, drowsiness after meals, mental sluggishness. Frequently giving unwise attention to it -- this is the nourishing of the arising of sloth (habitual disinclination to exertion, indolence, laziness) and torpor (inertia, apathy, lethargy) that have not yet arisen and for the increase and strengthening of sloth and torpor that have already arisen (SN 46:51).
 

B. Denourishing Sloth and Torpor

There is the element of rousing one's energy, the element of exertion, the element of consistent exertion. Frequently giving wise attention to it -- this is the denourishing of the arising of sloth and torpor that have not yet arisen and of the increase and strengthening of sloth and torpor that have already arisen (SN 46:51).

 

Thiksey, Ladakh (DietmarTemps.com)

"May nothing remain but skin and sinews and bones. May flesh and blood dry up in the body! Not before having achieved what can be achieved by enthusiastic (virile, energetic, viriya) strength, enthusiastic energy, enthusiastic exertion shall my energy subside!" (MN 70).

 

Six things are conducive to the abandonment of sloth and torpor:

1. knowing that overeating is a cause of it,
2. changing the bodily posture,
3. thinking or reflection on the perception of light [nimitta],
4. staying out in the open fresh air,
5. noble friendship,
6. suitable conversation.

These things, too, are helpful in conquering sloth and torpor:

1. the recollection of death
   
   Today the effort should be made, for who knows if tomorrow death will come?
   

   — MN 131
2. Perceiving the suffering/disappointment in impermanence
   
   In a meditator who is accustomed to seeing the suffering in impermanence and who is frequently engaged in this contemplation, there will be established such a keen sense of the danger inherent in laziness, idleness, lassitude, indolence, and thoughtlessness (neglect, forgetfulness, nonvigilance, lapsed mindfulness), as if one were being threatened by a murderer with a drawn sword.
   

   — AN 7:46
3. Joy in others' joy
   
   Cultivate the meditation on joy in others' joy! For by cultivating it, listlessness will disappear.
   

   — MN 62
4. Contemplation of the spiritual journey
   
   "I have to tread that path which the supreme buddhas, the silent buddhas, and the great disciples have gone, but by an indolent person that path cannot be trodden."
   

   — Path of Purification. IV,55
5. Contemplation of the Buddha's greatness
   
   "Full application of energy was praised by my teacher [the Buddha], who is unsurpassed in his injunctions and a great help to us. [The Buddha] is honored by practicing his Dharma, not otherwise."
   

   — Ibid.
6. Contemplation on the greatness of the Great Heritage
   
   "I have to take possession of the Great Heritage, called the Good Dharma. But one who is indolent cannot take possession of it."
   

   — Ibid.
   

   

   A lotus or water lily grows well in mire rising above the mire unstained (PlatongkohPhoto)

7. How to stimulate the mind
   
   How does one stimulate the mind/heart at a time when it needs stimulation? If due to slowness in the application of wisdom or due to non-attainment of the happiness of tranquillity, one's mind is dull, then one should rouse it through reflecting on the eight stirring objects: birth, decay, disease and death, the suffering in the worlds of misery, the suffering of the past rooted in the round of existence (samsara), the suffering of the future rooted in the round of existence, the suffering of the present rooted in the search for food.
   

   — Path of Purification, IV,63
8. How to overcome sleepiness
   
   Once the Buddha spoke to the Ven. Maha Moggallana [the chief male disciple "foremost in supernormal powers"] in this way: "Are you drowsy, Moggallana, are you drowsy?" — "Yes, venerable sir."
   (1) "Well then, Moggallana, at whatever thought torpor [tiredness] has befallen you, to that thought stop giving attention; do not frequently dwell on it. Then it is possible that, by so doing, torpor will disappear.
   (2) "But if, by so doing, that torpor does not disappear, think and reflect within your mind about the Dharma as you have heard and learned it; mentally review it. Then it is possible that, by so doing, torpor will disappear.
   (3) "But if, by so doing, that torpor does not disappear, learn by heart [memorize] the Dharma in its fullness, as you have heard and learned it. Then it is possible...
   (4) "But if, by so doing, that torpor does not disappear, shake your ears, and rub your limbs with the palm of your hand. Then it is possible...
   (5) "But if, by so doing, that torpor does not disappear, get up from your [meditation] seat, and after splashing your eyes with water, look around in all directions, and look upwards to the stars in the sky. Then it is possible...
   (6) "But if, by so doing, that torpor does not disappear, firmly establish the (inner) perception of light: As it is by day, so also by night; as it is by night, so also by day. Thus with a mind clear and unobstructed, develop a consciousness which is full of brightness. Then it is possible...
   (7) "But if, by so doing, that torpor does not disappear, conscious of that which is before and behind, walk up and down [walking meditation pacing back and forth slowly], with your senses turned inwards, with your mind not going outwards. Then it is possible...
   (8) "But if, by so doing, that torpor does not disappear, you may lie down on your right side, taking up the lion's posture, covering foot with foot -- mindful and clearly conscious, keeping in mind the thought of rising. Having awakened again, quickly rise, thinking: 'I won't indulge in the enjoyment of lying down and reclining lazily, in the enjoyment of sleep!'
   "Thus, Moggallana, should you train yourself!"
   

   — AN 7:58
   

   

   Sleeping in the midst of danger: elder Buddhist monk with tiger (3d-pictures.feedio.net).

9. The five threatening dangers
   If, meditators, a meditator perceives these five threatening dangers, it is enough to live heedful, zealous, with a heart resolute to achieve the unachieved, to attain the unattained, to realize the unrealized. What are these five dangers?
   (1) Here [within this teaching and training], meditators, a meditator reflects: "I am now young, a youth, young in age, black-haired, in the prime of life, in the first phase of life. But a time will come when this body will be in the grip of old age. And one who is overpowered by old age cannot easily contemplate on the Teachings of the Buddha. It is not easy for one to live in the wilderness or woodland or a forest or jungle, or in secluded dwellings. Before this undesirable condition, so unpleasant and disagreeable, approaches me, prior to that, let me muster my energy for achieving the unachieved, for attaining the unattained, for realizing the unrealized, so that, in the possession of that state, I shall live happily even in old age."
   (2) And further, meditators, a meditator reflects: "I am now free from sickness, free from disease, my digestive power functions smoothly, my constitution is not too cool and not too hot, it is balanced and fit for making effort. But a time will come when this body will be in the grip of sickness. And one who is sick cannot easily contemplate upon the Teachings of the Buddha. It is not easy for one to live in the wilderness or woodland or a forest or jungle, or in secluded dwellings. Before this undesirable condition, so unpleasant and disagreeable, approaches me, prior to that, let me muster my energy for achieving the unachieved, for attaining the unattained, for realizing the unrealized, so that, in the possession of that state, I shall live happily even in sickness."
   

   

   Sleepy Thai monk (Camera30f/flickr)

   (3) And further, meditators, a meditator reflects: "Now there is an abundance of food, good harvests, easily obtainable is a meal of alms [food donated to practitioners so they can meditate and develop virtue and wisdom], it is easy to live on collected food and offerings. But a time will come when there will be a famine, [a war, political trouble,] a bad harvest, difficult to obtain will be a meal of alms, it will be difficult to live on collected food and offerings. And in a famine people migrate to places where food is ample, and there habitations will be overwhelmed and crowded. But in habitations overwhelmed and crowded one cannot easily contemplate upon the Teachings of the Buddha. Before this undesirable condition, so unpleasant and disagreeable, approaches me, prior to that, let me muster my energy for achieving the unachieved, for attaining the unattained, for realizing the unrealized, so that, in the possession of that state, I shall live happily even in a famine."
   (4) And further, meditators, a meditator reflects: "Now people live in concord and amity, in friendly fellowship as mingled water and milk [which blend well, unlike water and oil] and look at each other with friendly eyes. But there will come a time of danger, of unrest among the jungle tribes when the country people mount their carts and drive away and fear-stricken people move to a place of safety, and there habitations will be overwhelmed and crowded. But in habitations overwhelmed and crowded one cannot easily contemplate upon the Teachings of the Buddha. Before this undesirable condition, so unpleasant and disagreeable, approaches me, prior to that, let me muster my energy for achieving the unachieved, for attaining the unattained, for realizing the unrealized, so that, in the possession of that state, I shall live happily even in time of danger."
   (5) And further, meditators, a meditator reflects: "Now the Monastic Order lives in concord and amity, without quarrel, lives happily under one teaching. But a time will come when there will be a split (schism) in the Order. And when the Order is split, one cannot easily contemplate upon the Teachings of the Buddha; it is not easy to live in the wilderness or woodlands or a forest or jungle, or in secluded dwellings. Before this undesirable condition, so unpleasant and disagreeable, approaches me, prior to that, let me muster my energy for achieving the unachieved, for attaining the unattained, for realizing the unrealized, so that, in the possession of that state, I shall live happily even when the Order is split."
   

   — AN 5:78

• This sutra is one of the seven canonical texts recommended by the ancient Indian Emperor Asoka in the Second Bhairat Rock Edict: "Venerables, these passages of the Dharma -- ...'Fears of what may happen (anagata-bhayani)...spoken by the Buddha -- these, venerable sirs, I desire that many monks and nuns should frequently hear and meditate on: and that likewise the lay followers, male and female, should do the same" (Vincent A. Smith, Asoka, 3rd ed., p. 54).

These things, too, are helpful in conquering sloth and torpor:

• applied attention, one of the Five Factors of Absorptions (jhananga),
• energy (viriya), one of the Five Spiritual Faculties (indriya),
• keen investigation of phenomena, energy, and rapture, some of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga).

When the mind is sluggish, it is not the proper time for cultivating the following factors of enlightenment: tranquillity, concentration, or equanimity. This is because a sluggish mind can hardly be aroused by them.
 

When the mind is sluggish, it is the proper time for cultivating the following factors of enlightenment: keen investigation of phenomena, energy, and rapture. This is because a sluggish mind can easily be aroused by them (SN 46:53).
 

C. Simile

Moss or rolled sod growing on Mars (NASA).

If there is a pot of water, covered with moss and water plants, then a person with a normal faculty of sight looking into it could not properly recognize and see the image of his own face. In the same way, when one's mind is possessed by sloth and torpor, overpowered by sloth and torpor, one cannot properly see the escape from sloth and torpor that have arisen; then one does not properly understand one's own welfare, nor that of another, nor that of both; and also texts memorized a long time ago do not come into one's mind, not to speak of those not memorized (SN 46:55).

Will my cyborg meditate for me?

I. Rony, Seth Auberon, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly; MindfulCyborgs.com

Does she remember me? Is she meditating without me? (mindfulcyborgs.com)

  

IN THE FUTURE we will be rich then we'll have time to do the things we don't do now as wage slaves and sidelined automatons in the post-industrial age.

In the future, cyborgs -- sensitive, half-human, half-machine humanoids -- will do it for us.

Robotic lotus (dreamstime)

In the future we will say, "Siro, do a half hour of mindful breath-awareness to get into absorption, emerge, then give me a good 25 minutes of vipassana, you know 'insight contemplation,' and wrap it all up with five minutes of loving-kindness."

"Do you want a relaxing massage afterwards," Siro will ask, "or how about some soothing genmai tea for your nerves? Also, remember to call your mother. It's been awhile." "Siro, call her for me," we will add, "and make my tea extra strong.

Now 
In the present we aren't rich enough to meditate -- you know how much those zafus and zabutons cost, and who has the time?
 

In the present we're plugged in and on the move 24/7. What if someone texts us and thinks we're ignoring them when we don't text right back?
  

He remembered!

In the present we say, "Siri, am I free to sit for 15 minutes?" She answers, "Only 15 minutes, yes, you have lots of 15-minute openings on your calendar."

"No, Siri, I meant an hour -- then, well, with getting set up and cleaning up -- an-hour-and-15-minutes."

"No, you don't have any 75-minute openings, unless you..."

"OH, too bad! I was really looking forward to having a good sit like Siddhartha. Well, maybe in the future. Siri, sext my girlfriend."
 

What's that? - They say in the future this devi will meditate for us. (mindfulcyborgs.com)

(Mindful Cyborgs) Hosts Chris Dancy and Klint Finley with guest Kate Darling on "Extending Legal Rights to Social Robots") Episode 32: Emoji-ing Robots Seek to Fathom Their Origin

Living arguments on gun control (comedy)

Wisdom Quarterly; Tom Tomorrow (thismodernworld.com); Kevin Uhrich (PW)

No walk on the beach

I'll kill ya...for pointing that at me

The sun had already started setting by the time a former girlfriend and I arrived at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades one night...

 

We were going to have dinner at nearby Gladstone’s Restaurant, where Sunset Boulevard ends at Pacific Coast Highway, but decided to first grab a blanket from the car and head down to the sand to watch the sun go down...

 

It was chilly that night, and few people were out there with us, except for one young man who stood just where the sand turned into parking lot, seemingly watching our every move.

(Comedy Central) We the U.S. are the problem, not our guns, as Canada demonstrates.

 

After a [while] I didn’t really think much of the guy, but I looked around just the same, to see exactly how alone we really were out there.

 

Looking back over my right shoulder, my eyes scanned the rest of the parking lot, then north, along the sand. That’s when I saw another young man, this one a short distance from us, walking slowly on the beach, not along the surf but toward the parking lot, all while looking intently at the two of us.

Tea Party Republican Libertarian Na...

He made some motions with his head toward the guy in the parking lot, who by this time was joined by a third man, and those two started making their way into the sand to meet their associate.

Gladstone’s was only about an eighth of a mile away, but it might as well have been miles if we had to run to it in the deep sand in order to get away. By this time, we had finished..., my friend seemingly oblivious to what was going on around us.

(Comedy Central, Daily Show, Part II) John Oliver vows that never again
will a political career end in a senseless act of meaningful legislation.

Let us prevent political suicide in the face of NRA lobbyists.

“C’mon, I think we better go,” I said, grasping the slender neck of the bottle, preparing myself to smash it across one of their heads, if necessary.

“What’s the matter?” she asked before turning around and suddenly realizing that our new friends were actually about to try something.

 

Guns don't kill people; bullets kill people.

With that, she stood up, faced the three guys and placed her hand inside of her purse, which she then raised up slightly at arm’s length with her other hand. A look of deadly earnestness crossed her face, but she didn’t say a word. They all seemed to understand that my girlfriend was armed with a gun, and, even better, that she at least appeared prepared to use it if need be.

(Comedy Central, Daily Show, Part III) John Oliver: it's pointless for US to

study Australian gun control because the situations are just too similar.

 

I gathered up our stuff and headed toward the car as she turned toward our potential assailants, never once taking her eyes off of them. They stood there frozen, apparently knowing better than to make any kind of move as we hustled back to the car, got in, and drove away. We never did go to dinner at Gladstone’s. More

My government killing me

Democide is a term revived and redefined by the political scientist R.J. Rummel as the murder of people by their government, including genocide, politicide, and mass murder." He created the term as an extended concept to include forms of government-murder that are not covered by the term "genocide," and it has become accepted among other scholars in spite of the fact that the term democide was defined and used in English more than 40 years earlier by Theodore Abel. In the 20th century democide surpassed war as the leading cause of non-natural death... More

Guns: Are we pro or con?
Wisdom Quarterly (EDITORIAL)

Like Budai, let's throw away the AKs (CC)

We unanimously agree. Our position on guns is that they should ALL be gotten rid of. We cannot have police, the paramilitary, and military retain firearms and expect that citizens, protesters, and advocates of civil liberties would be safe from these deadly agents, who in the past have done so much to violate the Constitution, our rights, and the laws of the land with tacit approval of the court and manipulated juries. It would be Martial Law and oppression that perhaps is only staved off because the two sides, ordinary second-class citizens versus elites and their soldiers, have guns. So they should have access to the same terrible guns.

Killing is unskillful, unwholesome karma. And what excuses we make for this intentional action will do little to alter the bitter fruit of our deeds. Many are willing to kill -- whether motivated by fear, greed, delusion, or hatred. Because that is the subtle underlying motivation, the harm is there. Rationalizations that it is "self" defense or patriotism or attacking one group to defend another group does not change the personally verifiable fact that when it is being done, one of these for motivations is at work.

Nothing good will come of it when that karma ripens. Yet, there are many people willing to shoot and kill for pay, for pleasure, for peer pressure, or simply not knowing and not understanding karma.
 
We stand for life and for the right of living beings to live oppression-free. Guns are not the way to life or beneficial karmic results. Say no to guns in the hands of authorities or in the hands of second-class citizens. But when they are in the hands of one, it seems they have to be in the hands of the other. Put the guns down.

(Mental Floss) Don't expect "science" to solve the issue

• VIDEO: Ted Nugent is a racist, I mean a black guitarist
• VIDEO: Democide is when the state kills off its citizens
• VIDEO: Capitalists propose giving millions of small handguns to Indian women to kill men on buses and elsewhere who "Eve Tease" (sexually harass) them. What could possibly go wrong? It's not as if men and criminals can take or borrow the guns from their sisters, mothers, and daughters to kill, rape, rob, engage in a budding drug trade, or cause general mayhem for corruptible police in a post ahimsa world.
• VIDEO: We have a RIGHT to bare arms! And to bare legs, bare bellies, bare bottoms... so why not let ALL citizens go topless if they want?
• VIDEO: Ex-FBI Agent explains what to do if police abuse you and your rights (Make Yourself Arrest-Proof, Dale Carson)
• VIDEO: Police given right to shoot anyone by claiming they thought the "suspect" was reaching for a waistband. It also works if they shout, as they beat you, "Stop resisting!" Or they could make it all up. How would everyone having a gun to reach for help the situation? Does a citizen have the right to shoot police about to kill him or her when we don't even have the right to have one?
• VIDEO: Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan talks to Alex Jones

U.S. Government vs. Jon Stewart's Daily Show claim. See 5:10.

Madame President: Bachmann vs. Palin

Ashley Wells (Wisdom Quarterly)

Hopeful Michele Bachmann vs. has-been Sarah Palin, it's no comparison (latimes.com)

Whether it's narcissism, megalomania, or delusion, somewhere Donald Trump is combing his hair, and elsewhere Sarah Palin is telling Newsweek she can win the presidency. However the Tea Party, which is not a grassroots movement but an AstroTurfed one, is backing Michele Bachmann. After all of Palin's emails were released, embarrassing a misled and heavily manipulated mainstream media, who would be willing to back Caribou Barbie? And good ol' Hillary, who is probably not running, says she'll quit if Obama is re-[s]elected. Most people would sooner vote for the more honest, more endearing Bristol Palin, even if she drank during pregnancy while looking after her Downs Syndrome sibling. Oh that Sarah Palin, fighting Bristol on who she dates. If she's [s]elected to the White House, Washington will be business-as-usual, but reality TV will never be the same! I guess that leaves the US with a simple choice: more debt and war with Barack Obama...or even more debt and war with Herman Cain. In that case, maybe Palin wouldn't be so bad? It might seem that way, but according to the Los Angeles Times:

• "The [Newsweek] article, which revisits Palin’s political career in Alaska in some detail, appears to be part of a strategy in Palin’s close-knit camp to frame the potential contender within her more populist, independent political roots, as opposed to her more recent fire-breathing, Mama Grizzly, Christian conservative persona."
  
• Researchers identify wild orgy gene
• VIDEO: Michele Bachmann converting gays?
• More AIDS patients drugged for Big Pharma profits
• Political renaissance for Strauss-Kahn looks dim
• Mila Kunis dates Marines...if they ask nicely
• Digging up artifacts and re-inventing Jewish history
• Egypt's military warns protesters against violence
• Obama's risky challenge to Congress on debt ceiling
• Debt crisis spreads to shake Europe's core
• McConnell, Boehner criticize Obama

America's favorite drink (liquid energy)

List of eight alternatives to caffeine for interesting drinks (detoxyourworld.com)

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What plant alkaloids are there?

America, of course, is a continent, not a country. While the US empire may sway and undermine the rest of the world, it does not represent the Americas.

The Amazon jungle is an amazing (and some say created, i.e., terraformed) factory of amazing alkaloids. The world's favorite stimulants come from South American jungles and highlands: chocolate (cacao with theobromides), coffee (caffeine), coca (cocaine).

The favorite drink on this continent is not Coca Cola (which originally contained addictive and destructive white cane sugar and habit-forming coca leaves chewed in the Peruvian Andes for energy).

Now chemical corn-glucose and formaldehyde with methyl-alcohol (which is what aspartame breaks down into) laden soda may be consumed corroding plastic and aluminum containers, yet it is not the favored drink.

Traditional yerba mate serving container

Coffee may have conquered the world with detrimental health consequences that are repeatedly obscured by "new scientific findings" to suggest rancid, roasted seeds could possibly be a good idea to consume even in small quantities.

The continental favorite is Guayaki, known everywhere as Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) a subtropical species of Holly.

According to ABC, Yerba Mate is now being marketed in the US as an energy-boosting diet tea. It contains various minerals, including phosphorous, iron, calcium, and vitamins C, B1, and B2. But it also contains caffeine (and, in limited amounts, theophylline and theobromine), which are all stimulants.

Bottled Yerba Mate

Some manufacturers of Yerba Mate say their brands contain a caffeinelike substance that makes one less jittery called "mateine." But it seems that chemically, it is identical to caffeine. The bottom line: It provides a hit of energy, but that hit is due to caffeine.

WARNING: Research has found chronic consumption of this tea over years may increase the risk of head and neck cancers [although Argentinians, Brazilians, and others disagree]. Source

Let them In: How Brazilians Could Help the U.S. Economy

(TIME.com) Everyone should love Brazilian tourists. They spend more per capita than any other nationality. Worldwide, Brazilian tourists shell out an average of $43.3 million a day, dropping a gigantesco $1.4 billion last April alone, up 83% from the same period last year, according to the Brazil's Central Bank. In 2010, 1.2 million Brazilians visited the United States, injecting $5.9 billion into the U.S. economy. Even exclusive ski resorts in Vermont are scrambling to hire Portuguese-speaking ski instructors to meet the unexpected and rapidly growing demand from thousands of adventurous Brazilians...

• Gabor Mate: We all absorb the energy around us, which is why our kids have ADHD