phooph
06-05-2006, 11:36 PM
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Beyondanews Update...
Welcome to Swami's Beyondanews
June, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in this issue
-- The Up-Wising Continues: An Inconvenient and Incontrovertible Truth
-- But Funnyously, Folks ...
-- Swami on the Outernet in June
-- Swami in Print
-- For Californians Only -- A Chance to Make a Difference on Tuesday, June 6th
-- Notes From the Trail
Dear Friends,
We’ve finally upgraded our system, and now thanks to Constant Contact you can find out about Swami’s and Trudy’s schedule, receive only the communications you choose, opt out if and when you like, and easily send the newsletter to your friends.
The Up-Wising Continues: An Inconvenient and Incontrovertible Truth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may not know if from the headlines, but if you read between the headlines you’ll see that the body politic is awakening from a long and deep slumber. Whether it’s RFK, Jr.’s article in Rolling Stone about the proven fraud in Ohio that helped “re-select” George Bush in 2004, or the growing willingness of Americans to see behind the myth of the official 9/11 story, people are beginning to wake, wise up and stand up.
While there are still those who insist that these perpetrations are “just politics” (Swami says the Bush Administration is no longer fooling anyone, so now it is up to Bush supporters to fool themselves), there is one issue that affects everyone regardless or race, creed, sexual orientation or political affiliation: We all share the same planet. And the “inconvenient truth” is that our human endeavors have heated the atmosphere to such an extent that life has already been altered -- not for the better -- and that continuing down the same road is homicidal to many species on the planet and suicidal to ourselves.
Global Warming - the Issue - is Finally Heating Up
Last Friday night, I went to the local opening of Al Gore’s new film, An Inconvenient Truth. When you see Gore on the screen, don’t expect to see that stilted, stultified over-managed guy who won the election but lost the coup nearly six years ago. Gore is an impassioned man on a mission, and perhaps now finally the world is ready to listen. With passion, humility and humor, Gore tracks the slow and sure development of global warming, an issue he’s been interested in since he was a college student nearly forty years ago. We see him doing his traveling power point slide show, from Hamtramck to Hong Kong, and while the movie focuses on Gore, it’s not an ego trip. Unlike our two most recent Presidents, Gore is not a narcissist. As I watched him, I felt pangs of sadness and regret that our country is so politically immature that we collectively don’t know the difference between character and charisma.
But all this is changing, and that is a good thing. As a group of us got together to discuss the movie afterward it became clear that nothing and no one has done more to awaken a slumbering body politic than George Bush himself. Everything we now know about global warming we knew in 1992 when Bill Clinton was elected. Even with Gore as Vice President, the Clinton Administration did next to nothing.
From Those Wonderful Folks Who Brought Us Joe Camel ...
One of the most pertinent moments in the movie comes when Al Gore takes on the contention that “global warming is just a theory.” He offered a startling and sobering statistic. Of the hundreds of scientific studies of climate change, NOT ONE OF THEM refuted the notion that the planet is getting warmer because of increased carbon dioxide due to human endeavor. The “it’s not proven” argument is nothing but spin (what we used to call “lies” in the days before lying got spun into being called “spin”) designed to call into question proven science. This is the same thing the tobacco companies did to obfuscate the link between smoking and lung cancer, and in fact THE SAME PEOPLE who lied about smoking have now been hired to spread lies about global warming.
The Future Is At Our Doorstep -- and May Soon Be At Our Balcony
It is startling and disconcerting to see glaciers melted, the fabled “snows of Kilimanjaro” now little more than a book title. In sobering scene after sobering scene, we watch the continents of Greenland and Antarctica literally disappear into the ocean. With further melting, sea level could rise 20 to 40 feet. A glimpse of what cities like New York, San Francisco and Miami would look like if and when that happens is like one of those “earth changes” maps we saw years ago -- the ones we reassured ourselves were in some imaginary reality or the distant future. Well folks, the future is not only at our doorstep, it’s at our balcony.
So what do we do in the light of this alarming “inconvenient truth?” Well, we can go join up with the rapture lemmings, and insist this is what God had planned all along. Or, we can finally face the need to “grow up” as a species and take responsibility for our own actions. The last fifteen minutes or so of the film is about what we can do. We have everything we need to shrink and even reverse carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The question Gore raises, and the one that reverberates after the movie is over is, do we have the political will? And do we have the personal willingness to change our own habits and behaviors?
What If We Had Plenty of Money, But No Earth to Spend it On?
While individual choices absolutely make a difference, the real possibilities lie in what we can do as a society, a nation and a world. Another myth Gore blows to smithereens is the notion that we can’t have a healthy economy and a healthy ecology at the same time. (Although apparently we CAN have unhealthy ones simultaneously, judging by the current situation.) While there are allusions to the Bush repression of scientific data and clips of Reagan and Bush Senior making fun of the entire idea of global warming, those who come to the movie hoping to see Al Gore take a baseball bat to a George Bush piñata will be disappointed.
We really do get that this reincarnated Al Gore is not a partisan candidate for anything but a nonpartisan educator on a mission, perhaps the most important mission in our lifetime. He cites world governments (all the major nations except for the U.S. and Australia) that have ratified the Kyoto Protocols, as well as countless cities and states. He sees that people everywhere -- from workers to industrialists to farmers -- have to be enrolled in this mission, and he is an enrolling stone gathering momentum.
Indeed this is a “transpartisan” issue, but if those Democrats still can’t come up with a reason for us to vote for them other than “we’re not as bad as the Republicans,” perhaps global warming might light a fire under them. At any rate, the movement to do something -- as individuals, community, nation and world -- begins at the grassroots. Go to see this movie. Tell your friends and family to see it too. If no theater is showing it in your neighborhood, call the theaters and ask for it. Go to the website www.climatecrisis.net. The Earth you save may be your own!
But Funnyously, Folks ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If the previous piece was just a little too serious, apologies. It’s just that if we don’t believe in hell in the afterlife, we sure don’t want it in the forelife either. All the more need for as many of us as possible to wake up laughing. And to make it even easier to share healing laughter with your friends on the outernet, we are making Swami’s most popular items -- his Swami for Precedent book, Tickling the Body Politic DVD, and CDs, Supreme Court Jester, Drive Your Karma Curb Your Dogma, Don’t Squeeze the Shaman, and Beyondananda and Beyond -- available as the new Fool Enchilada Special (https://bear.he.net/~wakeupl/epistore/) . (scroll to second line) In stores, these products would cost $98 (shipping not included), but Swami is making them available to you now for just $69 -- including domestic shipping. How come? Well, it’s all part of Swami’s mission to feed two (or more) birds with one scone. The world needs more laughter, Swami needs more money. Let’s make a deal!
Swami on the Outernet in June
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swami will be sticking close to home this month, and is scheduled to appear next weekend at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, along with musicians Bob Weir, Michael Franti, Jai Uttal and many, many more -- as well as speakers Jim Hightower, Jose Arguelles, Catherine Austin Fitts, Rob Breszny and others. On Sunday evening, June 25th, the Swami will be part of Gary Malkin’s SpiritAlive event.
For those who want Swami to come to them, that can be arranged too. The week of June 19th, both Steve and Swami are guests on New Dimensions Radio in a show called “Turning America On.” The show was a response to a piece from Notes From the Trail (see below) called “Wake Up, America ... We’re Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto,” and it’s a call to consider that so many of the issues we call “political” are bigger than politics. See below for subscription information. Click on the New Dimensions website to find out where the show can be heard in your locale.
By the way, if you want the Swami to do a performance in your town -- or participate in a conference or other event -- please let us know. Swami will be in the midwest in October, for example, and is looking for ad-on venues. Please reply to this email if you’re interested in booking the Swami.
Swami in Print
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For years, the Swami had a monthly advice column (Swami’s advice? “Don’t take my advice!”) called Ask the Swami. Typical question:
Dear Swami:
Are these real questions or do you just make them up yourself?
Typical answer:
We make up all of our questions, including this one.
Well now, after being on hiatus from the Ask the Swami column for a couple of years, the Swami says he wants to try something new -- a “Dear Swami” column where he actually attempts wisely humorous (or humorously wise) answers to serious questions. In the past, when the Swami has called for questions he has typically gotten funny questions. Well, with a funny question, who needs a funny answer?
Serious questions, that’s a whole other thing. Serious questions NEED funny answers. Swami has lots of funny answers waiting. Now all he needs are your serious questions. Seriously. If we use your question, we won’t use your name, just your initials and city. Swami won’t assign you one of his own names like Lucinda Street or Xavier Onassis or Bill Stupay or anything like that. If you like those names, you can find them in any of Swami’s books. Just supply an answerable question, and Swami will supply a questionable answer.
Will this work? If you see the new column announced in the next issue of BeyondaNews, it worked! Send your questions to [email protected].
For Californians Only -- A Chance to Make a Difference on Tuesday, June 6th
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While I don’t normally use BeyondaNews to make political requests, tomorrow’s California primaries are too important to miss. First of all, Debra Bowen is the only candidate for Secretary of State who understands the importance of guaranteeing a paper trail for our votes. Her victory is a step in the right direction, and her loss would be our loss!
Secondly, if you live in the 6th Congressional District (parts of Marin and Sonoma Counties) Rep. Lynn Woolsey, one of the bravest and most forward-thinking members of Congress is being challenged in the primary by a “wolfawitz in sheep’s clothing.” Joe Nation (who might just as well be called “Abomi-Nation” for all his stealth support of drug companies and the banking industry) is a DINO (Democrat in Name Only). Says a recent email from MoveOn: “As a State Legislator, he refused to vote on privacy legislation to protect consumers. He refused to vote on stem cell legislation. And he refused to vote on legislation to stop oil company price gouging.”
Just as the key to winning the lottery is buying a ticket, the key to winning elections is ... voting. As to whether our votes “really count,” the answer is we don’t know for sure. What we do know for sure is, if we don’t vote our vote definitely won’t count.
Notes From the Trail
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you’re interested in Steve Bhaerman’s spiritual / political “uncommontary,” subscribe to Notes From the Trail. It’s absolutely free, although donations are cheerfully accepted. For a $25 donation (click here (https://bear.he.net/~wakeupl/epistore/) scroll down), Swami will send you an autographed copy of his latest book, Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction -- or the CD or DVD or your choice. If you enjoy this mix of current affairs, timeless wisdom and just the right measure of healing laughter, put your money where your mouse is. Subscribe now, and enjoy your gift.
May the FARCE be with you,
Steve Bhaerman (800) SWAMI-BE
www.wakeuplaughing.com
Read Swami's 2006 State of the Universe Address
https://www.wakeuplaughing.com/news.html
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: [email protected]
web: https://www.wakeuplaughing.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forward email
Wake Up Laughing Productions | 400 West Third Street | Suite D-144 | Santa Rosa | CA | 95401
Beyondanews Update...
Welcome to Swami's Beyondanews
June, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in this issue
-- The Up-Wising Continues: An Inconvenient and Incontrovertible Truth
-- But Funnyously, Folks ...
-- Swami on the Outernet in June
-- Swami in Print
-- For Californians Only -- A Chance to Make a Difference on Tuesday, June 6th
-- Notes From the Trail
Dear Friends,
We’ve finally upgraded our system, and now thanks to Constant Contact you can find out about Swami’s and Trudy’s schedule, receive only the communications you choose, opt out if and when you like, and easily send the newsletter to your friends.
The Up-Wising Continues: An Inconvenient and Incontrovertible Truth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may not know if from the headlines, but if you read between the headlines you’ll see that the body politic is awakening from a long and deep slumber. Whether it’s RFK, Jr.’s article in Rolling Stone about the proven fraud in Ohio that helped “re-select” George Bush in 2004, or the growing willingness of Americans to see behind the myth of the official 9/11 story, people are beginning to wake, wise up and stand up.
While there are still those who insist that these perpetrations are “just politics” (Swami says the Bush Administration is no longer fooling anyone, so now it is up to Bush supporters to fool themselves), there is one issue that affects everyone regardless or race, creed, sexual orientation or political affiliation: We all share the same planet. And the “inconvenient truth” is that our human endeavors have heated the atmosphere to such an extent that life has already been altered -- not for the better -- and that continuing down the same road is homicidal to many species on the planet and suicidal to ourselves.
Global Warming - the Issue - is Finally Heating Up
Last Friday night, I went to the local opening of Al Gore’s new film, An Inconvenient Truth. When you see Gore on the screen, don’t expect to see that stilted, stultified over-managed guy who won the election but lost the coup nearly six years ago. Gore is an impassioned man on a mission, and perhaps now finally the world is ready to listen. With passion, humility and humor, Gore tracks the slow and sure development of global warming, an issue he’s been interested in since he was a college student nearly forty years ago. We see him doing his traveling power point slide show, from Hamtramck to Hong Kong, and while the movie focuses on Gore, it’s not an ego trip. Unlike our two most recent Presidents, Gore is not a narcissist. As I watched him, I felt pangs of sadness and regret that our country is so politically immature that we collectively don’t know the difference between character and charisma.
But all this is changing, and that is a good thing. As a group of us got together to discuss the movie afterward it became clear that nothing and no one has done more to awaken a slumbering body politic than George Bush himself. Everything we now know about global warming we knew in 1992 when Bill Clinton was elected. Even with Gore as Vice President, the Clinton Administration did next to nothing.
From Those Wonderful Folks Who Brought Us Joe Camel ...
One of the most pertinent moments in the movie comes when Al Gore takes on the contention that “global warming is just a theory.” He offered a startling and sobering statistic. Of the hundreds of scientific studies of climate change, NOT ONE OF THEM refuted the notion that the planet is getting warmer because of increased carbon dioxide due to human endeavor. The “it’s not proven” argument is nothing but spin (what we used to call “lies” in the days before lying got spun into being called “spin”) designed to call into question proven science. This is the same thing the tobacco companies did to obfuscate the link between smoking and lung cancer, and in fact THE SAME PEOPLE who lied about smoking have now been hired to spread lies about global warming.
The Future Is At Our Doorstep -- and May Soon Be At Our Balcony
It is startling and disconcerting to see glaciers melted, the fabled “snows of Kilimanjaro” now little more than a book title. In sobering scene after sobering scene, we watch the continents of Greenland and Antarctica literally disappear into the ocean. With further melting, sea level could rise 20 to 40 feet. A glimpse of what cities like New York, San Francisco and Miami would look like if and when that happens is like one of those “earth changes” maps we saw years ago -- the ones we reassured ourselves were in some imaginary reality or the distant future. Well folks, the future is not only at our doorstep, it’s at our balcony.
So what do we do in the light of this alarming “inconvenient truth?” Well, we can go join up with the rapture lemmings, and insist this is what God had planned all along. Or, we can finally face the need to “grow up” as a species and take responsibility for our own actions. The last fifteen minutes or so of the film is about what we can do. We have everything we need to shrink and even reverse carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The question Gore raises, and the one that reverberates after the movie is over is, do we have the political will? And do we have the personal willingness to change our own habits and behaviors?
What If We Had Plenty of Money, But No Earth to Spend it On?
While individual choices absolutely make a difference, the real possibilities lie in what we can do as a society, a nation and a world. Another myth Gore blows to smithereens is the notion that we can’t have a healthy economy and a healthy ecology at the same time. (Although apparently we CAN have unhealthy ones simultaneously, judging by the current situation.) While there are allusions to the Bush repression of scientific data and clips of Reagan and Bush Senior making fun of the entire idea of global warming, those who come to the movie hoping to see Al Gore take a baseball bat to a George Bush piñata will be disappointed.
We really do get that this reincarnated Al Gore is not a partisan candidate for anything but a nonpartisan educator on a mission, perhaps the most important mission in our lifetime. He cites world governments (all the major nations except for the U.S. and Australia) that have ratified the Kyoto Protocols, as well as countless cities and states. He sees that people everywhere -- from workers to industrialists to farmers -- have to be enrolled in this mission, and he is an enrolling stone gathering momentum.
Indeed this is a “transpartisan” issue, but if those Democrats still can’t come up with a reason for us to vote for them other than “we’re not as bad as the Republicans,” perhaps global warming might light a fire under them. At any rate, the movement to do something -- as individuals, community, nation and world -- begins at the grassroots. Go to see this movie. Tell your friends and family to see it too. If no theater is showing it in your neighborhood, call the theaters and ask for it. Go to the website www.climatecrisis.net. The Earth you save may be your own!
But Funnyously, Folks ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If the previous piece was just a little too serious, apologies. It’s just that if we don’t believe in hell in the afterlife, we sure don’t want it in the forelife either. All the more need for as many of us as possible to wake up laughing. And to make it even easier to share healing laughter with your friends on the outernet, we are making Swami’s most popular items -- his Swami for Precedent book, Tickling the Body Politic DVD, and CDs, Supreme Court Jester, Drive Your Karma Curb Your Dogma, Don’t Squeeze the Shaman, and Beyondananda and Beyond -- available as the new Fool Enchilada Special (https://bear.he.net/~wakeupl/epistore/) . (scroll to second line) In stores, these products would cost $98 (shipping not included), but Swami is making them available to you now for just $69 -- including domestic shipping. How come? Well, it’s all part of Swami’s mission to feed two (or more) birds with one scone. The world needs more laughter, Swami needs more money. Let’s make a deal!
Swami on the Outernet in June
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swami will be sticking close to home this month, and is scheduled to appear next weekend at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, along with musicians Bob Weir, Michael Franti, Jai Uttal and many, many more -- as well as speakers Jim Hightower, Jose Arguelles, Catherine Austin Fitts, Rob Breszny and others. On Sunday evening, June 25th, the Swami will be part of Gary Malkin’s SpiritAlive event.
For those who want Swami to come to them, that can be arranged too. The week of June 19th, both Steve and Swami are guests on New Dimensions Radio in a show called “Turning America On.” The show was a response to a piece from Notes From the Trail (see below) called “Wake Up, America ... We’re Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto,” and it’s a call to consider that so many of the issues we call “political” are bigger than politics. See below for subscription information. Click on the New Dimensions website to find out where the show can be heard in your locale.
By the way, if you want the Swami to do a performance in your town -- or participate in a conference or other event -- please let us know. Swami will be in the midwest in October, for example, and is looking for ad-on venues. Please reply to this email if you’re interested in booking the Swami.
Swami in Print
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For years, the Swami had a monthly advice column (Swami’s advice? “Don’t take my advice!”) called Ask the Swami. Typical question:
Dear Swami:
Are these real questions or do you just make them up yourself?
Typical answer:
We make up all of our questions, including this one.
Well now, after being on hiatus from the Ask the Swami column for a couple of years, the Swami says he wants to try something new -- a “Dear Swami” column where he actually attempts wisely humorous (or humorously wise) answers to serious questions. In the past, when the Swami has called for questions he has typically gotten funny questions. Well, with a funny question, who needs a funny answer?
Serious questions, that’s a whole other thing. Serious questions NEED funny answers. Swami has lots of funny answers waiting. Now all he needs are your serious questions. Seriously. If we use your question, we won’t use your name, just your initials and city. Swami won’t assign you one of his own names like Lucinda Street or Xavier Onassis or Bill Stupay or anything like that. If you like those names, you can find them in any of Swami’s books. Just supply an answerable question, and Swami will supply a questionable answer.
Will this work? If you see the new column announced in the next issue of BeyondaNews, it worked! Send your questions to [email protected].
For Californians Only -- A Chance to Make a Difference on Tuesday, June 6th
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While I don’t normally use BeyondaNews to make political requests, tomorrow’s California primaries are too important to miss. First of all, Debra Bowen is the only candidate for Secretary of State who understands the importance of guaranteeing a paper trail for our votes. Her victory is a step in the right direction, and her loss would be our loss!
Secondly, if you live in the 6th Congressional District (parts of Marin and Sonoma Counties) Rep. Lynn Woolsey, one of the bravest and most forward-thinking members of Congress is being challenged in the primary by a “wolfawitz in sheep’s clothing.” Joe Nation (who might just as well be called “Abomi-Nation” for all his stealth support of drug companies and the banking industry) is a DINO (Democrat in Name Only). Says a recent email from MoveOn: “As a State Legislator, he refused to vote on privacy legislation to protect consumers. He refused to vote on stem cell legislation. And he refused to vote on legislation to stop oil company price gouging.”
Just as the key to winning the lottery is buying a ticket, the key to winning elections is ... voting. As to whether our votes “really count,” the answer is we don’t know for sure. What we do know for sure is, if we don’t vote our vote definitely won’t count.
Notes From the Trail
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you’re interested in Steve Bhaerman’s spiritual / political “uncommontary,” subscribe to Notes From the Trail. It’s absolutely free, although donations are cheerfully accepted. For a $25 donation (click here (https://bear.he.net/~wakeupl/epistore/) scroll down), Swami will send you an autographed copy of his latest book, Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction -- or the CD or DVD or your choice. If you enjoy this mix of current affairs, timeless wisdom and just the right measure of healing laughter, put your money where your mouse is. Subscribe now, and enjoy your gift.
May the FARCE be with you,
Steve Bhaerman (800) SWAMI-BE
www.wakeuplaughing.com
Read Swami's 2006 State of the Universe Address
https://www.wakeuplaughing.com/news.html
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: [email protected]
web: https://www.wakeuplaughing.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forward email
Wake Up Laughing Productions | 400 West Third Street | Suite D-144 | Santa Rosa | CA | 95401