mind map meditation

This is a lovely picture of a meditation...from Mind Map Inspiration by Paul Foreman.

Charter for Compassion

A call to bring the world together…

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

just another ebook quote

6. Free books are gateway drug - Someone give Michael Hart a Nobel Peace price for creating Project Gutenberg, the non-profit, all-volunteer organization he founded in 1971 to distribute out-of-copyright works as electronic books. While it's difficult to name any single person as the father of e-books, it's fair to say Michael Hart shares DNA with the common ebook.--Mark Coker

operation ebook drop

Edward C. Patterson and other indie authors have started a "grassroots project" to send ebooks to soldiers. It started small, at Amazon, but Mark Coker @ Smashwords found out and the project has snowballed.

I encourage all authors to participate. Spread the word. Thanks.

(Proud mother of a veteran)

notes on I, Reader

"If you want to know if robots have a soul, look to their reading habits; I could say the same of people." John Meidema Oct 1, 2009


I give you the end of a golden string;
Only wind it into a ball,
It will lead you in at Heaven’s gate,
Built in Jerusalem’s wall.
--William Blake

“There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book we read becomes luminous with manifold allusion.” Ralph Waldo Emerson


"Reading is a conspiracy of minds toward satisfactory answers to the big questions within a single lifetime." John Miedema Oct. 12, 2009


"This is reading with a fire the belly. It is cocaine. But it is also narcissism, a self-indulgence, ultimately failing. No space is truly free of others. We grow up internalizing the judgements of others. And self-sufficiency is lonely. Bliss, then perhaps hell. Reluctantly, we look for other stories, turn to other books to see what is new in the world. These people go into the world equipped with interiority, and it shows. People who lack interiority are creepy." John Miedema Oct 21, 2009


"A library is a clear example of an information ecology. A library involves many systems; a changes to one part affects other parts. A library tends to be diverse, offering niches of service that evolve depending on patron needs. A library has keystone species, without which the ecology would collapse. They suggest the keystone species is librarians. Agreed. As I see it, another keystone species is print books. Take those away, and what is left? A server room? A computer lab? A community centre? A video store?" John Miedema Oct 27 2009

Information Ecologies: Using Technology With Heart

Bonnie A. Nardi & Vicki L. O'Day; MIT Press 2000

"It is a good expression of what I have (pompously) called the Uncertainty Principle of Library Science. In quantum physics, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle refers to the fact that observing one physical property, e.g., position, changes the condition of another physical property, e.g., momentum, such that both cannot be measured at once. My proposed principle has to do with the quantity and quality of books. As long as a book goes unselected, or judged worthy, there is a still a possibility of selecting the best possible next book. But to select one is leave a lifetime’s books unconsidered. One cannot be sure of best quality." John Miedema Nov 3

Wikipedia. “Hackers follow a spirit of creative playfulness and anti-authoritarianism, and sometimes use this term to refer to people applying the same attitude to other fields.” Hacker (programmer subculture)

can't swallow, can't breathe, can't talk. apparently I now have a viral infection on top of the H1N1 that has taken away my voice, dumped ground glass down my throat and left bruises on my lungs and abdominal muscles. I'm taking antibiotics for the infection from the kidney stone, but that doesn't help with the viral infection.

is it 2010 yet?

I'm ready to skip from Samhain to New Year's day. No gatherings, no holidays, winter should be over (more or less)

Seriously...I said I was going to write every day, and I really don't want to whine, but I'm tired of being sick. I can't concentrate, can't read. My vision is screwed up my head and body feel like they have been run over by a mack truck. I'm letting down people at work...There must have been a lot more anger and poison in my soul than I thought. The other day when I talked about being angry must have reacted like like lancing a puss filled boil in my soul...

The fibroflare was more along the lines of a mini breakdown, but that left me open to the H1N1 that made Brad and Ann sick. It also got Richard. Don't know about Cliff and Kevin...Sean managed to throw it off. I tend to be a hypochondriac so I discounted the flare and the flu was fairly mild. I didn't want to take it to work so I stayed home...[My advice, if you get the flu, stay home.]

The kidney stones just added insult to injury. I have never hurt so bad in my entire life. Got to the ER at 9:14 and they started the surgery at approximately 4:30. The doctor put in two stents to help keep the white cells in my urine from infecting me further, but I ended up jostling them and LEAKED all night (as well as being in pain). Had the stents removed this afternoon and not I just have irritation, pain and other disgusting stff. I don't remember the anesthetic at all, but my throat feels like fly paper and my tongue is raw (back tooth that usually doesn't bother me has scraped my tongue until it feels like it is going to bleed. It hurts to swallow. I don't weven want chocolate. I may or may not be having trouble with my lungs, but my guess is pneumonia is next on the list because I have chest pain and I'm having trouble breathing.

To refer to the top of this post, I am still angry with my life and my self and I'm sure that is what is making me sick. Writing may be helping me like an antibiotic helps an infection...I don't know.

Two very lovely things though... My friends Doug and Heather got twin girls...they have wanted babies for a long time and they are good people. The other good news is not my news to tell, but it will be an improvement in a lot of ways.

I need to go to bed now.