(c) This document is copyright Reza Ganjavi and may not be reproduced in whole or part without written consent of the author.
Mar 2012 --
Fearlessness is very different than aggressiveness. Modern society praises aggressiveness but in fact it's fearlessness it's trying to praise :)One can be very gentle, affectionate, and fearless which means going at problems heads-on. Most people don't do that and as Bertrand Russell said that's a cause of much misery -- and it's rooted in fear of facing a problem and addressing it directly.
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I'm not a micro-manager but there is a place for micro managing -- most people don't require it but some need it.
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Work has been extremely busy -- early start in the day and often work into the night. It's an interesting project and demands highly agile PM skills.
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I get nice emails aside from all the junk -- this quote is from a nice one:
"So quickly you came inside the shop, so quickly you disappeard then, leaving me with a big smile and many questions...it was really a pleasure to meet you and i hope to see you soon again...in the meantime..."
Mar 2012 -- Donald Trump's Sons or Animals?
PETA wrote: ""Like all animals, elephants, buffalo, and crocodiles deserve better than to be killed and hacked apart for two young millionaires' grisly photo opportunity. If the young Trumps are looking for a thrill, perhaps they should consider skydiving, bungee jumping, or even following in their anti-hunting father's footsteps and taking down competing businesses—not wild animals. If the Trumps want to help villagers, they have plenty of resources at their disposal."14 Mar 2012 -- Goldman Sachs Whistle Blower
At meetings at Goldman, on the other hand, “not one single minute is spent asking questions about how we can help clients,” Mr. Smith wrote. “It’s purely about how we can make the most possible money off of them. If you were an alien from Mars and sat in on one of these meetings, you would believe that a client’s success or progress was not part of the thought process at all.” “People who care only about making money will not sustain this firm — or the trust of its clients — for very much longer,” he warned.“Make the client the focal point of your business again.. Without clients you will not make money. In fact, you will not exist. Weed out the morally bankrupt people, no matter how much money they make for the firm. And get the culture right again, so people want to work here for the right reasons.”
11 Mar 2012 -- On Quitting Smoking -- an email I sent:
Hello.Only 5 out of a 100 people who want to stop smoking actually stop -- the rest just give up and justify it by saying they like it or somehow put up with it while in fact they're living with conflict and doing something which is against nature. Another shocking statistic is that 1 out of every 2 smokers dies from smoking - and it's often a painful gradual death. I know several people who died from it and it was not pretty. Knowledge doesn't change us. Every smoker KNOWS the problems with smoking. What's necessary to change is understanding, insight. I have written an article sharing some insights and tips (direct link: http://tinyurl.com/87b93gs) -- and also made 2 videos -- one very recently in discussion with a smoker friend:
New video of a recent discussion with a smoker friend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm9yaCCra8A
Video of another discussion with a smoker friend (in 3 short parts):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtHwvCVuoV4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfAtCQZeXVU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX2NhAKaXgo
Also I made a video about yoga (direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVs6q9ozxuo) -- yoga stretches and deep breathing helps the body feel good in the process of becoming free from this vicious habit which hurts your health, happiness, pocket, and, brings bad luck (because it poisons the system so one becomes susceptible to negative influence -- this is an Ayur Veda idea but I have experienced it first hand). As a great sage said, smoking is not necessary and it makes life [unnecessarily] complicated.
The biggest trap is psychological time: thinking you will stop smoking one day, some day, after a certain event happens, etc. -- these are just tricks the mind plays on itself in order to defer the challenge to end dependence. Change can only come in the present -- time by itself will not change a person. Pass this on to any smoker friends you have - I get nothing out of it - it's just a public service to help fellow humans who are trapped. (Once in a while someone emails me that they quit smoking with help from the things I said)...
11 Mar 2012 -- Imposing Church Bells
The incessant deafening church bells seem to freak the animals out -- they holler so bad like they're being tortured by this high decibel sound that goes on and on -- my ears feel pain from the loud noise as much respect I have for the cause.----------
It "made my day" to hear Elio quit. Talking to him and Bea was a wonderful reconnection to the deep values we shares. Southern Italy and my personal culture are very similar.
10 Mar 2012 -- Trap of Energy Drinks
Talks with a bright 15 year old about problems with energy drink and other profound topics which he understood despite imperfect English -- e.g. role of conflict in wastage of energy, trap of drugs, etc.10 Mar 2012 -- Arena Biotech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4C8gV6gprU
It's a gamble but I think the odds are quite good for approval. It meets FDA guidelines for efficacy and some argue it's safer than Diet Coke (here's a good discussion on safety:
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_A/threadview?m=tm&bn=1339&tid=234134&mid=234181&tof=6&frt=2
10 Mar 2012 -- Swiss Army, Swiss Time
Swiss may have sharp army knives but when it comes to soldiers, I wonder: A group of uniformed soldiers on the train early Saturday morning were drinking beer befpre reporting to duty. I said, you're drinking beer in the morning? One of them said: "we are in the army". I hope you don't have to go to war!---------
Swiss woman said it's normal to call people after 8 in the morning on a Saturday. I couldn't believe it because she has reservation about calling people after 8 in the evening!!! Don't forget to unplug the phone if you intend to sleep in on a weekend past 8 am.
But the again the bus is full of old people who have already finished their shopping and are going back home at 10 am.
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Another nice song idea came.
Met some ballerinas for first time in my life - from US and Russia. They said it has its brutalities and pressures. .
Mar 2012 -- Freedom From Smoking -- New Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm9yaCCra8AMar 2012 -- MS Windows & Office Downhill
I've worked with some great OS's and Windows 7 is not one of them.Microsoft took a step backwards with Office 2010 -- doubling the required clicks for most key strokes. Now I see other applications are doing the same thing -- it just seems like a bad influence -- which makes sense. When the gorilla makes a move smaller guys follow - even if it's the wrong move made just to have a new version and make new sales.
Mar 2012 -- Santorom
Demonstrators interrupt Rick Santorum speech in Oklahoma City"racist fascist go away"
"get your hate out of our state"
"women's rights"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JOiyjv9JMI
Mar 2012 -- Ice-cream
A boy and his mother looked with awe and regret - frozen - at the scoop of the ice-cream which had landed on the ground. The thoughts were as follows: The kid, holding the empty cone - darn - i am now left without an ice-cream, should I pick that up - how to separate the clean from the part that's on the ground, and the mother thinking, I just paid for an over-priced ice-cream - what should I do?I stopped the bicycle and said, go tell the shop what happened and they'll give you another one. She: really? I: ya. They went in. Sure enough they got a free replacement and happily walked out and the mother thanked me.
Mar 2012 -- Love is not shoes
Good chat with farmer Hans Peter Meier. A very typical Swiss name :) -- he said many married couples stay together because of young children but when kids grow up they separate.What happens to love? He said she found her love -- and then they fought and separated. Isn't that a shame and contradictory to love? Can not love survive attacks of thought tiger? Isn't it childish that I now am in love with you and tomorrow I'm in love not with you but someone else. Like changing shoes. It's so silly and superficial. And the structures of tradition are even sillier -- the institutions that are supposed to enforce security in relationship and continuation of conflict further add to the misery. Love is free. It can not be put in a box, institutionalized.
And J said her 15 year old daughter is giving her hell. Pain.
Mar 2012 -- Another plastic victim
Indonesia zoo giraffe dies with plastic in stomachBut an autopsy Friday found a 44-pound (20-kilogram) lump of plastic in Kliwon's stomach. The lump had a diameter of 23 inches (60 centimeters).
Warsito said Saturday the plastic appeared to be from wrapped food thrown by zoo visitors, and from garbage that had blown into his stall. Kliwon was the zoo's only giraffe.
Mar 2012 -- Image Making
Image making seems to be at the heart of psychological pain.Awareness is the key to ending of that dominant process. It's dpominant because like a good operating system the brain needs to work efficiently and does that through image making for practical matters but thought being misused and overused creeps into other areas and causes pain.
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Notes from the past:
Ks:
When I learn how to work better with a person is that an image?
- Work is practical relationship and image has right place in practical areas
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J. Krishnamurti book store on Amazon
Mar 2012 -- New published articles
Two new articles of mine are published:http://seekingalpha.com/article/374441-avanir-pharmaceuticals-limelight-on-the-horizon
http://seekingalpha.com/article/403651-avanir-addressing-the-strength-of-nuedexta-s-patents-imminent-short-squeeze
29 Feb 2012 -- "Seperation of Nader and Simin" -- the movie
Iran, "A Separation" Asghar Farhadi, directorSeperation well deserved the Oscar. One of the best movies I've ever seen. The original language conveyed much more than the sub-titles. Persian is a very affectionate language full of expressions that convey love and devotion and all those are translated in terms of target language in a practical manner - just to convey the meaning without the emotional accent / spice.
I had tears a couple of times. The most precious part of the movie, for me, was when he picked up his father from the ground - and in that urgency, he gave him a kiss. Even now I cry when I write this. Kissing father.
Father and I exchanged so many kisses. I remember ever since being a baby I was showered by kisses by him and when we reversed roles and he was old and in bed he delighted at my kisses. He had the most delicous the most sacred being. And his heart was like a child till the moment he died.
That level of affection is very much in the culture - as portrayed in Nader's devotion for his father with Alzheimer -- Simin wanted to leave saying your father has Alz and doesn't know you are his son. Nader said, but I know he's my father.
The movie was full of touching moments - as well as scenaries from life in Tehran - and portrait of the class divisions in the society, the discontentment, and the role of the sacred.
A very well done artistic endeouvor fully deserving the Oscar it just received as the best foreign film.
27 Feb 2012 -- Art of Possibilities
Another hit performance of the art of asking seemingly impossible question.. (emailed details).The Iranian girl haslightenedup the cafe with humor and joy of an otherwise dry stiff clock-style place
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- Met a doctor from Tanzania and his 3 year old -- they had a 1/2 hour to wait for train so we spoke about geography and life.
26 Feb 2012 -- Integrity
At thermal bath there were many old people and many of them looked disintegrated. There are old people who seem whole but most there didn't. I tried to not be between them. They looked unhappy, and flat out disintegrated. Was nature intended for them to get like that? Trees flowers nature even animals they don't look so aweful -- it must have something to do with the way of life -- with what they eat - or the state of mind and heart - the pursuit of pleasure perhaps or living with conflict -- I don't know -- but it makes sense that it is not the destiny of human - it's not the dictate by genetics to turn like that - but it's the way of life - so once again tradition has failed to make the majority of people age with total integrity.27 Feb 2012 -- warmth vs. wealth
Woman said she doesn't date men from the same country as hers because "they're dry". She said some older German women marry younger guys from the other country - they know it's just for the visa but they don't mind b/c they don't have other men so they figure they have a nice man for a couple of years. She said it's a mutual attraction: the poorer country is attracted to the richer -- and the richer's folks attracted to the poorer's warmth. Then there are countries that are both rich and warm -- how well they're managed is a separate question.She said men and women from another country she mentioned can be in the moment a lot more but people from here, she said, are more into continuity security and as result calculative and dry etc yet are charmed by the warmth and spontanity of the ones from warmer cultures.
Of course her generalizations are just that -- stereotypes are inaccurate inherently because there are always exceptions.
as you know knowledge will not change a person
26 Feb 2012 -- Note to a friend
as you know knowledge will not change a personit's seeing - with a quiet mind - just seeing what I am - without trying to change what I am. that seeing is magic !! it bring change naturally - without effort -
quiet mind is the key.
and if mind is not quiet - that needs to be seen too
why isn't it quiet?
what is its occupation?
to see and understand the root cause of disorder is the key to having order :)
26 Feb 2012 -- New Face of Rezamusic.com
New user interface: www.rezamusic.com26 Feb 2012 -- New Article
This was on my destop for a long time...http://tinyurl.com/7wapo3t
26 Feb 2012 -- Rebirth?
- Rebirth is true but perhaps not the way it's systematized and theorized by ideologies. I see it with bare eyes.One can be reborn out of the pool of goodness as well as the stream of suffering.
It is a mystery and it is not. The entire process is very mysterious. The evidence is very clear even to a scientific mind but can not be proved using scientific method.
I did not search for it. But it became evident on its own. There was no direction to shape perception. But huge mysteries remain and thought can not unfold it, nor does it wish to. Fish can not know land.
26 Feb 2012 -- Windows XP vs. Windows 7 vs. Mac
On a pathetic machine which evolved from spaghetti code, DOS, we're left with the legacy of Windows -- we can't complain much - the world is not perfect and thank goodness I have the ability to dig deep and deal with the many complexities and demands of maintaining a windows system as a power user. But Windows XP Professional is the best of Windows ever. Windows 7 is a huge step backwards.Some others share this view: If you love Windows XP, you'll hate Windows 7 -- http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/if-you-love-windows-xp-youll-hate-windows-7/630
Unfortunately, Win XP Pro's official end of life was October 22, 2010. So it's not possible to buy a new system now with XP. I'd rather go to Mac than to go on Win7. I have a system running Win7 and can't take it seriously. Mac is great but it's not in my life - yet.
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Windows 8 is radically different from its predecessors. The system won't even have Microsoft's familiar "Start" menu. All applications are spread across a mosaic of tiles, as part of a design Microsoft calls "Metro."
"Meanwhile, Google says more than 300 million smartphones and tablets are already running on its Android software, with another 850,000 devices getting activated each day. At that rate, another 155 million to 180 million devices could be running on Android by the time Windows 8 comes out in September or October. As it is, a version of Android is already running the second hottest-selling tablet, Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire."
25 Feb 2012 --
- New Persian worker has pumped life and humor in an otherwise dry and stiff cafe. Before they used to stand around and not even smile -- now they're laughing around -- a noticable change and the only thing that has changed is "Haja" - a half-Iranian girl who speaks Farsi with a cute accent.- It was refreshing to meet Alex and Sam and even her boyfriend. Don't worry too much about boyfriends... no need to confess: look at this paper :) -- the refreshing part was related to their age -- I am a lot younger than them but they're also young and not burdened with self imposed prisons of thought-tiger. Look at me in the eyes, would I send you junk? :) She was going out with a drummer who was very complicated. She said most people don't notice she has blue eyes. They're actually a nice jade green.
- Amazing how a bit of Southern blood pumped up the music at PV. The percussionist was awesome - no English spoken - from Ecuador - studying Jazz which is great musical education.
23 Feb 2012 -- First obesity medication got thumbs up from
VVUS doubled afterhours due to FDA ADCOM very strong vote which makes no sense actually given the poor safety profile for pregnant women and CV risks.ARNA moved up in sympathy as well. Most people think ARNA will get approved. I'm not as optimistic just due to the political influences.
18 Feb 2012 -- Anti-depressant Fraud? $11+ Billion industry -- not better than placebo
Head of Harvard Medical School dept of Placebo studies has determined SSRI's are not any better than Placebo. Not just that but they're a lot worse. They destroy. I've seen it with people I know who take SSRI's. And millions of people take them. The study found it's combination of doctor placebo and pill placebo -- when doctor says something the patient believes it and it has a placebo effect.Interview:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7399362n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox
Here's a refreshing page with several articles including: Harvard Expert Ties Mental Illness “Epidemic” to Big Pharma’s Agenda
15 Feb 2012 --
Told Swiss woman that I am very Swiss. She said you can't be very Swiss because you're talking to me in the train :)The reservedness is sometimes too much. Friend doesn't want to call A at 8 pm because ... .??? it's not sunday it's not dinner time it's not bed time. So finally called to ask the question. The world didn't end. Why? Maybe because of the closedness and reservation of culture? It's often not accepted to reach out - but when someone from outside of this style reaches out it's liked. Is 9 pm too late to call? I get calls all hours and to be a good friend I don't object.
15 Feb 2012 --
Most of my Indian friends marry when they're in their 20's.He said don't join the club, stay single and stay happy.
12 Feb 2012 -- Kids, Cell Phone, etc.
Talked to friend who has 2 little kids now.Most parents I know find little kids to be huge amount of work. He said he regrets it sometimes but once you're in it "if one foot under water or 10 feet under water it's the same".
Good talk w/ AR. A.H. died from brain tumor - AR thinks it was because of cell phone use: He was on the cell phone the whole time being a “wheeling dealing guy” – the removed the tumor – he lost some congnitive functions.
11 Feb 2012 -- Facebook Tragedy
Another Facebook disaster: Facebook "defriending" led to double murder, police say (http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-defriending-led-double-murder-police-014442236.html).NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - A Tennessee couple who "defriended" a woman on Facebook were murdered in their home by the jilted woman's father and another man, police said on Thursday. "It's the worst thing I've ever seen," Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reece said, adding he had never seen anything like it in his 27 years in law enforcement in the area. "We've had murders, but nothing like this. This is just senseless."
Talked to Laura after a long time - she also doesn't like Facebook. William also neither uses Facebook nor Google+
07 Feb
2012 -- Sugar Should Be Regulated As Toxin, Researchers Say
http://news.yahoo.com/sugar-regulated-toxin-researchers-180605186.html
A spoonful of sugar might make the medicine go down. But it also makes blood pressure and cholesterol go up, along with your risk for liver failure, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
Sugar and other sweeteners are, in fact, so toxic to the human body that they should be regulated as strictly as alcohol by governments worldwide, according to a commentary in the current issue of the journal Nature by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
05 Feb 2012 --
Total revamp of www.rezamusic.com
LOVE doesn’t die. Thought ca murder love. That’s the tragedy of our civilization.
03 Feb 2012 -- Beatles Forever
We wrote BEATLES FOREVER many years ago on school notebooks. It seems to be the case. Big music store has a new big Beatles display selling merchandise etc.
Teenager wearing Beatles. Kindergarten kids wearing Beatles. Beatlemania is alive.
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Tatoos, like ego, on even the prettiest of woman - is a show stopper.
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Before it even starts the place is full of “fog” – it’s nuts – you don’t need so much of it – just a bit for effect is enough. Smoking is not allowed so these silly people fill it with “fog”.
busted a few smokers - security is tough on them - one security guy asked me if he should kick out the repeat smoker or give him a last chance - I said give him a last chance. The smoker was happy and thanked me and apologized.
03 Feb 2012 -- Management Style
My management style is very democratic - rooted in understanding cooperation and affection joy and understanding. And it works!
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On his resume he wrote in the summary: Personal fitness, literature, whisky.
02 Feb 2012 --
Had two serious Outlook / Exchange issues which they couldn't solve despite working on it all day. Asked the guy if he's seen this before. He said they have these issues all day every day!! It was a kind of a tough day with this stream of misfortune and a period of reflection. Have had a lot of nice song ideas - sometimes nice phrases come packaged with the melody. Love can be shot at but it can get up and walk when it's seen without the filters of divisive thought and its image making. A nice song idea was a nice relief and emptying.01 Feb 2012 --
Does innocence mean naivety? Not in my book. innocence is a quality of mind which is not corrupted by thought and tradition. Tradition's key motives are conformity and security. A free mind is a threat to tradition.31 Jan 2012 -- Michael Jackson
Saw the Jackson show, Thriller -- it was very well executed but they went overkill on the smoke machine. The entire theatre was filled with smoke -- they used it indiscreetly -- I told the guy during the break - that it's like putting a whole bag of spice in a dish. A little is nice a lot is not. But nothing changed. We could really feel it in breathing but there was no choice. And those dancers do heavy exercize in that air every night. We had great seats in front center rows.
29 Jan 2012 -- Two Concerts
- I'd never even heard of Band of Skulls. Checked them out and liked the sound of 3 piece which I always have. It was heavy rock but some interesting material. The drummer like most rock drummers has no concept of dynamics and throughout played at his max volume which is very unmusical. The part that captures people the most - that spice - is the vocal harmonies. Emma Richardson has good stage presence. Angela Jaggi plays much better bass guitar. Emma played basic stuff -- had a major 1000 Watt or so amp and weak finger stroke articulation yet got a nice big sound. They both sang fairly well for a heavy metal band. Guitarist used 5 diff guitars and lots of effects and synth which is cool - I like to get a synth guitar like I wanted to before but changed my mind - but now I can see with the direction we're going it increases the possibilities. He used the same amp as me - two blond Fender Supersonic 60 plus extra cabinet. The two people I talked to also didn't know the band's name. Talked to the manager - nice guy - and got the ins and outs of different arrangements to play there. I am sure we can play there. Our product is top notch and well targeted to a wide market. Just need a really good video.
- Spinach safaron, kale salad, sprouts, cucumber salad, potato salad, eggplant salad, garbanzo salad, pea salad, macaroni salad, lentil salad, potato gratin, hummus, red quinoa salad, and so on :)
- City is very cool - so many possibilities for culture. Going back to the club after this nice meal to check it out.
- At the club met the events manager (same guy who gave us a discount), the club manager, and hung out until I had a chance to meet the booking manager who seems to be the big boss. The seed is planted. Now dream needs to come reality. This is absolutely the hottest spot in the first class city in every way - - the crows - the location - etc.
- Lara's Theme echoed the night on a wet silent night where rain was barely trying to turn into snow in the background of the horror that mankind has done to the Planet.
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Great Persian tonbak player Mohamad Reza Mortazavi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdX9k1eUqBM
- Ended up going to Mohammad Reza Mortazavi's concert. He's very good player and makes lots of exotic sounds but doesn't seem to connect to the audience. 30 minutes of Daf is too much - same basic monotone sound. So it's just as boring as I had thought. Playing approximate melodies with the drums which is pretty brilliant but after a while it doesn't hold interesting. I had a feeling it would be exactly as it is - but came anyway for other reasons too. He can imitate a Tar on a tonbak with the tremolo and all. He's creative and unique in the sounds he gets out of a drum.
- The wonder of Tonbak or Tombak is in what it was meant for - not to imitate Ravel but to play nice traditional Persian rhythms. Now he's doing that and now people are engaged.
- Friend said Mortazavi could have done that in 20 minutes and charged 1/2 the price :)
- Talked to soundman at the percussion concert - got some ideas for our video.
29 Jan 2012 --
- I do not regret not being married. 50% of cases end up in divorce which is often painful and costly and erosive to the psyche. Our of the other 50% I am sure at least 25% of couple fight sometime and some that I know live in pain but put up with it because or materialistic reasons (property) or for sake of children. I am not against marriage and there are many successful marriages but I give it a 25% rate of success. At that rate, I don't regret not having played that game.
- Her sister is having hard time with school and so on - and they've put her on psychiatric drugs !! She said she tries to help her sister get off the drugs and face challenges of life. There is a place for medication but in some cases it is abused as a crutch for someone who can walk without it.
- 2 Americans were getting off in Altstetten thinking it was the airport -- they didn't even bother to ask!! I saved them a delay.
- He asked if I have followers. I said I hope not - I don't want any followers. That would be destroying them and myself.
28 Jan 2012 -- New Research: People who give in to racism and prejudice are simply dumb,
There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.That explains a lot !!
The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults.
http://news.yahoo.com/low-iq-conservative-beliefs-linked-prejudice-180403506.html
28 Jan 2012 -- Diary
Went to a Raja Yoga center - they don't do anything for the health of the body. Just sit and recite affirmations (e.g. I am peaceful) -- but the little I is still active. In the 1st hour of a 7 hour course they teach you who you are :-)They're nice people - typical Europeans infatuated with the rich culture and tradition of East - in this case India - eating India import sweets they offered but I had to refuse (sugar) -- we had good talks. He said you must have read a lot of books.
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feeling difference (harm) of 1 day of nose spray (cortisone).
liking the strong body as result of every other day good workout - it clearly is effecting the posture in a good way.
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Disgusting:
BANGKOK (AP) — A new taste for eating elephant meat — everything from trunks to sex organs — has emerged in Thailand and could pose a new threat to the survival of the species.
"If you keep hunting elephants for this, then they'll become extinct," he said. Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals' reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess. "The poachers took away the elephants' sex organs and trunks ... for human consumption,"
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Bribes, Chinese Mob Ties Alleged at Casino of Gingrich Money Man
27 Jan 2012 - Beatles Revolution
Musicologists are right. They predict in a 100 years Beatles music is so legendary kids will sing it in school.100 years sooner, now, my sister said "in kindergarten there's Beatlemania"... Rusteen (5) came home today and said he learned the whole "Help".
What a market for our band :-)
A dream I had since I was 13 - to make a Beatles band - and then as a 3 piece - and then in top quality not like some of these other bands that murder the music. The product is there. The place is clear - market is ripe. Price is clear. Only missing piece is promotion.
27 Jan 2012 - "Selfless".
From email to friend:with regards to the "self" sometimes less is more. The self itself is the problem. It is built by thinking. When we are inwardly very quiet there is no self - there is no need for a self. There is nothing to work on or improve psychologically - just being nothing which is very powerful -- silence has tremendous power of creativity.
But our world is one of noise - internal and external - the internal noise divides - builds walls - isolates. Look at the extremely divided world as the proof. So the salvation is not more self but less self - "selfless" -- but the self is so strong that many people specially older, who are so dominated by the self as the main activity in their minds don't even understand this.
25 Jan 2012 - This & That...
Had a tiny bit of chocolate to prove I'm not a fanatic. Energy level dropped like hell a few hours later - I was dragging like wanting to die. I forgot it - looked back and asked - what did I do differently today. And only thing diff was the choco/Angelo: "suffering is much less worse than getting involved in banality."
Romney made 10's of millions of dollars in 2010 and paid only 15% tax. This is what's wrong with America.
Crazy Republican ideas: "Newt Gingrich promises to build a moon colony by 2020; make it a U.S. state". The guy is desperate.
As speaker from 1995 through 1998, Gingrich "had a new idea every minute and most of them were off the wall," Dole wrote. He said he struggled against Democrats' TV attacks in his 1996 campaign, "and in every one of them, Newt was in the ad."
22 Jan 2012 - Primitive Psychology
After 10 years they finally told him what they think he has. Meanwhile they've had him on therapy and medication for 10 years not knowing what he had !!! It's one hell of a crooked corrupt system. Even now, when I read the description of the condition and compare it with what I know of him -- and I know him quite well -- none of that description fits. So they've got it wrong and still can't tell what's wrong with him because there's nothing wrong with him! His problem is he's a very intelligent sensitive human in a brutal society which wants to make his mind dull, have him conform, and is afraid of him dropping out of the system of medications and therapists.Smoker friend said: "save me I’m dying". We're going to have a discussion on stopping smoking.
20 Jan 2012 - Facebook Depression
Research found the more people used Facebook the less happy they are. No surprise.17 Jan 2012 - Small Mindedness
The level of small mindedness of some American customer service reps is mind-boggling. We noticed this when we first went to the US. The reps we dealt with only knew their little section and totally clueless about a) the big picture b) anything outside their realm of responsibility no matter how small and focused their area, to the degree of losing common sense. Tonight talking to a rep reinforced this observation -- it's like going to bakery and asking about bread and the guy who's in charge of the oven saying sorry I just know about the oven, what's a bread?The supervisor apologized - I said please educated the guy - he wasted 20 minutes of my time by not being able to put 2 and 2 together which is so common sense and I can do it and I don't even work there.
17 Jan 2012 - Psychological Dependence
He said he popped a 100 mg of antidepressant this morning
because he wanted to have a good day and went shopping etc.
So some dependence develops -- the fact that he wanted to have a good day is
positive - it shows thise was light in his mind.
To see dependence on medication and on thisapist. He said he's going to the thisapist
on Thursday because he is not happy with his and wants to tell his that.
If I'm not happy with a hairdresser I just don't go.
For his the thisapist is like a mothis - but he doesn't like his. He prefers a
man who is strong. And the medication is also something he relies on for a
disease which is probably a non disease - no doctor has been able to say what's
wrong with his. The side effect of these drugs by themselves are enough to make
a healthy person sick.
He said how do you end psychological dependence - how do you tell your psyche
to be free from dependence. Thise is no how. Understanding is the key. To see
what you are - whatever it is that you are.
He said the drug makes the fear go away. Does it ?? The fear is also a side
effect of the drug and as long as it's not seen it stays. The medication is an
escape.
I could have escaped to night too but I didn't - I did some yoga and so on and
am feeling good.
17 Jan 2012 - Psychological Corruption
Perhaps the highest form of corruption and violation of humanity and essence of goodness is when thought enters where it does't belong and destroys love.14 Jan 2012 - 3 Piece Magic
Friday night had a jam session after a period marked by unusual pain. The new energy is solid. Performance is great joy. I give arrangement ideas to the band. I play and love drums and drums plays such a big role in the dynamics and color and texture of a 3 piece band - and to have a drummer like X who can execute anything flawlessly makes it easy and fun to share what I hear and then hear it executed. The bass is solid in hands of Angela Jaggi who's become a precise musical and amazing player, and the guitar has a lot of possibilities in a 3 piece band.From the perspective of a drummer: "You’re a real good guitar player because your timing is stable." It's that Persian thing!
- Joseph Haydn is so boring.
- Johann Nepomuk Hummel is cool.
- she was so happy she couldn't stop smiling... laughter of joy ... filled her heart
16 Jan 2012 - Kids
She said having kids is a long term commitment. You can do things after they go out (when they're 18 or so).He said: with 1 kid you have 50% free time. With
2 or more 0%.
The positive is you can play with them. The negative is you have to play with
them even if you don't want to.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRtMIu4Aa_o
14 Jan 2012 - Vicious circle
They put him on Zoloft now - it has its own set of side effects. They haven't been able to tell him what's wrong with him - which is probably nothing except for being sensitive - highly talented - highly intelligent - the society wants to dull that mind by medications and make it confused by therapists who are confused themselves. Talking to some good friends who love a person in some cases may be much better than therapists. So the new drug gives him fears - he has no reasons to be afraid - and before he takes the drug he has no fears and when he takes it it starts. So it's clear that it is the drug 's side effects that's causing the problem. He asked them if they can tell him what's wrong with him if anything and they said they can inject a radioactive contrast agent in the brain :) to see if there's anything wrong. They said it takes time for the drug to work and settle - but it's been 2 months.It's the question of faith in the system - which is ok for some conditions and not others. Another friend who's been through this said, if side effects settle real effect also settles and then the person needs higher dose. So what can a therapist do? change the medicine back to what was not working before? or up to dose to make the brain more dull. Sure, it drops some inhibitions but so do many other things - so the person can be more talkative in therapy but what is the point and use of that therapy? I'm not giving medical advice but just questioning this. How can putting someone on drugs to talk about somethings he's talked about for years already in a therapy to a likely confused therapist can help that person be free?
Insight can liberate. What's important is to know that we are strong enough to stand up to life's challenges. Part of it is cultural. Here there is a very low threshold of tolerance. Suicide rate is the best indicator. But it's an approach to life in an outwardly perfect society. A sane person here doesn't need to have any fears about physical comfort - nobody has to ever worry about sleeping in the street. That's one of the great things about this society. And if one doesn't eat meat the physical fear is not there. He appreciated tips on having todo-lists which help the mind be less restless.
I said, suicide is stupid, period. It's for stupid people. Nobody with a bit of brains would commit suicide, and would know how precious life is.
Jan 2012 -
- Changed guitar strings - good old EJ45's are perfect - the last strings were hand killers.
- Overstock's case against naked shorts got dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction in California but Patrick Byrne will fight on. More power to him, Jonathan and company.
- Avanir has had a nice run the last couple of weeks. They're building a solid business although short sellers are still denying it, but that denial will cost the shorts a lot. The short interest is still over 26 million.
- Learned about fascinating technology of Geron. Their compound works both inside and outside the brain.
- Watched a very moving movie by Annalena Fröhlich made. She's a delight and an excellent artist I've known for years.
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) increased its bid for Inhibitex Inc. (INHX) and its experimental hepatitis C drug twice in five days, raising its offer 30 percent to top an unnamed competitor, according to a filing.
9 Jan 2012 - Swiss Central Bank / Hedge Fund
BERNE (Reuters) "[The Swiss Central Bank Chairman's] Hildebrand wife Kashya, a former hedge fund trader who now runs a Zurich art gallery, bought 400,000 Swiss francs ($418,000) worth of dollars on August 15, three weeks before her husband oversaw steps to cap the rise of the safe-haven franc. She later sold the dollars at a higher rate.Shame. This is a no-go. Even if she didn't know maybe she knew something, I mean husband and wife talk, sometimes.
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US primary elections: Glad Rick Perry got just 1% of votes in NH. Loud and clear statement on how excited people are about another tough talking Texas governor (8 years of Bush catastrophe was enough). Glad Santorum had weak showing too. None of these guys are strong. Will Romney beat Obama? It depends. Hardcore Republicans don't like Romney but who cares. Obama is a much better man.
----------------
Came upon these by chance:
Ebi interview PMC 2010 Part 2
Ebi interview PMC 2010 Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMN5QVpgAtA
Persian singer Farhad is waaaaaay too depressive
Iraj – very good singer – I don’t like this type of music usually but his voice and singing ability is excellent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZeqbyL4bMs
8 Jan 2012 - The Beatles
- 5 and 7 year olds are singing Beatles and wearing Beatles shirts in school. Simply wow!!!8 Jan 2012 - Life force
- Healing is a miracle that happens. The signs of it are again clear and concrete.- Pranayama is very healthy for the body and brings happiness to the organism..
8 Jan 2012 - How Thought Murders Love
- Thinking has an amazing ability to destroy love. And in thought-based societies that is what it does all the time. So love gets murdered and gives way to calculations formulas and a mechanical approach to life with no tolerance for insecurity because thought absolutely needs security of conclusions and the known. So it decides (from the word "homicide") and murders love. An outwardly perfect society made by thought -- with every little detail figures out -- is a wonderful thing -- but when that same thought and its mechanistic ways creep into the psyche and want to define love and life which are not trams and watches, it fails. The proof of it is the high suicide rate. There is little room for flexibility, negotiation, trying to work it out, dialogue, finding a solution. Thought just axes love in the head. It also shoots life in the head -- there are so many cases of suicide around yet outward emotions are very normalized. Some of the people who kill themselves had perfectly "normal" lives - and even people close to them didn't know if anything was wrong.And then there's the whole subject of popularity and over reliance on psychiatric drugs, psychiatrists, psychologist, psychotherapist, and mental hospitals to deal with the consequence of an overly thought based education / culture / upbringing / society.
What is clearly evident is that :
a) a perfect society does not lead to happiness
b) material riches do not lead to happiness
c) thought is incapable and destructive when it comes to dealing with matters of love and relationship
8 Jan 2012 - Love Epic or Tragedy ??
He talked about the practical vs. romantic circuitry.There are many animalistic circutries in the brain. Some are necessary - about food clothing shelter. There are others which are not only unnecessary but freedom from which make a human experience life and love at a different level. This freedom requires inward maturity and growth which has nothing to do with age at all - open-mindededness - and awareness. One such circuitry in the female brain is about practicality which is translated from the animal conditioning around security for raising children into the extreme case of finding a man, with a clear plan for divorce and how much money it will yield. Most cases are not that extreme but the practical circuitry always involves the ego, the self, made from thought, and therefore it must exclude PURE love. Pure love can not operate when the practical circuitry is active. Love has its own practicality and intelligence.
8 Jan 2012 - Debate
Watched yet another debate. Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas deserves to be the last - he's so clueless but not as bad as Bush. Romney and Santorum are clearly on top. Ron Paul has some good ideas but would never make a good president. Huntsman had some good ideas but he has no chance. Gingrich is a complex politician but he has no chance. Romney will win New Hampshire.He talked about the practical vs. romantic circuitry.
7 Jan 2012 - Jam
- Jammed with P and a accordeon player. To play chords on the guitar is one of the easiest things in life - probably a monkey can also do it. To play the guitar well is skill-iin-action and one of the most challenging things in life.- Talk about Romantic fools: A
3 Jan 2012 -
- 2 year old Klaus learning words with father - so sweet - the language of a 2 year old is better than Mozart.- Some nasty dark clouds came but light of truth dispelled them.
- Late last night decided to send a New Year's Message - so composed and sent it immediately (took about an hour including mail-list management).
- He was with a negative grumpy unhealthy smoker drinker toomuch-meat-eater woman who often watches these dark crime movies and he slept 5 hours and woke up and didn't feel like getting up and was in a state of 1/2 awake 1/2 sleep. The psychiatrist said double your dose of anti-depressant, take coffee, and come for therapy. If I were in those shoes I would try to sleep more, do yoga, eat, take a nap, but anyway a day like that is usually ruined anyway in terms of tiredness so let it be so - why escape from it with medication - just sleep early and find balance next day. This is not a medical advice just idea of how I would do it. That's a relationship I would try to sell on Ricardo and take a break from - much better to be alone than with someone you don't want to have sex with because she stinks from cigarette alcohol and meat!
2 Jan 2012 - Body World
Koerperwelten in Basel is way over-rated. It was not that interesting and kind of gruesome and made my stomach churn. Not recommended. For me it was very similar to just looking at pictures in an anatomy book. The most popular spot was the erotic scene.2 Jan 2012 - New Year's Message
Dear FriendsThis is to wish you a great 2012 and all good things that the universe can bring, health, happiness, love, joy, wisdom, money and so on...
The rest is a spontaneous composition based on a spontaneous desire to send a new year greeting...
I used to write Christmas cards years ago before computers become such a dominant player in our lives. I still remember days when I did not have my own computer - first half of 1990's but by later 1990's the good old paper calendar gave its way to Outlook and the paper journals were done with Word and my handwriting kept getting worse. Now, the laptop is on from day to night and it has absorbed much of my physical possessions -- boxes full of writings, music scores, songs, photos, you know it... If I could only take a little tiny flash drive when I die :) -- the ancient Pharaohs parked a boat next to their grave in Cairo so when they come back they could ride the boat back to Aswan. All I would need upon returning is a laptop :-) (if by that time USB is still a standard :) -- just kidding because I don't believe in the whole coming back theory as we know it ...
Back to reality, as I got more busy and unconventional and digital Christmas cards gave their ways to emails sometimes but as the email list grew that also stopped and gave way to very very infrequent mailings -- it's been maybe 2 or 3 in the last 5 to 7 years depending on which list you're on. This is going to 'personal' list - a small subset - which is still 722 friends -- you see why I like to keep mailings to a minimum and absolutely essential.
This year too, I wasn't planning to send anything. I prefer to do a mass mail when I have something creative to announce... But just now decided to send something because today was a hard day and I received some new year messages which were really helpful. I find a message of love, kindness, peace, friendship and good wishes in this crazy divisive torn-up world is helpful. Forwarding a picture of my adorable niece and nephew - Tara & Rusteen.
As for a personal update, I'm in Switzerland now doing a contract for a large company as a project manager in IT -- just finished delivering a project with a virtual team of around 80 people in 10 different locations globally. It's an enjoyable position -- Project Management is 80% communications!
I'm still playing the guitar, and classical guitar specially is the biggest thrill in human experience I know (talking about thrill, after years of skiing, I've just lost interest in downhill skiing -- the thrill compared to the time investment is not worth it.
We have a nice band (see links below) -- we have a good foundation in our relationships which is the most important thing and that allows good music which has a universal source to flow. In 2011 we got a fantastic drummer, P, who's a joy to work with. Angela is playing amazing bass guitar and the three of us sing harmonies (see link below).
Love, love, love, the first phrases of "All You Need Is Love". What can I say? I have been in a "relationship" for the last four years and it's been really amazing, again in terms of foundation and quality -- "nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky" to quote the band, Kansas -- there is no permanency in anything -- we are fleeting moments -- and specially love, it can not be put in a box and secured -- it can be cherished and appreciated -- it is so real but it can't be seen -- its expression can be seen but itself is the background - it embraces everything - and can be seen only with the eyes of eternity.
My father passed away last year. He is still very much alive because love doesn't die. He was an angel - and his love lives in my heart and he rides on my shoulder (but I don't have to buy two tickets :) -- we were very close -- the father and I are one - we loved the same love and dreamed the same dream -- but he was a mountain and I am a grain of sand in comparison to his greatness affection gentleness and wisdom (poetic application of our conditioning to compare).
As for personal projects I have some things in the works - a circular around Jiddu Krishnamurti's work is brewing for the last 9 months on very low priority basis. I have enough material for 2 more CD's and might do some recording when the 9-month winter is over! I also like to write a book about a cyber law case I litigated as a Plaintiff -- a very interesting account of what a dangerous place internet is, and how I dealt with some abusers.
As for stock tips, in 2012 AVNR may do really well. Here's some info I put together www.avnr.info
It's been some years so I hope you'll excuse this group mail.
Love and good wishes, and thank you for yours.
1 Jan 2012 - Guitar Joy
Playing guitar gave one so much joy. Far more than can ever be possible on ski slopes. Quit skiing early because it seemed so stupid - majority of the time on the lift and then only a part of the time coming down gives true joy -- maybe 10 or 20% max of the whole time. With guitar it's like 99% joy.The majestic glaciers are precious - they're not to be disturbed and warmed by these heavy equipment and skiers and manipulation of the mountains (gunning avalanches etc.).
Barrios was so great - I love playing his stuff - though he's criticized by some purists because he used elements of pop and folk music in his classical compositions.
It was nice Remo trusted me with the forgotten passes - didn't betray his trust and returned the 2 day passes -- sold 2 others at discount and sold my day card for a discount as a 1/2 day card - win-win situation all around. I think I'm done with skiing for a long time if not forever. This idea has been brewing for some time. Today it got 100% confirmation. It's just not worth the time and risk and hastle. I can get so much more joy fromi playing the guitar. So thought, skiing is for those who don't play classical guitar :-)
It's interesting that on special occasion when thought shouldn't go where it doesn't belong the brain itself hurts - certain spots - as though rejecting an out of purpose use.
31 Dec 2012 - New Movie: Addiction Incorporated
- First good news of 2012 came with the movie : "Addiction Incorporated" -- a great revelation into the inside world of criminals who run a business out of getting young people hooked. They conciously decided for more addictiveness vs. less harm. They want their targets to be addicted so they spend money buying something that makes them unhappy and kills them a slow painful death. A must see movie for every smoker and non smoker and every government official who has a pro-smoking sympathy.28 Dec 2011 - Price of Certainty
In this neck of woods where the psyche is supposed to work like the perfect outer world of trams and watches the price people are willing for certainty is as high as death itself. It is not uncommon for some to want to know when they will die - that knowing has great benefit for them because they have not learned to live with insecurity -- everything imaginable is insured -- and suicide is the ultimate price for security. Suicide rate is high here even among those who are outwardly seemingly are stable and settled but inwardly there is chaos and this educational system like most in the world says nothing about how to deal with inner crisis. It teaches you to treat yourself like a tram and a watch - in perfect order - and hpooing from one base of certainty to another - hardly every not knowing - having stuff planned years ahead of time...It's perfect as long as it works perfectly but it's isolating and separative as hell because it's all thought-based and thought is limited and so divisive. So it leads to isolation and realities made in isolation without much room for direct communication or fact checks which could shatter those realities. But images can easily shatter when fact checked and then there's a rush into certainty in the form of conclusions which are further isolating.
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Lai Chi wrote a nice mail and at the end said:
take care and
Walk In Beauty, Truth & Peace
Dec 2011 -- Hedge Funds & Congress in Bed !
This is incredible but is true. "Congressmen aren’t the only ones trading on their inside info. A lucrative practice has sprung up in Washington, in which hedge funds and other investors pay handsomely for private meetings with top lawmakers or their aides, who give them an early scoop on market-moving news, the Wall Street Journal reports."
http://www.newser.com/story/135792/lawmakers-give-inside-info-to-big-investors-legally.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204844504577100260349084878.html
http://moneymorning.com/2011/12/23/congress-handing-out-stock-tips-to-hedge-fund-managers/
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article32292.html
Dec 2011 - Ugly Politics
- Rick Perry takes a big shift in his morality about abortion after watching a DVD and talking to a woman for a few minutes. What a timing - his poll numbers are hurting badly in Iowa - I think people see through him and think we don't need another tough talking cowboy Texas Governer as President -- Bush runied the world during his 8 years.- "Newt Gingrich says he has killed a chapter on climate change in a post-election book of essays about the environment". Talk about politicians going with the the way the wind blows.
- Kent Sorenson, Bachmann’s
- Ron Paul seem to Republicans what Ralph Nader was to Dem's. Imagine the world if Gore had won in 2000 !! We would be living in a MUCH better world no doubt.
- Santorum is scary and the most closed minded fanatic of the bunch and looks kind of constipated. John Stewart made a really funny remark about his picture.
Dec 2011
Time will not make anything that's pushed under the carpet to go away.Updated : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Reza_Ganjavi_Quotes.html
People paid GW Bush $15M to speak since he left the Presidency office. Unbelievable !!
"SAC Capital May Have Lost $196 Million on Paper in Dendreon Stock Plunge".Let's call it karma!
26 Dec 2011 - News
The news is pathetic. If Plato had internet he's be even more depressed at the end of his life reading all these horrible news. Humanity has clearly not evolved psychologically a bit. Last night's news was about Moslems killing Christians in Nigeria, and Shiehts and Sunnis killing each other in Iraq. The fight is totally tribal. One tribe vs. another tribe. And the one sub-tribe vs. another sub-tribe. The root of this is directly in the thinking mind of human. Thinking which is divisive because it is limited because it's rooted in past experience which is limited and identification is the way the self which in itself built from memory gives itself continuity... long story and the story has been told many times by the few but who is to listen?26 Dec 2011 - K Osho etc.
New article:http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/K_Osho_UG_etc.html
25 Dec 2011 - Helping Hand
This is the kind of email I like to receive every day :)Dear Reza,
I would like to thank you for helping me make the best decision I ever made in my life. Normally I never send emails like this, but you have no idea how much you've done for me.
I have been a smoker for about six years. It was taking me down, day by day. You've probably heard this before, but smoking really destroys a person. After a while, you stop caring about your health, money, career, it's a downwards spiral.
I stumbled upon a video of yours on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtHwvCVuoV4) which for me was a real eye-opener. I've been smoke-free now for about 2 months and living healthy, thanks to your view on life and the ability to bring it across.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Dec 2011 - Finally
"The trader agreed to pay more than $2 million to settle the
SEC’s charges.
Dec 2011 - Beatles Breakup
John Lennon thinks Maxwell's Silver Hammer was responsible for Beatles Breakup. He sat through 3 days of Macca redoing the vocals and by the end John says he hated Macca.Dec 2011 -
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/friedrich_interview.html
Restaurant on the slope has main dishes that run around 50 to 180 bucks !! No thanks. Munching on organic spice wrapped cheese sprouts and seeds did the job.
Dec 2011 - Swiss Diversity
French Swiss regions teach high German in school so most can't speak Swiss German.
Close Swiss friend says "I hate talking high German - I either talk swiss German or English"
Dec 2011 - Energy
Debra said she drinks energy drink because she needs energy. What energy? Caffeine stimulation. If energy is not wasted we have much of it. Remember as a kid how much energy you had? She did.Can we live without any chemical stimulation?
Dec 2011 - New Angelo Gilardino Book
Collection of easy studies: http://www.edizionicurci.it/printed-music/scheda.asp?id=3132#ancora_topCan't be ordered by internet but they take orders through email info @ edizionicurci.it
Dec 2011 - Jefferies, Hudge Funds, Journalists, Distortion
More stuff on Jefferies... they have 400 hedge fund customers... and journalist distorts their "report". Surprise?!
Dec 2011 - Potential Nuedexta Uses
Potential Nuedexta uses: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/avanirinfo.html#Nuedexta_applications18 Dec 2011 - Another debate
Watched the presidential elections out of curiosity and because it's both educational and entertaining. They all have good and bad ideas. Some impressions from the last debate:
- Gingrich - I don't like him - he has a smartass answer for everything and a good handle on issues but I don't trust him at all, don't have regards for his ethics and morality. Most if not all are anti-environment, pro-nukes, so I don't like any of them.
- Romney - Competent in certain areas, moderate and pragmatic but too lightweight for the job.
- Ron Paul - too idealistic - but a genuine honest and good man I could trust. He is right on in saying a country can not be strong unless it is economically strong.
- Santorum - I don't like him at all - he looks yobs (constipated).
- Bachman - Better than Palin but she has no chance.
- Rick Perry - glad he's losing. It's not enough to be a tough talking guy from Texas. After Bush's miserable 8 years I doubt another Texas governor will be in the White House for a loooong time.
- Huntsman - is an effective manager and has good qualities - one of the more decent ones but he has no chance. He is coming across stronger than expected.
So which one will win the Republican nomination? Hard to say. I don't like any of them. If I had to guess I guess Romney will win the primaries.
Dec 2011 - Freedom from glasses and contacts
- Her eyes are completely healed from the chain of glasses and contacts. It worked. Natural eye care works. Here's yet another account of it. She saw fuzzy for a while but put away the glasses and now she even doesn't wear them at work and has near perfect eye sight. Viva Dr. Bates.11 Dec 2011 - New Page
www.avnr.infoDec 2011 - Tips
Physiotherapist tips:The body tries to operate at optimum energy efficiency. But if something is out of whack it compensates. So a muscle knot could last forever if not treated and other parts of the back compensate for it (e.g. a knot may develop in the neck). He said no-one can explain trigger points.
If there's pain during the exercize and it gets worse or it stays when you let go/come down - then it's bad - stop or lighten. if pain gets better or is released when you let go/come down then it's ok.
8 Dec 2011 - Too late for remorse
- Blagojevich gets 14 years in prison for corruption -- I am happy about this sentence because it's yet another case of a criminal, an uncivil person, who thinks he's above the law, breaks the law, and then thinks he can manipulate justice (by arguing his innocence) and get away with it - and then once found guilty he becomes remorseful. I've seen a number of such cases in uncivil people I've had to deal with in my own life, specially in cyber space where people think they can "get away with murder". My dad had a lot of stories on this subject. Arrogant bullies and criminals who became remorseful sorrow asses after getting caught.- Watching the interview between good old Barbara Walters and Bashar al-Assad was very disturbing. His denial of the torture and killings is unbelievable.
4 Dec 2011 - Office 2010 Disaster
Outlook 2010 is a total disaster so are the rest of Microsoft Office 2010 applications. Upgrades should be upgrades not downgrades. Microsoft seems to have gone out of its way to make these apps more difficult, less user friendly, and a dog to use.
- Their idea of having a good time and a party was drinking. He said he had at least 15 beers. How stupid!!3 Dec 2011 - Armik
A taste of Googoosh’s great band in pre-revolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzSKmUyAzUo
3 Dec 2011 - Expensive Suisse
"food inThe main reason for this is not a lack of competition – “this increased significantly following the arrival of the German discounters” – but the small size of the market (lower purchasing volumes), market foreclosure for agricultural products (customs duty and quotas) and technical barriers to trade (declaration requirements).
“Consumer behaviour in
2 Dec 2011 - Suppressed Women
Referring to a Steve Jobs' quote in an email circulated with the subject "Steve Jobs and Ashrams" and "The Most Ancient Marketing", a friend wrote from India:
"This technique seems to work with most women too. The more you 'bash' them, the more their devotion towards you."
Reza Ganjavi's Response:
Reading this line invoked ancient echoes in my mind, ideas that have been ringing since childhood when I saw any form of inequality.
Women have been suppressed throughout history by men who are weaker sexually (in terms of endurance), are possessive, jealous, and have viewed women as an object to be owned. In the East and the West it's the same story just to different degrees. In Switzerland, one of the oldest democracies, women were not allowed to vote until 1970's, no not 1570's but 1970's! The rest of the world, we know the story already.
This is a long chapter which I have previously written about but in summary, women should have all the human rights a man has and no less. One of the subtle things I observed at an early age and have written about before is that a free woman does not need to shout for freedom, she can live and think and act and feel as a free human, a human, not a man or a woman, first. The main challenge is to live without an image, of others as well as of oneself, and other's of one, and so on... , which means not expecting different treatment due to gender -- just like a "foreigner" who doesn't go around having an image of himself as a foreigner, and therefore is not treated as one. In societies where laws are discriminatory that's a different, unfortunate, story.
Now coming back to S's comments about "bashing" women leading to devotion, the first comment is, no, that is wrong, a man should never "bash", suppress, or otherwise coerce a woman for any purpose. Secondly, if a man like a woman who is more devoted to him as a result of such "bashing", that man has psychological problems. Thirdly, the quality of that kind of relationship is not what I ever want to have.
In the old days, in high school in New York, we used to observe that the jerks got the nicest women. How do you explain that? Guys who were treating girls bad were getting the nicer ones, so there is some truth to what S is saying but as man human, I never want such devotion which is based on friction. I learned as I grew older that there are mature women (independent of age) who appreciate being treated right, just, equitably, lovingly, and that brings a quality of devotion which is rooted in love and not coercion.
1 Dec 2011 - Rezangela, the band
This is how I feel about the band:"How come the Mac group produced Mac and the people at IBM produced the PCjr? We think the Mac will sell zillions,
but we didn’t build Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to
judge whether it was great or not. We weren’t going to go out and do market research.
We just wanted to build the best thing we could build."
-- Steve Jobs, Feb.1985
30 Nov 2011 - Analyst Reiteration on AVNR
Canaccord Genuity reiterates a 'Buy' on Avanir Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AVNR) price target of $6.00.Canaccord analyst, Ritu Baral, said, "Reiterate rating and price target on Nuedexta steady growth, ultimate commercial potential. Nuedexta is AVNR’s drug for pseudobulbar affect, emotional lability seen with stroke, traumatic brain injury and other neurodegenerative disorders. Launch has been modest but steady, and we see new positive trends in long-term care use. We estimate peak annual sales of $350M US and $300M EU."
current price: 2.45
A neurologist's comments: http://search.messages.yahoo.com/search?.mbintl=finance&q=draryeh
29 Nov 2011 - Loss for the "conservatives" in Switzerland.
- SVP (Swiss People's Party) which represents the most closed minded section of society, lost big in the elections.- Michael Hermann: I think they overestimated their position. We had this initiative about foreign criminals and they misinterpreted this success as a success for the party, but it was only a success for the issue. There are those who think that the People’s Party brings up a lot of important issues but they don’t think this party – with this style – should rule the country. I think a lot of people have had enough of this polarisation and this aggressive style of politics. ... it was a big majority of people who didn’t vote for the SVP... That’s problematic because the People’s Party always pushes the strong argument that they have the people on their side..
Nov 2011 - Avanir's Nuedexta
A doctor posted this about Nuedexta: "I'm very impressed by its effect on anger/agitation/irritibility; also of course effectiveness on some but not all neuropathic pain, mostly in MS but still seeing how it treats non-MS neuropathic pain (i don't personally see many diabetic pain patients); I've seen it have antidepressant properties in some. Overall, i've seen many cases where several meds could be reduced or stopped and also, as posted, several of my own experiences of failed SSRI's.........so in that sense, the "multiple treatment" is an effect of coming off the unwarranted SSRI with all its side effects. Just heard from a nursing home that a patient i started last week "has totally stopped crying", importantly, this patient suffered cardiac arrest post heart transplant (so has post anoxic/ischemic encephalopathy)."Check out this audio : Another life changed for the better: http://www.healthradio.net/component/mtree/Health-Radio-Shows/Dr-2E-House-3A--Living-with-and-Beyond-Disability/What-Is-The-Pseudobulbar-Affect-3F-45823/details
http://www.healthradio.net/component/mtree/Health-Radio-Shows/Dr-2E-House-3A--Living-with-and-Beyond-Disability/Living-with-Pseudobulbar-Affect-45833/details
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Jefferies Sends Out Huge Letter Claiming One Hedge Fund Is Spreading Lies About It
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-11-21/wall_street/30424416_1_jefferies-mf-global-financial-crisis
Jefferies out of all companies claiming that IT is being attacked by hedge funds !!! I guess "gahi zin be poshto gahi posht be zin"
28 Nov 2011 - Big rebound for Avanir
- AVNR up 55 cents. 27.5% in one day after hitting low of 1.98 on Friday. Weekly prescriptions showed a solid growth. And one loud short said he covered.- She loved the eggplant coconut dish. From a dream to the table. It was delicious. Added it to recipes on rezamusic.com
Nov 2011 - Dr. Anklin
I had an accident for which I went to Dr. Bernhard Anklin in Zurich. It was a SUVA case. One day Dr. Anklin told me that SUVA had contacted him and they have said he should bring me back to the point of before the accident and then finish the therapy. This is exactly what he said. In fact on the same day he referred me to physiotherapy (let alone it was for the wrong indication). On that same day I faxed him and confirmed it that this is what you told me today. I did this because he's so incredibly busy. He sees patients for a few minutes - in and out - and often a big line waiting - great business and more power to him but he's sometimes done things that appeared to me to be guess work - for example a jaw adjustment which left me worse. He used to be really good - 10 or more years ago. Even when the therapies don't work, I don't have a problem with it necessarily but the statement he made from SUVA was flat out false. SUVA denied having had any contact with him in that period (I have this in writing) or having said anything to him to that effect so as far as I can tell he just made that up - which led to me continue therapy (I could have found a cheaper alternative if I knew SUVA is not covering this) and then I was liable for 1000 francs - which I paid anyway but I asked him to take some responsibility for the misleading false statement but he did not take any responsibility for it - zilch !! A lawyer told me I had a good chance of winning if I fought it and recommended I don't pay the bill but I paid it anyway because I believe legal fights should be avoided.I wrote to the Swiss Chiropractic association but that was completely useless. They were clueless. This is from my response to their response: "You are completely missing or ignoring the issue of misrepresentation. The point is not whether I could have taken legal action against SUVA or not. The point is an ethical issues of mis-representing SUVA's position. And then taking no responsibility for it."
Nov 2011 - This & That
- She said people in Finland are generally quiet and shy. I find quietness beautiful and simplicity virtuous.- They said 10% of artists of a big label carry 90% of the artists. Big labels are not good any more at building artists as CD sales have dropped and they burn artists very fast. To have an album every 3 to 4 years is normal - now artists are forced to put out a record once a year - and it all sounds the same.
- Watched the GOP debate - Romney came out a clear winner. Gingrich was second - he is polished but he's too political / seemingly cunning. Rick Perry screwed up again. Jim Cramer is a complete waste of life - a clown and an unethical pig.
- many people look for outward changes in order to compensate for lack of inner change.
- Glad I'm not on Facebook:
" Facebook said Wednesday that it has stopped most of the spam that has flooded many users' pages with pictures showing graphic sex and violence. The social-networking company urged its 800 million-plus users to remain vigilant to keep their accounts from being hijacked."
- Swiss suicide rate is high. Just heard of 3 suicides in small village where her uncle lives - 3 men in same family hung themselves at different times - no explanation given but suspicion is around economic stress etc...? who knows... -- A friend just said, "Lara said 2 weeks ago her neighbour shot himself in the forest - he was in a party the day before and was joking - crazy - so crazy."
- Before they were introduced to toxic financiers. Now “we’re being introduced to new people who tend to focus on distressed [companies] or special circumstances,’’ Capp said. “We hope to bring in new capital to reorganize.’’Here's the funniest part: after running the company to the ground with his "optimism", "Beacon Power chief executive Bill Capp said he remains optimistic about his firm’s ability to attract new investment and emerge from bankruptcy as a reorganized company." That's one hell of a ineffective management. The track record speaks for itself.
- Casa Natura in Oerlikon, 8050 Zurich - the lady said the (overpriced) dates with walnuts in them are bio (organic). But they're not. I said where does it say? She said they're bio because I say so. But they're not. She misrepresented the product by Sun Snack 9430.
Oct 2011 - There are judges and there are judges
My father, a great man and a great judge renowned for his fairness, compassion, and competence, never raised his hands on us.Then we get this Texan judge, Judge William Adams from Aransas County, who beat his disabled daughter, Hillary Adams, into submission in the most cruel manner. She held on to the video for 7 years before publishing it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2056582/Judge-William-Adams-beats-disabled-daughter-Hillary-16-YouTube-video.html
http://www.suntimes.com/news/8579187-418/cops-probe-texas-judge-seen-beating-daughter-in-youtube-video.html
http://www.freep.com/article/20111103/NEWS07/111103003/Police-investigate-Texas-judge-over-video-beating
and the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayPsf5GUs34
Oct 2011 - Penny Lane & Strawberry Fields
Met 4 year old twins from Liverpool with their mom. Full of energy. They know The Beatles.Being in Penny Lane brought tears to my eyes. The great music that was inspired by recalling childhood in this local neighbourhood minutes to where John Lennon went to school.There is a barber there but the guy said there was no barber there back then. There was a bank there - and the fire station is not far away - it's all like a fairy tail around what is important, the music.
Strawberry fields has a new gate - color of strawberry - 4 guys had hopped the fence and were shouting gibberish -- they were drinking in there and were about to leave when we came. They were holding on to what they called is Norwegian Wood. The place definitely has the same melancholic feeling of the song.
Liverpoo's only vegetarian restaurant (in proper English it's a cafe not restaurant), is The Egg - a very cool place - Turkish owner - very loud at night - wonderful food although I am highly skeptical of the cashier saying most things are organic - I think most things probably are not. And they use unhealthy aluminum take away boxes, use sugared maple syrup, etc. - the pancakes are yummy - overdosed on buttery honey soaked pancakes just before the train.
We had a nice performance last night in Liverpool.
In Scouse (
Lots of Polish people working in UK - asked one to say something - she said sonething :) - very typical and cute - reminds of my days in Poland.
.
Ship workers are mostly from Latvia and Poland. They work 2 months - 4 times a day between UK and Ireland and go home for 1 month and repeat. Total 8 months of work per year and they get for sea time.
Playing the guitar almost the entire 3.x hours, I don't feel sick but most others are. Even 1 minute on the laptop makes the stomach turn. I wonder how work out will be like. Lots of complements poured in for the music.
The cabins are used mostly by truck drivers and most of the cargo are trucks.
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Aer Lingus drama - the unfriendly woman said guitar doesn't fit - you have to buy a seat for it. It's never a problem but they gave a hard time. She tagged it. It's your responsibility if it breaks. She said no. This is how you treat musicians - a country that boasts about love for music. Then one of the cargo guys came and said, ok, take it, if it doesn't fit we check it in. Took it in the cabin - the hostess was nice and said if no room about put it next to you since you have a window seat. And it worked out.
To be a non drinker is a strange ordeal in a place where Guiness is the god for some.
The big Romanian busker band which has not even collected enough money for a meal for the whole troop that they were (2 percussion guitar 3 accordeon horn section tamborine and a useless old drunk who danced and not even nicely) -- we felt affection for them -- people were not supportive of them and preferred a free show.
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hearing on Beatles radio: "Gerry Marsden and friends - ferry cross the mersey - in my life" -- a terrible version of In My Life. Poor Lennon.
Oct 2011 - This & That
She did not watch much TV till she was around 20. As a child she didn't watch cartoons and other things her friends watched on TV. Her friends who watched TV were afraid to go out even between houses as it got a little dark but she had no fear. She thinks the reason was TV was influencing the kids in a bad way."We have enough to be comfortable" she said and "there's no reason for war". "In the old days people fought to have the comfort they didn't have". War is so stupid. It is not a way to gain a solution. "How well a country runs is not as important as whether it has peace of not" she said.
Saw picture of slaves - on their chests letters were written which added to "merry christmas". In their faces there was rage and pain while the brutal white bosses sat there in their tyrannical way. Slavery was a very dark chapter in human existence.
"Welcome to our cold bus stop" we welcomed the bus.
In Liverpool we saw a bunch of women who were in outfits typically worm by prostitutes but they didn't seem to be prostitutes -- who knows.
Only in Texas: some gun teacher ran an ad refusing to teach people who voted for Obama and Moslems.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/ad-gun-training-bars-muslims-obama-voters-153954962.html
- Tex Mex restaurant Badenerstr 503 Zurich run by an Indian guy - so stingy - he charged 5 Francs for an empty plate and the rationale was he didn't charge us for tap water (which is free in every restaurant in Zurich).
28 Oct 2011 - Wall Street Protesters
The Wall Street Protesters and their supporters around the world have some valid point but such protest is not the way to do something about it. First they have to propose a system that makes more sense. I am not a pro-capitalist but you go to an American owned hotel and compared it with any other hotel in the same catergory. The quality of the service and product is noticeably superior. Customer service in the US vs. the rest of the world is incomparable. There are positive aspects to this system and there are injustices as well. The main problem with Capitalism is my opinion is corruption in the financial market. People should be lobbying for a stronger regulation and so many rules that can be put in place to reduce corruption (e.g. require a pre-borrow in short selling) and the relationships of big hedge fund managers with members of congress should be examined.The clueless Republican candidates who shout about less regulation are promoting the exact opposite of what is needed. The religious fanatics are being played just like they were in Rove/Bush/Cheney era to vote for more corruption (i.e. less regulation) to help big business. So people need to get themselves educated before they vote and lobby their congresspeople to demand and end to corruption in financial markets. So getting educated is more fundamental than shouting in the streets.
1 Dec 2011 - UBS Fined over improper short sales
It's about time FINRA did something.Probably "tens of millions" of orders improper - FINRA
* "Naked" short sales a concern, more FINRA cases expected
Oct 25 (Reuters) - In the largest penalty of its type, Swiss bank UBS AG was fined $12 million by a U.S. brokerage regulator over its "systemic" failure to properly handle millions of short-sale orders.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said violations by the bank's UBS Securities LLC broker-dealer unit caused the orders to be mismarked or filled without reasonable grounds to believe the underlying securities could be located.
FINRA said UBS's violations lasted from 2005 to 2010, and that the bank likely processed "tens of millions" of short sale orders for equities and exchange-traded funds improperly.
FINRA said UBS violated Regulation SHO...
Oct 2011 - New Supported Charity
"Kind und Krebs" (Children & Cancer)- As a singer, she gets warm energy from public but cold energy from judges.
Oct 2011 - New decadent fashion: leggings
In their latest contribution to decadence, fashion designers are promoting stockings (called leggings) worn as pants -- like walking around just with stockings and no pants. Some women wear super mini skirts which are 1/2 the size of the 70's mini skirts (which they would not have worn without the leggings because it would not be socially acceptable as 1/2 of their behind would be exposed) on top which doesn't help the vulgarity a bit. Leggings with a longer skirt can be very elegant. A fat woman I met wore this new fashion which was disgusting to look at -- and even for thinner women I have yet to see one which doesn't look cheap wearing this new fashion. The underlying motive is attractiveness not knowing that a) attraction is at a much deeper level - e.g., in lack of ego, and b) some women who wear exposing clothes are looking for something, a partner, and so for a fulfilled woman to dress so cheaply it is even more strange.I also saw a middle age woman wearing this new outfit with the leggings and half her bottom sticking out and then partly covered by a ultra-mini-skirt which she would not have worn without the legging. It was extremely cheap looking.
The previous title of this entry was social disease in a sick society - but I toned it down.
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H was wearing these long boots that maybe with her outfit, D said these are "F me boots" :)
20 Oct 2011 - Gaddafi Died
Another dictator got dug out of a hole and killed. Who's Next?16 Oct 2011 - Lily Afshar
- I listened to some of Dr. Lily Affshar, the Persian-American classical guitar professor, after a long time, and I really like her sound - it's one of the warmest and nicest sounds you hear these days among classical guitar players. She's an amazing player and a good teacher - I was at one of her master classes a long time ago. Check out her site www.lilyafshar.com12 Oct 2011 - Shame
- A very disturbing and shameful news was released for the Iranian community. An Iranian-American person is accused of plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US along with others present in a restaurant. The hitman was a DEA informant. What a vulgar criminal and uncivil act. And how shameful that an Iranian is involved in it.Oct 2011 - Rick Perry -- a Replay of Bush Disaster, And Cain isn't much better...
- Rick Perry is scary. He keeps talking about energy industry., Big Oil!!! Another Texas Governor has no chance no matter how much the Exxons want it. Nobody wants a stupid macho president. One was too many (George Bush, the man who ruined the world - anyone remembers the economic prosperity before Bush?). Perry winning means continuing Bush's disaster.- Rick Perry was under fire Friday after Texas was accused of censorship for deleting references to climate change and sea-level rise from an environmental report.
He has come under increasing scrutiny for his battles with scientists over issues of climate change as well as his thoughts on evolution.
...The planned third edition of the "State of Galveston Bay," a 200-page report that the state's environmental agency commissioned a Houston research center to complete. But the scientists who wrote the report have accused the agency for deleting references to climate change, human impact on the environment and sea-level rise. "It's censorship,"
- "Gov. Rick Perry likes to say the best way to promote economic growth is to reduce regulation. When it comes to the environment, Perry has made Texas one of the most industry-friendly states in the nation. Perry has cut funding for clean air programs and sued the Environmental Protection Agency to avoid enforcing laws to make the air cleaner. As part of his Republican presidential campaign, he routinely blasts the White House for tightening environmental standards."
And Cain isn't much better. He keeps reciting his "9 9 9" Mantra but here are the facts:
- "The 9-9-9 plan would translate into a tax cut for almost 71 percent of Americans with cash income between $200,000 and $500,000, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center in Washington that was built around the assumption that the 2001 and 2003 federal tax cuts will be extended permanently. About 95 percent of Americans with income between $30,000 and $40,000 would pay more in taxes under Cain’s plan, the analysis said, while about 95 percent of Americans with income exceeding $1 million would receive a tax cut."
11 Oct 2011 - Salvation
Made a radical move towards salvation.And at same time second cousin wrote a lovely email:
Dear Reza
I have, after many months, finally got round to watching your film with Baba. I just wanted to say 'Thankyou' for emailing it to me - I really enjoyed watching it and learned a lot I didn't know about my grandfather. It is a wonderful thing for the family to have.
I hope you are well. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you at [X]'s in the Summer but I hope I will see you soon.
Love
10 Oct 2011 - Facebook
I don't use Facebook because I don't need to tell the world what I ate today :)8 Oct 2011 - Value of life
Mom recalled: Manna used to say, in days when having 100 toman meant a person was rich and they’d put name his alley “kucheye 100 Tomani” (here is house of someone who has 100 toman), manna’s mother used to say, “joon mesghali 1000 toman miarzeh (life/health, is worth 1000 toman per mesgha) – and even then if you go with that kind of money no grocer has it for sale.- Padilla, a bull torturer criminal got his face ripped by a bull and lost an eye. More on the story on http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/misc_jokes_funny_sad_stories.html
- People regularly die from walking on rail lines (a stupid thing to do). He saw one case and it was not pretty. Sometimes the train comes from a direction you don't expect.
Sep 2011 -
- Just singing one note while walking when the woman was approaching with her bike - she smiled: Schone, Schone. Amazing how responsive the Swiss are to nice sound / music.- My website is made out of around 2630 files.
- His smoking girlfriend quit smoking and is drinking less, after he's been hanging out with us.
- Always look at what is else you're trying to make what is what it is not based on what has been or what should be. [logged]
- In United States of America v. Oracle Corp., 07- cv-00529, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria). -- Oracle Corp. (ORCL) agreed to pay $199.5 million plus interest for failing to meet contractual obligations to the federal General Services Administration, the U.S. Justice Department said. It resolves claims that Oracle didn’t provide complete information about its best prices.
Sep 2011 - Thought Love
Thought pushes love right out. Things of the mind when applied to relationships ruin it. Love is not a machine and it has no cause therefore can not be controlled, formed, shaped, put in frameworks or restricted.
A retranslation of Confucius: A mediocre person marvels at the extraordinary. An extraordinary person marvels at the ordinary.
Sep 2011 - Bullfighting is no sport
Catalonia ended the cruel practice of bull fighting and the coward matadors there are out of work. Ordinary people who see the scenes of torture of the bull and the matador who prides himself of being a torturer and killer, think it is cruel. But is it that different from killing animals for food. Slaughter is slaughter. The cow waiting in line in slaughterhouse sees and smells and feels death. There is no such thing as uncruel killing. Killing is killing.
Viva Catalonia.
Sep 2011 - Swiss Pirate Party is Fundamentally Flawed.
I read in the news that the "Pirate Party" is expecting to do well in the upcoming elections. I like to share with you why this political party is hypocritical, out of touch, and fundamentally flawed:1) The Swiss Pirate Party arrogantly and falsely claims to be representing the "digital generation". The majority of "digital generation" would oppose this party if they understood that this party is a joke.
2) These "me me" pirates whose open sea is hiding behind a screen, claim to stand for "Protecting and improving personal privacy, personal control of private data, and data security". Yet, these hypocritical hackers support Julian Assange and his Wikileaks in exactly opposite to their own charter of privacy, data security, and confidentiality. Some members of Pirate Parties around the world engage in attacking websites of private individuals like me, and government organizations, and anyone who is against their mission to leak confidential information. That is a breach of privacy which these punks supposedly stand for. Check out this headline: "Julian Assange: 'I am – like all hackers – a little bit autistic' The thrill of getting into top-secret websites quickly became addictive for Julian Assange. Here he describes all-night hacking sessions, a cat-and-mouse game with a computer administrator and the arrival of the police..." Now let's talk about protection of privacy guys.
3) They have some vague, obscure, ideological arguments around reforming the intellectual property rights but no sound argument.
4) They want governments to use open source software. Come on grow up guys. What does it matter if the Swiss Federal Government use MS Office or Star Office? That is the decision of each government's own IT department and not the business of a political party.
5) They promote "free access to knowledge and culture for all", again, some nice sounding ideological jargon which violates the intellectual property rights of authors of works of knowledge and culture because some hackers want to have that work for free.
Sep 2011 - Debate
The full Republican debate from a couple of days ago. Again, Perry & Bachmann are dangerous. Romney has a chance. Paul is most sensible.Gingrich is too political. The others have no chance. My guess is, Romney will win this round and run against Obama. I will not count out the idea of Democrats choosing another candidate than Obama.Sep 2011 - Flawed SEC
Representative Spencer Bachus, the Alabama Republican who leads the House Financial Services Committee which will hold today’s hearing, said last month that the SEC “is structurally flawed and suffers from operational inefficiencies and organizational incoherence.”Sep 2011 - Is Sarah Palin a Fraud?
McGinniss, who spent four months living in Wasilla, Alaska, in a rented house next to Palin's, said he interviewed approximately 200 of Palin's former associates, acquaintances and friends for the 318 page tell-all. The book includes a number of bombshell claims that have already stirred wide attention, including a report that Palin snorted cocaine, and slept with former University of Michigan basketball star Glen Rice while she was a sports reporter at a local Alaskan television station."An utter fraud," McGinniss said of the former Alaskan governor. "An absolute and utter fraud."
McGinniss continued: "At best, she is a hypocrite. At worst, she is a vindictive hypocrite. The thing that I found that really surprised me was that the people who know her best like her least."
23 Sep 2011 - Night Out
A night out after a long time despite being under the weather - the movement (walking) etc. helps. Met PH and we went together - both had to make a visit to the Apotheke, The bad district was too bad to be in but the band was playing there. So many junkies and unhappy people trying to find happiness in drugs, alcohol, paid sex, or money.The "band" - duo of aa good drummer and some freak "playing some drum pads and pressing some computer button and dramatic body moves. Lasted 60 seconds there.
The ticket was from a different direction but it was longer so can go the streight way and though 1 was 1st and 1 was 2nd he said ok to be in 1st b/c was nice...
He had some sort of a bossy incompetent egotistic confused woman singer trying to boss him around.
She's flying back tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing her.
Moeri the cat died. She was old and had a dignified life in a good home. The last night she was allowed to sleep in the bed of H. And before they take her to doctor to get her killed b/c she had cancer and could not breath - she went by A and U's room and meowed.
His girlfriend has stopped smoking and is drinking less alcohol after he was influenced by us.
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Silvercorp Files Lawsuit in New York Against Stock Manipulation Scheme
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Silvercorp-Files-Lawsuit-New-iw-2108794570.html?x=0
Sep 2011 - Music
All the tabs of Age Yerooz Beri Safar by Faramarz Aslani which are on the internet are wrong. I made a corrected version - if interested, email me.Beatles have some junk songs - specially McCartney, e.g., Why don't we do it in the road. (though I like the guitar part).
Beatles Radio: http://www.beatlesradio.com/contactus.aspx Collective Soul rendition of Jealous Guy is terrible. This Beatles radio also plays Bowie's Fame which has nothing to do with Beatles. It played some interesting stuff but had to turn if off -- radio means constant noise.
Other songs I don't like
Long & Winding Road - it's way over orchestrated against the Beatles wish.
Sep 2011 - Republican Presidential Debate
I watched it for entertainment, in fact it's interesting to hear the ideas of this so called "conservative" party which has been the most reckless and ruined the US (8 years of disasterous Bush presidency).Ron Paul is alright but he has zero chance. Romney probably has the best chance but even he's a disaster. The worst among them is Texas Governor Perry. After Bush's disaster the country will never see a Texas governor again as President. The Utah guy (Huntsman) is ok despite reminding me of Bill Capp whom I don't trust. Ron Paul is the most intelligent and best among them but he's too idealist. Bachmann is disaster.
I think Democrats should have another candidate because Obama stands to lose. Clinton has a better chance. Today I read something I predicted 3 years ago: "Poll: A third of Americans believe Clinton would’ve been a better president". Obama is too roockie and he won the votes by hype. Hope and change is pure hype and I've always said that. We have too many examples of disasters around the world where just desire for change put people in a bigger hole.
Sep 10 2011 - Beatles News
Cool site: http://www.beatlesnews.com/Beatles are number 1 again : http://www.thebeatles.com/#/news/The_Beatles_1_now_on_iTunes
Sep 2011 - Fedex Switzerland
Fedex Switzerland was so clueless. Sent the guitar back. Called them immediately. They said no problem, send the invoice back. I did immediately.End result - lots of discussion - I had all paperwork - and had to pay a lot anyway to customs for an item I don't have!!
Fedex customer service in Switzerland is centuries ahead of US -- typical. Customer is wrong by default -- typical.
11 Sep 10 2011 - Churchbell Torture
In Switzerland it's a crime to sleep past 9:15 am on Sunday morning -- at least it's so around where I live -- because if you commit that sin you're tortured by 15 minutes of incessant church bells ringing at a mega decibel to make sure you're not enjoying your sin of sleeping in Sunday morning after a week of hard work. Thank you God. Or is it men of God who feel obliged to give themselves continuity and impose their existence on the community. If it is an invitation, a call to come to church, why is it so bloody imposing and long. You can send a gently invitation and let it go -- would you go outside someone's house with a powerful PA and shout for 15 minutes: you are invited? Or put your finger on the bell and keep it down and not let it go in order to tell them, you're invited to come to my place. Something is fundamentally wrong with this.
And if they didn't manage to get you at 9:15 they start again an hour later and ring forever.
And now Mr. Frogman is blasting music at 9:30 Sunday morning.
Here comes the torture bells again at 10:55 -- it's the third time today.
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RESPONSE FROM KARL:
> Hi Reza,
> In respones to your comment about bell ringing. where i live the church bell only rings to tell the time
> and occasionally when there is a wedding or something. In italy i heard the church bells a lot more often ,like a kind of call to come to church and it went on a lot longer, but it did,nt bother me. Sunday morning is the traditional christian service time , so they must feel a duty to let you know .But do you think
> there is some sort of imposition by the religion to obligate us to go to it? also churches are now charging people to go in or they � suggest “ a donation of say £4 .Its ridiculous when you think of it and the wealth some of these religions have , popes living in palaces etc. and bishops to. I,m not denying that some people benefit greatly from the support of a church , and it can work in a community sense. but i wonder do we really need some artificial man made entity to tell us about God. it helped me what krishnamurti said about this , where he mentioned resistance and why we resist anything. i think he said listen to a sound for instance a dog barking and listen completely without resistance. i think that helped a lot with me. thanks Reza and all the best.
> regards
> karl
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- News came that Tony Matosich, friend from Ithaca High School, photographer has died.
- Baden is suddenly full of beautiful women. It's very noticeable. Why? Fantoche festival has attracted people from all over the place here. I volunteered there a few years ago but it was generally nonsense. Maybe 9 out of 10 movies were just nonsense.
- Tribute to Frank Gibson: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/frankgibson.html
- 19 year old who spent a year in Texas likes The Beatles - has the Beatles One album and would go to a show.
Sep 10 2011 - Right Place of Thought
wrote:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/disorder.html
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- played guitar by the river - the new high tension strings are too difficult to play - I don't like them - were trying them - (HT basses normal trebles).
- Saw 1 year old oriental girl who just learned how to walk... perfect directions... still working on keeping balance...
- Migro's: "your satisfaction or money back". This is a revolution in CH and a far cry from days when if you wanted to return a defective item you were treated like a criminal. This is the good part of competition.
- Saw Domi - he's in Calif a lot - what are you doing? he named several parties he helps organize...!!
- Nice walk.
- Full moon - it explains it.
- Interesting video of Tehran in 1977
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlr7h0eDUVA
- Video of commercials in Iran from 1969 to 1978
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jixk21hxXx8
Sep 2011
- Looking for old friend Dr. Professor Brij Khare but I can't.
- Talk with Peter Raitt after years!!!
- Celebrating the completion of the project. On time and within budget. We received praise from very senior management including the CIO. Regular use of nasal steroid is damaging to people - I can see it in people who use it. Ate nice organic olive bread and honey in the train (late night desperation food but it was very yummy).
- Republican debate where they all want government to not regulate and let loose lobbyists and big pharma and big tobacco and wall street wolves. 8 years of that was enough to ruin the US. At least, chances of getting someone as dumb as Bush is almost zero. The moderator said:
- Texas ranks last among those who have completed high school.
- There are only 8 other states with more living in poverty
- No other state has more living at or below minimum wage.
3 Sep 2011
- She's 10 months old and was forced woken up by the hostess to fasten her seat belt. Whaling cries. I made a suggestion to the parents that helped. They're from Afghanestan, speak Persian, but with a thick, cute accent. The flight is full. It was a last minute decision to go. The classical guitar got some attention -- it was healing and comforting. Intense day of work - a big system we worked on for months is now in production - big accomplishment for the team I led - some 80 people in 10 different locations globally.- A 2.5 year old is sitting in front - we played some Da-lli now she's checking out the 10 month old and like 2 dogs who meet they're getting aquanited by looks. The 2.5 year old has a pacifier that is very important to her. Both kids look unhappy. Is the blank tablet there? Are they born out of and into the stream?
- They've been divorced for 21 years but still his death has devastated her.
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Mariah Carey and Luciano Pavarotti - Hero -- her voice and singing technique are inferior. she's also not listening to the master, just doing her own thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsvYT8QZRjE&NR=1
1 Sep 2011
- He said she's the clumsiest person he'd known. There's a clean desk policy so she throws everything in the drawer including the credit card she couldn't find. Nice person but very disorderly and very loud.- 80% of IT projects are late and overbudget or flat out fail. Part of success has to do with orderliness.
- Recovered from a hard disk crash within a day.
28 August 2011
- Ironing there was meditation - awareness of thought movement, root of it - limited movement in time and knowns - images - stopped - and after being aware of it all - and insight - disorder turned to - Ironing there was meditation - awareness of thought movement, root of it - limited movement in time and knowns - images - stopped - and after being aware of it all - and insight - disorder turned to order and brain quietened naturally.
- Went heads on with www.rezatv.com and embedded all the videos so they play. Big job but it's done. See the new www.rezaTV.com
27 August 2011
- Spent a long time on getting Youtube to work off html and it didn't. Built another site - and threw it away - back to old www.rezatv.com but added instructions in case links don't work.- A few days of warmth gave way to the dominating Swiss winter again in the middle of August.
- Worked without pay just to stay on top.
- She's been in a veg-state for 6 months. Doctors have given up hope.
- AZ Tone played. As usual way too loud. Tinkabelle was special guest. The whole thing is musically inferior. There was also a beauty pageant by bus company. Not a single pretty girl there. Music and looks were suffering but nature was booming with cold cozy feeling and loveliness of greenery.
26 August 2011 - Beatles
16 year old girl said she loved the Beatles. Amazing.. Last week I met 2 guys - both teenagers who were wearing Beatles / Lennon T shirts.She likes a variety of things but she said she doesn't like rap.
A sign of where things are going.
20 August 2011 - Lake
Had to work today - unexpectedly - got a sms this morning that we need to have a call. Migration issue. Lined up people. It was mission impossible given the compliance requirements and the amount of work we had to get done in a day but went through analysis, code change, testing, SIT, UAT, and got someone to approve the changes.Then to ZH w/ the band - played at the main station - people loved it - but smoke was intolerable. To lake - despite the terrible sound of the Fender Ampcans, better call them Trashcans, people loved what we did. Got a lot of complements.
20 August 2011 - Rick Perry
How can Americans even think of Rick Perry after the disaster Bush was. Another closed minded fundamentalist Texan in Whitehouse will seal destruction of the legacy of the American dream forever -- a job which started by Bush's stupidity together with the cunningness of Chaney & the gang.16 August 2011 - New Site
Band's new website (thanks to Angela's efforts)www.rezangela.com
14 August 2011 - Frank Passed Away
Frank, we miss you. I could not imagine the day I'd write this but death and life go hand in hand and the important thing is to live a good life which you did. Frank, you are not gone. Your love is in our hearts and the hearts of all those your laughter and joy, love and wisdom touched.
Frank was not my driver's ed teacher - I learned driving from my dad when I was 11, but after moving to the US, Tom and I became best friends and the Gibsons embraced me as member of their family. I never forget their love and caring for a 16 year old emigrant.
Frank was a joy. He was a light to himself and those around him. His great sense of humor was rooted in the joy he felt inside. He was a happy man. And truly happy people are rare in this world.
My deep condolences to Tom, his mom, bother, sister, and Michele, Katie, Kelly, and Kerry.
Love never dies.
Reza Ganjavi
www.rezamusic.com
-----------------
Second note:
August 19, 2011
Frank was a great man. I already wrote an entry here. What other people wrote about him is so beautiful that reading them brought tears of joy and love to my eyes and heart.
I lost my dad last year and Frank and him were very similar in some ways. They also died at the same age.
(this is a page about my dad: http://tinyurl.com/2wllf47).
Frank loved. He loved the students, he loved people, he loved life. I did a class mailing and glad more people got to express their love for him here.
Love never dies
Reza
14 August 2011 - Singing
She said she's blocked from singing.- Part of the block is not you, it's cultural. How many swiss people do you know who walk in the street and sing?
- Nobody.
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Bachmann is so clueless – she advocated the catastrophic step of US defaulting on its debt (she said debt ceiling should not have been raised). Why are some of these Republican leaders so utterly stupid? I am not a Democrat and I don’t belong to any party anywhere in the world but stupidity among Democratic leaders is much less intense.
-----------
she said it's not bad (the security) - it means it's bad (the Harlem hotel).
13 August 2011 - Beatles Power
We met 18 year old girl on bus who saw our outfits and said she loved the Beatles - so does her friend who's crazy about the Beatles.Magic! I think Beatles will outlast Beethoven and Bach ;-)
August 2011 - Obama should not re-run for the sake of the world
Imagine for a moment any of those Republicans running the superpower! Obama will lose to anybody. Democrats need a new candidate.Here's a good discussion:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/democrats-cool-to-a-primary-challenger-against-obama/2011/07/11/gIQANh2Y8I_blog.html
6 August 2011 - Playing in Marcel's birthday
We played for 4 hours (excluding breaks) - total time there was 7 hours including setup. We didn't play a single song twice. They loved it - we received a lot of complements -- and very important ones that reflect our view of our advantage is actually perceived and meets user demand.After 4 hours of non repetitious music they still clapped to have us play more :)
--------
www.filenet-reunion.com updated.
Gosh, have not heard this for ages: "Go-Go's - Turn To You". They're so 80's -- totally. I don't miss the 80's. Our lips are sealed is a good song, probably their only good song.
6 August 2011 - UK Violence
"Local pharmacist Dipak Shah told the BBC he and his brother had barricaded themselves in their shop after 15 youths smashed the window and tried to break in. "It was very threatening. It felt as though they could have actually killed or maimed somebody," he said. Politicians and police blamed the violence on criminal thugs but residents attributed it to local tensions and anger over hardship. Police said 26 officers had been injured as rioters bombarded them with missiles and bottles, looted buildings including banks, shops and council offices, and torched three patrol cars near Tottenham police station."Violnece in UK youths is nothing new. This is just an opportunity for that deep rooted violence and vulgarity to come out. It seems that it is part of the culture and society in some ways. I've always seen this. One person kicked and broke my guitar. Another one, almost wanted to kill me for saying nothing significant. And there are many tales of fights and deep rooted anger in the UK. So in a way these events are not too surprising. The hooligans at the football games is another example.
I've observed certain other cultures like India and Iran and this inner anger is much less prevalent.
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he said there are a lot of haves and have nots in the UK - big class divide. money is tight for many - suppression - parent anger if his contract suspended - "people tend to give anger to people they love the most" - many people in UK live near poverty line.
August 2011 - The Market
Warren Buffett, America’s most revered investor, says the nation’s credit score is still sterling in his eyes. Barring other shocks like a new problem in Europe, the S&P downgrade shouldn’t make a whit of difference, he says.
“Think about it. The U.S., to my knowledge, owes no money in currency other than the U.S. dollar, which it can print at will,” Buffett told a media outlet in wake of the S&P downgrade.
US AAA rated companies: Microsoft, Exxon Mobil, Johnson & Johnson and Automatic Data Processing.
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I don't like China a bit. But here's an interesting quote:
"The U.S. government has to come to terms with the painful fact that the good old days when it could just borrow its way out of messes of its own making are finally gone," China's official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary.
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But any losses might be short-lived. The threat of a downgrade is likely already reflected in the plunge in stocks this week, said Harvey Neiman, a portfolio manager of the Neiman Large Cap Value Fund.
"Investors have voted and are saying the U.S. is going to pay them," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. "U.S. Treasurys are still the gold standard."
expenditure: Bush: 5.07 trillion -- Obama 1.44 trillion [source: unverified]
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Asia tanked, futures are down, many believe Tea Party (the fanatic arm of the Republican party) had influenced the S&P decision: "Axelrod calls the action, in his words, "a tea party downgrade" and says it's clearly on the backs of lawmakers who were willing to see the country default to get their way."
Anyway, S&P itself doesn't have much credibility. “There is no reason to take Friday’s downgrade of America seriously,” Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman said in a New York Times column. “These are the last people whose judgment we should trust.”
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"They've handled themselves very poorly. And they've shown a stunning lack of knowledge about the basic U.S. fiscal budget math," Geithner said in his first public comments about the credit rating decision
July 2011 - Gathering
I feel love and good wishes for the gathering. Not there, but I know how beautiful the mountains and the air can be. People can be complicated. But love is ever so powerful. Rain is in the forecast but unlike last year it's not deadly cold in August. I am not going because I have no time for it - and neither really the inclination to see some of the complicated ego trips there. I sent Gisele an email wishing her well. Only because I felt love. If I had to think about it, and the lies, it'd be different. But I had the mountains and the air in mind.----------
On news it talked about millions meditating. And interviewed one artist who said, to meditate:
sit quietly
bring attention to breath
when mind goes away bring it back to paying attention to breath.
Bloomberg:
"Birinyi, whose Westport, Connecticut- based research firm Birinyi Associates Inc. sees the bull market in U.S. equities lasting until 2013, based upon the length of prior advances. Investors who sell after the S&P 500’s 6.8 percent loss since July 22 will miss out, he said in a telephone interview yesterday. Biggs, managing partner and co-founder of Traxis Partners LP, said U.S. stocks have become a “strong buy.” S&P 500 futures climbed 0.3 percent at 7:57 a.m. in New York today."
July 2011 - London The Ripoff City
Tony Blair's famous statement is so true.British Rail tells tourists that the normal train from Gatwick to London is 45 minutes and the Gatwick Express which they charge almost double for, is 30 minutes. Fact is the normal train which we took takes 30 minutes -- we took 2 different services on the way and back and they both take 30 minutes. So Gatwick Express is expressly designed to rip off innocent tourists.Shame on British Rail.
We had first row seats on both EasyJet "DifficultJet" flights. Had our pre-soaked cereal which I carried in my pocket at the restricted section using a glass and spoon but the waiters, all of whom being foreigners, didn't care after a plea of patience :)
Driving in UK was a nightmare -- these little streets and poorly designed roundabouts. A few times we had to make adventurous maneuvers to get back on the path :)
There's something about UK which I live. I don't know what it is. Afterall it's the birthplace of the Gods of Music: The Beatles.
---------
Philip Hammond
Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge
Secretary of State for Transport
Tel: 01784 453544
55, Cherry Orchard, Staines, Middlesex,
England, TW18 2DQ
Right Honourable Philip Hammond:
Your Gatwick Express is a ripoff.
We were told by at least 2 British Rail staff that
it's much faster but it was only a few minutes faster at double the
price of the normal train. Shame! Your system I suppose tries to take
advantage of naive tourists who believe the recommendation of your staff
and pay double to save a few minutes. We were lied to about the time
savings and were cheated.
Regards
Reza Ganjavi
<contact details>
-----------------
Dear Reza,
The British railway system is the biggest rip off in Europe. We have the most expensive and complicated rail fares in Europe. It was a much better and fairly priced system when it was nationalised.
---------------------------------
later I got a response from them - a babbling letter.
My response to them:
Hello. Thanks for the reply which is just a justification for a criminal attitude. We don't only feel cheated. we feel insulted, ripped off, and scammed by British Rail. Your system is designed to cheat tourists. How could your staff who advised us, i.e., ticket counter and information counter at Gatwick not know this scam? Why did none of them tell us that for paying double we get to save a few nominal minutes. Shame.
July 2011 - The Beatles: The Gods of Music
I broke into tears at Abbey Road. After 40 years people still come, every day, all day, to take pictures crossing the famous cross walk that The Gods of Music walked. It's a pilgrimage, not of fanaticism but of love.We met two Korean girls whose pilgrimage was taking them to Liverpool. We met people of all ages from all over the world there. It was very touching.
At the party we played young people, teenagers were moved with this music too. Beatles Music is confirmed as Classics and will never die. You don't need a symphony orchestra to interpret it. You need Rezangela, the hottest Beatles Tribute Band. We don't wear the same customs or play the same brand of guitars, but we're true to the spirit.
July 2011 - Roundabouts
Perhaps I never drove in the UK before -- I drove left handed in South Africa.UK driving is a nightmare. The roads are designed so stupidly with all these "Roundabouts". A major road is broken off by these circles "roundabouts" which connect roads instead of having bridges, proper exists, or stop signs for smaller junctions.
And they have all these roads which is a one way lane designed for 2 ways so it's extremely dangerous to drive on because the oncoming traffic can hit you if you just stay in your own half of the road.
The party was great. Discovered new cousins. And they loved the singing.
The Brits there criticized the Tea Party fanatic bigots, and how common people are fooled into believing what the rich people want is good for them. Republicans are experts at abusing people's lack of education. Rove & Bush were experts at this - well not Bush - he was too stupid to be a expert at anything - but Rove was a cunning animal and expert in using fear to get common low educated people support his agenda , using God and fear as excuses.
July 2011 - Credit
If you think the Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner is bad, what do you say to those hardcore tea party idiots who are against him ?!
AllianceBernstein: “If the only change between today and tomorrow is a credit-rating downgrade, history suggests that the market won’t react severely,”
Fitch: “Over the near-to-medium term, in a moderate downgrade scenario (e.g., to AA), U.S. Treasuries would likely retain their standing as the benchmark security that anchors global fixed-income markets, given their unparalleled liquidity, unique role in the financial system, strong credit profile, and lack of a viable alternative,”
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"Shortly before the House vote, ratings agency Moody's signaled it probably will not downgrade the United States' triple-A credit rating immediately, even if there is no deal to raise the debt ceiling, but a cut could come in the medium term.
Rival ratings agency Standard & Poor's has warned it could cut the rating soon if there is no deal to address the underlying budget problems, a move which could push up U.S. borrowing costs and further hobble the weak economic recovery."
July 2011 - Idiot Republicans in Congress
Moody's cut Greece's credit rating further into junk territory on Monday and said it was almost certain to slap a default tag on its debt as a result of a new EU rescue package.Republican Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee talked 10 minutes and said pure nonsense. All he said was that he is a bit optimistic. He can't even speak correct English: "Let's don't let this opportunity pass by."
Where were these Republican bozos when Bush was wasting so much money rushing to a war in Iraq that cost billions and many lives?
Here comes another bozo: Republican Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama, also talking nonsense, things everybody knows, and again, totally forgetting why the deficit went up so much: because Bush destroyed a healthy economy. He's so clueless it's no funny. He keeps talking about reducing spending but surely doesn't understand macroeconomics. And he forgets "the disasterous debt course we're on" was the action of Bush & his gang. This bozo can't speak proper phrasing -- his ideas get cut off like Bush's. Wasted too many brain cells like Bushy? Now he's attacking Obama. These idiots are risking ruining the world economy by their stupidity.
In contrast, Senator Kerry spoke -- and my God, he made sense, he was sensible, articulate, intelligent, rational , clear.
July 2011 - Village People
- One night and day in the village can do the being magic. Can go out and pick raspberries and blueberries. Best blueberries drop on the floor when they're ready. Their nest is protected from birds with a green net. Rolling fields of many colors to every direction. By dusk light separates the trees from the fields in a magical contrast. Long sleep helped the body and brain and nerves tremendously.
- Village kids are so simple and unfearful -- there's something special about them vs. city kids -- they reflect the incredible natural beauty they see and breath and wake up to every day. We passed by a group of kids who were amusing over a flat bicycle tire. They talked to us without the fears that shadow city people who live in crowded dwellings and inhale toxins and see cars instead of fields of green.
- Nice to spend energy on music. went through 500 top songs and chose which we want to play. Our list is now 200 songs. Many of which we already know.
25 July 2011 -
Woke up to the bad news that idiot Republican Congresspeople are still holding up budget talks. They are trying to undermine Obama and save money for super rich, but being idiots they don't understand that even speculation of a default for the world's largest debtor can make the entire world financial system jittery and hurt their own well being too."The irony of the situation at the moment, with markets opening tomorrow morning, is that the biggest threat to the world financial system comes from a few right-wing nutters in the American congress rather than the euro zone," British Business Secretary Vince Cable. Nutters or nutcases indeed they are.
But playing Carcassi and Bach in the early morning bus and a few yoga postures at the station in the small village brought goodness and beauty.
Monday morning smokers polluting themselves and the bus stations, must be in so much misery -- must be -- it's a physical law.
24 July 2011 - Norway Tragedy
In Norway "Police arrived at an island massacre about an hour and a half after a gunman first opened fire"In Switzerland it's the same -- very slow response.
In California, for a stolen wallet police arrived withing 5 minutes and already had the guy arrested !!
The killer in Norway is a devout Christian - a fundamentalist which is a polite way of saying a fanatic. Same movement as fanatics of every other religion and political party and spiritual organization which tyrannize others.
"Researchers also doubt Breivik's claim that he is part of a wider far-right network of anti-Islam "crusaders," seeing them as empty bragging by a psychopathic fantasist who has written that exaggeration is a way to sow confusion among investigators. ... Norway has felt a widening sense of relief that 32-year-old Breivik seems to have been alone in his drive to protect Europe from "cultural Marxism" and a "Muslim invasion" by striking at Norway's ruling Labour Party."
22 July 2011 -
Found a Blackberry smart phone on the train - the conductor was appreciative. I put myself in the owner's shoes and how happy s/he will be to find it. The Swiss train lost and found system is impeccable. He will have his device, if he bothers to file a report, in a couple of days.21 July 2011 -
Another very intense day at work.Estimating is an art which many are afraid of.
P went to the US - security caught him because his deodorant has aluminum! Told him where he can buy healthy kind. Angela and I enjoy hanging out with P -- we have a fun time together with lots of laughter. The core of the band is friendship. This special spirit communicates itself.
Sometimes people come with off the wall stuff from the corners of their image making mind in order to impose on you their illusion but if you don't take it and kindly point it out, if they're decent, they'll get it and get off your case.
Against the law, neighbour started construction work before 7 am. I filmed them and will report them, They have no consideration for people's early morning peace.
20 July 2011 - Tech & Internet
Techies can dive deep in detail till the cows come home. One of the key roles of a good project manager is to direct the discussions, ask good questions, and bring the discussion to a productive level.Internet has become everything I ever dreaded about TV (which made me not want to have one around) -- a waste of time.
17 July 2011 - Virtue of Quietness
Dear X:It's perfectly ok to be quiet.
The challenge is: can we live without any images of ourselves and images of other people's images of us etc. ?
It's a great challenge to put to work, to investigate, in daily life. It requires understanding what images are made of: which is thoughts.
To be internally quiet is to not have any image.
Then it's ok to sit there among all these highly educated highly intelligent people who have been in university for 15+ years, and be quiet - to listen - not just to outer conversations but also to inner ones - and if something comes up one can say something, else, to be quiet. Not everyone speaks only through words. Some are better at expressing in writing, some through an instrument, some in more than one way, but in any case, lack of sound, silence, is golden. It is something that's missing in this world. So never think that just because you're in a crowd and are quiet, that you're boring. If someone calls you shy, it's just them speaking small talk -- that's all they can say to a quiet person -- but it's never bad or a shame to be quiet. To sit there, smiling, enjoying the moment, watching things, hearing things, seeing the extra-ordinary in the ordinary, there can be a different dimension that a mind that's always occupied can never come about.
17 July 2011 - Financial Safehaven : US? EU? CH?
US has the biggest amount of treasuries in the world. EU is going through serious questions with Spain and Italy threatening the fundamentals of its currency. CH is the safest but too small for demands of China and Russia for investment grade bonds. US remains the top pick in terms of investment climate according to many economists. Corporate profits are healthy, and it remains a hub of innovation and fruition of dreams.
17 July 2011 - Another Major Republican Screwup (to put it politely)
Extract from an excellent article in the NY Times :
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/16/business/budget-cuts-to-sec-reduce-its-effectiveness.html?_r=1&hp
'the Republican-controlled appropriations committee cut the Securities and Exchange Commission’s fiscal 2012 budget request by $222.5 million, to $1.19 billion... even though the S.E.C.’s responsibilities were vastly expanded under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act...The report stressed, “With the federal debt exceeding $14 trillion, the committee is committed to reducing the cost and size of government.” [anotherwords we let criminals get away with it because government should be smaller so Wall Street can prosper at expense of Main Street] ... the S.E.C. isn’t financed by tax revenue, but rather by fees levied on those it regulates, which include all the big securities firms. A little-noticed provision in Dodd-Frank mandates that those fees can’t exceed the S.E.C.’s budget. So cutting its requested budget by $222.5 million saves Wall Street the same amount, and means regulated firms will pay $136 million less in fiscal 2012 than they did the previous year, the S.E.C. projects. [great! more favors for Wall Street by Republicans]. ... Last year the S.E.C. turned over $2.2 billion to victims of financial wrongdoing and paid hundreds of millions more to the Treasury, helping to reduce the deficit.'
An S.E.C. memo: “We may be forced to decline to prosecute certain persons who violate the law; settle cases on terms we might otherwise not prefer; name fewer defendants in a given action; restrict the types of investigative techniques employed; or conclude investigations earlier than we otherwise would.”
17 July 2011 - Tell Me Republican Lawmakers Are Not Evil
They cut the budget of the most important police agency in the world, the SEC, based on premise that it helps the budget deficit which is an absolutely wrong premise. And they want to stop phasing out energy inefficient light bulbs."An amendment to the bill would allow companies to make and sell old 100-watt light bulbs after January 1, when they are scheduled to be phased out. Republicans had previously tried and failed to overturn a 2007 law requiring light bulbs to be more energy efficient starting next year."
17 July 2011 -
- Dalaman airport was soooo "Turkish" - security lets you take water inside but not a volleyball. They wanted to keep the ball but we checked it in. The taxi was too early so we had a lot of time and played volleyball and football in the airport :) -- in Istanbul taking water in the plane is not allowed but in Dalaman it's ok - but in Istanbul, she said, honey is not allowed. But we had honey and they didn't see it. How can you screen for just honey ? :-)- She was surprised that I guessed her age right - 22 - she does all her communications with sms and facebook and only uses email for school.
- Both ways the flight had to wait looooong time in Istanbul. "Our parking spot is taken by another flight" !
- We met a group of wonderful people who came to the wedding from Canada - mostly psychiatrist and neurologists. And we had really good discussions about the brain etc.
- The concert Thursday night was a big success. Got lots of complements. On Friday I had to work the whole day because of the project's demands. And wasted energy discussing unnecessary things with a colleague who's stuck on some past images. My personal values is that i don't escalate things unless it's absolutely necessary and even then usually with knowledge of the party involved. Some other people escalate every little thing -- it all seems to be means to self perpetuation. I assumed certain roles will just work itself out - and am still hopeful - because I didn't want to demand for a role to be defined half way through the project - but it confuses my team sometimes and is sometimes counter productive - they get new inaccurate info in an already turbulent environment and it costs me more energy to smoothen things out. Many organizations spend a lot of money of many things but not enough money on training their people on some interpersonal basics, like, it is not ok to escalate things unnecessarily, that it is important to move on and see what-is instead of being stuck in what was, that if a person is not inside a project and not seeing all the interactions and dynamics they have to be tentative in judging things. I don't report micro-level and am perfectly capable of setting priorities and deciding on things being inside the project. Another common error in many IT organizations is to solution too early. As a veteran analyst I am always wary of user saying do it this way - and I was in this case too where user relationship manager says do it this way: use this technology to solve this problem. I did mention but did not insist since there was no space for that, that we need to first understand the issue and then decide what technology (if any) is needed. It turns out that the best solution is not the one we were told to use because it's too expensive, unnecessary, and overkill. Nevertheless, we had a good meeting, it is my policy to alway move forward, swim forward, and am open to all suggestions, right and wrong, and pick up what's good, leave the rest behind, and see people as they are right there and then. This is something that is missing in many organizations, and it is a critical element of good dynamic fresh effective relationships. I do my part. I'm just there to get the job done. I have no interest in power play, and I don't need to be somebody.
Organizations should offer courses on relationship skills and teach their employees things that are often not taught in schools or homes. The important of not making images for psychological matters, etc.
12 July 2011 -
- Cognitive dissonance is the leading cause of aging and distress. Understanding what-is is essential to freedom from what-is.- When you have a strong morphic connection with someone even after they die that connection is there. If a person does not end cravings and desires and any thought based urges while they're alive, that goes on after they die no matter how good they are. In fact the good part perhaps does not continue and merges with the infinite pool of good. But the cravings and desire part might continue. If there is a strong morphic connection with a loved one, they may be able to work it off. If not what? Does it go on? Does it attempt to manifest to work out? Does it just join the stream of craving?
10 July 2011 - Facebook
I really dislike Facebook - it's too unstructured and unnecessarily complicated and I don't like the idea of some geeks or whomever controlling your social networking infrastructure.
Here are some interesting quotes:
George Clooney reportedly once remarked that he would rather have a prostate exam on live television by a guy with very cold hands than have a Facebook page.
Jesse Eisenber: “I have to talk about myself all the time... and don’t want to go home and write about the breakfast I tried to eat.”
Aaron Sorkin thinks people use Facebook mostly to talk about what they ate.: “I don’t have that much to share, and when I do, I’ll call somebody and say I had a good cupcake today.”
10 July 2011 - Talk, Music
Finally had a chance to call a few friends I've wanted to call for a long time but hadn't the chance.Good talk with Dr. Christian about Aristotle and Plato's logic. What a delight...
Amazing – Ringo doesn’t play any fills in all of "Things We Said Today". It has a special effect.
Ringo was a great drummer. What him and George added to the Lennon McCartney lineup was very much part of what made them great.
10 July 2011 - Exposé of another Wall Street Snake
http://www.exposeadam.com
“Adam Feuerstein wouldn’t know good science if it bit him in the ass" - Dr. William A. Carter
The Truth About Adam Feuerstein:
http://vfcsstockhouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/truth-about-adam-feuerstein.html
10 July 2011 - New Videos of Dad's Memorial Service
Lots of new videos about dad, his memorial, and other friends and relatives in Tehran:http://www.youtube.com/Ganjavi3My speech -- I was the last person to talk, and by then it was getting late and I tried to keep it short. I wrote this speech just before going on stage -- I had ideas and notes from before but cleaned them up and compiled this, as the gist of what I wanted to say, quickly during other speakers' talks because I had no time before. The event was very well organized - we worked hard at it and though there was some drama internally before, I kept moving forward in the present and not got stuck psychologically in the past, and others did the same and we had a good cooperation and the event was stellar. People really enjoyed it. It wasn't a morbid boring event that these Saal events usually are.
I had insisted that the first speaker who charged something like $600 for saying some generic stuff that had nothing to do with dad, and promoting sorrow or what not, to finish earlier - but he kept going (he was only invited to cater to tradition by mom who felt it would be necessary) - and the event got to be later than expected so I cut my speech very short. But I had a lot more to say...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJAXMqmAwns Here's a fun one took during goodbyes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DvMbNDZGiU This one is by Mr. Jandaghi, the head of the Iranian National Bar Association - and old friend of dad, and his Vice President, Mr. Mostofi, and one of the court administrators. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysX_9pvx3II And Amu Khosro, Dr. Mehrkhast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQP4WWNtrGY . And there are other ones on that channel too.
- Leaving Tehran the passport control guy gave me a hard time for not having married yet "why aren't you married yet". I really wanted to tell him it's none of his business but peacefully let it be.
10 July 2011 - Abuse of Krishnamurti's name
This year the KFT sent a notice about the Murren gathering which I could show proof that at times has nothing to do with Krishnamurti. At least KFT called it "K inspired gathering". Kinfonet however, in their sloppy reckless way as ever call it a "Krishnamurti Gathering".There are people who are doing around K what he dreaded, in my opinion. They forget that K broke away from chains.
10 July 2011 - Swiss
70% liquidation sale - shoes was 220 fcs originally. After 70% reduction I got it at the same price I could normally get it in the US !!The cast system is strong in Switzerland - very hierarchical society - not defined as such like in India but still. You're either smart or stupid. That's the first categorization :)
A great society though, no doubt.
10 July 2011 - Voice & confidence
you should also teach me what you've learned...a good teacher helps deliver results you need.
you can get feedback from another musician for free instead of paying for it. A good teacher teaches you things he knows and then you need to teach yourself.
Self confidence is a societal misnomer. It's a totally useless concept which is presented in the society as something very useful and important. The self is more of a problem than it having to have confidence. It's the lack of self which brings a quality of confidence of innocence which is vastly different from the confidence of the ego..
Being "in your own middle" which you say is true, but that comes not as a positive approach but negative. It's about getting rid of what is not love, what is not emptiness, it's about purging the things of the mind (and the tensions around the vocal chords)...
Friend's response:
i guess we understand the word self-confidence in different ways
for me it has nothing to do with self and me and I and egotristic things
for me it's a positiv thing to have
to flow with the energy which goes through you without blocking it with thoughts like i'm not good enough, i can't, i'm stupid.....
i also don't mean the opposite, to think how good i am and blabla
i simply mean an unblocked flow of our energy
and the blocks are mainly made of our thoughts
so maybe i should say a deblocked mind instead of self-confidence
kiss
09 July 2011 - Terrible band: "One Day Remains"
I heard a TERRIBLE band tonight live.they sucked from the first moment. the songs were BORING -- All sounded the same -- the singer SUCKED. Terrible sound. No character. Shit music. Dark, depressive. Nothing beautiful in it at all. Not even a nice melody or a nice harmony. Zilch. Have people forgot what music is all about? Here's their site: http://www.onedayremains.ch/
09 July 2011 - SEC Survey
The SEC asked me to fill out a survey. I'm sure they're sorry they did :)
SEC is doing nothing to protect the individual investors and small companies against brutal attacks of short sellers. Nothing except lip service. THE SEC NEEDS TO DISCLOSE WHO LARGE SHORT SELLERS ARE. IT NEEDS TO MAKE PRE-BORROWING OF SHARES MANDATORY AND PUT A STOP TO THIS CRIME OF SHORT SELLING under the pretense of "shorts are good because they provide liquidity" that "shorts need to be protected for competitive reasons". ***WAKE UP*** , we're getting killed and the cops are protecting the bad guys who's got them fooled into believing they're good guys. TELL US WHO THE LARGE SHAREHOLDERS ARE S.E.C., WHY PROTECT THEM. WHY CAN WE KNOW THE LARGE LONGS BUT NOT THE LARGE SHORTS?
AND PUT A STOP TO THIS CRIME OF SELLING WHAT IS NOT YOURS WHICH YOU HAVE NOT EVEN BORROWED. IT'S A CRIME AND SEC IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE THE SEC IS TOTALLY USELESS. You must be sorry you asked me to fill out a survey aren't you? But the frustration I feel about this criminal market place is the frustration of millions of people which the SEC has been ignoring as it protects these criminals on Wall Street (selling what's not owned and not borrowed is a crime under any and all justice systems except that of the SEC).
06 July 2011 - Song
Singing at lunch brought instant unconditional fresh lovely joy. All past pains were wiped out. Like last week during band practice at which time there was immense joy.I have come to realize how incredibly music is in life. During hard times specially. It brings to the present the power of the present. It digs the mind out of the hole of the past and gives the person the sweet taste of that quality of present which is joy love and immense intelligence.
06 July 2011 - Waves
[This started as a "dardo-del" ("darde-del") literally meaning telling "pain of the heart" to my sister - but common use of dardo-del means to confide or have an intimate talk with]I am not superstitious - I don't believe in things that make no scientific sense at all - like Tarot Cards etc. - but not that I believe, but I've seen the power of energy - and luck is as real phenomenon as love yet neither can be seen in themselves but only consequences of. Love can be seen in a smile or a hug or in the eyes but not itself. Luck is the same way. Neither can be approached positively -- we can remove what they are not and then they may be, but we can't go to them, demand them, or impose them.
Even one cigarette or one smoker can bring bad luck. Let alone a lot of people - who are eager to shake your hand. Also jealous people bring bad luck. The old superstitious way is called jinxing, or in Persian "cheshm zadan" (hitting with eye).
Anger also bring bad luck. I am hardly ever angry. I might have moments of frustration, like yesterday talking to post office, but it was not a raging anger. Sometimes I play theater - and exaggerate emotions to get points across but they're usually rooted in some sort of frustration at a bad business deal or what not. Even when my rights were violated to the most immense degree, I was not angry - anger doesn't help - it prohibits rationality. In dealing with the offenders I did it rationally and sanely, and not with anger -- otherwise I would have addressed the problem at the level it was created -- which Einstein agrees is not a good approach. It would take a lot for me to get angry for real. One event was in Banglore bus station where after 4 hours of getting the run around I was truly angry. That was 14 years ago. Once more a few years ago and then recently in Tehran after contact with 209 people, some smoker, some jealous, some loving, and some sincere and dealing with tired, out of tune people, and one who got on a "turkish vein" and did the very exact opposite of what I begged her not to do.
The consequence was ripples of bad luck which not only cost me a ton of money, my bike got stolen, project plan corrupted, the guitar I sent back lost the label, and you name it. Picking up the pieces, trying to smile, music helps, good friends help, a good project helps, rest yoga walk, etc., and there are good signs that begin to appear - like a trip that showed up to the city of Lindens - my favorite tree - and the fragrance made me cry walking around town - with Lindens everywhere. And meeting a blind man who appreciated the help. This was not the first time I had fallen. Hard times always teaches you to appreciate the good things you have.
This of course does not imply that there is no learning about oneself and others. Not all problems are because of "negative psychic forces" to quote an Ayurveda book but those forces exist and a strong body can be immune from them. This might sound very esoteric but I do believe in angels and protectors, but sometimes their job is made difficult.
05 July 2011 - Steven
A good wave came. And also having a handle of phase 2 plan by the end of the day helped.I was late for train nevertheless stopped to offer a blind man help. He didn't seem too fluid in finding his way. He said he's only been blind for 5 years. He is 25. He got blind at age 20 doing bungy jumping. Led him to Migro's - he was far from it - and got someone there who speaks better German to help him shop. He's writing a book about his dreams and aspirations. He was very appreciative and we became good friends quickly. That was the best use of shoulder ever -- to help a person in need.
04 July 2011 - New fans
Last night met lady from Paraguay on the train. She said she loved the Beatles and loved our singing and wrote us an sms immediately afterwards saying how much she loved it. Many Swiss people would never do that because they're reserved - they're lovely but reserved. If you contact them they like it, but they don't take initiative.There were others on the train who enjoyed it too.
Today she sms'd again wanting to know when the date for our concert is.
She emailed 20 places for booking a concert hall.
03 July 2011 - Here Comes The Sun
- Rehearsal was great. P learned all the vocals -- just wrote them and sings them -- what an amazing drummer too -- best band I've ever played with. Angela just learned HCTS -- a great songs -- and she plays it incredibly smoothly - perfect tone and phrasing and articulation. She's become the best bass player I've ever known.02 July 2011 - Swiss vs. Turkish Airlines
- On Swiss she says laptop, even a turned off one, can't be held on your lap on takeoff and landing. Turkish Airlines landed totally ignoring Captain's call for "prepare the cabin for landing", seat backs were back, some tray tables open, many without seatbelts, and the flight just landed waking the hell out of everyone :)- 2 smokers next to me on a 100% full flight - and being tired I was hoping to sleep but luckily I was on emergency row so seat didn't bend so I asked to be moved and I was - the seat back bends, and next to me is a non smoker. The flight attendant was awesome in making the change instantly. I will write a complement card for her -- I always do when I receive excellent service. They have so many passengers who are not nice to them - men who bother them etc. - (as per friends who are flight attendants) - why not extend a kind gesture that helps their careers.
- A380 first class seats cost $14,000 !!
01 July 2011 -
Switzerland is cold in July.- nice end to a very hectic and difficult and painful week. angel massage. Three analysts confirmed solidity of Avanir's patents:
- Good new laws in California: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-new-laws-20110702,0,5064493.story?track=rss
29 June 2011 -
Small steps can cost you a lot in the long run (for system development).
Updated : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Reza_Ganjavi_Quotes.html
At the festival many young people were drunk - a pity really - two guys at the station were talking about having had 2 bottles of vodka each and 6 beers each - and energy drinks (caffeine) and their goal was to vomit at the end of the night -- how much stupid can you get ??
24 June 2011 - More on the Bullying at Krishnamurti Foundation America
A few nights ago after reading text of what Michael Krohnen said and his attack, I had a nightmare about a dog attacking. Getting bullied at KFA out of all places was beyond imagination and I still feel the pain.
I had nothing against Michael Krohnen -- for a long time he was picking on me and I always thought he has the right to have his opinions however illusory and out of touch with reality they were -- I have concrete examples of this -- and meanwhile when possible I tried to communicate the side he was not seeing. But then it got worse and culminated in him attacking me at the Krishnamurti Library. Poor Krishnamurti! Poor Mary Zimbalist to witness such vulgar act in her own living room where K hanged out often -- such an act of utter disrespect for them let alone my rights to be there and be safe from verbal and physical violence. It has taken me a while to come to grasp what his intentions were but it is clear now that it must have been, in my opinion, an intention to provoke me to react in the same vulgar way he acted so that he has grounds for banning me from the place -- his illusionary "almost not welcome" was just that, an almost, meaning he had no grounds for unwelcoming me, that it was just a matter of dislike for whatever stupid motives, and certainly, at the heart of it, as he had stated, was his dislike that I speak my mind. But be was not alone in carrying this act of aggression. He was backed, according to his own declaration, by Mark Lee and James Paul who gave him the ok by saying they'll support him if he confront me to effectively demand an apology (or to make a declaration -- I can't remember off the top of my head the exact text and I am not even sure if this is true because it is reported by Michael Krohnen and it was not directly witnessed by me) for which there is absolutely no grounds for such a demand nor for such an apology as proven by Michael's own statement after his plot was thawed: that it is not his business to stick his nose in the subject of whatever I wrote which he was objecting to, I suppose, in order to protect his rich friend. That was not his first one. He tried to protect another rich friend and in fact provoked him against me after I made statements showing inconsistencies and counter productive contradictions in his organization. And that friend long forgot that and we discussed and moved forward but Michael Krohnen continued the subject and was apparently more upset than the friend himself, for possibly as senseless reason as Gisele who discarded my article as terrible without having bothered to read it because it was, in her interpretation, an attack on Friedrich (which it wasn't -- Friedrich is not his organization and even then characterizing the statements as attacks is purely subjective -- a lot of facts were documented along with opinions based on earnest research ). Judging something without examining it first hand is as bad as it gets in these circles, and then she has the nerves to tell people she told me not to come back to her summer gathering as the reason I had not been back. It is true that when she passed on that ignorant judgment she added to it by saying I should not go there that year but I spoke with her later and went to her public event which she still characterized as a "Krishnamurti Gathering" and not some exclusive private club, only to get bullied by another person who gets money from Friedrich's, Javier, to a degree of unreasonable and vulgarity that Friedrich's own one or two "gang" members as they refer to themselves, condemned Javier's attack. I did not go back to that gathering for a number of reasons but non whatsoever was any rejection from Gisele -- there was no such rejection. I didn't go because I didn't want to get ganged up on again by "the gang"'s Javier and his disgusting attitude. Sorry, I don't worship him as some may do, and it was only after I wrote about the subject of how KLI has such a prevalent presence in these Swiss summer mountain gatherings that they toned down having KLI members as facilitators and presenters and leaders. I also haven't gone because of a number of other factors including inconvenient travel route, and not being attracted to some of the regulars who are either extremely complicated psychologically, or are confused by their own admission after being at that work for years -- that quality of an elephant missing the boat completely is not attractive. I come to new comers who grasp this with a swift mind and unburdened heart like a robin outside any of these circles and circuses. Don't forget, as far as I understood, K was very much against circuses and organizations built around him and almost dismantled his official organizations, but now we have even more of them.
The subject of Mark Lee and James Paul's support of Michael Krohnen's -- as reported by Krohnen himself -- attempted plot is a chapter by itself. If they had a case they could have done it in a much more civilized way. Bullying at a organization built around a guy who was so much against this kind of behavior is totally unacceptable.
21 June 2011 -
Our new QA manager is from Madanapale - and knows that hectic bus stop in Bangalore.Turkish Airline is the funniest airline. They repeat the safety message (no electronic devices, no electrical devices, and no devices working with batteries (literally) and fasten seat belts etc etc - again and again and again till take off. I asked her she said it's a company policy "maybe you need to hear it just once but not others" :)
Then there's the counting - - they've counted the flight at least 6 times by 5 different people and still counting.
Their website is a class act - it has a different concept of intuitiveness and behaves unlike any other website I've ever seen :)
The landing was amazing -- the pilot hit the ground then the plane bounced back up and then landed again -- like a donkey's joftak :-) or a surf board hitting a big wave :)
Easy going all the way pretty much like Iran Air. No inspection of bags not being under the seat, no inspection of seatbelts being fastened. You could be standing while the flight is rolling and noone cares.
Overall a very good flight -- and beautiful hostesses :)
Viva Turks; We Rule :)
6 tear old Milena was very sweet. Her dad and mom as well. Gentle people.
The non alcoholic beer was like 10 bucks for a can - i don't drink canned anyway but the old turkish gentleman insisted to buy me one - a show of generous hospitality of the culture. Before I had given him the internet code.
In a 2.5 hour flight Turkish airlines gives chelo kabaab (vegetarian in my case).
19 June 2011 - Awareness
Of course awareness of one's motives, thoughts and feelings, in this and any process is more important than the process itself or the ingredients of those thoughts and feelings. How we think is more fundamental than what we think. Awareness to "what" can reveal the "how" -- for example, if I think, what will so and so will think, I feel fear, and I open that up , slow it down, look at it, without judging it - but really put a spotlight on it and see, it may reveal that I have fear of public opinion which in certain cases may be warranted and in most cases be an extension of a whole bunch of hypothetical imaginary pictures.As a child, once I killed a big fly (khar-magas "donkey fly") on my desk - remember the glass cover the desk had - and I had a powerful desk lamp. I put the magnifying glass rusteen was playing with on that dead fly. I saw that it was full of tiny moving worms. Without such detailed attention I would have thought it's just a dead fly.
Similarly an emotion or thought can come and go and appear just to be so. But if it's attended to, examined, it may turn out that it is not so or more or less than so or completely baseless or solidly true. And that awareness can help us understand our own limitations which I try to see, and it is up to you to check it out or not if you haven't , that the fundamental limitation is in the application of the most dominant tool in our lives: our brains.
We have become very brainy people with less room for heart, spontaneity, the unknown, the present moment, quietness, and love which is a totally different type of movement than brain waves as thoughts.
And a limited area being so dominant means trouble: means confusion, and most critically, separation, isolation, division, which are the very nature of limitation. This land has a border to that land, each land is limited, and they're separate. But that other movement, of love, of flying in the present, just paying attention to what is happening now, instead of rehashing memories or imaginations on future projections of what x and y might think, has an entirely different quality than the head-based divisions that make a person suffer.
19 June 2011 -
You know it when this is it. P is playing very well. Angie too. The groove is incredible. The foreground can act freely when the background is solid. The 3-part harmonies are earth-shaking.18 June 2011 - The Self is An Abstraction
The self desperately relies on abstractions in order to continue itself. It is an abstraction in itself. Conclusions as powerful bundles of memory prevent perception of the present and as such destroy the present. Emotional melodrama is just a cover up for the self to not see its own fictitious makeup.It is easy to forgive and forget.
-------
His Aston Martin and his buddy's Red Convertible Ferrari got totaled.
17 June 2011 -
He had millions and went through a divorce and lost most of it. Not that the ex-wife took it - - the lawyers did - - because she failed to be reasonable.Mark Lee's email has the following signature:
"R.E. Mark Lee
KFA Trustee, Oak Grove School Board
former KFA Executive Director and OGS Head of School"
Maybe K should have signed his letter with a title from 60 years before: "former head of the Order of the Star in the East" :-)
Why are titles so important, specially ex-titles, from decades ago, or titles of jobs some believe, at best, a person was not very successful at?
Maybe I should sign my letters as:
Reza Ganjavi
IT Project Manager, Musician, Producer, Philosopher, Writer
Former Software Engineer
Former Business Analyst
Former Management Consultant
Former Systems Consultant
Former Systems Analyst
Former Senior Programmer Analyst
Former Senior Adviser
Former Software Specialist
Former Volunteer at Oak Grove School
Former Volunteer at Brockwood Park School
Former Volunteer at K's Talks in Ojai (83, 84, 85)
Former Solution Architect
Former Volunteer & Poll Watcher, Coordinated Campaign, Michigan & Ohio
And I was not fired from any of these jobs.
16 June 2011 -
She's so frikin loud - when she's on the phone it's impossible to do anything -- even headphones with music doesn't block her loud voice. And she holds these conference calls one after another and shouts out like a kolfat who washes dishes loud to prove she's working. She says she can't speak softer but she can. She's done it before when she doesn't mind being a little less noticeable.I can also shout on my calls but then I'd be doing the same wrong thing as her so I won't.
15 June 2011 -
He said 95% of projects here are late - even those that don't have a change of scope. I had heard of an 80% number before. Anyway fact remains that IT projects are highly risky and it's extremely important to do them right from the beginning which means a solid analysis and design. In this case, the analysis they did was catastrophic and 2 weeks before go live date they're realizing that the solution will be rejected so they're back to the drawing board and doing analysis which should have been done months ago. One of the people involved early on said they were looking at a perfect world ! so some key business exceptions were not thought about. This is far far far away from the quality of analysis I used to do which involves considering all possibilities.12 June 2011 - On Vitamin C
Extract from LPI -- copyright: Oregon State University"Dr. Pauling…based his own recommendations for vitamin C largely on theoretical arguments… [new] data … have indicated that vitamin C levels in plasma and circulating cells become fully saturated at intakes of about 400 mg/day in young, healthy nonsmokers…. they are based on a small number of young, healthy men and women. We currently do not know how much vitamin C is required to achieve saturation of cells and tissues in children, older adults, and diseased or stressed individuals…. elderly require a substantially higher daily intake of vitamin C to attain plasma concentrations that younger adults achieve at a lower intake…. cellular uptake of vitamin C declines with age… Thus, individuals suffering from certain diseases may require substantially larger amounts of vitamin C to achieve optimum body levels or derive therapeutic benefits…”
[lg]
8 June 2011 -
- operator knew connie was on the phone but she
says: let me
transfer you to the person who handles this. But she didn't do that.
She
transferred me to a machine knownigly. It's strange to expect to speak
to a person and be expected to talk to a machine - no thanks :)
5 June 2011 - Garbanzo Beans
Swiss family didn't have much beans as the kids grew up. Now parents are experimenting. They cooked garbanzo beans for 5 minutes, like pasta - "it didn't feel like she cooked it at all" they were so hard. And they had platefuls of it. (very funny).5 June 2011 -
In Switzerland God punishes his creatures if they stay up late on Saturday nights, by pounding 10000 decibel church bells in their ears early Sunday morning, and when the 15 minute torture stops and you fall sleep again it restarts after an hour again to make sure you pay the high price for not having slept early!!!4 June 2011 -
TinkaBelle (Tanja Bachmann) is a sweet person. She is positive and wonderful and a good person. She wrote some songs which are so-so. Record company picked her up and made her a star. I didn’t like her music and the hype around her hit which is musically deficient and reminds me too much of another song I don’t like which I believe has influenced her in writing hers (similar staccato melody).Today she performed at ArgoviaFest. Crowd wasn’t moved. People around us were saying it’s boring. I can understand why. Her best song was a cover song, but hers, specially the first 3 or 4 were boring, and the sound no good: drums were louder than vocals and the bank seemed unbalanced. The band after her Baschi had a good sound except the vocals which were very harsh (Rock sang in Swiss German with a thick “kh” sound is very harsh on the ears.
Angela read a page of reviews of JingleBells and said it was brutal.
It takes more than tight jeans and artificial blond hairs and a good voice and a good body and a positive attitude to move people -- music needs to be there.
There was another band too that we escaped from because they were so loud and obnoxious and the music was terrible - filled with anger and rage.
At the end, it's the quality of music that matter and in much of pop music music quality is missing. In some that make it really big the music is interesting.
2 June 2011 -
Endless fields of rape plants changing color from yellow to brown - endless fields of wheat smiling at the sky dancing to the breeze like a sports parade in China - waiting for the bus the police asked for ID - they were looking for some people who had committed crimes - I was surprised to hear there are a lot of breakins and crimes around Brugg - even in villages among such incredible beauty - suicide is also high in this area despite material richness.
Goodness is so important for holding the world together.
This must be the only bus in all of CH where the electronic timetables don't reflect the 19 min delay for the 23:00 bus. The driver was a good person. Simple and honest. There was love. I'll fill out a comments card so maybe they'll fix the timetable.
Debugged From Me To You's vocals.
Rumney is running for president - he has no chance - he's got money and now wants to be in the news again. He's not as clueless as Palin or Bush but still, pretty unfit for the job.
Nice articles about problems with shorting by Walter Cruttenden http://www.sec.gov/comments/4-627/4627-95.pdf , http://www.sec.gov/comments/4-627/4627-95.htm
2 June 2011 - More on Cellphone Dangers
"Cellphones a 'possible' carcinogen — like coffee"LONDON – A respected international panel of scientists says cellphones are possible cancer-causing agents, putting them in the same category as the pesticide DDT, gasoline engine exhaust and coffee.
[logged in "mobile phones.html"]
June 2011 - More Republican Disaster
House Republicans are pushing back against Obama administration efforts to promote healthier eating.------------
AP: Geithner spent part of his day meeting privately with freshmen House members, mostly Republicans elected last fall with tea party support and among the most committed to cutting spending. "I'm confident two things are going to happen this summer," he said afterward. "One is we're going to avoid a default crisis, and we're going to reach agreement on our long-term fiscal plan."
Where were these 'tea party" rednecks when Bush rushed to a war that wasted so many lives and billions of dollars?
2 June 2011 - Only in Switzerland
"At the end of June, five young musicians at Zurich University of the Arts will end their Masters diploma in pop music, the first to graduate in the discipline. The young students – four men and a woman – hope to turn their talents into careers."--------
compassionate society:
"The researchers recommended penal institutions take measures to adapt to the situation by setting up accommodation that corresponds to older prisoners’ needs."
2 June 2011 - Who cares about FIFA
There's so much news about FIFA -- I am as uninterested as in all sport news."Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey has called on the world football governing body, Fifa, to fight corruption and be more transparent."
Sports are fun to play but boring to read about.
June 2011 - Can't Do at Swisscom
I knew by the nature of the response that they had misinformed her -- they'd said can't do too immaturely which is typical in this neck of wood.So I pursued it further. Got a call from a manager there today - indeed they can do.
Good corporate communication is so important - many companies rely on intuition which is sometimes not enough.
1 June 2011 -
Another alleged sexual predator caught.A friend wrote:
"sexual abuse and rape became so common
one case after each other
seems to come into vogue
they talk about but with every case it sounds less bad
but they have no idea what a woman has to go through
DISGUSTING ANIMALS!"
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392618/Another-Strauss-Kahn-Mahmoud-Abdel-Salam-Omar-arrested-sex-assault-maid.html
------------
a few months later, August 2011 it was proven that the woman was lying. Judge dismissed the defendant.
Strauss-Kahn had consensual sex with the hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault, his defense lawyer said on Tuesday, adding that their comparative sizes would have ruled out a forcible encounter
"she towers over him."
"In a one-on-one she would probably win if this turned into a fist fight. She is not a small person,"
Diallo never claimed Strauss-Kahn threatened her, Brafman said, making it hard to believe that a silver-haired politician 30 years her senior could have physically overpowered a taller woman with a job that requires physical endurance.
The defense lawyer estimated Diallo is 5-foot-11 -- taller than Strauss-Kahn at 5-foot-7.
"The fact that he doesn't have a mark on him, the fact that she does not have any trauma of any kind makes it impossible for this to have happened the way she claimed it happened," Brafman said.
-----------
4 weeks before go-live integration testing is red and analysts are just gathering data that should go to a pre-design analysis !!!! Against odds of IT projects this is a recipe for disaster. I took over as PM after the analysis and design phases were "compete" - not complete!
31 May 2011 -
Rusteen asked me to buy a speed racer for his birthday. His birthday is about a year away :) -- so I got on Amazon and bought it for him and said it's coming in post. He went out at night to look to see if there's post :) -- then he said to his mom, oh, dayee zeze is in Switz and it's night there - maybe he'll send it tomorrow. Later he told his mom: I heard ding-dong (door bell) -- "nobody else heard it but let's go look... no sorry, no package here, postman hasn't come". I asked S to explain to him that's it's coming directly from the toy seller and it takes a few days.----
Paul Reed Smith Singlecut Hollowbody II Black Gold PRS 2011 Specs -- Piezo Included -- Bound Neck -- 57/08s
-----Where were all these Republicans who are opposed to increasing debt ceiling and are calling for spending cuts when G W Bush was wasting billions in Iraq?
----
D made fun of the loud woman: "look at her drawer - she's been here a month and it's a total mess - my drawer is empty and I've been here a year". I said it's like some purses. He said he's "masculanized" [or rather pragmatize] his wife to not carry so many things in her purse....
X said she realizes she's loud but can't do anything about it. Maybe she has a hearing problem - or is it too much coffee sugar and junk food?
Next time she blasted on the phone I told her: you apologized this morning for being loud - let me give you a tip b/c i'm a musician and work with microphones and have tested these phones - they're very sensitive - all you need is to speak softly and they pick it up - you're putting way too many decibels in them. She first said: "I have a loud voice, i can't help it." Then she thanked. Later I noticed she's speaking softer.
29 May 2011 -
He
asked about feeling like a foreigner -- it's important to not have any
image of yourself or others etc. -- to be nothing -- you don't have to
be an Indian, etc etc. -- to have a quiet mind -- to just be human. Isaac Albéniz was born 151 years ago today. born on 29/5/1860 in Camprodón, Cataluña, Spain died on 16/6/1909 in Cambo-les Bains, Aquitaine, France
Writing song about living in heaven riding bike a sparrow took off in front and flew straight on the same path as the bicycle - we flew together.
29 May 2011 - Goodbye 110MB
110MB
sucks. they say they provide a free service but it's a service that's
down regularly. No thanks. Found another cool site and moved the
secondary part of site there. Promary part is still on vtx / datacomm /
tiscali. It was a big job moving but structured the files better
so another move will be a breeze.Dumped Koolserve.com also because it was down too many times. Moved into a clustered environment. Spent hours on IT on a Sunday - Yuyks, But also got to play volleyball after a long time.
28 May 2011 - Comments on File No. 4-627 Short Sale Reporting Study Required by Dodd-Frank Act Section 417(a)(2)
SEC's handling of the short sale data has been one huge failure. Let us
face it: SEC has failed the good hard working people in favor of Wall
Street. It's long overdue that the SEC stops this sympathy for short
sellers and require all large shorts to disclose their short position
to the public in a timely, not delayed manner just in the same way that
longs are obliged to do. The current setup despite all the senseless
excuses is clearly in favor of large hedge funds / short-sellers who
have power to even influence the congress, and in disfavor of a) small
companies and b) Main Street investors. 28 May 2011 -
Had intuition that she needs help - called her - she was in the middle of shopping for B's and needed help - so went there - walked out of the dressing room with 4 B's (she didn't want) and handed them to cashier - it was funny....She wrote a research paper on psychiatric drugs. She found out most people who are on these drugs get almost off it but not completely -- they remain dependent even a little bit.
Why is it so important to know what you want? Societies, specially the most modern ones, demand that you know what you want -- all pop psychologists talk about it. There is beauty in not knowing - in a vacuum - in being open to inquiry, in art of wondering.
I hate the word vacuum - it's so hard to spell.
It is normal to be shy around one's parents -- there is nothing wrong with it -- why call it a block ? All we can do is to see what we are and if any change will come it will naturally -- but seeing is an art and judging is not seeing.
It was godly that the bottle broke – doctor said I don’t need to use it anymore.
May 2011 - Problem Architects
We have many architects on our team: data architect, solution architect, security architect, integration architect, and jokingly I said, problem architect. In a way, many people are problem architects as our brains are used to having problems, solving problems, and so, creating problems when we don't have any. Awareness of habit brings freedom from it.28 May 2011 - Dollar weakness: more consequences of Bush's screwups
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/27/markets-forex-idUSN2726844020110527But the safe-haven Swiss franc was the day's top performer… the move indicated investors were still worried about Europe's debt crisis and a divisive U.S. budget debate… "Unlike Germany, Switzerland is not part of the euro currency and therefore is not on the hook for bailing out the periphery countries." Markets expect tepid growth in the world's biggest economy to keep U.S. interest rates at zero well into 2012, undermining the dollar's appeal to global investors.
May 2011 - Happiness & Money
On Sunday we went to gig first class. On the way back, an old woman was such a B: she was complaining why we put our bag on the seat. The compartment was empty. And putting a bag on a seat is very normal, accepted, and everyone does it -- the only time it's not ok, obviously, is if the train is busy. We're not talking about a luggage or a bucket or a big backpack but just a normal hand bag. She she nagged and went away to sit somewhere else in the empty compartment. Friend said, she's just an unhappy grumpy person -- and perhaps arrogant -- maybe she didn't know we're one full Swiss and one 50% Swiss :)First class is comfortable - I love it - I'm in it again now, being knackered. But I like the people in second class better. People in first class, generally speaking, are more stiff, and more unhappy. Somehow money and happiness have a strong negative correlation with each other yet people think money will bring happiness so in search of happiness they search for money.
Oh God, now an old woman came in first class -- one of those whose smell of perfume and hairspray kills. Tried to move but a few seats back is another old woman, reeking of cigarette small.
Meanwhile outside, the air is filled with a tender love.
Been out of tune last three days -- not having walked much -- every day wanting to do it but late night comes -- have worked hard and made money but have not walked which always means not having slept good -- and sometimes to compensate one eats more -- healthy food but still -- when the triangle goes out of tune it goes all out of whack. But will walk today and sleep early. The boss and his boss said they were very happy with what I do for them. It's nice to hear. We passed a rigid review and got a good mark -- all items were in compliance and my project was deemed as well managed. I try but it takes a lot of hours.... last week managed to play guitar almost every night to prepare for Sunday. the gig was brilliant. People totally loved it.
Took V to dinner -- from a Brahmin family which means no meat and alcohol for generations -- that's great.
25 May 2011
Sitting next to a frowning old woman on tram who looked like she was suffering, the side of the body next to her began to hurt. I moved away.22 May 2011 - World didn't end !!
"Believers had spent months warning the world of the pending cataclysm. Some had given away earthly belongings. Others took long journeys to be with loved ones. And there were those who drained their savings accounts. All were responding to the May 21 doomsday message by Harold Camping, an 89-year-old retired civil engineer who has built a multi-million-dollar Christian media empire that publicizes his apocalyptic prediction." [another stupid failed prediction]------------
And he's at it again - now he's claiming it'll be October. He was also wrong in predicting 1994 would be the end of the world.
22 May 2011 -
- 1992 "under suspicion" made in UK (not the American movie) with Liam Neeson, is an excellent movie -- one of the best thrillers I've ever seen.- 90% of projects do not meet time/cost/quality targets. Only 9% of large, 16% of medium and 28% of small company projects were completed on time, within budget and delivered measurable business and stakeholder benefits. [Standish Group Chaos Report, 1995] There are many reasons for such failures. As per a KPMG survey of 252 organizations, technology is not the most critical factor. Inadequate project management implementation constitutes 32% of project failures, lack of communication constitutes 20% and unfamiliarity with scope and complexity constitutes 17%. Accordingly 69% of project failures are due to lack and/or improper implementation of project management methodologies.
- Gig in Luzern was a nice accomplishment - it'd been a while since I played classical guitar in an event. Angela's bass lines were great.
- Paul McCartney really has some great bass lines - in Something or With a Little Help. But in "If I Needed Someone" his bass line is not good.
21 May 2011
Tired of C powder's inconvenience - moving back to pill form:A more recent study examined the plasma levels of ascorbic acid in 59 male smokers supplemented for two months with either 500 mg/day of slow-release ascorbic acid, 500 mg/day of plain ascorbic acid, or a placebo. After two months of supplementation no significant differences in plasma ascorbic acid levels between the slow-release and plain ascorbic acid groups were found (5).
(source: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/vitCform.html)
AND HERE COMES THE REAL WOW !!!!!!
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/paulingrec.html
LPI's recommendation is based on more recent research than during Linus Pauling's time
WOW!!!!!!!!!!
managed to play some guitar before sleeping despite being very tired.
20 May 2011
Too busy at work - very intense project - very demanding.Found some time to play guitar at night which is healing...
17 May 2011
Scary to read US is talking of default - that would be catastrophic for the world economy. Now Republicans who wasted billions in a stupid war are eager to cut spending !! The scary part is the if the republican lawmakers too stupid they might let a default happen just to force Obama out. And they don't want to cut the tax breaks for Big Oil!!The head of IMF is in jail on no bond. Is he guilty? I think so. Why else would he not say a word to police during the first 10 hours in custody. A not guilty person would plead, beg, say it must have been an error. He just sat there and shut up. And the victim has had a consistent story. And the guy has had some history. It seems that he thought he could get away with it. His lawyer must be happy as he'll get rich defending him. ...... prosecutors say the have plenty of evidence . 1/2 of French population are in disbelief and think it's a set up - but it's not. It's for real.
15 May 2011
I don't know where the day went...Did a lot of work for CS.
Changed strings to Savarez 500CRJ which sucked so I took them off and now I have to restring again.
Worked a bit on the circular. But most of the time spent was watching the entire first season of Trump's Apprentice which I started yesterday while playing guitar. The actions themselves were kind of boring so I fast forwarded through it but the decisions were fun to watch and some of the episodes were cool. I am glad Amy (artificial blond from Texas with a big ego) got the realistic interview results from the judges who all thought she was superficial -- good looks can only go so far.
Donald Trump keeps boasting about his luxuries and helicopter and jet and so on. Who cares !! None of that is interesting to me -- I don't mind having Billions but not in order to live in golden palaces.
I also find the giving so much importance to toughness is so ugly. And Donald, while obviously a wise guy, is involved in what I find to be the most boring of activities: realstate. I much prefer guitars.
In job interviews, he looks for brains and energy.
Good talk w/ Kamiar.
14 May 2011
Did a lot of work for CS because the project is extremely demanding and some weekend work is required to stay on top of it.But the weekend started well with a 2 hour guitar practice while watching Donald Trump's Apprentice.
I was honored to receive a response from Robert Lustig, M.D, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, UCSF -- he's a guru of research on white poison *sugar*
Woman who saw my laptop said: I love the title “The Beatles” – Super!
10 May 2011 onwards
Finding time to play a bit of guitar at nights and doing yoga which is life saving.It's amazing how a guitar that walks into your life as a youngster grows like a flower... it's 'always' been there -- with deep roots that is evident of how it comes so naturally.
Yoga is making the sinuses upside down for good.
The team is great - very interesting project - power of questioning, thinking together, the power of now.
The subtle end taste of yellow carrots brought took me to our first house and Manna and those day. of childhood. Thought can create a regression but it wasn't.
Organic Buffalo Mozzarella is a blessing. He said the buffalos don't give much milk. They have them near his house in Switzerland. B&S&S visited for lunch. They were shocked at the price - - I took them to Tibits - I paid around $120 for 4 salads at Tibits. B&I have a very good chemistry and laugh a huge deal everytime we meet. It was hard to get S out of shops - she bought dress, special Swiss acid face cleaner etc. -- instead of acid face cleaner she could stop smoking which would do more good for the skin than anything.
8 May 2011 - Old Guitar
The old guitar gave one so much joy - streams of soothing balsam poured over depth of being. Nice to find time to visit the old kids - the old pieces - that are sometimes neglected due to busi-ness of daily life and energy that's wasted as stupid people who don't understand the concept of respecting others' rights take away your freedom due to their craziness jealousies, etc.Good talk with Beat -- looking forward to performing at his Wedding.
Maurice Steger's such a nice guy. He answered the sms immediately.
Discussions with young friend about career etc.
7 May 2011 - Transcriptions
X is amazing -- we had dinner and went over many Beatles songs -- as I thought the Japanese transcriptions "Beatles Complete Scores" has many errors - they must have been on Saki when they wrote it. We checked the drum parts against the record and he corrected his notes -- amazing how handy a pen and pencil can be for a scholar.For example, the main drum fill of WLHFMF is wrong. AML triples are not written, etc...
Managing a great project - with resources in like 10 locations, almost 100 stakeholders, big team, very tight timeline, very diverse organizationally, effects 1000's of users.
Alcohol brings the worst out of people - these polite Swiss guys turned into hooligans in Baden -- in Brugg it's a lot worse -- on a weekend when they finally are free from the shackles of a job they hate, and pressures of conformity. When there's inner freedom a person doesn't have to resort to alcohol for fun.
She is in constant fight with herself. What a shit life she must have. She's been wanting to quit smoking for years but she can't. She is doing something she hates, she knows is stupid, she knows it's unhealty, she knows it costs a lot, every day, many times a day, against her will. Shit is the polite way of putting it. And for her to pick fights with others and do crazy things is no wonder. So if a woman like that does something stupid - like throwing the blanket from the hanger on the floor - it's easy to move on.
4 May 2011 - KFA
KFA seems to me to be a nightmare, perhaps everything K ever dreaded in an organization. Last time I visited there Michael Krohnen attacked me (verbally and physically) in the most vulgar way based on no sound reason and totally unprovoked. I wrote the incident but since then have found out more details that makes me believe the management of the place is a nightmare. Dark Ages is one way of putting it. "Fascist" was how a guy who saw what happened put it. Management by bullying. I don't know what the hell these people think or who they think they are to treat the public with bullying and not with rationality reasonableness and respect for decency and goodness. It's obvious that they had no case and that's why they resorted to bullying. I have expanded on the reasoning behind this in an article which at some point I will publish. Krishnamurti was very right to call this foundation "idiotic". Poor guy wanted to dissolved these foundation but he was stuck with them out of practical necessity. KFA does good work with archival and publications but when it comes to management, it's beyond disgusting.4 May 2011 - Ethics
Reading an article, a memory popped up. I was about 20 - she was about 30 - beautiful woman. She was married and her husband was away on business travel often. I suspect she suspected he was going with other women. She wanted to have an affair with me but I refused because she was married. That is still my ethics, and I am happy that I have never gone with a married woman.3 May 2011 - Dad
had a powerful dreamone of those dreams that's more than a dream
dad had come back
in same clothes
in that little room
on his bed
beautiful
smiling
unattached
unassuming
lovely
loving
simple
shining
how could he come back ?
b/c he's an angel
even as i woke i could feel the love
i was smiling
i could feel him
what a sweet meeting it was
but it's not over
he is of love
and he is here
[logged in dad file]
2 May 2011 -
- I told her that's not a good customer service behavior to tell a person my manager will telly you the same thing. That's been proven so many times. Again, today. Sure enough, the manager looked it up and instead of "it's lost, initiate a trace" his answer was, "it's coming, with a one day delay" !!2 May 2011 - $1M Gain
- RN said his friend made a $1M buying DNDN based on the tip I gave him.2 May 2011 - Bin Laden Is Dead
- Finally. A great news the world has been waiting for, for a long long time.- Osama is dead. The world can rejoice.
1 May 2011 -
After band practice and nice dinner i have a lot of energy.P and I communicate so well. Angela and I too anyway. I say A - P know the whole story of the Apple I have in mind because he hears the same thing.
30 April 2011 - New Article
- Neighbour is playing Alphorn. Limited number of notes but it has a serene beautiful sound.- "Are Krishnamurti Foundations Immune From Corruption?
27 April 2011 - Creativity at work
- She wants to have a job that's creative. Not necessarily in arts but one in which she can apply her own intelligence rather than acting like a robot. Many jobs requires such independent thinking but the higher one's grade and education the more likelihood of that.22 April 2011 - Corruption in "spiritual" organizations
- Organizations around psychological matters are very prone to corruption. Corruption means resorting to dishonesty for personal (and psychological) gain (or prevention of loss).I have seen some cases of it recently. When people lie to protect their ideologies, images, however far from facts those images may be, then it's just corruption. The whole group mentality is possibly the culprit. Put someone with a lot of money in the picture, it tends to catalyze the matter by people who try to find importance by the power of opposites. Or put a power hungry egomaniac in the picture and people lie to win his support. An independent person does not need to get engaged in these corrupt matters. This is why truth can not be organized. Truth is too dynamic moving fresh to be put in boxes which are bound to get stale and corrupted. Corruption has nothing to do with spirituality. That is why some of these people in these organizations who are corrupt, are hypocritical. There are also good people too. In this case, the man with the money has good intentions and does good work but the unphilosophic group pitfalls are still there.And the other guy, the egomaniac who wants to have power at any price, has to stop and think: what about 50 years from now!
- I wish them all well. All I do is to say what I see. Sometimes it doesn't go across well but to wish another ill, is another form of corruption.
23 April 2011 - Music Medicine
It will be a miracle if I can perform today. But my being needs that more than food. And my people need that as well. I took an Aleve because I was out of sudafed and it dried up the system badly. It seems this morning the (temporary intense stress related) cold is gone -- went for a walk at 6:30 despite short sleep and now heavy steaming. Perhaps the angels of music will bring some more sleep and open sinuses for a performance.I really need to get out there and play (it's the best medicine).
-----------
woke up at 6:30 after a short night of sleep - went for a walk - time flew by but managed to get a bit of rest - and yoga. Managed to be there for perform at 1 pm - it was a miracle. And the miracle touched people and their love touched us and was one with our love. They appreciated the gift that these three people brought to the street and taught their children to appreciate us too.
Lennon's spirit was there.
22 April 2011 - Institutional image making / corruption
Organizations around psychological matters are very prone to corruption. Corruption means resorting to dishonesty for personal (and psychological) gain (or prevention of loss).I will publish an article later.
If you want to get a glimpse of my latest writings on the subject you can email me: info (at) rezamusic (dot) com
March 2011 -
I had exact change.- It’s you?
- No
- Your hand?
- No. it’s outside – and inside; nobody understands it.
April 2011 - Power of understanding not coercion
Kid: - I don’t want to empty my lunch boxReza: - who has to do it?
Kid: - don't want to?
Reza: - who should do it then? The possibilities are mom, sister.
he got up and just did it with no force or coercion. I just allowed his intelligence see, through the power of seeing and understanding, and silence (gave him space to look at the questions).
Tara: A gentleman is a man who's gentle in everything. Tara (6 year old).
20 April 2011 -
- Worked late at night to finish an important letter to a foundation inviting them to be philosophical. I may publish it in some form at some point.- They weren’t talking to us but after she saw the Ferrari she said: where do you guys go to have fun?!
- Work of one of my professors:
The other brief by Alladi Venkatesh, Debora Dunkle and Amanda Wortman, titled “Digitizing Physical Objects in the Home” describes the extent to which digital replacement of common physical objects is occurring in U.S. households. This report can be accessed at http://crito.uci.edu/papers/2011/DigitizingPhysicalObjects.pdf
- Great article on problems with sugar: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=print
16 April 2011 -
- Bijan Pakzad died at age 67 from a stroke. "a legend in the fashion and perfume biz -- famously suits up movie stars and world leaders. His Rodeo Drive boutique is known as the most expensive store in the world."- The mayor of Beverly Hills is Iranian.
- One puff of oxymetazoline did magic last night.
- Pitfalls can be turned into an opportunities.
15 April 2011 -
- Great jam session. P coded several new Beatles songs and played them perfectly the first time, reading the notes. That's the power of education. Angela learned the new songs so easily -- she's incredibly talented. We had Chinese / Thai food. So hard to get non-meaty-non-fishy stuff. We had a nice time. Good chemistry.- She seemed somewhat depressive. She is back to Switzerland but wants to go somewhere and she doesn't know where yet. She said this society is very competitive etc. -- I said yes, but you have to turn your back to any tradition otherwise it attempts to make us conform. You have to be free, then you can live in the best of societies and not be bogged down by the negative parts, like lack of emotion, pressure of becoming etc.
14 April 2011 -
Thank God The Almighty that I can breath again - the sinuses are clearing. Off the antibiotics. The combo of salt water and baking soda really helps flush the mucus.13 April 2011 - A Serious Writer
She recalls seeing arrays of notebooks in the old house. As a kid she thought to herself: “my cousin is a serious writer”.We only play cover music that we love and then with the original spirit -- it doesn't have to be the same arrangement but the spirit has to be there and certain essential components need to exist : e.g. the melody, certain guitar and drum and bass riffs that people know.
12 April 2011 - Smoking Flower
Met a flower who smoked. Reminded me of Vero - a couple of years older - 20 - a victim of Big Tobacco mafia. Even used the same excuse as Vero: that when I am pregnant I will stop. Two kids later, Vero still smokes. Psychological time is an illusion. What we are is what we will be unless some change happens in the present. Smoking is so addictive that it makes the mind plays tricks on itself and the most common trick is deferral based on an excuse: some event that will happen in order to make one change but when that event comes the mind makes other excuses...Despite her young age she knew The Beatles and likes them!
She smokes in order to forget her occupations, in order to be in the moment. She's obviously intelligent to recognize that, and that smoking doesn't help anything and makes like more complicated. Specially as one ages, living in constant conflict of having to do something stupid against one's will just disintegrates the mind, aside from the physical impact. And it invites negativity. I've discussed all this in : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/cig.html
It's possible to be in the present, to not carry burden of the past, without such destructive escapes.
It's also possible to solve our problems if we really want to - by putting energy into it, by attending to it, exploring the problem ... and the solution is in the problem.
11 April 2011 - The Lame "Sex Sells" Conditioning
It's summer time and many women feel obliged to let it all hang out. The excuse is the summer. But if that's the case why aren't men feeling obliged to walk around showing 3/4 of their chests? So that excuse is just a lame excuse. The fact is, the clothing designers, manufacturers, and buyers are all conditioned to think sex is all important. It's the same lame conditioning which makes lady classical musicians resort to exposing their intimate parts in order to gain attraction, let alone other genres!! There is something fundamentally wrong with "sex sells" approach. I believe it is the obligation of every free woman to not fall for this futile shallow superficial conditioning of the mind.10 April 2011 - X / Rezangela
- Jam session with X was refreshing. He's a master of drums -- one of the best drummers I've ever played with. He has a big musical mind. And a great, friendly attitude and a good heart. What a pleasure to work with him. I was telling Angela afterwards that this was what I had in mind -- this quality of drumming -- and that is why I could never settle with any of the many many drummers we worked with in Switzerland. I can trust him because he is intelligent and he is a gentleman. And a nice icing on the cake is that he sings and he sings well. We're now a singing group. It will still take work but we enjoy it, and in some months' time, we'll be singing killer 3-part harmonies and playing tight grooves; which will set crowds on fire. Angela is also playing and singing very well.- We're open to have the name "Rezagela" change if we find a better name but we looked for a better name before and it took a LOT of energy -- I don't want to go through it again -- but if a better name is suggested we are certainly open to it. But the name is not exclusive and doesn't exclude other people -- we'll have our names in all advertisement anyway. If *you*, the reader have a good idea for a band name, let me know, but for now, "Rezangela" serves the purpose well, of doing Beatles and other legends, as well as originals.
- Couple of funny videos (just added to rezatv.com)
08 April 2011 -
- It was lovely hearing the sound of newborn birds singing in this blessed spring.- Justin Biber is in town. Flocks of young teenagers are out to see him - mostly girls. They all love him. They even wrote that on their faces. What an impact a person like that can have on these people's lives. Does he? He can convey a lot through his lyrics. Through his speeches. Through his life. If his face is turned to eternity, he could change the world.
- Tradition is constantly wanting to shape the young in its corrupt ways. It feels that it has the liberty to intervene in the lives of the young to influence them to become materialistic, selfish, egotistic creatures to fit the mold of tradition.
- In big companies, many just do time. I've known consultants often who can get the work done in 2 hours but sit there for 8 to bill for 8. That would be like living in a prison. My approach is different. I give the customer best worth for his money. Deliver top quality service at the fastest possible way.
- Trying to talk to GlaxoSmithKline in Switzerland was like pulling teeth. Stone-age customer service. They suck. Their product causes bleeding. I called the US division, they're happy to refund the money if bought in the US. What a difference! But need original receipt sent in post. In Switzerland they hang up on you because even mentioning a refund is like committing a crime. Not worth the hassle.
- Again, woke up with orientation of Orange in mind.
- "MBA, MCT, BBIT, PMP, CISSP ... I have a dozen or so more that I usually don't share: MCP, MCSE, MCSA, MCDST, MCTS:MBS, MCSA:Security, MCSE:Security, SVEB, Security+, ..."
06 April 2011 -
- The Spring has never been welcomed more. It is blessing everyone and everything. The colorfully fragrant air brings bliss despite pains associated with being a vehicle.- "Thought shattering itself against its own nothingness is the explosion of meditation." JK
- Nice to see many old friends at CS.
- An entire organic open market on Wednesdays!! Shame to eat that cafeteria non-bio food despite it being well made.
- Late night ironing while hoping for sinus to open.
- Extended taking antibiotic.
- In-and-out dentistry - excellent place - business started by 2 Persian sisters. Went in. Got the work done quickly.
05 April 2011 - Duncan's Blog
Duncan Toms has a very interesting blog: http://dtoms.com/This one is my favorite photos: http://dtoms.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/croyde-surfing-richard-fran-dt-francisco.jpg?w=640&h=476
They all look like they just arrived from a far away star after a long inter-galactical surf-ride.
04 April 2011 - Support of artists
It almost made me cry of joy seeing a Swiss mother insist on giving her 1.5 year old money and teaching the baby to give money to the musician and appreciate fine values of life.04 April 2011 -
- Spent long time planning summer weekend gift trip to the big city. Insight came during the walk and finalized the trip.- Was looking for a solution for sinuses and in almost desperateness pulled a new singing book off the shelf - opened it - and it was about sinus care. Following the tips. Nice sign.
- Tooth's thin crown popped out. Needs some glue :)
- She could really comprehend the talk about love never dying. She's very 'spiritual' and highly intelligent. She's a devout Christian but even in her language and thinking love not dying makes sense as in her book it says that God is love.
- He said generally swiss don't like germany and were traditionally afraid of them because germany has wanted to take over Switzerland for a long time but didn't succeed. Just as I thought, probably the difference in the dialect was a result of this desire to claim autonomy "we had distance by the language"...He said after the war he was in Netherland with a group of Swiss. The Dutch thought they were Germans and did not even serve them, but did, once they found out they were Swiss.
02 April 2011 -
- Updated the Vulgar Librarian: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/vulgar_librarian.html
- Victoria has 2 new children's book: http://www.rawfamily.com/products
- Brugg's gotto have the biggest concentration of bigots in Switzerland. The majority of people in Brugg are nice and civilized but there are many who live on the vulgar side of the borderline of civility & vulgarity.
- It's been in effect for some time: "Congratulations! Your account is now enabled for uploads longer than 15 minutes. Click the Upload button below to select a video."
- Steroid spray for the nose caused bleeding. She's right - I should just leave the nose alone. When a nostril is congested I get afraid of consequences. Things with body take time. This too shall pass.
- His bothers didn't give any of the money left to all the kids by their parents to their bother outside the country who had no money. This led to the brother committing suicide. They've also cheated their other brother. How ugly it is to put money before morales.
- Under Iranian law the son inherits double the daughter. But I believe in equality of sexes and therefore, if there's some money, I will only take equal share as my sister.
- Travel.yahoo.com has really blown it. They've added these dynamic/high-res wallpapers which really hog the performance.
31 March 2011 - The World is NOT ending in 2012
- There's so much hype and noise and fear, perpetuated by media, about the world ending in 2012. It ain't happening folks.30 March 2011 - New Video and Article
I made this some time ago:Yoga Postures by Reza Ganjavi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVs6q9ozxuo
The Vulgar Librarian: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/vulgar_librarian.html
29 March 2011 - Sinus Blues
- Sinus bleeding is worrying. Death is always so close. As long as I have my digital content encrypted and an updated will communicated to my sister, I have no fear of death. I feel there's still plenty to do -- in helping minds heal themselves, in spreading message of peace harmony and love, but we are so vulnerable...- 10:39 pm - Thank God, the bleeding has stopped. An angel's healing hands together with anti-biotics, lots of C, steam, and many other therapeutic steps all help. Dairy and soy products are mucus forming. Thick orange/brown phlegm seemed to have been hiding behind days of clear phlegm. Let's hope they'll all get out.
28 March 2011 - Essence of psychological change
Had a deep talk with X. About what conditioning means. The essence of freedom from habit is in seeing what one is. Seeing itself can bing change. Seeing is an art that requires seeing in silence, and not moving away from what is to what should be which results in friction which is a wastage of energy which is necessary for change. If one is moving away, judging what is, then what is, includes that, and one can see that, which brings change -- perhaps ends that moving away from the original phenomenon...Not knowing is a virtue. The unintelligent wants to rush to a conclusion. She saw that. She doesn't know. She's open. I reminded her that I have no inclination one way or another, to sway her in any direction.
Tara played guitar on the phone. Will give them a lesson on skype. Rusteen is also playing...
26 March 2011 - Motherly love can never be denied by thought
She said when she goes to beheshte Zahra she asks the gone ones to pray for shadi and rezaWhen mana would go to agha joon and maman bozorg’s grave she would ask them to pray for the kids.
Such is motherly love which no thought’s divisive process can ever question.
27 March 2011 -
If we love someone fully, we are not saddened by their death, because love does not die.26 March 2011 -
Started taking anti-biotic. Augmentin really helped last year with a long lasting sinus infection. I know why I got this: immune system got shot from the stress of preparation for the big test (which I passed). Have tried everything... Now it's time for antibiotics. Dr. M used to propose antibiotics even in viral cases as preventative measure. Dr B is also pro-anti-biotics. I try to avoid them as much as possible. But one month of this blues is enough.From a scientific standpoint what puzzles me is how there can be so much clear mucus but then underlying there be infection (from time to time - specially after steam room - a hard piece of yellow-brown mucus pops out).
25 March 2011 -
I've been totally miserable from this seemingly perennial cold or flu or whatever it is.I still think it's a virus but a very persistent one. Rest really helps. It's another late night and today I'm worse -- after steam room an old colored mucus came but now congested - maybe should not have had the yogurt. I am trying to be totally scientific. Trying everything. Antihistamin is probably not a good idea but listened to advice to take something that has that in it. Another hot shower. Another walk. Now will do pushups and situps as my last resort and try to sleep.
22 March 2011 -
- Jazz is too broad of a term. Some of the best music I've ever heard is a style of Jazz I love - and the exact opposite too!19 March 2011 -
- Thank God The Almighty and the healing powers of the universe and the body and vitamin C and all other good things -- no infection in sinuses. Took Pseudafeds yesterday - 3 doses - the last one kept me up for several hours but slept enough and steamed this a.m. and on heavy Vitamin C still (around 20 grams per day).- Dreamed of Tehran - so much love for the people and the place - specially when I used to live there before age 15 when it was a lot less polluted and crowded. The area around our house is so nice - so broad so lovely. But now it's turned into one big junkyard of high speed trucks and motorcycles -- always noisy and the air is not breathable. Still, there is something magical in the air of the base of that magic mountain, Alborz, and its peak Damavand 5,610 meter, standing tall, symmetric and beautiful - snow capped all year despite the catastrophic global warming (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Damavand_in_winter.jpg/280px-Damavand_in_winter.jpg). There is something in the air -- perhaps from the many Chenar trees whose leaves provide make for percussive walks in autumn and bring back memories of a romantic fool. A sense of solidarity is still there among people although many friends and families have been torn apart and live in many places around the world. I love the people and the language of Iran and everytime I go I feel very comfortable there at the heart level -- except the air pollution which makes every moment bitter for the lungs and the body/brain.
- New article on Ravi Ravindra's pathetic book: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/ravi_ravindra.html
- As I had expected yoga helped the sinuses. Thermal baths also helped. Body had stress from the German test and other recent fluctuations which I am learning to deal with without anxiety if I am to go on with. Tried to get the other nostril to open - and it did - and then did a lot of swimming.
- M committed suicide but they rescued her - now she's in a coma on life support and hospital bill is $30,000 already and they say take her home. Suicide is never a good option. It is perhaps the highest form of violence and disrespect of life. X said Reza was right, that I should not associate with them because they're negative and heavy smokers, etc. -- I love J but can't stand being near them.
17 March 2011 -
- 10.5 hour sleep after many sleepless nights was a blessing. Managed to keep the sinuses relatively open without medication today. This virus is nasty -- one of those long-duration ones that other people I know got but maybe should have taken medicine. Last night took a hit of the decongestant spray which was helpful for sleeping..- Had a job interview recently. Interesting that most of the time I was asking questions and learning about them. They were very good people. The manager was very nice - 1/2 Italian, 1/2 Greek. He had read my resume carefully. He asked what I could tell them, so I did a brief sales pitch, obviously, always truthful. It seems like a good match. They felt the same. Got the contract.
- Persistence and perseverance is a very important characteristic. I've seen a lot get accomplished with these qualities which would not have without them, [logged]
- Had correspondence with Swisscom CEO who personally emailed me back thanking for the complements that I sent for his Urdorf division. They were delighted needless to say. Very nice people there and the senior technician there is amazing when it comes to repairing these extremely complicated camcorders - and his boss, very nice guy who resolved a somewhat complicated issue very well.
- KFA resent their mass mail after I wrote them a hot letter about having posted link to Ravi Ravindra's pathetic book. It's bad enough that he's speaking there but to publicize his gossip book was a real shame.
- The new Yahoo Travel site sucks. They have all these high resolution images moving in the back which slows it down.
16 March 2011 -
- Recovered fully from a hard disk physical error. Got a new one. Dealing with Dell was like pulling teeth but managed to get what I wanted which was only reasonable.- The SEC is still on the side of Wall Street and doesn't require large shorts to publicly disclose their positions in a company. That really sucks and totally puts the game against Main Street. Large longs need to publicly disclose their position but shorts are protected by the very cops who are supposed to protect us!! Why? Well the SEC says if the disclose it then other shorts will know which stocks are shorted and short them. Isn't it the exact things with longs? It is. So that excuse is just rubbish. SEC is still pretty useless IMO when it comes to giving Main Street a fair treatment.
13 March 2011 -
- Thanks God I can breath again. A ton of vitamin C - and one thing that helped a lot was getting a nose spray bottle and spraying sodium chloride into the nose, and steaming, etc.- Dream of dad - he had not died fully but had come back from dead. It was so nice to hug and kiss him. He was the tenderest and sweetest person I ever met, like his mother who was also very kissable. There was silence when I asked to tell us from the other side - he said a few things first - and then there was silence. In the dream I thought it might be a dream but it was reality. I was so convinced that it is reality when I was dreaming -- maybe because it was -- maybe there was a real element in it. Obviously kissing father so much was not real as his flesh and beautiful sweet face is no longer alive but he had come back in some way, repaired from the damage that had killed him -- the frikin doctors who killed him with too many medications. As Pauling points out, quoting WHO constitution: "health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity" and "The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being...". Pauling goes on to point out that the terms "health centers, health profession, health companies" is a misnomer because it is really the sickness industry.
- Despite being kind of sick still, went to friend's concert just to provide support. A round trip ticket came as a gift -- a good omen... Finished an important letter and got it off my desktop.
- Zunft an old Zurich culture - places for people of different trades to socialize. I ended up playing key role in the concert in getting the performers to start sooner -- the carnival music was a big distraction to the classical concert.
11 March 2011 -
- The air was so soft today, like a cuddly cute creature whose every move makes you want to adore it. The hills were calling. The air was saying, Spring is on its way. It is bound to get cold again before spring comes but then again the poor planet is very confused and abused by stupidity and selfishness and carelessness and irresponsibility of humans. Japan was just rattled by a 8.x earthquake.- A nice walk and hot shower did the sinuses a lot of good. Sinus issues require a) keeping the congestion open whatever it takes -- a local spray is much better than these frikin medication which actually make you sick and you have to recover from the medications. b) drinking lots of water c) lots of vitamin C (15+ grams/day) d) exercise e) rest f) hot drinks.g) anything else that boosts the immune system.
- Dealing with Schwab was like pulling teeth. After an hour of discussion finally a manager listened to my rational argument and finally moved off his chair and looked into the issue and came back and said everything I had said was true. The so called expert at 3rd level support who kept pointing the finger at client software in an arrogant fashion and discarding my totally logical argument of why his hypothesis is false, turned out to be wrong. So Schwab has two serious limitations: a) early in the day the updates are delayed; they finally admitted it's them, and has to do with data travel but they're clueless why it happens early in the day and will probably never fix it. b) they are not able to provide realtime data. What a lousy software; it must be a legacy spaghetti code that's hard to maintain because otherwise the subject is not rocket science.
9 March 2011 - Children
- These brains are precious - adults have to be careful not to constantly expose these kids to a state of having problems. Everything has become a problem: sleeping, having breakfast, changing clothes, etc...Adults who have gone through a revolution like the Iranians have, have gotten used to being in a state of emergency.
To give value to silence is important. Adult should not issue statements from a distance and then repeat it - kid gets used to having adult say something 9 times before complying. If kid is playing s/he doesn't hear the mother, or tunes her out. Instead of shooting statements while washing dishes 9 times and then getting upset why the kid does't hear, the adult can go to the kid once and get the attention and say it.
- A child absorbs everything. An adult may babble like a robot unlike a child who may still be free from programmed response. Condemning the child is just as destructive as boosting his or her ego/sense of self. Condemnation leads to inferiority complex. Boost of ego leads isolating sense of self. Understanding is the alternative to struggle. A child still has a sense of what silence is. An adult may have lost it in the incessant noise of the world. The best an adult can do for a child is to be in tune oneself, and from that, teach the child responsibility.
- P and I see eye to eye -- I fully agree with him that a nice green guitar or a gentle color is better than red. Since the red was defective and I sent it back, a nice blue or green would be nice. No hurry.
7 March 2011 -
- Took a 12 hour Aleve-D for the sinus -- it was like 10 cups of coffee -- I was up practically all night.[it happened again another night and I wrote them this:
"I bought a 20 caplet box. It's poison. Hell. I have such a terrible reaction to it. Can't sleep - up all night - sweating - like having drunk 10 cups of coffee -- and other reactions. I didn't keep my receipt. Can I get a refund somehow? Thanks"
- The meeting went really well -- such lovely kind people. Nice gift at the right time.
- Also a sugar free perfect cake arrived -- it doesn't even have flour -- so the food combo is perfect (it has eggs). Incredibly delicious.
- He went there to meet a woman for the first time – met her family, etc. – he was upset because she had not gone for a kiss after 4 days of meetings – but she sent a message apologizing. There’s nothing to worry about – don’t read too much into it – we have a tendency to be in a state of having a problem – it’s a habit many people have – and it’s a result of giving thought too much importance and applying it where it doesn’t belong. Give her time. You should be happy not in this state of depression over nothing.
He invited me for a drink but it was cold and I have a cold and a train. At Migro’s nice organic plums, kale, banana, tofu, and even cheese welcomed me back to Switz.
You have a bright future - I can see it. He left with a smile and appeared to have found freedom from his self-induced problem. I didn’t help him, I was just a mirror, a sounding board, he explained the story that was bothering him, emptied himself, and I bounced back what I saw like a good mirror should.
On the bus met two girls from Israel who had beautiful faces. They’d come to Switzerland to ski.
7 March 2011 - 2 good articles
Good story about PBA: The man who can't stop crying: How a stroke changed the life of theatre director Max Stafford-Clarkhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1160746/The-man-stop-crying-How-stroke-changed-life-theatre-director-Max-Stafford-Clark.html
Drug Firms Face Billions in Losses in ’11 as Patents End
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/business/07drug.html?_r=1&hp
March 2011 - Sound of Mother
- Sound of mother is the first sound we hear, even before we are born. It's no wonder how sheep communicate and find each other among so many perfectly similar looking ones by the quality of voice. I realized, talking to mom, how deep rooted the tone of her voice penetrates in my being. There are many things that can keep people apart but love is not partial.- Sugarfree organic Ketchup brightened the dinner.
- Amateur musicians have hit the streets with their amazingly colorful happy and beautiful customs. The music is not great but the spirit of it is. And it's great that all these people play music.
- A night walk revealed a town in disarray - drunks everywhere. Many in the groups of colorfully dressed musicians were also drunk. It was a scene and sound of decadence and not beauty. Perhaps earlier in the night before they get so drunk it had been beautiful but alcohol kind of ruins it.
- In the day time the colorful bands were amazing -- incredible costumes and make up -- playing rock music with 2 or 3 bass drum players banging them on both sides -- marching band of like 30 people -- from Basel, Luzern, Wettingen, Baden, etc. -- an Italian lady was the only one, among Swiss who danced.
- 2 x 17 month old twins were incredibly cute.
4 March 2011 -
- It's an enchanting day. Worked late into the night again and woke up with the sound of street drills -- they start very early morning.- The hills are inviting -- the marvelous Laegern which like a protector stands tall just in our backyard is calling one to go for a long hike.
- Waxed shoes, chatted in German with neighbour.
- Too tired to be too functional without a bit more rest. Napping I felt the comfort of grandma's arms when we used to take naps together and took a fast trip down the memory lane.
- Antonella is smoking again, no wonder. She promised herself to quit on Dec 31 but nothing changes on new year's day. Psychological time is an illusion.
- Cleaning the house is always a requirement for doing something great. Inner and outer order are one and the same.
3 March 2011 -
- I feel a bit more relaxed knowing the bull is under control. It took a lot of struggele to grab it by the horns and it's surely not a done deal yet but just gathering some energy for the next round in taming the bull. Countdown is on.- She said Tehran metro was so full of people and heavy that it had a hard time moving. She went to center of town and said the noise pollution was unbearable.
2 March 2011 - Expensive Lessons
- If I had saved all the money I paid for lessons all my life, I'd have a nice Red Convertible Ferrari for it :) - or maybe two or three (no thanks - I am not greedy).The important thing is this: if we realize that the mistake we made has a price and learn from it, and grow from it, and not make that mistake again, then the price was worth every penny of it and we can be happy instead of being down that we made a mistake.
2 March 2011 - Time & Change
A friend wrote: > PS: Your advices are working!good.
you are right but just one point:
we also have a habit of thinking change takes time
psychological time is an illusion
we can talk about this later or if you have time to read I can recommend some good book ;-)
insight brings immediate change
psychological change doesn't require chronological time - it requires insight.
postponement of change is an illusion but that is the way we are taught: that we change in the future. Yes, practically, but psychologically, we will be in the future what we are now unless some change takes place in a now. ...
[certain things do need time for change, surely, but those are practical / technical / material things].
take care
Reza
March 2011 - Tiredness...
Been driving the body and brain very hard. The driver is the driven. No separation. It's just a linguistic limit to create duality.Sent the Parker back -- the back unit had discoloration and there were too many buzzez in too many locations. Pity - nice guitar but ! And I'm not sure if I like the pickups -- not much character.
- Very interesting news:http://www.msassociation.org/news_center/article.asp?a=_msaa_survey_pba
March 2011 - Drugs can make the mind quiet but at what price?!
talked to a friendlong talk
no time for writing details but key points:
this drug makes the brain quiet when you're not doing things.
proposed one can naturally have that state
understanding is key w/o trying to change
emptying
awareness
mirror of relationship
natural quietness
he pushes the students too much
the society is too pushy in the direction of success and achievement
important to see habits / influences / conditioning
suggested once find stability in school ramp down the drug - this can be done naturally - but said i am not a doctor and he should not follow my advice blindly - i may say the wrong thing
to find things out first hand
society: second hand people -- relying on others to tell us how it is.
i therapist x y can point some things out
his job to see if true
and if found truth it's first hand
the only thing that is fresh is the now
everything else is of the past.
key to inner quietness, and key to change is to see what one is
when not on drug he thinks negative thoughts that maybe i am not good enough of a teacher etc b/c kids don't practice ...
suggested meeting the kids every day afresh.
no image is key.
if u don't react with the same buttons they push things can be different
high pressure societies also have high suicide rate.
drugs can make the brain artificially quiet but when they wear off the problems come back. And drugs have side effects - they make a person insensitive.
-----------
managing stress is a big part of success
walking
yoga
avoiding added sugar
sleep
healthy food
and very importantly, avoiding caffeine (coffee chocolate and some teas...)
helps :)
March 2011 - Another nobody who pretended to be somebody and commited crimes on the internet
Another case of a zero who made of himself a internet hero but was caught in his fraud and went back to minus zero. I've known a few of these losers on internet who pretend to be things they are not. Living like a pig in a dog house while pretending to be some rich successful doctor and so on. That's one of the many dangers of internet.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110301/ap_on_re_us/us_fake_psychologist_sex_abuse
DETROIT - In real life, Steven Demink didn't have children, a college degree or a lasting career. Online, prosecutors say, he presented himself as Dalton St. Clair, an attractive single father and psychologist — a fantasy image authorities say the Michigan man used to persuade mothers across the country to commit unspeakable acts on their children.
28 Feb 2011 -
- Swisscom which does repair work for Canon agreed to work on the camera - I had to walk up to the boss - he was a very nice, understanding guy.- Some women pay a lot of money for makeup to make their cheeks red; some have it naturally and don't like it! Same with curly and straight hair. Strange creatures we are :)
- Talked to Dave Forsyth - he said no chance that the hard disk is damaged due to the cut LCD connector wire. I hope so. I have total faith in him as a super engineer.
- I am in love with my German teacher -- I was in love with my English teacher as a 7 year old. She was so lovely. It was such a strong feeling.
1 March 2011 - FIA Card Services sent me a customer satisfactin survey :)
FIA Card Services: the worst credit card service in the industry. No wonder, it's Bank of America and I already know how terrible that can get.Ok, I called in to check the address correction because last time they had it wrong.
The girl was totally clueless. She didn't see the Swiss address and said it's not in the postal nor physical address. I asked to talk to manager. She resisted. I had to ask 3 times. Finally a manager came. Surpris: he could see it. Why she couldn't see, I have no idea.
Then the clueless manager tried to feed me an obscure statement. He later admitted he didn't understand himself but he was trying to tell me something he didn't understand in hope of just getting me to accept it. This is a real insult. For example saying something like on February x, your address was changed to xxx on February Y. Hell, is it Feb X or Y ?
It was like pulling teeth. Then he got off his butt and looked into it. He came back this time with the facts: Your address was changed from USA to Uganda !!! Uganda ?!?!?!?
In the beginning I asked the manager what he sees, what-is. He said: "so you don't want me to resolve the situation for you?" How can you resolve a situation that you don't even understand. First we have to understand what-is, then try to solve it.
This was more than a misunderstanding. Too many errors, too poor of an attitude. No wonder I don't use the FIA card that much. Chase and CITI beat them hands down.
27 Feb 2011 -
Studied over 7 hours of German. Yes we can!27 Feb 2011 -
New article on conversation with person who takes medications so he thinks less:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/psychological_change.html
Two new quotes in :
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/quotes_new.html
- “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
- ‘In this world I would rather live two days like a tiger, than two hundred years like a sheep.’ [1800 A. Beatson View of Origin and Conduct of War with Tippoo Sultaun x. 153]
- ML is a nice guy but he's so bad at email communication. I give people the respect they deserve in answering their emails. He can also, specially now that he's a trustee, but he just ignored them.
- He sided with XX without even understanding the issue and admitting that he hadn't even read the article he was criticizing!! How can people denounce something they had not even read? Blows my mind. And this is supposed to be a philosophical sphere. This is not some sort of invasion of privacy or anything that was exchanged behind closed doors. But it's not the first time. Gisele Balleys denounced the article I wrote about KLI and I asked her if she'd read it and she said no! Welcome to the human race where very few who are fishing know it's not fish they're after.
26 Feb 2011 - Wells Fargo Has Gone Downhill Quick
First experience since takeover of Wachovia -- they lied and cheated me. They said they'll credit the account if I filled the survey -- I did but the money never came. Months later I called, oh sorry, we forgot or whatever -- ok then they credited the account -- then they reversed it a week later. Then I call to ask why, their frikin clueless customer service rep says "if a credit was reversed there's nothing I can do", that was her first line. Two managers subsequently tried to look into it -- both hung up I guess because they want to cheat me. The executive office woman had zero grasp of the issue - another transfer - she is now looking. A bunch of low educated, dumb morons acted as customer service reps today. It'll be interesting what they come up with. They just look at your account balance and determine how to treat you based on your balance. I have very little money there -- just the minimum to keep that account open, and for good reason. Wells Fargo Sucks Bigtime.
Oh, and they lied again: they said every call is reported. Katherine Jafferies from the Executive Office said that's not the case -- some are recorded randomly.
And I wasted money calling these donkeys from Switzerland.
24 Feb 2011 - On Sleep Quality; On Alcohol
Thanks for your questions.
Regarding sleeping quality, I find a few things very important:
1) Exercise, and the best being walking, helps one sleep better at night. When we go for a nice long brisk walk (30 minutes or more let's say) the largest muscle of the body (legs) work and massage the nerves and helps us relax.
2) Avoiding caffeine: even one cup of coffee or black tea (or other teas that have stimulants) or chocolate can effect sleep quality, even if it's taken earlier in the day -- best to avoid caffeine.
3) Stretching. Yoga or similar types of stretching are really good in improving sleep and relaxation quality.
4) Not eating late is important.
Regarding Alcohol and personality, yes it indeed changes personality - at least while under the influence. I avoid alcohol because it is a depressant and I don't need to depress my nervous system which would make me tired, etc. -- it's also not good for the brain.We can go into these and other subjects when we meet.
23 Feb 2011 -
- "Twin babies takes a lot out of me. I have to wash them, dress them, prepare food for them, feed them, clean them, entertain them, carry them, hug them, love them, teach them, and much more. X2 Every day, including weekends, Christmas Day, Easter, you name it THERE IS NO TIME OFF. No breaks no holidays." JackieUpdated : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/comments_cd2.html
21 Feb 2011 -
Watched an open brain surgery video -- incredibly impressive.There is plenty to see just by looking rather than looking-for.
Updated : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Reza_Ganjavi_Quotes.html
- Dhruva's guru was "Surath Chacravarti" -- he died about 15 years ago. He had Parkinson's. I met him once as well, we went to his class. Of course, I was not and am not his follower.
20 Feb 2011 -
She had very strange energy -- a hand shake made my nail break!18 Feb 2011 -
Repairing a Canon HG-10 was not easy -- we spent a long time on it and it worked at the end, until, at the end, friend twisted a cable the wrong way and the whole effort got wasted. He said he's used to losing work in technology area.17 Feb 2011 -
Funny to get an email from Mark Lee about a retreat -- he's now retired -- and the email address used is from the one Troy used to use for sending circulars. It's true that Troy is no longer at the position he was at. Now they have a 2.5 day retreat at $475 per person (excluding accommodation and dinner), and it's run by Mark, Asha, and ... Diane White!!The speaker seems very credible.
Feb 2011 -
Italian Markbass bass amp 10 inch speaker box definitely doesn't have the low end boom and the 15 inch's high ends suck. 12 inch speakers seem to be idealTS said his business is so slow - that everyone's business is slow - the whole world's economy slowed down - and it's clear that Bush and his gang ruined it big for the world, and he said the amazing thing is a lot of people want that again !!
Feb 2011 - Swiss Alps
"the view today in <> was unbelievablethe sky was blue, pink, yellow and every single mountain from the Alps were visible
I sat there for one hour and just watched that beautiful nature and feeling the power of that scene
I felt so much beauty and love for our earth"
07 Feb 2011 - Video Game Junkies
- These young and not so young video game junkies look like they live in a virtual world with the brain caught in reacting to the CPU. It does not look healthy.- Children understand a lot more than the vain child psychologists claim. Children should be given the opportunity to appreciate the power and importance of silence, and be taught the importance of quietness and gentleness. Understanding goes a long way
06 Feb 2011
- "Optimistic bias is commonly defined as the mistaken belief that one’s chances of experiencing a negative event are lower (or a positive event higher) than that of one’s peers."- Her mother learned from her to bargain, so she did it for the first time in her life and it worked. In Switzerland it's very strange to bargain and vendors just quote list price and people just pay it. This time she got a few hundred off the washing machine by just asking. Next time she can do even better :)
- Met another victim of psychologists and psychiatrists.. They put him on drugs for 10 years without any indication of what's wrong with him. Finally he set himself free. These drugs totally limited his every experience, sensory and otherwise, to a very limited scope. Now he can not tell he he is hungry or not - if he likes a taste of something or not ... but the good news is he set himself free. and his body will find new sensitivity. His last psychiatrist lied to him - that insurance won't pay for a test to see if there's anything wrong. He took the test, showed nothing wrong, insurance paid, and he never went back to that psychiatrist. He said "I realized he has no interest in me being happy". He went as far as saying "that's the system here - they want to have you quiet". He told his doctor, you're having me in therapy for you not for me. Once he pressed the doctor to tell him what's wrong with him that he had to be on drugs for 10 years, the doctor said "inferiority complex" !!!! We had good talks about "holistic psychology".
- Eating choco by middle age woman seems to be a fashion, a way of getting quick pleasure, but with it comes blood sugar fluctuations, stress, and extra pounds.
- Moonlight Sonata is a great piece but it has to be played on the piano. On classical guitar it sounds really had no matter who plays it.
- I'm skeptical about uprisings that demand change per-se without incorporating change at a fundamental level which is in the human psyche itself -- specially if it's done as something to do, as an occupation for the unemployed, and entertainment.
Feb 2011 - Boring Blues
- Blues has the be the most boring type of music. They played it in the restaurant - it was intolerable - painful - boring - 100% predictable in every way. Some good rock uses blues progressions but is Rock and not Blues and therefore can be a lot more interesting.- people criticized Obama for being a rookie. I am neither a fan nor an opponent but am sure of one thing: a rookie that goes by the book is a lot better than a idiot that goes against the book, in the name of the book.
31 Jan 2011 - A message to S. as part of an email dialogue with a few friends
Dear S:
- "Reza, why do you think they considered it a necessity? or was it K who thought that it was necessary?"
Obviously K thought they were necessary, else he'd dissolved them like he was inclined to.
I liked what Sitansu said about not remembering it in response to you saying don't be attached to the teachings. There's nothing to memorize so there's no memory of it and no attachment. If we're truly earnest students - of life - then we need to be philosophers and not settle for anything less than truth - or at least attempt to find truth - and that involves examining what anybody says - and if we find a truth ourselves, there's nothing to memorize repeat, or get attached to.
"So the foundations go around throwing seeds. What they dont realise is that there was only one seed thrower and he left the world of mortals twenty five years ago."
In the last circular I have a section called "on dissemination" (see K section at bottom of www.rezamusic.com) in which I discuss this subject. As K pointed out as well, true dissemination of anything is living it. A person naturally disseminates an insight by living it. Are the foundations living the teachings? I've seen indications that KFA for example was not and was caught in the same egotistic divisive state which K warns at length. The other foundations I don't know - anyway, I view their dissemination efforts are a less important than the preservation, and once everything is preserved, the role of foundations, in my opinion, dwindles. Of course they have egos and want themselves to continue for the sake of continuity and not necessity, but maybe they'll have the insight to minimize themselves. Just my views.
"Twenty five years later, they are alive & kicking."
KFA which I am most familiar with is not particularly kicking. It has had serious financial challenges after it lost a ton of money by making speculative investments against K's specific wish.
Kind Regards
Reza Ganjavi
30 Jan 2011
- Good talks w/ 21 year old friend / ex-Brockwood Park Student. He has a good sense of perception of silence.- Had a vision to make a yoga video. And did it this morning.
- Friend said in Italy far fewer people go to psychologist and psychiatrist and take anti depressants than in Switzerland (per capita).
27 Jan 2011 onwards
- Intense study of German - many hours.- Talked to Fender. Electronics have a 5 year warranty. Tubes never need to be changed as long as they work. Better not to take them out while moving. Supersonic head has no reverb. The combo has spring reverb (much nicer than digital) and it's road sturdy. Mustang series are solid state but I don't trust them. I should take another look at Hotrod Delux III. He said 40 tube watt is plenty. I don't believe him. The Roadstar guy was more right: to get sustained clean sound you need the wattage.
- Mesa Boogie 50:15 has a fatter sound - a bit rougher than the Fender which has a sweeter sound. The Supersonic has a nicer sound than the Fender Hotrod Delux III which doesn't have the horsepower and neither the sweetness of sound. The shop had a sign on the Supersonic that's 80 Watts -- not cool. I told them it's 60 and they removed the false sign. My short list is a Fender Supersonic 60 or a Blackstar Artisan 100 if it wins my heart (yet to hear it).
- Restaurant has a big sign: Gerstensoup Vegetarische 8 Francs. I found out they use beef broth. The chef said "we just use a little bit" Duh !!! Told them this is dishonest and very Un-Swiss and misleading. They changed the sign!
- The Fender Supersonic Blond is a top contender. It's very expensive but the sweet sound has me mesmerized.
27 Jan 2011 - Venezuela
- Met a couple in the bus - they had an adorable 3.5 month daughter "she's watching everything" the father said. They said in Venezuela before Chavez people of different classes went to the same schools. Then he brought hatred -- that the middle and upper class became the hated ones and instead a new class, people close to him, became the new rich. They said his idea of 21st century socialism is not working. Despite the high oil price and country's rich oil reserves, the economy's been on a heavy decline. I asked if people like him. They said some who have nothing to do,with lower education, etc., like him but most in mid- upper class don't.26 Jan 2011 - Curse of Smoking in Switzerland
- Big businesses sometimes abuse the goodness and trust of Swiss people. Big Tobacco has a ball here. I've never seen so many young people addicted to this drug in any advanced country. It's very hard to avoid the spell and disgusting disease of smokers here. This morning having to buy train ticket, I had to inhale the disgusting toxic fumes of the two smokers standing right by the ticket machine. All smokers have internal conflict if they have intelligence left or they just dull out after years of ignoring their bodies' intelligence. To be in conflict with oneself makes it easy to have conflict with others. I asked these two smokers to move a bit because I have the right to buy a ticket without getting smoke on my face. The pretty young girl was such a bitch. She said they have the right to smoke anywhere they want. What am I supposed to say? Not only they didn't move away, she threw her cigarette butt right by the ticket machine. She's already in a fight with herself. I can't and won't pick a fight with her. I bought the ticket and moved away, feeling sorry for them to be such victims of Big Tobacco's campaign to get as many people addicted as possible. That's a criminal business model if you ask me. What these two youngsters don't understand is that they have the right to smoke anywhere that's allowed with by law but they need to respect other people's rights, e.g., to buy a ticket without getting smoke blown in their face, but unfortunately some people are not educated enough to understand this simple principle.- Why do some people don't realize that staring at others is not polite. Nobody likes to get stared at. Even animals, I believe are like that. But some humans don't realize this. I told her the cinema costs her 5 francs :) but she wanted to continue watching for free so I moved away :) -- they were too loud and inconsiderate anyway. Found a quieter seat but their full volume can be heard from a distance away.
- Writing is the best therapy.
- Have finished 3 German books. This morning went heads on with another - an oldie but goodie text.
- Offered to have their software engineer call me so I can show him how to fix their bug -- this is a kind of thing I could do in my sleep and these guys are twiddling their thumbs trying to figure out what to do.
- Mesa boogie M Pulse Venture 1x15 amp is the best bass amp I've ever seen. I loved the 15 inch speaker. I did not like the Blackstar Stage 60. The Stage 100 is ok but for that price I can get an Artisan. I hate that trashy sound they build into these amps. The Fender Supersonic was absolutely sweet. Best thing I've played in a long time. I bet a Markbass CMD151P is awesome but haven't tried it.
- Haj Ahmad Agha has died too -- brother of Haj Kobra Khanum - Manna's friend and relative. I remember her clearly and the sound of her voice. Her daughter is Zar Zar - mom saw her too. He was a great man - helped many people - lots of charitable work - many came to his funeral - many disabled people in wheel chairs too. Like dad, he also died very easily and in peace. The ex-President Khatami had given him a medal of appreciation for his good deeds and charitable works. He had said during dad's funeral that this type of death "sar ghofli daare" -- that dad died like this because he was so good "nikoo kar" (good deeded).
25 Jan 2011 -
Good talk with Meg in California. She totally blames Bush & Cheney and their gang for the economic hardship the US and the World are in. I tend to agree. She said CP advised GWB that if you go to this war a lot of new terrorists will be created but Bush didn't listen. And of course there's the whole business side with Cheney and Haliburton etc. -- She looked back at history and US's intervention in Iran and said we deserve what's happening to us but often people are so cut off from the government's ways - but now with information age people know more - it's harder to hide things ( I still do not support that Australian's organization in principle and his followers who are hypocrites (i.e., they say they're for freedom of speech but attack anyone whose speech is against theirs; they say they're for protection of privacy but they intrude into others' privacy; they say they are for protecting authors but they're against copyright, and so on).And the whole disaster of fanaticism (i.e., Palin, Bachmann, etc.)
20 Jan 2011 - C
10 grams of C is amazing healing. Great nap after Mellingen.Superficial media feed superficial minds and promote further superficiality. Now they're gossiping about whether O died his head or not. This is as bad as people in K circles gossiping about K's hairdo. Who cares ???
20 Jan 2011 - Beatles Haircut in Fashion Again
The new star is using a Beatles haircut!!http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/whoknew/justin-biebers-haircut-costs-750/22?nc
"Whether you love or loathe Justin Bieber's mop-top hairstyle, it's fair to say that it's swept the nation..."
20 Jan 2011 - Reza quote
- If you stop comparing time is not the enemy :)- Updated : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Reza_Ganjavi_Quotes.html with the above and others quotes.
20 Jan 2011 - German
I'm enjoying learning German -- a simplified way -- because a full way is too big of an elephant. "Your, yours is dein, deine, deines, deiner, deinem, deinen "20 Jan 2011 - Great quote
- Our problems - social, environmental, political, religious - are so complex that we can solve them only by being simple, not by becoming extraordinarily erudite and clever. Because, a simple person sees much more directly, has a more direct experience, than the complex person. And, our minds are so crowded with an infinite knowledge of facts of what others have said that we have become incapable of being simple and having direct experience ourselves. These problems demand a new approach, and they can be so approached only when we are simple, inwardly really simple. That simplicity comes only through self-knowledge, through understanding ourselves: the ways of our thinking and feeling, the movements of our thoughts, our responses, how we conform through fear to public opinion, to what others say .... all of which indicates our nature to conform, to be safe, to be secure. And, when one is seeking security, one is obviously in a state of fear, and therefore there is no simplicity. - Talks in Ojai, California, 1949- Updated : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/quote_k.html
18 Jan 2011 - Over-occupation
- In the 24 hour she doesn't even have 30 minutes to do her own thing. Having kids in any day and age is a full-time job but in this day and age it's a double-full-time job.- The grass is always greener on the other side. A mind that compares only sees the green grass. It doesn't see the work that needs to go in keeping it green, and the yellow spots behind the house.
- The greatest bands in history of pop music have a handful of great songs. In the case of Rolling Stones, not even a handful. Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Beach Boys, Queen, 2 hand fulls at most. Genesis and The Who, several handfuls. The Beatles are the only band that had buckets and buckets of great songs.
- The receptionist says: let me have you talk to the person who's handling that - then she sends me to a flipping answering machine. I called back: you told me you will have me talk to a person. "well she's gone for the day". You knowingly sent me to a machine and told me I'll be talking to a person. "well..." I prefer to complete my conversation with a human than to get dumped into a machine :)
17 Jan 2011 - Balance; Ground Zero; Meditation
It's important to find ground zero: point of balance. Otherwise there's fragmentation and fragmented action leads to further fragmentation. This applies to the physical world - body sleep exercize, cycles of activities, etc., and psychologically with giving time to the timeless: to sit quietly, as well as not carrying the burden of imbalance, physiologically, so there's energy for attention and "direction" throughout the day. It's important to gather all energy to find out truth -- that is one definition of meditation.- Found a spoon for the vitamin c powder -- small is 2.61 gm; large is 5.65 gm. It's important to take the same amount each day - in therapeutic or normal dose - otherwise there's rebound effect due to enzymes that kick in.
- Good talk w/ Harald H., P H.
17 Jan 2011 - Learning German
I am really motivated in learning German. Swiss German makes it easier as it has simpler grammar than High German. There are many foreigners here who speak fluent German but with very poor grammar.Good talk w/ Kourosh F., Ali MB.
15 Jan 2011 - Love For Beatles' Music
Had tears of beauty and power while playing "we can work it out" -- the other day, playing "paperback writer" -- when they're played well. Such powerful music. It will last 100's of years like Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Gilardino. We met Daniel - nice guy - he wants to jam. He asked: why The Beatles? I said because of love... P is an exceptional drummer. He said there’s so much kindness in the music of the Beatles.14 Jan 2011 - Vitamin C
The Vitamin C Foundation is not that active. They tried to get funding but couldn’t. They have a board of advisors. They think most of the vit c in US comes from China. The only thing the foundation does now is to maintain the website (Owen updates the links etc.) and they sell some Pauling DVD’s etc.They have an office in Texas where the gentleman who runs it lives. He doesn’t get a salary. It’s non profit foundation. Owen has a side company that sells vitamin C powder, from Europe, pure high quality ascorbic acid.
Talked to Oscar Falconi’s relative. Sustain release tablets may not get dissolved and has additives. Forget about mineral ascorbates. Oscar’s 82 and has lost his hearing.
Pauling institute says time release C is ok.
Synthetic ascorbic acid is ok.
DSM may use Chinese material too. I get diff answers about how unchinese VCF’s C really is but I don’t care. I trust DSM’s quality. Even if Chinese it’s tested for purity (I assume).
Owen won the defamation lawsuit but spent 40k on lawyers.
Conclusion: ascorbic powder straight up is best. Pauling buffered his 18 grams a day with baking soda (disgusting taste). Owen takes it 500 gm every 4 hours with water or juice. Owen is a good man.
14 Jan 2011 - Emilia
- Talked with Emilia - it was a blast - she's as intense as ever. Like Kelly, she was wired differently. Still as energetic as she was when we met in kindergarten. She said money is not a good thing because it divides -- X who's a billionaire doesn't have time for them since he became so rich. The two of us are the detectives who find old friends. Now we're trying to find one. Emilia recalls that when he recited his composition he'd pee in his pants :)- I found his picture today and sent it to friends -- from when we were 9 years old. Her voice was like music to me -- hearing it took me back to Abane-Shomali, the neighbourhood of our old school, the old school days.
- She likes the videos of discussions with Katie Gibson -- she shows it to her friends. She said it/s nice to have a friend to show off with -- people like you are rare, you're really unique - working hard - someone who keeps himself so healthy - lifestyle of no alcohol, no coffeee, no meat, etc....
- Heard the subject of death -- Emilia and Tom both talked about it -- that we will all die one day -- sure thing. She said she wakes up every day and treats it as a new day. I had an interesting idea. Life is like Angela. You enjoy the moments you're with her. If it's ever over you look back at the sweet moments you spent together - but you don't get stuck in the past. Life's to be cherished and lived fully, healthily, with joy.
14 Jan 2011 - Love Libraries
- Went to the city library to get German books. The ambiance of a library is so peaceful, quiet, wise. I love it. I hope libraries don't disappear when everything goes digital :)- Good talk with Erin Sellers who lived in my beloved O place. She is very nice. I can feel the peace of the place in her voice.
- Good response of Andreas Moritz to Liver Flush critics: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1I44Q5UYIG2O/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0976571501&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=#wasThisHelpful
13 Jan 2011 - Mesa Boogie, Tech21, TC-Helicon
- Good talk with Phil Maynes. He often gives me good ideas. He said do not spend the money on a Mesa Boogie. He's right. The Blackstar sounds good and I liked it. And Mesa Boogie though sweet sounding is way over priced, specially in Switzerland where they double the US price. And if I buy it from the US the warranty doesn't apply here and you have to also buy a big bulky 900 watt transformator and then there's the issue of transport. But who knows, maybe. I'm not playing out these days that much so I don't need new equipment. But a top of the line Parker would be sweet :)- Lone Star (not the Special) is good clean sound. Combo has open back, some people prefer cabinet because closed back cabinet has different character (bigger/boomier maybe). The Swiss resellers get a 35% discount and then have to pay MWST (sales tax) two times. 90 Watt rating of speaker against 100 Watt of amp is no problem as speakers are conservatively rated. Favorite is the 1x12 23" (the 27" is being discontinued).
- MB says they have a 6 to 8 week wait time but their shop says they can get it in a couple of weeks. Tubes are changed every 2 years. Dirty sound (distortion) has more demand on speakers so 2x12 makes more sense. But I play mostly clean. I don't like the word dirty because nice distortion can be clean too but I play mostly undistorted with a bit of tube effect except maybe a couple of songs we use distortion in, discretely.
- Mark V is more suited for more high-end sounds (distortion / grunge).
- Here's the key: when playing clean, for playing loud you need that wattage. My Fender sucks at that: loud clean gets distorted. We don't even really play loud.
- Mesa Boogie has 5 year warranty. Voided if taken out the country.
- Because they're way over-priced in Europe, I will not buy one. Their distributors are doing the company a disservice for doubling the retail price which means on a $4000 amp the distributor is pocketing around, I would only guess, 2000 markup + initial margin of I'd guess 700. No thanks.
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- TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 might be good but it's big bulky and too expensive and can handle only 1 mic. One of the selling points is, you can connect an MP3 player to it and sing along. Duh !! TC is a big Danish company and leading company in voice effects. The guy said almost every pop song he hears has pitch correction. TPain uses it extremely as special effect.
- Regarding Tech21 Sansamp, the guy I talked to at Tech21 he said he'd use a real amp. So much for that idea. And for recording maybe Cubase's built-in emulator is enough but I am not doing that now and don't need it.
13 Jan 2011 -
- Also the mega dose of ascorbic acid I've been taking feels good. Goes right into the cells and the ascorbate is not necessary.- She said they beat the Avodado tree to give fruit -- it thinks it's going to die and gives fruit !
- Funny that I dreamed about Shirin, today Shadi said it's Dr. Yahyavi's passing away anniversary. Some time ago dreamed of Fatieh - heard afterwards that her sister had just died. I also had a flash dream of Maryam. She had showed up and we hugged -- I was very happy to see her -- there was love. S. said she had called today. Possibly the morphic connection with mom is responsible for picking up the first 2 incidents (or just bad stomach). The Maryam thing was out of the blue. I do love her and wrote to her as such but her family has done terrible things and I do not know if she had a hand in it or not. I've given them plenty of chance to come clean but they never had the character to do so.
- It's like, you stay cool for so long, and they think you're just cool and they throw punches and you stay cool because you don't want confrontation, but at some point, they throw a punch and they'll find out you're a black belt! Oops :) [I'm talking about psychological stuff not physical punches].
- I also feel better that the vocals are deleted from FB (at my request) because I had a sinusitis / sinus infection for a long time, there were monitor problems, played on other's equipment, virtually no rehearsals, tired of always turning the other cheek :) -------- whatever his problem is, I don't care, because I don't have to deal with him. If I had to suspect, it's one or more of these: a) bitterness caused by divorce and/or from minister father b) jealousy c) insecurity which typically leads to polarizing behavior.
- Met someone who knows Alfredo E. Stüssi, the head of the Swiss Men's Party. He was very cruel to her and reportedly said they hate women because women can have children! Is this Afghanestan? No it's Switzerland, where shamefully women are still considered second class by some male Chauvinist pigs. Here's another quote by the pigs: "cows are more beautiful than women".
9 Jan 2011 - M-Audio
Research determined MAudio Fasttrack Ultra is the way to go. Found an amazing deal.Also found another amazing deal just by asking seemingly impossible question... i wasn't according to a formula but an act of Now.
Good talking with MB. Asked about our old friend DS - they talked yesterday. I delight at people keeping in touch with each other... most people don't as their net of thought=self-made isolation grows as they age. He said he's an "old fart" now :) having hard time recovering from an accident.
Been in touch with Owen Fonorow, he's a great guy and a disciple of the Pauling line, like me -- the Vitamin C guru.
9 Jan 2011 - Another Republican politician convicted and sentenced to prison
AUSTIN, Texas – A judge ordered former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to serve three years in prison Monday for his role in a scheme to illegally funnel corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.
The sentence comes after a jury in November convicted DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The Republican who represented the Houston area was once one of the most powerful people in U.S. politics, ascending to the No. 2 job in the House of Representatives.
8 Jan 2011 - Arizona: "mecca for prejudice and bigotry" & Republican's loose gun law & Sarah Palin: "reload"
Shooting in Arizona - conference call. Chief doctor spoke:10 patients - 1 child - 5 critical in surgery - 5 stable. Congresswoman was shot in the head.
Neurosurgeons are done with her. He's optimistic of his recovery. A 22 year old shot them all.
One side of the head through and through - bullet went through side of her head - I'm as optimistic as it can get now.
"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous," said the sheriff. "And unfortunately, Arizona I think has become sort of the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry." Sheriff Clarence Dupnik
Guess what! "Favoring the constitutional right to bear arms over others' concerns about gun safety, [Republican] Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a bill making Arizona the third state allowing people to carry a concealed weapon without requiring a permit." And Brewer was on a news conference yesterday crying and regretting what happened:
"All of Arizona is shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific tragedy that transpired this morning in Tucson. "I am just heartbroken. Gabby is more than just a colleague, she is my friend. She has always been a noble public servant. My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords and her family, the Congresswoman's staff and their families, and well as the other victims of this senseless and cruel violence."
Guess what Governor: you put guns in people's hands, you allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit, you should expect this "senseless and cruel violence."
Michael Daly of NewYork Daily News linked it to Sarah Palin, an airhead bigot and a symbol of what is wrong in America: "Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' blood is on Sarah Palin's hands after putting cross hair over district: Here is what Sarah Palin said on the Facebook page where she depicted Gabrielle Giffords in the cross hairs of a rifle scope: "Don't retreat! Instead - RELOAD!" Well, the guy who shot Giffords yesterday managed to keep firing until he killed six, including a child, and wounded 13 . Palin would no doubt say that she was only speaking in metaphor, that she only meant her followers should work to unseat Giffords and 19 other Democrats who had roused her ire by voting for health care. But anyone with any sense at all knows that violent language can incite actual violence, that metaphor can incite murder. At the very least, Palin added to a climate of violence."
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Shame on Palin and the rest of airhead bigots for promoting violence by spreading hatred and division in the country. Also shame on Arizon's Republican governor for approving the new gun law that allows people like that terrorist carry a concealed weapon without a permit. That was a great article Michael, you keep up the good work.
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Problem with the airhead bigots is that they are so narrow minded that they always think in terms of "liberal or not". So the bigots who post here claim the terrorist was a "liberal". What you airhead bigots don't get is that he was a terrorist and he was mentally not balanced and he was obviously influenced by all the hatred that politicians are spreading in their divisive thinking. And what makes Palin so dangerous is not whether she's a liberal or not, but her extremely divisive attitude and approach to politics. She is this way because she's an airhead and a bigot. Now call me a "liberal" and give yourself comfort that this binary title relieves you from having to start to think for yourself, having to get out of your dumb way of thinking of "liberals vs. us [bigots]".
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RBakerE: "Liberal" is the new communist witch-hunting for the shallow, ignorant nutjobs who think their view is the only American view. And "Animal Farm" is good reading. "Four legs good, two legs bad." "Neocon good, liberal bad." Maybe you should actually read Orwell's novel, it may give you greater insight into yourself.
READERBOSS69: Souky: how was he a liberal? please define what you base that on other than what you heard on TV? how do you know he was a liberal? what does liberal mean? someone who wants to treat people equally? someone who wants to provide healthcare to the uninsured and underinsured? he was a nutjob who was fueled by the anti-govt rantings of the teabaggers. EVEN if he was liberal -- which i doubt anyone can really show -- the atmosphere set by the "lock and reload" rhetoric of you and your kind is to blame. May God NOT have mercy on any of your souls.
READERBOSS69: Nobodiesfool: Your type of rhetoric is okay to continue on for years. Lies. And more war. And attempts to block equal rights. And to take away healthcare. That rhetoric is fine. But now that your rhetoric has fostered an atmosphere of violence and vitriol -- and now that you and your politics are being called on it -- now, suddenly you want us all to pipe down. Ain't gonna happen.
ANOTHER WRITER: No, Sarah Palin didn't kill these innocent people.but she,Beck,Limbaugh,O'Reilly,and all other hate spewing talking heads on the air waves,loaded the gun... Those in denial here who chastised the writer of this articles,it's 100% political....This pot has been boiling here for over two years with the election of President Obama..I'm surprised this did not happen sooner..It was inevitable,.as these nuts jobs have been worked into a frenzy by these right wing zealets...SHAME ON YOU.. There are so many families today, who in a few days will bury their love ones-never to be the same in their families again...People gathered in front of the grocery store to speak with the Congressman,stopping by on a Saturday to and from the stores or whatever people do on a weekend--never to return home..
8 Jan 2011 - Energy Escape Intelligence:
Hi there: just be aware of your inner and outer movements. usually the conflict between "i should study" and fact "i am not studying" is enough to drain energy. Conflict is the biggest source of energy wastage. Energy is necessary for intelligence to act, for the brain to be quiet. Resorting to junk food as an escape for someone who knows their harm is a sign of imbalance. But part of human growth is to learn that even when there is imbalance, even when one escapes, one can escape with healthy things instead of creating a wave that has further consequence: further fluctuation in blood sugar, temporary addiction to sugar (which like alcohol is highly addictive and brings dependence quickly). So now that you've escaped, try to make it not get worse. Drink lots of water. Eat healthy fun things. Your plan to do a liver cleanse is an excellent one. It helps with everything.Jan 2011 -
Some people are so inconsiderate or so shy or so stupid that they don't cover their mouth when they cough in the train.News said Tehran has gotten 79% less rain this year than it has int he last 40 years.
"Capitalism: A Love Story" -- a great movie by Michael Moore. I don't agree with all Michael's stances on different issues but this work of his is excellent.
Got $15 just by the asking "i'm a loyal customer - came to your site w/o shopping around - later found some items cheaper elsewhere - can you consider a discount." and they did it ! (I was totally truthful). Also took time to explain to them they should reduce waste and save energy by giving customer option to minimize number of shipments.
Goggle was 70 Francs, on sale for 40 Francs. Did a google. Found it for $16 from an online merchant!!
Vitamin here is 40 Francs. I can get it from the US for 10 Francs, same thing dosage/quality !!
05 Jan 2011 - You never need to practice concentration
Practicing concentration is never necessary. When there is interest the mind pays attention to the subject. It never needs to be forced to concentrate. The controller is the controlled.Some people are so inconsiderate or so shy or so stupid that they don't cover their mouth when they cough in the train.
04 Jan 2011 - Freedom from experience
I have learned in life that i can never expect another to give me loveall i can do is to wipe out all the self-centered unnecessary thoughts which divide and isolate and push out love and then love can be. The reason psychological thought divides and isolates and causes suffering is because it is rooted in the past experience, and experience is limited, it has already occurred in a limited framework; being limited it is divisive, it divides. For technology and practical life this is important but psychologically it disables the mind and paralyzes the heart by filling it with things of the mind.
Can a person be free from this paralysis? Surely; not through analysis, but through examining, doubting one's own conclusions; by being a philosopher: which means to yearn to find truth, what is, and not settle by anything less; and in relationship this requires communication, and self-centered conclusions further paralyze the mind.
Emptying and order are essential to mental and emotional health. Writing is a great tool for one who loves truth.
02 Jan 2011 - Removing what is not love...
2 points in response to your mail:1. getting influenced by others' opinion, vs., seeking advice and opinion of others: we should be able to hear anything or read anything and still think for ourselves. It's good to have a mind that is able to doubt things, question things, and not accept things just because they're said and written by someone else or because they're on a colorful beautiful website or nicely packaged by an expert marketer, yet, hear what others say and there may be something good in it -- to take the good and leave the rest -- like Hamsa, the mythical bird that can separate milk from water when milk and water are mixed :)
2. healing the mind is the most important aspect of healing... -- most of the sickness of the world is because the minds of people are so utterly confused and bogged by fragmented, divisive, limited thinking. To love is easy. But our sick educational systems rooted in comparisons and application of measurement to areas where measurement can not be applied, and a decadent culture rooted in pursuit of pleasure, power, riches, and the "more", like that drunk guy standing in front of the stage, loving the music but after each son, shouting: more, give me more. So to help people heal their minds is the most fundamental form of healing, which must involve understanding the roots of suffering, which are often society- tradition- and self-induced psychological walls, fears, insecurities, anxieties, identifications, images, etc., which push love right out the window. We do not need to teach people how to love. Love is there once we remove that which is not love: which is often the separative, divisive thought which is plaguing humanity.
If one's aim is to help society fundamentally, aside from living correctly oneself, ending conflict in one's own life, being one with oneself and not a bundle of fragmented mess inside one head and body, is to become a teacher. But there are many other ways to help humanity than holding official positions and jobs that are directly in the healing field. Good music surely helps. Just being in harmony in oneself helps the world. To live without anxiety in an anxious world helps the world...
For me it doesn't mean much - just another day, another year, another number, but why not... may it be a happy and healthy one for us all.
30 Dec 2010 -- Critical Element of a Great Performance
- Even if you're born a performer, it is still the grace of God, to use J.S. Bach's phrase which gives your performance another dimension. A magical performance is blessed by a movement which is not of time and thought. The instrument, including the body mind and heart need to be in tune. The window must be open and the breeze may come.Dec 2010 --
- Markbass is my favorite bass amp right now. Compact, powerful, light weight, but.. .expensive.- She said "you're a knight in shining armor". There was love - we hadn't talked for many years - she's got a homeopathy practice. I offered to mediate her daughter's case to bring an end to the stupid litigation she's pursued against her school.
- Telling a married person I am trying to simplify my life sounded like a joke. A married person with kids thinks my life being unmarried and without children is much simpler.
- SBB has a free offline timetable now: http://fcd.zvv.ch/fahrplan.php
- Thank God the Almighty, I'm feeling better. Have written a whole book on sinus infection.
- Mr. S. said it's very good that you write. "you'll get to my age and realize how good it was to write your diary". True. But the Larijanis destroyed 7 years of my diaries. And Mr. S saw the victim before it was taken to the slaughterhouse (Orange County Dumpster). It was nice talking to her and aunt -- I joked, that since you just got home give the key to the "peykane javanan" to go cruise around (like he used to do). He was the coolest uncle. I don't forget love -- because love is part of the being and it doesn't die. The "not forgetting" is not a typical act of memory but a "love repository" which has nothing to do with time. And she said everytime I make baamieh (okra) you're in it. And I said everytime I see Pofak (namaki) you're in it (she used to buy it for me all the time.
- If you think the studio version of "Light My Fire" has a mostly uninteresting solo except two or three melodic phrases, check out their live performance. The solos are pretty chaotic and musically deficient. Still, a great song, and we play a reduced version containing all the important musical elements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O6x_m4zvFs
The Doors - Light My Fire ( From "Live In Europe 1968" DVD)
- ex-band-mate bought a yacht - over a million dollar new, (he got it used).
Dec 2010 -- life is very short...
Life is too short for quarrelPeople won’t live forever
People think they will live forever but death is always around the corner - can catch any of us any time.
Everyone’s responsibility is to approach the other with no image, no idea, no conclusion which means a quiet mind – to be in the present and see what is.
I can not tell you to love another, but you can remove what’s not love: ideas, images, etc.
Dec 2010 --
- A song that just goes a ya ya ya is hard to find - but these lyrics were in my head from years ago -- and found it :)"porque cantando se alegran cielito lindo los corazone"...
- Good talk w/ Nahal. I carried her a lot as a baby. Now she’s 36 !!
18 Dec 2010 -- What Happens to People As They Age?
The smelly human residence streets led to beautiful nature- what a contrast: nature vs. people. People are also part of nature, but we must have taken the wrong turn at some point -- maybe it has to do with diet - continuing to eat dead animals (which I don't) even after the ice age was over? No idea.Looking at crowds of people -- so many beautiful your children, beaming with radiance innocence beauty life curiosity honesty integrity, and then old people - some who have maintained that intetgrity but most have turned ugly and fat. Why? It can not be just gravity and time, but perhaps the way of life, tamasic food, consuming dead animals, poisons, chemicals, alcohol, smoking, etc., and perhaps most degenerative of all: living with conflict.
Turned down offer to play at steakhouse. That's the least I can do for those poor animals.
She played a Beatles song and totally screwed it up -- least she could do to respect them would be to learn the darn song -- but many "khaltoori" musicians are like that. You'd never play Beethoven khaltoori. Beatles deserve the same respect.
Father of a 1.5 year old started moving her to the guitar music. She moved herself afterwards to the music -- nature kicked in.
Why do musicians who play along recorded music not record their part too and just stand there smiling? It's just as bad.
This frikin oriental woman was torturing her 2 year old who didn't want to walk but her stupid mother was determined to make her walk so the kid cried nonstop forever. I finally said something.
The dog was just walking streight with his owner. When I arrived to it and loved it eternally, it felt it, and it turned around and came with me. The owner pulled it away: walk streight now, without knowing why the dog turned, but both the writer and the dog knew. Love is so there and so hidden.
Dec 2010 -- Key To Psychological Change - Emptying - Order - Art of Observation - Psychological Thought IS Disorder.
He said he can't find a way to forget and forgive. That it is perhaps genetic. No it is not. Perhaps he's going about it the wrong way, trying to find a way to forget and forgive; while the key is not to become something else, but to understand what you are. This is an insight that no pop psychologist can get near.The fact is it makes you suffer. You say things and events can just trigger it - home alone or with others.
1) Stop making conclusions. Conclusions only solidify the self but psychologically, you are nothing but a bunch of memories, an idea.
2) Stop saying I can not change. If you say that, that solidifies it, writes it in stone, and you're sure to not change.
3) Writing is a great way to bring order to empty the mind.
4) Memory of the event is there and will always be there, but it's possible that the memory cells are ordered, so the memory doesn't haunt you - it stays there, dormant.
5) Thought needs to exhaust itself. The subject has a limited scope. The subconcious unconcious or whatever else the pop psycologists call it popps up in daily life. When it does, that's the clue, the hint; catch that, learn where it came from, let it tell its story. Otherwise it will keep popping up and after some decades you conclude you can't change. Change is impossible as long as you don't understand / see what you are, to see how thought gives the subject continuity, etc.
6) In the process of writing, you may have insights, for example, see that you don't have the right to tell another how to live.
7) Memory, experience, as thought, wants to empty itself, wants to be put to order. Psychological thought IS disorder. Similar to a kid who keeps saying mom, mom, and as long as he's not attended to he keeps nagging. Pay attention to the thoughts and feelings as they come up.
8) You see what you are including all the pain you went through, and you empty yourself by seeing it all, and you move forward. Thought doesn't need to go there anymore because its limited realm of the known, what it knows about the subject and everything it can imagine about it has been attended to, exhausted. This is like the door of heaven opening: thinking has learned its own limitation, and the mind can therefore be quiet, orderly, without the dictates of disorderly thought, the known, which is triggered and seems to pop up randomly.
This is the road of awareness. Without it there is no freedom from the dictates of limited thought. Part of it is to understand / see thought in action that all psychological thought is limited. Being limited it is divisive. Being divisive it brings conflict. Conflict is suffering. This awareness and the change that comes through this awareness, are the key to freedom from suffering.
And when we end our own suffering we stop adding to the world's suffering. That is the fundamental change that humanity needs and key to peace. Without it all calls for world peace are superficial.
Dec 2010 -- Crippled Culture
Some cultures are so frikin crippled when dealing with death. Check this out: the doctor knows your loved one is dying. HE DOESN'T F'KIN TELL YOU. and the explanation is that "in this culture, we don't tell because it's a morbid subject". WHAT THE F!!And then you're shown bullshit pop psychology like "The Kübler-Ross grief cycle" http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/kubler_ross.htm
I have no grief, than you.
Dec 2010 -- Freedom & Love
A good teacher talks to the class about art of living with freedom compassion and love. Students can related to it. Then a bad teacher and parents burden the kids with competition and useless burdens.He's been in benediction for 2-3 months now - this amazing energy comes - he called it advaita - for 2 days he's at one with everything. I said it's due to a religious life. He criticized those who say sit quietly, but he sits quietly at the river in the morning and it fills him. He said it takes care of us. It heals a wounded hand. It's so strong he cries sometimes. During the day he builds himself up again with thoughts etc., and at night it's there again.
You can not deny the fact that for the breeze to come the window has to be open.
11 Dec 2010 -- Forgiveness
Someone asked about forgiveness.I think the important thing is not to build the grudge to begin with and to be aware of how that is done, than to forgive. If someone calls you a name for example, you can accumulate it, get upset, and then ask how to forgive, but is it possible not to get offended? To see that this insult (or flattery) doesn't matter and not gather it? The answer is yes.
On the other hand there are cases where someone does something so severe that you "fire them from your life". It take a lot -- I mean really a lot -- for me to ever do that and I've done it with a very few people -- but in these cases these people are out of my life, and I don't have to think about them, be bothered with them, and don't want to see them because it brings back the horrible thing(s) they did (e.g. destroying my diaries).
But what is critical in any relationship is not to build an image, to stay with facts, and not have thought perpetuate the situation, add to it, modify it, give it continuity, which ultimately hurts oneself and isolates oneself more. Once the matter is dealt with there is no reason to continue to think about it which can lead to the question of forgiveness.
9-10 Dec 2010 --
More new videos online on www.rezatv.comShe has a grandson - 2 year old - after having 2 daughters. She's said she's amazed how he's like a motor; that they can't just give him a doll and have him sit and be calm?
Nice to catch up with some old friends. Love never dies.
Spent a lot of time taking her out of the video.
9 Dec 2010 -- Honey Day
Migros is killing reformhaus with selling their organic 8 franc honey for 3.30 !Honey is back in town.
When a honey is so important to you, you don't want to have other honey even when you're tempted, and that temptation is around, sometimes stronger than other times, and sometimes it is determined to soak you in its nectar, but once you're stuck it's hard to de-stick and a bee doesn't want to fly with more weight if it can fly with less.
9 Dec 2010 -- Philosophical hypocrisy of hackers who are supposedly fighting for but in fact violating "freedom of expression" and "right to privacy"
Let's face it: An army of hackers are on the loose from around the world fighting for but in fact violating freedom of expression and right to privacy. The current state of technology and law makes the internet an incredibly dangerous place and ripe for abuse by hackers, just like the wild west or the old Chicago gangs, except that hackers who violate the freedom of expression and other rights of people and companies are cowards who hide behind anonymous proxies in their mother's basement for example to carry these attacks. I was a hotshot software engineer before many of these punks were born. Unfortunately many of these hackers don't have the depth of philosophical understanding of what they're doing. Before this latest subject gives their life meaning they were playing video games all day and reading science fiction, now they have a cause to fight but how deeply do they understand the cause and the consequence of their actions?
I believe it was a French hacker who shut down my website because I had expressed my opinion about this whole saga, and they tout freedom of expression (but I got it back on line after a short outage).
They are hypocrits because
1) these hackers and "pirate parties" are calling for protection of privacy, yet they support a cause which itself intrudes privacy (TOTAL HYPOCRISY)
2) they cheer freedom of expression, which I totally support, yet, they attack sites of those who have a different view than them (TOTAL HYPOCRISY)
3) they want to reform intellectual property law to support artists (I totally support the idea) yet they call for things like very short copyright durations (see the website of the Canadian "pirate party" for example). (TOTAL HYPOCRISY)
4) they tout about being pirates -- does this mean they support the actions of the Somali pirates? What's so great about being a pirate? I believe pirates are criminals. If you take people's belongings off a ship against their will that makes you a criminal.
These hackers should put their technical talents to good use, to support causes that help the world not causes that help the terrorists like some of these offenders have done.
I completely support freedom of expression but I also support right to privacy. These are two principles that these hackers supposedly follow but they absolutely don't because they are hypocrits, they're philosophically weak in their understanding of the depth of issues. Unfortunately they are now finding a reason to be important, to be in the news, to fight something in the real world instead of on their video games. All that energy, all that talent, can go towards something creative : to create instead of to destroy. So what can you do to help the world? Destruction is easy. Creation is an art.
8 Dec 2010 onwards
- Went to Tibits' 10 year anniversary party. It was huge, and by invitation only, and easy to over-eat.
- Big city has a strange energy. Many of the people seem so lost in the occupation of being with so many others.
- Uploaded bunch of other new videos including but not limited to:
Dec 2010
Regarding the ethics of the latest saga on the news, regardless of the entity / government / person the actions are taken against, in principle, I am against intrusion of privacy. Even if I am handed private papers of another person, I do not have the right to publish those. And it is my right to express this opinion without getting attacked by hackers who talk about freedom of expression but want to shut down people who express a different view than them.All this is public information derived from who-is domain registration records, public telephone book, and their own websites.. If the hackers get so upset that this already public information is posted online, then they really need to examine their philosophical hypocrisy. If the hackers are so pro FREEDOM OF SPEECH (as I am) why would they try to shut down my website for posting this PUBLIC INFORMATION?
These people have a mirror site or have a domain name redirects in Switzerland, or in another way give their support to the hacker movement whose site has these domains listed as "mirror sites". They seem to support Freedom of Expression (which I also support), Freedom of Privacy (which I also support) yet, they're violating those very principles because the hackers are shutting down sites that are against violation of privacy (a principle that is theoretically shares by these hackers so their action is hypocritical), and they are supporting a cause which intrudes on privacy (another hypocritical action).
.ch - By Swiss Pirates, Piratenpartei Schweiz, Simonet Denis, Römerstrasse 9, CH-2563 Ipsach, Born 21. Mai 1985 -- +41 76 509 84 82 -- denis.simonet@piratenpartei.ch
Pascal Gloor, Rue du Monnet 1, 2603 Péry 079 346 00 26 - born 27.10.1975
Here's an interesting article: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Swiss_pirates_prepare_to_take_on_internet.html?cid=7502824
.perry.ch which is owned by: Perry Maurice, rue de la Dranse 16, CH-1920 Martigny. [The only one with that name I can find in the telephone book is: Perry Maurice Roger, informaticien, rue Liotard 4, 1202 Genève, 079 627 97 72.]
.huissoud.ch which is owned by: resurrection-jdr, Huissoud Huissoud, Au village, CH-1682 Lovatens. [The only Huissoud listed in the phone book in that village is: Huissoud Thérèse
géographe, 1682 Lovatens 021 906 89 19].
.tunny.ch Holder of domain name: Tomel Tunahan Bodenstrasse 12A CH-5737 Menziken 062 772 16 23
.argenton.ch Argenton Grégory Kornackerstrasse 5 CH-4402 Frenkendorf
.delight.ch delight software gmbh Zurschmiede Elias IT Mühle CH-9506 Lommis delight software gmbh -- Unterstrasse 39 9000 St. Gallen 071 223 80 71 -- Lukas Unterstrasse l.zurschmiede@delight.ch
.ratm.ch tchetch.net Etienne Bagnoud Place Centrale 5 CH-1920 Martigny Switzerland [not listed]
zurich.ch.-mirror.com hosted out of Grand Cayman
FreedomOfSpeE.ch Matthieu SIMON freedomofspee.ch, office #2854981 c/o OwO, BP80157 FR-59053 Roubaix Cedex 1 France
wl.rekursion.ch Weiss Rene Seestrasse 40 CH-8806 Bäch SZ -- Weiss René 078 663 74 27 Seestrasse 40, 8806 Bäch SZ -- [listed at the same address and name: Weiss Alexander Tel.: 043 810 26 31 - Seestrasse 40, 8806 Bäch SZ]
.under.ch l'Usine Brugger Dominic place des Volontaires 4 CH-1204 Genève [not listed]
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After some French discussion on a Tweeter in which "anonymous" whose account was later suspended participated, and my website was attacked, I had a couple of repeated suspicious visits from the following on 9 Dec 2010 :
21.178.1-93.rev.gaoland.net
IP Address 93.1.178.21 [Label IP Address]
Country France
Region Ile-de-france
City Chilly-mazarin
ISP Neuf Cegetel
Browser Firefox 4.0
Operating System MacOSX
179.103.86-79.rev.gaoland.net
IP Address 79.86.103.179 [Label IP Address]
Country France
Region Bourgogne
City Mâcon
ISP Neuf Cegetel
Browser Chrome 9.0
Operating System Win7
193.47.80.82
Country France
Konqueror 3.5
Operating System Linux
----
again on 11 Dec:
93.1.178.21 [Label IP Address]
Country France
Region Ile-de-france
City Chilly-mazarin
ISP Neuf Cegetel
Returning Visits 1
Visit Length 1 second
VISITOR SYSTEM SPECS
Browser Firefox 4.0
Operating System MacOSX
Resolution 1280x1024
Javascript Enabled
----
Goodbye sucker!
4, 5 Dec 2010 onwards
Updated:http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/beatles.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/pop-song-list.html
Added old photos to:
http://ganjavi.kwebserv.info/bachehaaye-mahal/bachehaaye-mahal.html
New videos:
Found some time on the weekend to edit some old Bachehaye Mahal videos. Fun to watch :)
What a heavy video day again on Sunday. Finished editing 2 Bachehaye Mahal videos. Worked on other edits. Good talk with Andishe, Gary B., Norouz, Peyman, etc. -- Fabio called too. When it rains it pours. Also talked w/ Hamid -- lots of renewed relationships around music and IT.
It was long over-due -- it was on my mind to do it - and an outstanding promise I made to my dear brothers, Hamid, Norouz and Peyman and Ali... to edit these videos.
They are delighted. We were a great band. The Persian bands these days are sisi compared to us. We rocked out. We had high standards. Hamid and I both had a strong musical background. We played good clean arrangement unlike many Persian bands who play Khaltoori. And we had power. I had the Beatles energy. Peyman had the metal background. The others too, each brought an important unique element. And we each had a good stage character. By the time we formed that band I had already played with many bands. It was the others' first band or second maybe. I recruited Norouz in the park at Sizdeh Bedar. Ali was my far cousin. I met Hamid in a mutual friend's house and liked him from the first moment. To this date we are like brothers. He's an angel. With the others too, we hit it off from the first moment. Norouz was already a tempo+vocals sensation among his friends -- perfect addition to our band, and he had/has a great character, easy to work with, etc., we didn't have the ego clash problem a lot of bands have. Look, 20 years later, we're still friends. I wished Peyman could improve his musical knowledge and even took him to a teacher. He had a rock solid beat and a good drummer for us. He also had a practice space, and of course, a very nice personality. Ali also. I love these guys still, like my brothers.
[logged on http://ganjavi.kwebserv.info/bachehaaye-mahal/bachehaaye-mahal.html ]
----
Dreamed of AR last night - called him today. He said he wanted to contact me about his laptop problem. Gave him diagnostic tips. I'm not a hardware guy but have had to become one over the years just dealing with this electronic magic box. There is sms, phone, email, and there's morphic connection / energetic contact.
----
Terry Jones said they wanted to tell Bush "thank you." He said he admired Bush because "when he makes a decision, he sticks with it."
This is the lamest line I've ever heard. Bush senior also said the same of his wife: that she hasn't changed a bit. Is that good or bad?!!
-----
Not all reflections about dad are written here (but are logged in the dad file). Like:
woke up with cry of beauty of what a life he led. I have not ever met such a beautiful life-artist.
What happens when someone with whom you have a deep morphic connection dies?
----
Actor and singer Johannes Heesters has given up smoking for love -- at age 106 -- who will turn 107 on Sunday, has been married to German actress Simone Rethel, 61.
---
Communication galore continues. Talked to cousin Ani. She said they're all still here - only you went away. R in fact asked about me 2 weeks ago "you had a cousin with pretty eyes where is he?" and funny that I asked her about R and H since I saw them on the videos I'm editing. H is a TV character. I guessed it right, by her looks that R is Zoroasterian. She has a friendly face.
He went to Australia, got a divorce and came back with no kids, no money, no home, and starting from scratch.
---
- I used to love to give good news to dad. He'd be thrilled to hear from us, and to know we're fine, and to hear good news from our progress and so on. He used to say our calls would energize him, to know we're fine would give him powerand joy. Now he's not there to give good news to. He is. He is part of the totality of universe. A leaf is gone but the tree is there. In silence there is connection. When there's connection it also embraces sound. Sound can not produce silence but sound can come out of silence.
[logged in dad]
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/dad.html
- The frikin doctor advises her to go to a hotel after getting radiation therapy and not tell them. Not only that is illegal, it is highly unethical. It's like "it's not ok to contaminate your household but ok to contaminate others". Not! Not only this contaminates the hotel employees and the next guest, but you could be that next guest! So the stupid doctor who recommended this must be told of your moral objection and be advised to never npass on this immoral advise to others.
3 Dec 2010 -
- Global warming is not a myth like many Republicans believe. Mom said and I remember too, we used to shovel hills of snow in our street in the winter. Now we barely get even rain. And this is a radical change in the climate in 50 year span. Imagine if the planet changed this fast longer within its long age.- Another day of torture by Dr. Streit. She packs for 1/2 an hour from 5:30 a.m. onwards every week and makes so much noise - 1/2 hour of torture. I don't understand why these rich doctors don't get a better place to live where they don't have to disturb their neighbours specially when they have such crazy work hours - like 6 a.m. to 10 pm or whatever -- this must yield multimillions a month for doctors who make something like 50 francs for 5 minutes of consultation and they even charge you for opening and reading your cancellation note (this happened to a friend).
- She went to dentist and for first time got a deep cleaning. She already had beautiful white teeth. After the cleaning the teeth went brown. She wrote to complain and the doctor said she has to find another dentist - that he doesn't want her as a patient!
- We already know many eye doctors and psychologists thrive on patients not being well and continued need for their services. Maybe deep dental cleaning is similar.
- Talked to Suisa. Very interesting info regarding Youtube. They're still in talks with rights/collecting societies and so right now, putting a cover song on youtube is not illegal because there is no place to pay royalties to. Suisa does not accept royalties for Youtube broadcast but may in the future.
- Andy was very happy to get his USB stick back which I found on the train.
- Wasted an hour talking to a bunch of stupid representatives at S.B. May God give me some money and give them some brains :) -- at the end it was eventually resolved and they admitted they had given wrong information but it was like pulling teeth. Education is a gift from God.
- Insurance blues -- Sanitas said they'll pay 500 Francs for checkup. Doctor said 500 is ok. Sanitas took 400 francs out of my account for checkup!! It's not their fault - looks like the doctor over-billed me.
2 Dec 2010 - Bouquet of Therapists
- Switzerland is not short of therapists and types of therapy:
Aderlass
Akupressur
Akupunktmassage
Akupunkt-Massage n. Penzel
Akupunktur
Alexandertechnik
Anamnese (klinisch und naturheilkundlich)
An-Mo/Tui-Na
Anthroposophische Heilmethoden
Aroma-Therapie
Atemtherapie
Atlaslogie
Aura-Soma-Therapie
Ausleitung von Toxinen
Ausleitungsverfahren
Autogenes Training
Ayurveda
Bachblüten-Therapie
Baunscheidt
Bewegungs- Tanz- und Körpertherapie
Bewegungs- und Tanz-Therapie
Bindegewebe-Massage
Bioresonanz-Therapie
Blutegel
Blutuntersuchung
Cantharidenpflaster
Chiropraktik
Chromoson-Therapie
Cluster-Medizin
Colon-Hydro-Therapie
Cranio-Sacral-Therapie
Dampfbad
Diätetik
Diätetik/Ernährungsberatung
Dorn Wirbelsäulen-Therapie
Dynamische Wirbelsäulen-Therapie
EAV (holistische)
EAV (klassische)
Eigenblut-Therapie
Elektro-Neural-Therapie
Elektro-Therapien
Ernährungsberatung
Ernährungsberatung TCM
Esalen-Massage
Eutonie
Fango
Farb-Licht-Therapie
Feldenkrais
Fussreflexzonen-Massage
Ganzkörper-Massage
Graphologie
Hämatogene Sauerstoff-Therapie
Handreflexzonen-Massage
Heileurythmie
Heilgymnastik
Heilmittel
Heilmittel TCM
Hochfrequenz-Therapie
Homöopathie
Hydro-Therapien
Hyperbare Sauerstoff-Therapie
Infrarot-Therapie
Injekto-Neural-Therapie (Huneke)
Interferenz-Therapie
Irisdiagnose
Kinesiologie
Klassische Homöopathie
Klassische Massage
Kneipp-Therapie
Komplex-Homöopathie
Konsultation/Sprechstunde
Laser-Therapie
Lebensberatung
Licht-Therapie
Licht-Therapien
Lymphdrainage
Magnetfeld-Therapie
Mal-Therapie
manuelle Lymphdrainage
Massagen
Massagen Ayurveda
Massage-Praktiken
Matrix-Regeneration MRT
Medizinische Massage
Medizinische Massagen
Mentales Training
Moxa
Musik-Therapie
Namikoshi/Shiatsu
Naturärztliche Tätigkeiten TEN
Naturheilkundliche Praktiken
Neural-Therapien
NLP
Orthomolekulare Medizin
Osteopathie
Ozon-Therapie
Packungen
Pathophysiognomik
Physiotherapie
Phyto-Therapie
Polarity
Psychologische Begleitung
Psychologische Beratung
Psychosynthese
Psychozonen-Massage
Qi-Gong
Rebalancing
Rebirthing
Reiki
Reinkarnation
Sauerstoff-Ionen-Mehrschicht-Therapie
Sauerstoff-Therapie n. Prof. Ardenne
Schröpfen
Schröpf-Massage
Schüssler-Salze
Segment-Massage
Spagyrik
Stuhluntersuchung
Sumathu
Tai-Chi
TCM
TCM (Altchinesische Medizin)
TCM/Akupunktur
Thermalbad
Tibetische Medizin
Tomatis
Trager
Traumdeutung
Überwärmungs-Bäder
Ultraschall
Urinuntersuchung
UV-Therapie
Vitalogie
Wasserstrahl-Massage
Wickel
Wirbelsäule-Basis-Ausgleich WBA
Wirbelsäulen-Basis-Ausgleich
Yoga
Zilgrei-Therapie
1 Dec 2010 -
- Hi Andy. I know what it's like to lose something. I didn't give your flash drive to SBB lost & found because I didn't think you'd initiate a search there. Heck, you also ignored my email for a few days so it must not ave been important, nevertheless I went through the trouble of trying to find out who you are based on the data on the drive and called you and called you this morning. It took me a long time- had to run a program to extract emails from all your files and guess yours and other steps, but I didn't read your data because I respect your privacy. I will send it to you in the post.- She said her english is wenig, so ich spreche deutche mit her and at the end sie spreche fluent English like her mother tongue. Das ist CH fuer sie. She was very kind and patient to put up with my lansom deutche.
- Nice conclusion to the drummer search. B will play drums/percussion with us New Year's Eve. He's a very hot musician. One thing for sure is that there's no shortage of drummers.
- It was really a violation of the body's intelligence to sleep so late. Sleeping when the body is not used to sleeping and being awake when it's used to sleeping. This really has to stop. A good sleeping habit makes the body perform more efficiently and for its intelligence to be fully awake.
- Hard times and diligent work pays off with a wave of inner and outer movement which are one and the same.
- I think the Swiss really appreciate warmth emotions. They respond so positively - it's as beautiful as their great responsiveness to music.
- Rep's name was Mandy. "I remember all my life .... " am I verified now? she said that was the best call she ever received - a singing customer.
30 Nov 2010 -
- He said there are so many bands but hadly any of them make any money. He has to spend lot of time and money going to rehearsals but have only 5 gigs in a year.- Good talk w/ B. Her dog died unexpectedly. There is a lot of love for these close friends in Napoli. E quit smoking at the K center Brockwood. Great job! D gave up photography study and is now studying law.
- Good talk w/ Bruno - he's a grand master. His son also plays Jazz -- bass. It's nice that in this society these musicians can have such a good life. So far music has been a hobby for me. I don't have all the papers required in Switzerland in music but I have papers in other things, like computer science and philosophy and management.
- 30 min on phone with Jury duty people -- "I'd love to serve, but I'm not there". It's cool, they just need the form back. Ok, fine. Called the Registrar-Recorder. She was funny - she said: "Those Jury duty people are out of control. How could they make you do jury duty when you live out of state" :)
29 Nov 2010 -
- Swiss newspapers react to the latest vote:http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/Vote_2010-11-28/News/Media_diagnose_Swiss_identity_crisis_.html?cid=28892656
- Doctor said it was his fault - that he asked me to go in to get test result while insurance co says it should have been done on the phone. He charges 50 Francs for 5 minutes of consultation. I think successful Swiss MD's like him whose calendars are full make something like a million Francs a year! Nice guy, and us being friends, he will give a refund...
- Playing percussion is so easy if you have it in your blood. Drum set requires more mechanical technique but both are best played if the person has it in her or his blood, and can feel the music in their heart and very importantly can foresee the coming rhythm in the brain's synapses easily. If I had 4 arms I wouldn't need to look for a percussionist. Awa from Senegal was so incredibly natural on those congas, and some Swiss people are so unnatural on the African drums, and some are, but most are not.
27 Nov 2010 -
- Updatedhttp://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/college_tips.html
with some new points made in videos: tips for new college student on http://www.youtube.com/rezaganjavi
27 Nov 2010 -
- Met Tanja Gutmann today. Miss Switzerland and TV star and actress.- Having been cheesed out the last days the body didn't want to buy cheese today - the brain, thought of cheese as pleasurable and therefore desirable but this was the call of the intelligence of the body. There was no conflict. Just didn't buy cheese. I often remember what Dr. Paco Calvo said about cheese: it has growth hormone and at this age the body is not growing and you don't want to promote other things to grow in the body...
- West's fascination with East also shows in these Swiss women I met who have tattoo written in Chinese - sometimes they don't even know what it means.
- The Turkish : buda-ke-var -- this is it -- hamine-ke-hast (in Farsi) -- could denote a victim mentality. What is, must be understood, seen, and that understanding can bring a change. That is the essence of change.
When someone is alive one must appreciate him/her -- part of the problem with a mourner is the thought that "I lost a jewel, I will not see him again, he will not come back".
It's extremely important that thought learns itself not to perpetuate itself (which gives rise and continuity to sorrow).
She she sees people who were close to him she can't stop crying. She finds this socially crippling.
She doesn't feel sorry for him but for herself. That a jewel is gone. Did she appreciate that jewel when alive? Did she love him? Did she give him love? That's for her to know. I did, and he's part of me.
She said suddnly there is emptiness. That emptiness is worth being with and not escaping from.
I never cry from sorrow but from beauty.
Health is very valuable. It must be cherished while it's there.
Dad's grave stone cost something like $700. What to write on it? X has suggested writing "ghazi-al-ghozat".
25 Nov 2010 -
Tehran is so firkin polluted they want to declare yet another day of holiday. I feel affection for mom. She has the comfort of the known but it's very unhealthy for her to be in that air quality. She still hopes that we will go live there but I doubt it. She worries about me - to not catch a cold as it's so cold here.
It's snowing and is beautiful and like a story.
Went to town many times today. Am tired still from waking up too early.
Decided not to sell the Vietnamese guitar. Just after I decided to sell it it was behaving :)
Found a Cajon for R. Cajon is very functional (got drum and cymbal combined) but obviously inferior to the drum set. I checked models and prices for her and negotiated and then emailed her that if you get this email tell me. She didn't answer but in person said "I get your emails but I don't answer". It was the same with phones and sms last year when we had to relate. So the problem is perhaps not phone phobia which she said she had but electronic communication phobia.
R said Petra is a regular at the place. She's there every single night. She drinks water. It must be a solution for an otherwise void social life? She has a friendly face.
24 Nov 2010 - Grandparents
I have such fond memories of my grandparents. They're such a big part of my development and being.Got a gig at the hottest spot in town on the hottest night of the year.
Skyped with Tara and Rusteen. Tara now wants a guitar - not violin - I suggested that to her last time.
- Sakineh Baji was Baji's maid. Maman-bozorg's dad died just as Aji was born so from sorrow, her milk dried up, so Sakineh-baji fed her almond milk, meat broth, etc.
Agha-joon's parents died early. Amme went to maman-bozorg's khastegari. Baji was 15 years older than maman bozorg. Dayee Parviz would hide their grandma's shoes because the kids love their grandma so much that they didn't want her to leave.
24 Nov 2010 -
Swisscom manager said what the rep told me was "absolutely wrong" - I knew it."I'll give you 5 francs for the inconvenience."
after we talked more she said, "you're such a nice person, I'll give you 10 francs, you took the time to tell us..."
----
- common experience - when you tell teacher you're not coming any more he brings out the best. why? maybe till then he thinks he can sustain you based on confusion on boring stuff...
- good talk with ML. She's now an accomplished musician and teacher. I've known her for years.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXSFwWCB07c - Farhad: Koodakaneh - a song that takes you back. Great lyrics.
- There's nothing noble about sorrow. It's as common as having kids.
- does life become complicated as one ages? Isn't part of art of living to try to keep life simple?
- Another Republican mess: "Jurors deliberated for 19 hours before returning guilty verdicts against DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces up to life in prison on the money laundering charge... Prosecutors claim the money helped Republicans take control of the Texas House. That enabled the GOP majority to push through a Delay-engineered congressional redistricting plan that sent more Texas Republicans to Congress in 2004 — and strengthened DeLay's political power."
23 Nov 2010 -
- Nice to reconnect with an old friend, Annalena Fröhlich, who's now an accomplished musician: www.anna-lena.ch
- FBI raids 3 hedge funds in widespread insider-trading probe
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/22/AR2010112206748.html
It's about time that the SEC / FBI start doing something about hedge funds who act criminally.
- A browser has become what I always dreaded about television and why I never wanted to have a TV.
- I suppose most ailments are due to misuse. I think I discovered the wrist pain is due to the regular one hand lifting of the heavy blender...
- As I type this sideways I remember Dr. Andy - bless his energy - who told me how I was skewing due to a job as a programmer - when I was 21-ish.
21 Nov 2010 -
- Iran’s capital, with 12 million residents and more than 2 million vehicles, is among the world’s most polluted cities. A Tehrani typically inhales as much as 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of pollutants a year, according to local studies.
- Nice set of Y&P.
- i feel like i'm not missing out on a lot of contemporary pop music because a large % has no melody
- been updating:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/german.html
Nov 2010 -
A day of technical struggle. But got everything working. Complete revamp of backups, security and folder structures.Started file: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/technical_tips.html
(to be uploaded).
I absolutely can't believe AI is 38 !!! I still picture her as 24. Time flies.
Good talk to GK : like kissing fox - suddenly it might be a handsome prince and Malcolm's line: a faint heart never won a fair lady.
Good talk w/ AL. He also perceived CS to be a very chaotic place and not a pleasant environment.
She went swimming in Kish and loved it. $500 for 3 nights 5* hotel and flight and breakfast.
Nov 2010 - The Father
Dad had a big heart – a big big heart – it melted away everything that came in contact with it – his heart was lightened by the light of his great mind.Thinking of H, remembered dad’s love for mom’s mom – pure love – pure greatness – it was so intense – it was so real – his voice – his heart – his love – his smile – his presence – so strong – so every lasting as though it is fully absolutely here – that love has not died a bit – has not even weakened like the warmth of sun on a building at night – that one had to sit quietly – in nothingness – in strength of pure energy of presence – and that otherness, that nothingness, that immeasurable love was here, is here, and it filled the room and the mind and every thing.
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Good singing on the walk. Came to a song that reminded of Shomal - Shadi and I in the back of the car listening to Beatles Rock & Roll Music album (a compilation with silver cover that had come out around that time). And remembered dad's presence. He truly was an angel. His energy's vibration was peaceful loving wise. A gentleman to the utmost meaning of the word without a remote trace of vulgarity whatsoever. Just remembering that beauty in the form of a far distanced memory, and feeling that quality of that energy which is still very much still here, integrated in the core of my being, gave rise to tears and sobbing of beauty and went on. It was ignited by memory but thought did not give it continuity, and in fact stopped the sobbing, not intentionally but naturally after it went on with another song and its lyrics of love and togetherness and distance. He is not far away. His goodness, that rare quality of total beauty is very much alive and right here.
[updated dad file]
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/dad.html
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I also learned English without a good command of theoretical grammar but got perfect hang of it through hearing and reading and speaking.
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A trip down the memory lane.
Persimmon took me back to Iran - to the old days - grandma - snow - love - warmth - and the song - beautiful one by Farhad - took me back - regression - and cried a bit in the super market. Remembered mamang bozorg - sleeping in her arms - synchronizing with her breath so I didn't inhale her exhale. Their radio was always on - nice orchestral works. There was love.
A Raveshe-no teacher tried to pick up my aunt - during those decadent days of 70's in a French West and hippie influenced society.
17 Nov 2010 - Zurich
face of man ashamed at being seen cussing at the phone for it not having rang as he'd been expecting.face of swiss woman fedup with the rasta lazy smoker man who's now old and on crutches.
faces of man on 5:30 train stressed from a day he got through with the help of caffeine.
good to see H. Taking the guitar he bought 40 years ago for over 300 francs home to restring it - play it - make love to it - make it alive again. It's been sitting in the attic neglected and out of tune.
bought bio roasted peanuts after trying some at reformhaus - they're too high calorie but as a couple of times a year fun food they're ok.
zurich is looking and feeling very christmasy already. it's really the highest quality city it's been rated many times but the young girl at Swisscom shop didn't agree. She said it's emotionally deprived. She was cool. I told her Orange wants 10 with 10 credit and Sunrise 20 with 20 credit and Swisscom wants 40 - try to do something..... she ended up giving me the new SIM for free.
picked up new phone after giving up on the lost one. a k750i in great shape for 24 francs!!
H said the heart pain is probably the chest muscle. makes sense - from the physiotherapy I had today.
spent a lot of time polishing up the resume for a very cool job.
spent hours till late night studying German.
went to chocolate store waiting for tram "I don't eat chocolate but I like the smell" :)
16 Nov 2010 - German
Spent a long time studying German, trying to simplify the complex rules down to a usable state unlike people who study it for 2 years and still can't speak well. I will never speak perfect German, no foreigner ever does, I am told. Swiss German makes it easier actually. It doesn't use the simple past but the perfect (like I know why it's called perfect - well I guess I do - the glass is broken - but grammar makes me want to vomit as it has all my life. It's an attempt to put rules around something that developed organically through ages. No thanks.Nov 2010 - Egyptian Man Gets Justice in Sexual Harassement Case
He apparently got 5 years in prison for grabbing European woman into his shop, groping her etc. before she ran away. This was probably not his first time. You get these people with a conservative background along side German and other European babes marching up and down the streets of 5 star toxic resorts and a few of these men are criminally minded and are stupid, like the man in question who attacked the woman probably knowing she flies away the next day but with a little help from her friend she reported him to the nearby Tourist Police who arrested the guy the same day and through followup via the embassies information came of his sentencing. Knowing it was probably not his first time, that so many of the same kind of criminals get away with it, and the pain the woman went through, the tough sentence is just under Egyptian law and obviously, as with any such punishments should set an example for other such criminals. European travellers to Egypt should be very careful. Unfortunately, it's never a good idea for a woman to go anywhere alone in streets of Egypt.Doing some googling I learned that Egypt has a big problem with sexual harassment. A Facebook group set up for this says: "A group against Sexual Harassment in Egypt! If we can stop it in Egypt we can definitely stop it ANYWHERE!". It refers to sexual assault (Article 268 of the Penal Code): This is another sexual crime and can be applied to cases of touching and other physical harassments. -->This is considered a more serious crime and is also tried in the larger criminal court (جنائية محكمة) with 3 judges. Sentences range from 3 years to 15 years in prison.
http://www.egyptianinitiatives.com/stopsexualharassment.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61G3ZS20100217
- I helped the Swiss woman claim her right and report him to the police who subsequently arrested him through an interesting operation we witnessed. Reflecting back to that time (a long time ago), I have no regret because if the guy had not been arrested, he'd be in the street again doing this to other women too and only bolder and with more viciousness because the last time(s) he had gotten away with it. It's his problem that the penalty is so severe within that system. The police already told us he will get 7 years so I guess he should be happy about 5. I reflected back at it, not feeling sorry for the criminal at all but in general, out of humanity and compassion, but determined again, that we had done the right thing by going after the criminal and seeking justice.
14 Nov 2010 - The Beatles are Alive & Kicking
It's amazing how alive The Beatles still are. In the country's biggest CD store, they have the Red & Blue albums (hits compilations) on promotional stand. Unbelievable! And they have on display:- Complete mono recordings. 10+ albums. 459. fcs.
Original studio recordings. 13+ albums. 400 fcs.
- The autumn wind cleaned the leaves with such amazing innate intelligence in the Earth & Heaven. It was an intense hurricane of leaves - the sky filled with leaves, a snow fall of leaves.
13 Nov 2010 onwards
Good talk with Dr. DD -- though we have not seen each other for a long time, there is love and it travels through the phone lines.Good talk with MN who said everyone is too busy to keep in touch though they want to. I said I have not given up. I still have hope that I can simplify my life to the point I was when I was in my 20's (minus university because that + full time work didn't leave much time) and be able to have more time for leisure and keeping in touch and creative work.
Good talk with RVB. Love is not effected by time.
Good talk w/ TG - They got a Cavapoo. Their last dog got old and stinky and lived in the dungeon and finally put out. It seemed cruel to not care for an old friend and not care for it when it's old. I'll never want a pet anyway.
Good talk w/ GB - there's love despite the past.
The woman in Texas couldn't handle the problem and she just hung up!! The guy in Denver took care of it. And the woman in Arizona took care of the technical issue. I gave both their managers complements for them.
Good guitar practice.
Memory is not love.
She said my parents have died for 32 years and it seems like yesterday.
I don't tell her this product I wish she would've loved him more when he was alive. I think she wishes the same.
--------
Dad went too early. Like the scent of Linden flowers that come and go, fill the earth with their subtle penetrating drunkening fragrance, and suddenly disappear. That pool of goodness has not gone. It's here but it lost an important body. He was an embodiment of goodness, no doubt. I feel regret in some ways but regret is of the past and it can not change anything. Perhaps he could have been better taken care of. Perhaps we should have had him under a doctor's supervision in Switzerland. And how I regret allowing him to fly alone. But after all this he was ok. He has had a weak heart for a long time and there was not much that could have been done that wasn't done. And most importantly, he was happy, and he died a happy person.
A nap brought light to the being. Still can't find the energy to go to Zurich to my friend's concert.
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9 Nov 2010 onwards
Liver cleanse is very powerful. Like a big car wash. The stones were emerald green from all the green smoothies and power greens. Tried bouldering.Beautiful girl came in the tram and sat next to me but she was reeking from cigarette smell so I had to move to a different seat. How sad that people can smell like ashtrays.
Listened to Taylor Swift newly hyped album. She has a good sound and a couple of good songs. I like her personal approach to songwriting, which is probably her key to success.
I started telling Brigitte about Victoria and green smoothies and she said: Boutenko. Yes! She said many of her patients have read Victoria's books and she has read two of them. "It's one of the best things I've ever heard". Viva Victoria!
X, French speaker, has been speaking German for decades and still gets the grammar wrong.
Nov 2010 - Drum Set -- a bit of history -- & Percussion
I
love drum set. Watching a good drum set player is spiritual orgasm.
However! Let's look at the history. Once upon a time there was Jazz,
and then Buddy Holly, Buddy Rich, Elvis, and eventually the gods sent
Beatles down :) Beatles revolutionized pop music. This is an undisputed fact. They made so many things for the first time that nowadays are utilized as standard -- they were pioneers. Aside from writing great songs, they formed themselves as a quartet utilizing a drum set, in the style of Elvis, Blues, Jazz, which have roots in music of Africa. So in some ways it all started in Africa... but let's not talk about that for the moment,
This 4-piece concept with a drum set evolved into a standard which today we see in almost every rock and pop band. Ringo was very musical. In many of today's rock bands a drum set is unbearable -- it is played as loud as physically possible and with very little musical value except to keep the beat.
Tonight I saw a band, famous around here, but they will never move beyond Aargau let alone Switzerland. I don't think their fame even gets as far as Olton, let alone Bern. They're simply too loud, too crude, and their choice of music sucks. Their drummer, a nice guy and a friend of mine, was playing with very little musical value -- just banging the hell out of the drums, and not with great musicality -- partly because the music itself is shallow and doesn't allow great musical expressions.
At the end, it's the music that matters. The Beatles who made Elvis evolve into what is known today as mainstream rock, had very rich music. These days many bands are about image, looks, attitude, but the music is simply missing, so they have to play very loud because when it's too loud, your mind and ear is dulled and can't tell the lack of musical value. But it can. A sensitive mind and ears, can hear good music, which is humming across the universe. Beethoven heard it, many great artists hear it.
Long story short, I feel, while drum set is a great instrument, and I've played it since I was a kid, and love it, it is loud and dominating. A club owner today told me percussion is ok but not drum set because it gets too loud. For our purposes, it's clear to me that percussion, not drum set, fits the band's strategic positioning. Later on, we can always add drum set if we want to.
One of the things I really like about a drum set is the cymbals. The metallic ring has a deep rooted effect on us. But that sound can be produced by other means, and also by percussion players -- El Cajon, tambourine, bells, etc.. I also like the idea of having more than one percussionist -- so many fun things can be done with various percussion instruments.
7 Nov 2010 -
Updated after a big burst of tears from a song: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/dad.html4 Nov 2010 -
- Talked w/ Raj- Working hard at German.
- Talked w/ Khoi. I never forget the hard work he put into my case (both of us actually, worked very hard together).
- Talked with Silvia after a long time. She was one of my first "train friends".
3 Nov 2010 - Jam with Stefan & Awa
- Met Stefan and Awa. They're really good musicians. It was a lot of fun jamming. Awa is from Senegal. Says she never played the drums but sounded like a pro !! Stefan also has a very good touch. I love the sound of congas - always have. Very happy to have met such good musicians and nice people.- What a beautiful car: 2010 Camaro with a 6.2 engine.
2 Nov 2010 - Found A New Gem (Avanir)
- Avanir stock (NASDAQ:AVNR) was up 98.4 percent at close Monday, adding $2.38 to end at $4.80 in very heavy trading: Volume was 55.3 million shares, compared to the three-month average of 2.8 million.http://www.bioworld.com/servlet/com.accumedia.web.Dispatcher?next=bioWorldHeadlines_article&forceid=56271
Looks like a great long term buy&hold. It's $4.80 now. One analyst has a $15 target, another I talked to a $10 target. Their drug really helps people who are suffering. No competition.
28 Oct 2010 - Recommendation for Swiss
- "so what do you prescribe for the Swiss since they dun seem to be a contented people for all their affluence." A friend from Singapore wrote.What can I say? It's hard to generalize. This is such a great country and so many things are handled so well. I would suggest realizing more the limits of thought. This is an extremely thought-dominated culture, like most of the modern world, but to an extreme case. And it has one of the highest rates of suicide. The known is extremely important here and cherished. When thought understands, sees, its own limitation, the mind can be free from those limits. Love has no limits.
- "what are your impressions of swiss and europeans? how does their mannerisms differ from that of americans? what do each identify with? culturally? ecomically? tradition?"
hard to generalize. in one word, swiss are lovely. european is a huge generalization - greek and swedish are very different in cultures but human experience is the same everywhere.
28 Oct 2010 - German
been updating:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/german.html
27 Oct 2010 -
- The most important thing is the source. It just makes sense that a being is attentive to its source, the very essence of its existence.- There is always time to stop and pay a musician. He was from Latvia - playing accordion and then switching with one hand to a wind instrument (I think it was an alto horn).
.
Oct 2010 -
- Good talk w/ great friend, incredible drummer, and super heart surgeon Dr. Mehrdad Amirhamzeh. Sinus infection at this age doesn't usually effect the heart and if does, or in case of stress of illness, heart repairs itself. He went to Armaghane Tarbiat -- that's how he's so baa-tarbiat :)- Good talk w/ Azadeh - she complains it's cold there but it's 15 degrees. We have ZeRo! She loves the videos.
- MT had 12 students - in and out in 30 minutes - he has hard time controlling his temper. Good friend. The gig I got him was good but 100 Brits from Leeds drunk didn't care for guitar music.
- Good talk w/ Falk after a looooooooong time.
- I didn't know that chess was originally Persian. Shatranj.
- New Article on Amma: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Amma
- Georgian criminal gangs are chiefly responsible for the large rise in burglaries in French-speaking Switzerland over the past year, the Geneva police have confirmed. .. up by 21 per cent in 2008 over the previous year, said the police on Tuesday at a presentation of their 2008 annual report. Denner in a small village around here got broken into – 20’000 Fc worth of cigarette and Nivea, and a car were stolen to get away with. Why did they have 300 cartons of cigarettes at the small village's shop?!?!
- Acer wants 89 for a reinstallation CD. What a ripoff. Dell sends it for free!
- Dreamed of Faith -- today mom said her sister has died.
Oct 2010 - No Image
- It is powerful to approach someone who had acted stupidly before and have no image. Images block love. Love has its own power which we need to let operate more and more in this world. That requires understanding the limits of thought which naturally suspends it from entering where it doesn't belong.- Sold my March 1978 Ovation Legend 1617-4 American made guitar. Researched. Talked to some friends I respect.
Al: i would always buy an all-wood guitar.
Bruno: I don't like the sound - sounds compressed.
I played a note and decided i don't like the plastic sound. Although overall it sounds good. Action needs adjustment.
sold!
Al: look at craigs list. I did. Same thing selling for less.
If I was a collector I would keep it -- it played on Dancing Hands and the clean planet song. But I'll buy a nicer acoustic maybe -- an all-wood.
I just joined the ovation dislikers -- I listened closely and can hear the sound of plastic.
Oct 2010 - New Page on Green Smoothies
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Green_Smoothies.htmlOct 2010 - Angelo Gilardino
- Listening to his composition was mind opening. What he said was a good omen -- much needed. He's an angel. I hope to be able to record his orchestral works specially.Oct 2010 - A Murderer Prince
I don't like to follow bad news (which is most news) but someone sent me this link and I've followed the story. I am disgusted by the cruelty and vulgarity of this Saudi Prince. There is nothing princy in his behavior. A video camera caught him beating an non-provoking servant in an elevator. Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir al Saud, grandson of the King of Saudi Arabia, was convicted of murdering his servant in a London Hotel. "The Saudi authorities have been pretty unhelpful," he said. "We have been trying to get any information about either the victim or the prince. "He has never told us anything about himself - clearly he was travelling through the world in a playboy lifestyle." "Saud's father Prince Abdulaziz, a nephew of King Abdullah, collapsed and had to be treated by the Old Bailey matron after the unanimous guilty verdict."The criminal will be locked up for many years. I'm impressed by the efficiency of the British court. Very swift process.
"A British court sentenced a Saudi prince to at least 20 years in prison Wednesday for beating and strangling one of his servants at a swank British hotel."
"Each day the pair would rise after 3pm and go down to the safety deposit box at the hotel where the prince had lodged €30,000 (£26,000). Then they would hail a taxi or ask a chauffeur to take them to one of the capital’s most fashionable restaurants where they thought nothing of spending £500 on a meal for two. This would be followed by visits to clubs"
Oct 2010 -
- Like & dislike can be ways of identification and giving the self continuity.- Mexican security forces seized at least 105 tons of U.S.-bound marijuana -- estimated street value of about $340 million.-- police arrested 11 people who were traveling in the convoy and called the army and state police for reinforcements -- An unprecedented 28,000 people have been killed in drug gang violence since 2006.
- The ant was carrying a stick much bigger than itself. It had to go through many obstacles but it knew exactly where it was going, where its end direction was. It was a big crows of ants there, all working hard for an aim - perhaps to save for the winter. It fell off a cliff -- it was holding itself in the air by hanging on to the stick by its mouth. The human, watching, put the stick off the cliff and the ant continued, without emotion, but perhaps grateful for that helping hand that just came out of the unknown. Are we also like ants to some bigger creatures? I've always wondered about that -- we're so busy in our own little limited world of the known.
- 2010 Reunion Pictures are now on www.filenet-reunion.com
- Old friend called. He has wife and kids but when he gets a chance he mbates to make his nerves calm down but it makes it worse and brings nervousness and depression which is a vicious circle. He gets prompted by p on the internet. Thank God I got one nasty channel blocked on my system. I hate p.
- He said he has a hard time categorizing me in the various categories of creatures he knows.
- Woke up at 6 with a nice song. Recorded it.
- Had a huge pile of kale in green smoothie.
18 Oct 2010 - More Reasons Facebook Sucks
Facebook in Privacy Breach -- Top-Ranked Applications Transmit Personal IDs, a Wall Street Journal Investigation Finds18 Oct 2010 - Swisspost / Postfinance
They appreciated the constructive feedback and advice to sort it out internally and communicated one message to the customer.- She smokes 30 cigarettes a day and claims to like it. Of course it's hard to believe.
- Learning a new language, feels like kindergarten again we learn till 12 only. And we learn a b c d. It's actually too slow and I might change it.
- It was nice hearing 1 through 10 in Tibetan, Albanian, Somali.
17 Oct 2010 - Energy & Tradition
do you have the energy to meet tradition's demands?to sit politely
to serve
to worry about what x and y think.
your body needs the energy to heal
take care of yourself
when you're healthy you can give more
you need to gather all your energy to find out what works and doesn't, be a scientist, and get through this storm and find good health.
don't run yourself down, with too much obligations. too many frikin birthdays and this and that. all my friends, their kids rule their lives. perhaps there is another way.
17 Oct 2010 - A Sunday
- The old fashioned way is you call, they're not there, you call again. Simple. Now there is answering machine, caller ID, and email. Told her to just call.- I guess it's normal for a Swiss woman to expect to go on weekly climbs with 5 men and her partner not mind. I guess Swiss men who don't mind are just shole-zard or shir-berenj!!
- Except for getting woken up with the nonstop 15 minutes of shouting bells early morning, it's a perfect day that starts with stretches, breathing exercizes, eye exercizes and a much needed colon cleanse after days of anti-biotics. The concept of a "perfect day", a good day or a bad day, is an illusion -- just an abstraction in the mind.
- Some people, and many Persians have a thing, where if you're asked to stay for a meal, you don't want to impose so you say no -- many other people would just be frank and say yes or no depending on whether they want to eat or not. Kind of hard to explain.
- Cognitive dissonance is a leading cause of degeneration of the brain and disintegration of a person.
- It's snowing in Arosa. Got an invitation but no time.
Oct 2010 - Definitive Chords For Beatles "Michele"
F, Bm7, Eb6 (68888 or 1313), Ddim7 (same as B dim7 best played as 3434 -- or move from 0101 to 3434), C Bdim , CFm, %, Ab (or 7 or sus for more color), Db, C (or 7 or sus), Fm
Oct 2010 - Beatles "Nowhere Man" A vs. F#m case settled
After a thorough research, I am now convinced the chords are as follows:verse: E, B, A, E, F#m, Am, E
chorus: G#m, A, G#m, A, G#m, F#m, F#m, B
UPDATE:
Dear Alan, Al, Angela:
I examined many videos of Beatles playing Nowhere man. Here's a good one where you can see the hands clearly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRv34Cat3Vw
They play it like this:
verse: E, B, A, E, F#m, Am, E
chorus: G#m, A, G#m, A, G#m, F#m, F#m, B
I like Alan's arrangement and the way Al and I always played it using a A instead of F#m specially on the verse. In the chorus F#m doesn't sound as good as A.
What do you guys say? Do you still like A better than F#m in the chorus? Is this a better arrangement and perhaps Beatles didn't know it?
Thanks
Reza
--------------
Actually it seems that George is playing it with an added 7:
G#m, A, G#m, A, G#m, F#m, F#m7, B
-------------------------------
And then there are those who destroy Beatles music - like Smashing Pumpkinn' version :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2-v3tFIwDg
The drummer did not learn what Ringo is doing which is for a very musical purpose, the guitarist didn't even bother learning the solo properly. You don't play Beethoven 1/2 right.
Oct 2010 - Mobile Phone Poison
I slept long but the brain was disturbed. I had no idea why until I woke up and saw the mobile phone was on -- I always turn it off when I don't need it and specially at night. And now I remember I also dreamed about mobile phone -- it was a central part of several scenes.- Music of Rachmaninov is depressive. I listened to many things and can't dig them today - before I used to like them.
- I really dig Stravinsky today. He's great.
- Talk w/ 3 and 6 year olds about importance of being soft spoken - that people who don't have reason, logic, a good case, shout.
- Good talk w/ Katie at university.
- Good talk w/ Jalal after all these years. He sent pictures including my first ski trips.
- Good talk w/ AR re music etc.
- Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture is absolutely mad. Beatles got the intro theme for All You Need Is Love from this piece.
Oct 2010 - "Bitchy Woman"
- Bitchy woman still has an obligation to treat customers with respect but in Switzerland, specially if you're a foreigner, you can't always expect that. I'm a person of reason. She absolutely had no case except some illusory images in her mind, or bring on period, or having had a bad day at home, or who know, and who cares. I stayed calm and just called the boss. The doctor spoke perfect English - understood it -- looked into it -- 2 days later he wrote that ... "I would like to apologize for the misunderstandings..."- Case 2: the fax I sent in June never arrived -- it did but they probably destroyed it before the boss sees it. Called today and talked to the boss. She was very understanding and extended her apologies. I advised her how to handle it: instruct workers that it is absolutely not ok to talk about one client to another client. Specially when it's false info.
Welcome to the old world -- world of the old mind with its images, illusions and power of status quo. How I miss California!
14 Oct 2010 - Homeopathy is Fraud
- With all due respect to my homeopath friends, I believe homeopathy is a fraud. It has never worked for me.Here's a good link:
http://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2008/06/homeopathy-exposed-as-fraud-again.html
Here's a non-expert, layman advice to a close friend who is suffering from an illness:
1) see your doctor and act under the guidance of your doctor
2) delete homeopathy completely. spend the money on other things.
3) be a scientist. develop hypothesis and test it. no doctor is inside your body like yourself. no doctor spends as much time on your problem as yourself. so help the process and the inquiry. it helps your doctor too.
4) find out what makes you feel better and worse.
5) go on a rigid diet.
6) see a nutritionist.
7) don't take a "we" approach. Put yourself first - the kids need a healthy mother.
8) clean up your diet. clean means organic. it means no fast food. no junk food. no added sugar of any kind. no drugs of any kind.
9) drink green smoothies every day. make sure you get plenty of greens.
10) actively increase your raw food % of diet significantly. green smoothies is a great way.
11) manage stress
12) find roots of problems instead of resorting to sleeping pills for example
13) take it easy wit the kids. freedom and understanding go a long way. dictatorship will make the kid worse.
14) do gentle yoga, etc. - sign up for a feldenkrais class for example. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. get regular massage instead of paying homeopaths.
15) must take a holistic approach. years of always being under pressure from outside and self made walls -- get a K book and learn more about setting yourself free from bondages of thought and tradition and fears and worries and image making etc. -- outer and inner pressure and stress for year after year results in a system getting off balance. Make sure you have leisure time. Pick up a hobby that gives you beauty. listen to good music. make sure you have contact with nature. TAKE IT EASY. You can solve your own problem - with the help from the doctor - but you have to take it very seriously -- pressures of tradition will not help -- you have to take a scientific approach and do the right things and remove the wrong things.
16) Do colon cleanse.
14 Oct 2010 - New Old Friend
- Renewed contact with 87 year old friend who wrote the most beautiful letter in admiration of my CD "In Friendship". She lives by herself, takes care of herself. Doesn't go on the train but goes on the bus - and every day she walks with her walker by the river.- Tried to help friend's chinese girlfriend who doesn't speak good english on a chinese OS on Win7 which I don't know set up dialup networking!
- Some people prefer not to communicate with others to test their assumptions because doing so would shatter those assumptions. People closest to Krishnamurti sure didn't seem they got it ;-)
13 Oct 2010 - Chili Pom Pom
- Chilian miners are being rescued after a long period under ground, through a hole. As one got out he got on his knees and prayed to God. It was very touching. These guys look tough - anyone that can survive these conditions can do anything in life. I remember that from surviving Polish killer mountains.12 Oct 2010 - Time & Grief
She said the specialist said grief takes time to resolve. She is right, there is a physical element to grief just as is for any psychological trauma -- and time has a role in healing anything physical. However, time has no role in change of psyche -- what is will be what will be unless what is changes in a now. The psychological roots of grief need to be understood in order for it to resolve. Part of that understanding is for thinking to see its own limits and not enter where it doesn't belong.I am interested in deleting any element of thought which plays a role in grief of e.g. death of a loved one (which is not death of love).
To another, the role of thought may sound like rhetoric -- it is, as long as the person does not see for oneself, the limited, divisive movement of thought which is rooted in time and creates psychological disorder. It's easy to say, I do not understand and brush somethings aside, but when mis-applied thought creates so much misery, it deserves to be understood, at least, where it belongs and not.
Love is not of thought. Thought is of time. Love is timeless.
Oct 2010 -
- Green smoothies must be drank very slowly - sip by sip - mixed with saliva.- Victoria Boutenko changed my life by sending her wonderful book. Now I'm drinking "green smoothies" every day and loving it!
10 Oct 2010 - Sladjana Vidovic
-
Sladjana
Vidovic, 16, killed herself in October 2008 after being a victim on
bullying. She was a student in the Mentor High School, in Mentor, Ohio.
What the heck were those teachers teaching the kids. What is the point
of teaching maths when they can't teach kids to appreciate diversity?
Sladjana had an accent. They made fun of her name. They abused her. And
the frikin school says they destroyed the records of the abuses when
they became computerized (sounds like hogwash). I spoke with her older
sister Suzana today. They didn't have the strength to go public about
it till now. I have been a victim of bullying and I know how painful it can be. Bullying is not just against kids. A much older adult than Sladjana could break down let alone a 16 year old.
How extremely sad. I will dedicate my book to the memory of Sladjana and all other victims of bullying. And shame on Mentor High and on teachers and administrators who were totally useless in educating the other kids. One of the bullies stood there laughing while looking at Sladjana's dead body. Are these humans or animals? What is the function of education?
Sladjana was beautiful, she was joyful, she was deep, she was authentic, she was simple, she was loving, smiling, loved music. The bullies were jealous of her. Same story.
- Good talk with Jan Jan Janda -- good old friend. Not only love doesn't die, it also does not get old!
- Good talk w/ UB who was just about to call me - will be here for 3.5 weeks.
Oct 2010 -
- Heard Tehran's air is absolutely unbearable today.- A code bug made their assets under management go from $70Bil to 25Bil !!
9 Oct 2010 - Backwards Brugg
- Our Postbus got attacked by a bunch of drunk hooligans in Brugg, Aargau, Switzerland. I had heard the place is quite backwards, uncivil, and rowdy on weekend nights. The poor old man bus driver had to face off these group of young drunks who attacked the bus and wouldn't let it go. He asked for my help in watching the door so they don't get in. I had to do a martial arts exhibition to keep the whole group of attackers off the bus -- they had a choice -- come in or face the bulleting multi-angled power kicks. We managed to get away from these loud drunk vulgar chickens. The driver was appreciative of the help. It had been a long time since I had to use martial arts -- it was a good exercise -- 8 drunk hooligans were intimidated by it so it must have been effective :)- My band's 1 page html index file translates to 37 pages of junk html code. I hate html.
8 Oct 2010 - Cut
- Hand's big vein cut by a button while shaking shirt after haircut. Blood gushing out. Alone. Emergency didn't understand English - dressed myself and rushed out. Car showed up just then and went to hospital. Nurse showed up just then, took care of it. Was back just when friend came from shopping. Thanks.7 Oct 2010 - Music revelation
- Amazing how much you can tell about a person by listening how they play an instrument - not the mechanics but how they express music. Listened to a famous guitarist from Finland but I don't like the expression.- Good walk.
6 Oct 2010 - Victoria Boutenko
Had a "green smoothie" thanks to the wonderful book Victoria Boutenko sent me as a generous gift. She's found out that eating a variety of green leaves is a very good thing to do and the best way to do it is to chop them up in a blender as a smoothie with fruits etc. And she's right!- About Spinach:
Organic oxalic acid, defined as that which occurs in nature in its raw form, can actually be beneficial to the system. Once foods containing oxalic acid are cooked, according to the dean of juice therapy and author of Raw Vegetable Juices, Dr. Norman Walker, the oxalic acid becomes dead and irritating substance to the system. He feels that in its cooked form it binds irreversibly with the calcium and prevents calcium absorption. An excess of cooked oxalic acid may also form oxalic acid crystals in the kidney. In the live organic form of oxalic acid, Dr. Walker claims oxalic acid stones and calcium blockage do not occur because the organic oxalic acid can be metabolized appropriately. according to Dr. Walker, oxalic acid in its raw form is one of the important minerals needed to maintain tone and peristalsis of the bowel.
- http://oxalicacidinfo.com/
5 Oct 2010 -
The teacher didn't send the class report as he had promised. I emailed him. No response. No phone. Nothing. I went there today. He said he sent it. We looked, and surprise! It was not in his sent-items folder so it was just empty talk - he had thought he had sent it... now it's done.First MRI of my life. It was so loud.
Old woman sitting next to me had so much frikin perfume or hair spray I had to move away.
Remo called me "master of guitar" :)
He showed me CD of this guy who is famous on Youtube doing amazing things on the guitar. I don't like it - a lot of sounds - and not all so pretty - but no music.
Good to catch up with friend. He's become a Director. He said though we haven't seen each other for years, he trusts me.
Finally got to update:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/reza_references.html
4 Oct 2010 -
Played out. It was a blast. Kids loved it - they wouldn't want to go away. Also people of all ages. We play great music and with the right spirit - so they love it.
we talked about things you might laugh at or discount and discard but she's beginning to see it
that there is no psychological security until you stop seeking security
that thought gives continuity to sorrow
that emptying of consciousness of its content is extremely important - writing is a good way - and awareness during the day of thoughts and feelings that bother us...
that one should not live there unless one has to
now she's open to the idea - let's wait till the paperwork is done - then she sees the stream of income - then she no longer has to live there - Abbas and Sirus live in Shomal b/c they're smart and they don't have to live in a polluted city. For someone who doesn't have to and to do it is stupid because the place is a gas chamber - she regularly complains of air pollution and traffic. T wants her to live 99 years. Kids should not be lied to. Adults neither. Lying confuses kids who will then react in other ways.
She sees that we try to get security from the known - the limited realm of the known - the woman prefers to live with a known wife-beater than have the unknown and be free from him.
The grass is always greener on the other side. It disgusts me to hear that work is an escape. Workaholics always find new excuses like any "holic". Before it was an escape from him now it's an escape from him not being there. It's a comedy. A tragic comedy. Millions would wish they had the opportunity to get out of it and she does. Time can solve certain things - perhaps even being used to someone's presence but not much more fundamental things than that. I know those who are still sad decades after someone goes away. Time doesn't solve sorrow. Attention can. Attention to the root of sorrow, the process which gives birth and continuity to sorrow.
In the process of wanting security in the known many shut the window. The breeze is the unknown. The breeze can't come if the window is shut. Keep it open. She got it.
Oct 2010 - Disable Gmail Spam filter
There's no straight forward way of doing this but here's a workaround:Create a filter. In the "Has the words" field, put in "is:spam" and selection action "Never send it to Spam".
Voila!
Oct 2010 -
- Asked a friend to mediate a potentially messy situation which he kind of had a hand in despite good intentions and he did and it did get resolved.Good article:
http://www.energyempowers.gov/post/smart-grid-flywheel-plant.aspx
- Sitting in a refrigerator maving hot fresh made carrot soup - from the carrots fresh from the garden, overlooking far away frozen Alps and balloons that seem to be still but move away fast.
- Even the Swiss mosquito is civilized. It stopped bothering me after I guess it sensed it was a bother :)
- Fr.. Christen from Migros Baden (M Metro-Shop) took too much money - I trusted her and put coin on the counter for her to take it - then noticed it didn't seem right - 'wait!' and just before she emptied her hand in the drawer I had her count it and she had taken too much and only refunded some which she would not have if I had not stopped her to count. This is not cool. 03.10.2010 10:12
- I don't get Northern Europeans' obsession with South American dances. They get so obsessed with it. I'm invited to a Salsa class. These classes charge something like $30 a class and you change partners so you have to get mixed up with all these people you don't know who could be smokers and meat eaters etc....... NO THANKS.
- There are 99 dancing schools in Zurich, 1008 in Switzerland. That's really a great joke ............this country is so un-dancy. i've never seen people so stiff in a concert as here, and there are a 100 dance schools in Zurich. sooooooooooo funny. makes sense. I have yet to see salsa that is not sleazy. It's just a precursor to more intimate contact, it seems.
Oct 1 2010 - A listener comment
This one came after a long time since a concert:This was by far the most interesting concert that my husband and I had ever attended. It was fun, full of energy and passion. We were so inspired. Of course the music was fantastic, one of the great performances of the Beatles and variety of other songs, but most importantly Reza's passion for music, the message of peace, and his way of being that conveys to love and friendship. We were so inspired and couldn't help noticing that we got a lot more than listening to live, energetic music. There was more ............, we sensed transformation. We were so grateful.
We have two Cds from Reza and they both reflect the same message of friendship. I highly recommend both CDs. I've listened to it many times and never got tired of it. People always ask me about his music and how they can get it.
Much love,
Farzane
Sep 2010 -
- Had fresh squeezed potato juice - very nice - full of catalase.Sep 2010 - some news headlines
- "California woman earns college diploma at age 94."- More consequence of the George Bush disaster: "The nation's poverty rate jumped to 14.3% in 2009, its highest level since 1994, and the 43.6 million Americans in need is the highest number in 51 years of record-keeping, the government said Thursday."
- On a flight, I once met the people involved in cultural exchange between Bern, CH & Bern, Indiana. "What originally seemed a crazy idea, on Saturday evening became reality: a replica of Switzerland’s Zytglogge tower now stands in Berne, Indiana."
- Texas is biggest carbon polluter [Associated Press] - Texans' fondness for large, manly vehicles has helped make the Lone Star State the biggest carbon polluter in the nation. The headquarters state of America's oil industry spewed 670 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2003, enough that Texas would rank seventh in the world if it were its own country, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Sep 2010 -
- She had an easy smile - the kind that's more easily found on the East than the West. A smile of understanding, intelligence, and appreciation of values and diversity.- Met Russian guy who worked in Ghazvin, out of all place.
- Lots of responses to the new article/book.
- The entire year there was not a single warm night in Switzerland.
- CONCLUSION: Nasal irrigations performed with large volume and delivered with low positive pressure are more effective than saline sprays for treatment of chronic nasal and sinus symptoms in a community-based population. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025315)
- What the guy in Texas refused to do because he was hard-headed, the guy in Arizona did without any problems.
- She said Zurich people make fun of Aargau people that they wear white socks. I must be very Aargauish. Also in the US they wear a lot of white socks.
- After many months of work, released: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Sep2010_circular.html
- I thought Germans got the numbers backwards (a 34 is actually pronounced with the 4 first). The Greek seem to have it upside down -- maybe that explains the economic troubles there... But I love their flexibility.
- They were loud so I spoke softly -- that'd be the easiest way.
17 Sep 2010 -
- New articles:About Gatherings, Mountains, And Friedrich Grohe, etc. - by Reza Ganjavi
Love has no end. Love does not die. - by Reza Ganjavi
Love has no cause. - by Reza Ganjavi
Kinfonet's Continued Interpretation of Krishnamurti - by Reza Ganjavi
KFA Blues & Oranges - by Reza Ganjavi
Osho Rajneesh corruption and some notes in relationship to Krishnamurti - by Reza Ganjavi
Krishnamurti's Notebook - extracts from last chapters
- A dear friend, after all these years, came to the US. We were school mates. I like people with "vafa". He found me and knew more about my childhood than I :)
He wants to start a new life. I will help with his resume.
16 Sep 2010 -
- Good talk to maddog. His medical practice is booming. He said when heart muscles weaken there's not much that can be done - if a person is in bed all day it makes it more probable to die earlier but wanting to live and motivation can help. He has other patients who take 10 medications. He said 82 is a good age - average lifespan is in the 70's.- Saw Ivey after a looooooong time. She has a 2 year old puddle with perfect 'directions' joyful and bouncy. It knows it when someone loves her - it jumped on me.
'i love your music' she said...
- A young fly fell in love and wanted to sit on me all night :-) -- I actually felt affection for it - it was small and cute - I really wanted to catch it and not kill it but had no way. On the nth try, hit it, it fell down, but was perfectly healthy but a bit dizzy. Then I caught it with the bug catcher and set it flying free outside :)
15 Sep 2010 -
- Lebanese have many dishes similar to Persian. Such as a 'fesenjoon' with walnuts and pomegranate.- She has the most important job in society -- a primary school teacher -- to make new humans who make a new society.
- Doctor said a few American saying: in my case, it was, "either the patient wears you out or you wear the patient out" today it was the former :) - I refused to comply with another saying "just do it" because of the risks.
- What I love about the Swiss is their lack of fear in meeting 'strangers' and the eye contact. They're very open people and they hate unidentified calls but I'm an old-fashioned guy from the era where phones didn't have a caller ID.
14 Sep 2010 -
- New Beacon Power presentation: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9Mzk2MDk5fENoaWxkSUQ9NDAxOTM1fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=112 Sep 2010 -
- New old article from 1926 on diet: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/k_diet.html- Good jam session.
- She said you have great persistence in staying in touch which is good. I said I am very busy anyway and am not after her but was just wondering about that amazing school. She's taking a semester off for reasons she wants to explain later. I said I'm not after her but I think people who don't want to be pursued should just say it to the person who emails or calls or phones them but some don't want to do that because they like having bumble bees - it gives them a sense of being... She agreed. Anyway not the case in this case because I'm not after her but just wanted to talk to her about her school and was curious if she got my mail.
- I emailed 3 times asking if he converted the video successfully. No answer. When I called he was very friendly and said he had. Email is proving more and more to be a very poor way of communicating.
- They grow coffee and cacao in Hawaii - and free--range eggs. From IT consulting to farming... Love never dies.
- Good talk to P. He had promised the pictures and I never heard back. He said "you're a funny cat". He was honest, he said: I dropped the ball -- the usb was in the box - i moved - it's still there.... That's cool. Life goes on. At least now I know. Because when people promise they set an expectation and if it doesn't happen - in this info age - it can give rise to thoughts and insecurities. Good friendship -- we go way back to high school. Next time I'm in town "we'll break bread" (share a meal). Take care buddy. Ok Reza. Be well. He didn't sing ladies night this time but said will sing it at the next class reunion, in bikini :-)
- lovely talk w/ D. "Just raising kids". Doc works on Sundays too.
11 Sep 2010 -
I still have such a deep connection with the Orange house - woke up and thought the light was through the window of there - so long ago - that's where my roots are.10 Sep 2010 -
- It feels strange but maybe healing even works on the phone and remotely. Some people believe it does. Power of love and healing know no physical boundaries.9 Sep 2010 -
Great talk w/ Friedrich Grohe. There's such a synergy. An old person with a heart of a child. He's truly like my father. Evelyne asked him on the video what impressed you a great deal about K. He forgot then, but later he remembered. It was what K told him in the Saanen tent where he gave talks: "love has no cause".Good talk w/ Evelyne Blau.
For the sinuses I've stayed off all medication. Took decongestant a couple of times. Spray decongestant is to be totally avoided (it's addictive).
The I got this special herbal remedy : Pelagonium Plus and a sinus herbal pull and finished a bottle of wellness formula and taking vit C and liquid garlic and vitamins. And discovered a good way of moisturizing the mucus: lie to side, use spray/drop bottle and put drops of high grade saline in nose... it's important not to blow too hard. Also very important is to drink a lot of water. When one catches a cold it's important to not let congestion last or else it leads to bacterial infection of sinuses. I don't think I need the cortisone spray, let's hope. Heavy exercise/breathing (e.g. fast bike up hill) also de-congests. The most welcome string of white rubber came out of sinus today. Also it helps to breath-in hot steam. Also took echinacea liquid and cat claw (herb) and enzyme. Hot shower / steam room helps. Also very important not to eat cheese / milk b/c they create mucus.
8 Sep 2010 -
She said out of 53 people 3 people showed up to the class because they hate French.Position of computer screen is very important for posture.
Marriott put a untrained girl on the phone who wasted a lot of my time - she couldn't even look up hotel categories. Pointed out lack of training to the manager. The apologized and said will take steps to do better training. I wasted time so asked for some points and they agreed.
7 Sep 2010 - Price of Fame
Good news: John Lennon killer Chapman denied parole in NY. After Tuesday's decision, the board wrote to Chapman that it remains concerned about "the disregard you displayed for the norms of our society and the sanctity of human life when, after careful planning, you travelled to New York for the sole purpose of killing John Lennon." The panel said "release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community." He said he had been seeking notoriety and fame to counter feelings of failure. Lennon would have turned 70 this October.. [Extract from AP]7 Sep 2010 - German Meat Eaters
On average a German person eats 1094 animals in their life!!!
in details:
- 4 cows or calves
- 4 sheeps
- 12 goose
- 37 ducks
- 46 turkeys
- 46 pigs
- 945 chickens
http://www.talkteria.de/forum/topic-90132.html
6 Sep 2010 -
- Congestion due to the cold - went for a run and it opened up - nice lunch at vier linden - skipped the white rice but nice bread and a cherry chueche for desert. Bellview apotheke has its own herbal formula - giving a try. Saw old friend Bettina. She had a big accident on roller blade, they had to replace her jaw! But now she is ok but just looks different in her lower face.5 Sep 2010 -
- Some Swiss farmers resist using modern equipment and prefer to do many things by hand.- Productive rehearsal.
- Angela's an amazing bass player.
- 9 pm to 7:30 am sleep minus one or two wakeups. The spray did wonder with breathing. Loading up on wellness formulas. Immune system weakened by stress and little sleep due to cat allergy etc., a bike ride up hill opened sinuses. Exercise seems to have immediate immune boosting effect. Watching fun movie of Robin Williams.
3 Sep 2010 -
- Finally a bit of relief after days of nonstop extreme intensity. The wave of a Friday good mood of the population helps. Went home. Dropped off the files, picked up files for edit. Started the sinus formula again. Watched Evelyne's interview with Friedrich - very interesting. Glad F is coming tomorrow for an intense highly efficient targeted session.- A graphic melody came in my head during the lunch break, reflecting how I felt and how I felt the outer world was feeling - Friday clear warm day after days of winter in August. Recorded it. Actually came up with another lyric/motif too as the train got there.
- I like the big desktop display. Same day the subject of getting one was suggested, found and ordered one online - perfect solution for a fraction of the price.
- Checked out 4 Gary Moore CD's - didn't like any. Such boring repetitious music. At least Philipp Frankhauser makes something interesting out of Blues.
2 Sep 2010 -
- Sensitivity is power.- The cat is a helpless weak creature but she's a wise old woman. She did't take no for an answer about food after I hung up the phone. "I'm telling you to get me some food" she said. And she got it! She went for a cruise and came back for more.
1 Sep 2010 -
- New video on Beacon's (Nasdaq: BCON) flywheel technology: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay_NiGu7mis- Started the day with gardening which I love to do but hardly every get the chance to do it. Clearing the path between the flowers and raspberries - cutting the dead flowers - eating godly gifts from heaven, growing from the earth, bestowed on bushes, in the background of endless fields of green.
- Told the cat last night not to meow loudly at 6:30 pm - and she didn't do it!
31 Aug 2010 - Some of the reasons why I don't use Facebook
http://www.baekdal.com/opinion/facebook-is-dying-social-is-not/
30 Aug 2010 -
- It's still August and it feels like Christmas here.
- Meeting room smells like octopus from the people who eat these disgusting sea foods (must be the Korean lady).
- Blues is so boring.
28 Aug 2010 -
- Moeri is 14 - that's 98 years old in human terms. She limps, can't hear, and has other healthy issues as well. "But she's not complaining - old people usually complain". She just snores even when awake and doesn't seem to ever go to bathroom. She has a comfortable bed but prefers the box. She feels love and there's an aura of dignity about her. She loves to be petted.- Discussion on psychological time, thought being rooted in time, thought's role in sorrow and fear, fallacy of methods in order to make thought quiet, made-up vs. natural quietness, etc.
27 Aug 2010 - New Filenet Reunion Updates
- www.filenet-reunion.com26 Aug 2010 - Old Friend
- It was great to meet old friend Friedrich Grohe and go for a nice walk together. Such a gentleman and such a wise man. Too bad my emails hadn't reached him through his secretaries and/or filters? But fax works.- I always thought cheese might be addictive. Heard that the fat in cheese acts like cocaine (have not verified it with the source).
25 Aug 2010 - Alone Traveler
- She's never traveled alone. It's her first time. I've often traveled alone. It's wonderful. Traveling with a very good companion is even better, otherwise, traveling alone is great because you can set your own pace and you're totally free to move around with no friction with a companion which may not be fully of the same mindset and attitude.25 Aug 2010 - Lena
- Lena is 2.5 years old. Today is her first day on the train and on the ship. She doesn't like green leaves salads so she looks at me with wonder eating it out of the bag. She's eating her thumb the whole time. She has a tear in her eyes, missing her mom, but her godmother, Marianna, is taking good care of her. Getting off the train she asked: where is my dad? 'he's at home', her godmother replied. Her eyes are brimming with longing for her parents -- longing of attachment.- He said play some Beatles so they know the Beatles are still alive.
- I gather from various people it's normal when a person goes away for a long time, for her/him not to call the parents for 3 months - it's assume no news is good news. That is very interesting. It reflects the high degree of trust in the outer world, a world which is represented by the utopia which Switzerland is. "The other students from other countries were calling their parents every day / vice versa".
- Her 90+ year old mother is in the old people's home 10 minutes away and he only foes to see her, maybe every 2 weeks. I guess that's also the Swiss way, and it's not like he lives in a rat race.
-The tears of attachment of the 2.5 year old soon will give way to a calculating perfect society which has a rule for every little thing you can ever think about, and somewhere, the emotions might get crushed, might not.
- His wife is willing to give up her right to the $20M farm (I don't believe it) - but if true, he could get a Russian goddess to serve him lunch instead of the wife who is just there as a semi-prisoner.
- They made suits in the hotel, 600 square meters each, mainly for Arabs. One guy rented a 9000 Franc/ night suite and only went to shower there as he stayed in another place (according to Jasmin).
- Chad Hoopes, 15 year old played a great piece by Halvorsen. The kid was amazing.
23 Aug 2010 - Guitar Love
- Playing guitar gave so much joy. I love nothing more than playing the guitar. Fingers placed on familiar locations of fretboard - brain rejoices.- Green color is therapeutic. That's maybe why surgery outfits are sometimes green. Heard one should not sleep in sheets with aggressive colors. Green makes sense.
22 Aug 2010 -
- From loving the kids all day to screaming at them all day - - little angels turn into little disobeying monsters - - and the approach of the parent in using force utterly fails. I proposed a different approach -- one rooted in understanding and peace and cooperation and not coercion. I know it works.- Diamond bracelet on sale on Amazon for $145,000. We saw one for 70,000 at Palace which I liked better.
http://www.amazon.com/Almaz-0109-Platinum-Diamond-Bracelet/dp/B001NDB5L6
19 Aug 2010 -
- Helped friend with resume. A CPA, she had frisbee playing and cooking as her specialties!- He doesn't want to divorce her fearing she will deplete his money despite her saying she wants no money but wants freedom. He threatened her if she goes ... -- what a life!
- Got energy back after setting up a mirror site to the free secondary host just in case.
- Updated entire site with updated copyright, and mass cleanup of html. HTML is such a lousy "language".
18 Aug 2010 - I hate wireless internet (wifi) & cell phones
- http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/SEC_warrantholders-shortsellers.html#PART3- Some oxygen came with a director buying 60k shares while the company struggles through this warrant expiration period and the possible manipulation associated with it.
- After 3 days of using wireless during this course, my hands feel burned. Really. It's serious. The lap on my laptop, as soon as wireless is enabled I feel it in my testicles. I feel its harm, just like cell phones which I hate and try to not use as much as possible.
17 Aug 2010 -
- I was teaching the class today :)- Nice to get some nice waves. Fr. Ruckstuhl was very nice - - just the fact that she listened and showed consideration and kindness was enough to alleviate my pain, not about the money but the principle of this stupid doctor's incorrect bill.
- Migros sent us a 20 Franc gift certificate and an apology letter. We returned the bad broccoli and the lady gave us hell in the process of returning it. But her management is sorry.
- DVD arrived from Bobby. Nice gift.
16 Aug 2010 -
- She took German lessons, twice a week 1.5 hours a day, for 2 years. Never used it at work and it's fading away.- Middle of summer feels like middle of winter in Switzerland.
- 2 15 year olds were smoking. Talked with them. They said they're already addicted and can't quite. What a tragedy.
- Found organic broccoli. Out of season but an incredible natural drug for the body..
15 Aug 2010 - Thought Monster
- Thought has an amazing power to divide. It's its nature to meet its application which is practical things. When it enters the realm of psyche and relationship it wrecks havoc then it gets used to it and when there's no havoc it creates it. The human brain in general is used to having problems. It knows not peace. Some people understand and see that limitation and by seeing it can be in a state of freedom from it.- The movement of thought is the maker of the "me" and as it gives rise to "me" in its divisive thinking, it has so much momentum that its perception and assumptions and conclusions are taken as truth. A human serious in wanting to end one's suffering pays attention to that, inquires into that movement, and that inquiry can bring an end.
15 Aug 2010 - Stupid Psychologist
- Why should not a child grasp the concept of death? A psychologist says tell the kid the person has gone to a old person house- somewhere people go at the end of their life. And the child sees the person is gone - not there anymore - he didn't say goodbye - suddenly gone one day. And then if a mother wants to take a vacation the psychologist says don't go away because the child may think you too may never come back. How stupid and dysfunctional this approach is. It's dishonest, and it teaches the kid from early on to avoid the concept of death, to treat it as a morbid subject, and that conditioning carries on and contributes right back to the culture which does treat death as something to be avoided. So it's a vicious circle of you being the world and the world being you. If someone dies, I tell the kid he is dead and they have no problem understanding the concept - they've seen it in cartoons, they've seen dead insects, they know death. To not teach them that death is a subject to be avoided and in fact a subject to be lived with, prevents further lies and confusions, and helps them have a more enriched and meaningful life.- The psychologist, a young man, asked his young woman client if she masturbates. It had nothing to do with why she was seeing him -- it was just helping him satisfy his sick desire to hear the story -- what would have been the next question, the next actions?
- Osho thought problems can be solved through approaching them sexually but he failed miserably. He wanted the kids in his promiscuous commune to not know who their parents were. He was a pimp and a convicted criminal.
14 Aug 2010 - Old Friend with Alzheimer's
A wonderful lady and an old friend. Her daughter said they had to take her to assisted living b/c she's forget to eat or takes her medicines. She mixes her memory - thinks she's been to the moon. Her conversations with the other residents there is interesting. I took a chance that she may not remember and and called her.
She remembered me.
She said she's 81, but I think she's 82.
I can’t be sure but we had a great talk
About her trips to Switzerland
She asked what I’ve been doing
- Do u have a computer by chance?
- I don’t get anything by chance.
She can’t have a piano and computer there. She didn’t say she doesn’t want to play. Maybe she’d like an electric piano she could play with headphones. She was worried people would gather around her piano… She doesn’t get bored.
Everything she said made perfect sense and wise. I said my dad had a happy fulfilled life. She said: well, you’re a part of that, and vice versa! She is very right.
We exchanged big kiss and hug
11 Aug 2010 - Old Loved One
"Hi Reza- I received your letter in the mail. I can't believe you lived here for so long! I love this little place, it is a very peaceful and comfortable place. It has a very warm energy, which I am sure has something to do with your presence being here for so long. I would be thrilled for you to come over and see the place. I have a few pictures, if you would like me to send them. I actually am going to be moving soon. I am originally from WA state and am moving back so I can go back to school. School starts Sept 23, so hopefully I can find a renter before than. But who ever moves in I will give them your information if you are unable to come before than. I would say you could move back in, but you live far away. Otherwise that could have been a nice reunion. My number is ... Love and light- ES"I cherished the pictures - my beloved plants are still there - many years later still blessing the place with eternal gifts.
14 Aug 2010 - Peaceful Saturday
- Bread-seller lost 15 kilos. Looks much better. Her secret was not to eat carbs at night. The organic olive bread was so good, but too salty. Work out outside. Rain has taken a break but it's way too cold for mid-August. California dreaming.- Thunderbird is the best email software and beats all others hands-down.
13 Aug 2010 - Cheating on organic food by Swiss vendors
"My uncle has a friend who was a top boss of X or Yhe said that the chance to get bio when it says bio is only 70%
same with havellar products
he said that if bio article run out that they don't want their customers to go to the competitive provider
so they fill "normal" food up and put the bio stamp on it
it's all about economy!
it's true that they get tested but the inspectors always announce when they're coming
so migros and coop are prepared and take the cheated products out of the sortiment"
12 Aug 2010 - Incompetent Apple in Texas
- Apple in Texas put me on
a 15 minute hold - she had no idea how to handle it - I eventually just
got tired of waiting and hung up. Called back. Call went to Arizona
this time and the guy took care of it in 2 minutes !!- Another old friend from Texas said he went to Iran 18 years ago - filled out his arrival form in English instead of Farsi which got him kicked back to the end of the line, then upon leaving he had 2 carpets that he didn't declare which caused an upset, then his sister gave him a gold coin which he didn't declare and they weren't gonno let him get on the flight until the manager came and turned out to know him from being top student. Anyway he vowed not to return to Iran but I told him it's much easier to come and go now.
- My Aunt told him I was in Houston and he stopped talking to me (and I had no idea) thinking I went to Houston and didn't call him. Well, maybe she got it mixed up with Boston and didn't even give it the benefit of doubt!!
11 Aug 2010 - Progress
-
She is frustrated that her voice is not improving and she doesn't like
her voice. It's normal to feel we're not making progress but we are and
sometimes it becomes evident when we take a break and go back and
realize: wow, I really got better... - With music as with life, the important thing is to enjoy it. Sometimes we need to do things like bringing order to the room because we have to but even that can be done with joy, with an inner sense of quietness.
- Great jam with Fabio. We agreed to plant the seed, give it water, sunshine, love, and time, and let it grow. Rezangela has never sounded so good before (also the large bass amp helped).
- Bush did really ruin the economy so bad it's finding a hard time standing on its own feet "The number of U.S. homes lost to foreclosure surged in July, another sign lenders are moving quicker to take back properties from homeowners behind in payments."
10 Aug 2010 - Snow in Summer
-
I was gonno go to Murren for a day of mountain hike with the friend who
are attending the Krishnamurti gathering there but there's snow in the
forecast this week !!Temperature are: Low -6 to High -3
Oh my God.
Aug 2010 - DOE loan guarantee to Beacon Power closes
- http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/press/080910.pdfhttp://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100809-711452.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/1679659/first-flywheel-power-storage-plant-gets-a-cash-injection-from-the-doe
http://www.nytimes.com/external/venturebeat/2010/08/10/10venturebeat-doe-charges-up-flywheels-finalizes-43m-loan-54486.html?dbk
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/d-o-e-charges-up-flywheels-with-43-million-loan/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20013005-54.html
http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2267949/energy-storage-firm-reckons
Aug 2010 - Goddess of Bass
-
Angela Jaggi proved to me that she is the one and only goddess of bass.
She playes complex things like Don't Let Me Down, Something, With a
Little Help, Europa, and other things, like a breeze, like a master.
She's a genius.- 650,000 people died from colon cancer last year. Hardly any were vegetarian!
09 Aug 2010 - Spontaneous Question
-
His friend died. My dad died. He asked: What do u think of death?It's important to live with it, to understand ending & the desire for continuity, the weakness of not wanting to end...
- can we ever know?
We spoke about it -- that we need to live correctly now ... join the stream or not ... love doesn’t die.
- does death make sense?
It’s a fact – I wish I could live forever. However, renewal – destruction and creation is the way of the universe.
... to live with death - to die to attachments etc
and conversation continued.
09 Aug 2010 - Facebook Friends vs. Deep Friendships
- Most people have hundreds of Facebook "friends" yet, "according to work published in the American Sociological Review, the average American has only two close friends, and a quarter don't have any." "While social networking sites and the like have grown exponentially, the element that is crucial, and harder to investigate, is the quality of the connections they nurture.... Yet we know that less is more when it comes to deeper relationships. It is lonely in the crowd. A connection may only be a click away, but cultivating a good friendship takes more. It seems common sense to conclude that "friending" online nurtures shallow relationships — as the neologism "friending" itself implies."...
Great article on: http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-07-27-column27_ST_N.htm
I don't use facebook and am very happy without it. I have a dummy ID for desperate situations.
- The tobacco criminals take another victim: A friend wrote: My dad died Fri PM. He was 71. Very long battle with lung disease caused by smoking.
08 Aug 2010 - The Great Gift of Ability to Stand Alone.
- To have a good brain in this mad world is a blessing. In this country, mental health is such a profitable business where customers are harvested among the non mentally ill for not wanting to fit into the rigid ways of the society -- where angels learn how to cut themselves up in clinics, where there's probably more psychiatrists and psychologist per capita than anywhere, where if you fail a driving test so many times you are obliged to see a psychologist, and so on. The world is a tough society and if you don't conform to its mold, pressures of becoming, circus, and dictates it has ways of crushing you and one of the most civilized ways is to put you on medication, send you to clinics, which ultimately make the person more insensitive, dull, conforming. I know several people like that. It's the same way in the so-called spiritual world, and any kind of group mentality. That's why it's important to be able to stand alone and think for oneself, which is the greatest gift after health.
- He runs a $600M business. I knew he wouldn't have turned Republican. And he hasn't.
- At the reunion he said "I get your emails. Thanks a lot for what you're doing - it's good".
07 Aug 2010
- We donated the proceeds from the concert to Josh Oxford's medical expenses. He had an accident that same night and was a friend of the soundman.
- Stopped taking steroid spray for sinus and will give it some days of totally natural therapy. Chemical medicines put the entire system out of balance and so inhibit natural healing. Nose was stopped, saline rinse really helped and opened it up instead of this stupid medication.
- He wanted to be a farmer but instead of a shovel he got a guitar. His mom wanted him to become a violinist. Don't know how he could get that anger out through the violin :)
- He wrote: "I really look forward to seeing you. As I have told Tim and others at rehearsal, I have very fond memories of my musical adventures in Ithaca, the friendships and the education I received have made all the difference in life."
- New guardian angel is treasured.
06 Aug 2010 - Tips to new college student
- New videos on www.RezaTV.com- Also new articles and pictures posted on www.RezaMusic.com
05 Aug 2010 - Stoneage customer service at Migros
- When you buy a bad product, it's your fault. You may get a refund or exchange but you gotto take a lot of heat for it. That is Migro's stone age customer service. The CEO thinks we are right but the flippin workers are not trained away from their farming, supplier-side mentality that customer is wrong by default.----------
a few days later the manager calls and wants to have a discussion. He was nice and well intentioned but they don't realize it's a question of training. Their staff are apparently not trained about customer service, and it's not in their culture, so!
03 Aug 2010 onwards -
- A spot on Mars called Nili Fossae that is rich in clay mineral-rich rocks could be a prime spot to search for the fossilized remains of Martian life that may have existed 4 billion years ago, a new study suggests.- Definitely don't want to use facebook though it's so popular with many. I don't have time to read x write: "I took my dog to the park today". Who gives a frog?!
02 Aug 2010 onwards -
- Reza Jozi said he's found salt water to be the best treatment for sinus problems. Jamey and another doctor also said they like to use saline instead of drugs. Others swear by medications. Anyway, I'm still on the spray + saline and will get off the spray asap. Jamey also had the explanation for the pain -- that I probably blew air in the cartridge of the nose. Hand pressure at night helps the air get out - I feel the nose make a sound as it readjusts itself. Pain is getting less and less.
- "if you like to do a lot of things and have your own schedule, then don't have kids because then your life revolves around them" (lg).
- Good talk w/ Stephanie Perry. Good feedback from other classmates about the concert.
01 Aug 2010 onwards - Good music doesn't need to be loud
- Extract from my email:
Phil, I didn't even know we made any money, but if we did, sure, it's a good idea to donate it to a good cause. Tim, please keep us updated. Thanks.
I had a lot of fun -- the execution was very impressive -- no small feat -- and given the constraints, we did really well. I had not received so many complements in one night in my entire life. I tried to capture some of them and type them up and maybe put them on my site (address below).
- We rocked the house. I had not received so many complements in one night in my life. People really really enjoyed it a lot.
- Neither drummer showed up on time for soundcheck. I really enjoyed playing the drums - they played some hard stuff: funk fusion etc. - but I kept up and they said they never thought I played such good drums. One said : you brought it all together.
- The vibes and intensity was amazing -- how it all came together -- months of intense preparation and coordination and boom, in 2 days it all comes together and in 3 hours it's executed.
- I was trying to tell the soundman that we should not be too loud like 99% of bands who play in places like these but it was impossible. Liisa jumped on me (not literally) with her bitter bossy attitude saying you're not on that side of the stage -- of course I'm not, who asked you anyway -- and what I was about to say had nothing to do with that -- later on I told her what I had wanted to say to the soundman and her response was that she only made the comment to side with Tim whose position was only that he wanted to know what I wanted to tell the soundman before I say it (but her comment was totally different and out of place and polarizing). I was friendly with her -- even asked her to play on my song. And then others, outside, tell me, you're brave to tell them not to be too loud because we also don't want it too loud but don't have to courage to say anything. Well I do, and I did :) --
- They were saying, the soundman is a pro, trust him -- well, the monitors were screwed up so vocals were effected.
- Another band member told me he totally agrees that it should not be too loud.
- Overall the performance was incredibly good. And we had very little friction in the 9 months of preparation that led to it. The affection, mutual consideration, old friendships, made it easier to go through the sometimes hard times.
- One drummer was playing so incredibly loud - hitting those drums with full power -- it's not necessary -- I asked him to play softer and thankfully he did.
- The night before, the place was so loud, even in room without music, which it was literally impossible to have a conversation, and those who did, said they only heard people partially. I was wearing earplugs just to be there but had some good conversations before many people came, and outside.
- Loud music is a disease of our civilization. Good music does not need to be loud. And most music is played too loud because it sucks and people play it too loud so you can't tell how awful it is.
- Organizers worked hard at the two events (minus the concert) and did very well -- the program was very well organized. One criticism many people had was that the name badges were printed with a way way too small of a font. If they couldn't get the name badge rightly formatted, it's no wonder there was such an ordeal and resistance to copying the yearbook's pictures for the badge. Some people said they would have liked to have seen the pictures on the badges and that copying it would have been easy. I offered to pay for it an get someone to do it but the organizers resisted it for no apparent good reason, so I just scanned the yearbook and had it on the laptop which then people said, oh, what a good idea and they were so appreciative. The fonts were tiny and there was lots of free space around them so they could have easily been at least 5 sizes larger. Many people said they need glasses to read. Someone wrote: "Thank God I remembered my Year Book,, With out it , I would have been lost. "
- The rehearsal I was not at because I only traveled there for the weekend, apparently a keyboard player came totally unprepared, asking to have prints and so on - so keyboard parts were reassigned and that was much more of a topic than email traffic.
- Brick House was a bit success. Tim is a funk man no doubt. Phil and I's idea to have a large free area in front of the stage turned out to be good because it was packed.
- There's plenty of small-town mentality in this neck of woods.
- I forgot my camera in the plane (found again) so I have no footage of the concert. I hope Tim sends it to me. The guy who was supposed to change the tape totally forgot -- so if it wasn't for me, we'd miss 1/2 the concert on video. It didn't make sense to have lost it forever -- I could not get any hints life was trying to give.
- Kids can waste so much time on computer games. Got Kerry (8) to play more piano -- she's very musical and plays really well.
- Friend has house to sell in the US for $320,000 -- a big modern colonial design beautiful house. The property and school tax by itself is $8500/year which is the rental of a small apartment. Plus other small charges like insurance, association feel, etc.
- They removed the black mole from the walls and their headaches stopped.
- Had organic vegan pizza -- incredibly delicious.
- Some of the women still smoke - 30 years later. Met one who was quite sleazy, still.
- Two times his guitar's cable got pulled out because he failed to pull it through his strap (lack of stage experience?)
30 July 2010
- Young teenagers carrying cell phones on their belts should be alarmed of the dangers.- Pharmacist said pharmacists don't take a lot of medicines.
- Dan was a genius - you'd ask him a question and he'd just go on and on explaining every bloody detail you'd ever not want to know. If he was a genius why was he delivering pizzas?
26 July 2010
- Finally finished processing notes that were waiting for almost 3 months.- TV makes people stupid by constantly feeding the brain with words and leaving no space for nothingness, for intelligence.
25 July 2010 - Some news and commentary
- 19 die in the Love Festival in Germany. How could a techno party be termed for love and peace in which people destroy their ears and brains and nerves by loud pounding sound and thrill drugs, "uppers and downers, either way blood flows"? Love and peace has nothing to do with drugs. And the stupid mayor and police and organizers all may have responsibility in this disaster.- A message from heaven? American rock band Kings of Leon said they were forced to abandon a concert in St. Louis at the weekend after three songs because pigeons kept pooping on them from the rafters.
- Depth of corruption: Guards and officials at a prison in northern Mexico allegedly let inmates out, lent them guns and sent them off in official vehicles to carry out drug-related killings,
- Pakistan spy service aids insurgents, reports assert.
- An animal rights activist in salad dressing -- she wore an all-lettuce gown -- never got to promote her pro-vegetarian message on Sunday after Jordanian police said the one-woman demo was unauthorised.
- Dread forcing your toddler to part with the pacifier? .. A new study indicates 80% of parents lie to their children to try to influence their emotions or behavio
- Air pollution and asthma symptoms may increase suicide risk, two new studies from Asia suggest.
- They're looking at outlawing bullfighting in Catalonia. A good step in civility. Yes, bull fighting has all the outward appearance of civility but it's a vulgar act of aggression and cruelty.
24 July 2010 - iTunes & Amazon
- New page of links to iTunes & Amazon for purchasing my two CD's, 'In Friendship' & 'Dancing Hands' :http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/itunes_amazon.html
The CD's are also available on many other e*retailers for download and for purchase directly from me via email or : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/cd_order.html
24 July 2010 onwards
- 10 hours of sleep was a blessed gift from heaven after a week of short nights and body fighting bug bites etc. -- morning asanas and paranayamas were much needed.- I spoke too soon. Swiss weather is miserable cold again - feels like deep in November on 24 July. So cold that even the losers with their beers beards chains and tattoos are not out outside the train station.
- Bike ride - quickly in outer country side - such a lovely country - full of moisture and fragrances that takes one to Caspian sea and childhood and penetrates deep into the heart - cat ran with one - foxes and deers - even a little cat that looked like a little dog but say like a cat - then in the city, people with their ugly ways manipulated by poison makers (cigarettes...)
- The country side was so cozy on this miserable cold July winter - the kind you want to get in the hut, make pumpkin soup and hug each other. "only fondue missing".
- It is indeed such a small world. Met lovely couple from Ithaca. Airforce retiree Mr. Turkish. He said the guys who built the Empire State (shown on postcard sitting at extreme hight were American Indians who are not bothered by heights.
23 July 2010 -
- Jansport -- attention Cindy Blackard's manager:Cindy handled the complex case with utmost competence and professionalism and with a great attitude. I really appreciate this excellent service.
Reza Ganjavi
- Alice Ploss has an amazing ear -- and what a great musician she is. It's amazing to reconnect with friends from so many years ago - and some whom you know and remember but not necessarily in the same social circle - but all that we all mutually shared back then serves as a background for new friendships. New old friendships.
22 July 2010 -
- Angelo Gilardino's new work is incredibly powerful delicate and beautiful.
- The weather has been absolutely perfect the last few days - warm with cool breeze - and today it rained - it's all lovely. Switzerland has good weather 4 to 6 out of 52 weeks.
- She’s a senior associate dean of administration and finance. Big title but a humble good hearted sincere hardworking honest woman and a dear friend like her husband who's one of my best friends.
- It is so easy to ignore death, to not live with it, to count on the certainty of the body's health and avoidance of accident. To have kids means you get fully engaged in the game with no time to even think about life let alone death.
- Such is the nature of gratefulness. After decades seeing fruit yogurt or pofak-namaki I remember my aunt who used to buy these things for me and am appreciative of it. Told her tonight in the conversation which centered around dad and her love for him etc.
- I don't like this stupid song "tell it like it is" but have accepted to play it and will. Musically it is so stupid.
21 July 2010 - Unfriendly Bostonians?
- I used to deal with different people from Boston and found so many of them to be very stressed and unfriendly -- the only other place I felt this way was Geneva, Switzerland where large numbers of locals (if you can find them vs. the majority foreigners) were so unfriendly.
- A quick websearch found these funny results (reposted with credits):
posted by dinty_moore at 8:30 AM on January 2, 2008 [3 favorites]
Bostonians hate everything. The thing that they hate more than anything else are other Bostonians.
By MrMonkey on August 25, 2007
Interacting with the Bostonian: Simply the rudest people around. Being from Brooklyn, New York where we are nationally stereotyped for being real a-holes, I was absolutely stunned at how horribly obnoxious and unfriendly people in Boston were. Of course, there were a lot of exceptions but for the most part, people are just nasty. Even in France, where the populus is known for its hatred for Americans, we had a more pleasant time communicating with people than in Boston.
Just letting you know, if youre expecting hospitality and welcoming, do NOT go to Boston.
21 July 2010 - Salsa & Tango Blues
- Many northern Europeans are so fascinated with Argentinian Tango, Cuban Salsa, and so on. It just seems so unnatural, and the fascination, fascinating. Tango is for Argentina and Salsa for Cuba. It comes natural to them and it comes so unnaturally to many Northern Europeans who put an incredible amount of energy in learning it and still the stiffness somehow doesn't do the dance its justice. It's a healthy hobby but it causes too much mixup and at times conflict. I will never tolerate my partner going on Tango and Salsa with other men. These are extremely sensual and intimate dances which should be reserved for partners or for those who don't have a partner or whose partner doesn't care to have his or her energy-mate mixed up with others at such a deep level. One guy who was tolerating his wife going salsa dancing with other men in a so called class was faced with the question of whether it's ok with him that she travels to Cuba with another woman and two guys for some salsa function -- it's not hard to imagine what the outcome would be.- Southern Europeans don't have as much of a fascination with Salsa and Tango as Northerners do. Why? It seems the case to be that they already have a warmth that is missing in the North which causes Northerners to have this fascination and try to find warmth in it. It just seems so superficial. Now they have a class to educate the Swiss about Tango music. What's there to learn about this boring music? I've heard the best of it -- Piazzolla, Nazarath, etc. -- I like some of it but in general it's just as monotonous and boring as Salsa music.
21 July 2010
- In Switzerland many people don't drive defensively. They have too much faith in the system but this gets them into trouble. In chaotic streets like in Tehran and Cairo, drivers have to drive defensively and you see less accidents. Outside the city, on highways, it's a different story -- there, you can trust the system and in Iran where road conditions and the ways signs are handled and driver education levels are inferior (in many other countries driver education is taken much more seriously).- Rules are for people not the other way around. Here in Switzerland it seems that people are for the rules and not the other way around.
- Also the unknown is a very strange concept here, where knowing and certainty are praised. We can think about what we want in life, have a vision about our purpose in life, but to be open to the unknown is absolutely essential in living an intelligent life.
20 July 2010
- Lots of new videos on www.RezaTV.com- The kids asked: where is grandpa? when is he coming? is he in the hospital?
They were told: There is an eternal house where they're happy and people go there.
But kids are realistic. I told them he has died. Their mother told them the same thing. They understand ending unlike many adults. It's much better to be direct with kids than confuse them with "he's in another house and left and won't ever come back..."
- Rumor has it the place is bankrupt. I won't be surprised given the financial mismanagement.
19 July 2010 - Death
- After her dad died she was devastated - went to his grave and cried so hard she passed out at home. Her aunt called that she saw the dad in dream who said my baby is so sad and her mother in other side of the world. She woke up that her dead dad even worries about her in the other world. Since then when she went to grave she told him of her kids' progress and other good news. "that he can't handle unease of his kids even in the other world".- Some people don't see conflict in the way they live. They compare it with those with worse conflicts.
19 July 2010 - Cold Potatoes
- My laptop likes to sit on a cold bag of potatoes on a warm day when the CPU is running nonstop.- Talking to TR was energizing & to PM was enervating. Really psyched at the program.
- Sorted out discrepancy with Sunrise for a friend.
- First the organizer said, we can't have picture badges this time because we don't have money and person. I said I'll get you both. But it didn't get through and the subject dragged on. Maybe she doesn't want it because her pictures is not in there :) (just a wild guess) because copying some pages costs zilch and cutting pictures out takes 1 hour. And it's so helpful.
- Lufthansa sometimes sucks. I really try to avoid them when possible. On mom's ticket they're giving her 1/2 the miles for the inbound after we spend $2000 on the ticket. The US airlines are so much better due to the competitive environment. Now they're advertising flights to Italy "with Italian flight attendants" and pasta I guess. Last time they apologized for the gay flight attendant's cocky attitude. Anyway they have come across as cocky and arrogant time and again in Europe. In the US it's different -- it plays by US's rules of customer service which is far superior than European ones. They would be out of business quickly if it operated as a US airline with their European constipated customer service attitude. An old lady was cold and told the hostess who answered we'll regulate temperature after take off -- I gave her my blanket -- which is something the hostess should have done. "that's good advice" she said later.
- Filthy tables. Arrogant servers. Sensor not working so it's extremely cold. Distorted speakers. No isle seat as promised. That was Lufthansa.
- Ticks are strong this year and are event present by the city lake. Where grass is short there's no danger (too dry for them) but any long grass or bush can carry them.
- He said Clapton is like McDonald's to the guitar -- nothing original or exciting -- I fully agree -- he looks so bored on stage anyway. He likes Beck.
- Both Peter Gabriel and Sting are playing what they consider classical music now!
- Tara made fun: ask zeze "kare mikham" or "kam mikham" -- "mooham khiseh" "mooham rizeh". Told her to take care of others, and also asked Rusteen that he's the man of the house.
18 July 2010 - Her Psychiatrist Lost
- She told her psychiatrist she wants to reduce her visits to once a week. He said, if you don't come to me two times a week, you can't survive. She stopped going to him completely and not even she survived, she became freer and happier than ever.18 July 2010 - Homeopathy or ... ?
- A friend just got a bill from Elsbeth Hofmann Bolt for 600 francs for having given the friend a tiny bit of white powder to take once to solve all her problems which she discussed with her. Is this a joke or real? It's an insult to intelligence as well as an insult to the scientific community. Of course the magic white powder did not work. The 600 franc bill includes 2.5 hours of consultation at an outrageous rate of 140 Francs/hour in which Ms. Hofmann asked a lot of questions about her past -- starting from time of being a baby. Then she supposedly spent one hour at home searching what magic formula would solve the friend's problems of chronic fatigue, demotivation, low energy, sleepiness, and nightmares. The answer was in one application of a tiny bit of a white powder which she charged 8 Francs for. And she then charged another 105 Francs for a consultation in which she asked friend if the powder worked. She had told the friend that her nightmares would be better and they spent time talking about that in the second meeting. Neither the nightmares nore any of the other symptoms had gotten any better as a result of the white powder. I feel sorry for the insurance companies that have to foot such ridiculous bills.17 July 2010
- 5/14/2010 8:48 PMAre you calling from a store?
No, I’m an individual.
We all are.
Are we? When a person has conflicting desires, is broken up inside, caught between what you should be and what you are, then the person is not an individual. To be individual means to be indivisible, united within, and not divided.
Yes of course.
Then, what is the root of division? It is thought, it is within the thinking process itself. The nature of thinking is divisive.
Yes it is.
Why is that?
Are we all one and united or do we feel we’re individuals.
Look up that apple pectin and we’ll go into this more :)
----------
It turned out the apple pectin was not organic though the distributor advertised it as organic (bastards). They gave me a refund.
17 July 2010
- Told supervisor that the rep didn't listen to the question at all and instead heard what was in her head and answered accordingly (nothing to do with my question). He apologized and gave 4000 bonus miles !!- Dr. S said I don't know why. I said love has no reason. (book gift).
- Dr. K said what can I do for you? Nothing. (machine tuner gift).
- a grumpy bitch has turned into a happy person by quitting smoking. "She looks so much better and feels better."
- An old headline from 2008 reads "Guitar Center bought by Mitt Romney’s Company: No More Haggling Allowed" but not long ago I got a lot of discount but now they said Bain bought us, no more haggling!
14 July 2010 onwards
- Many Swiss bus stops stink not only from the smell of cigarette buds on the floor but also from the ashtrays which are positioned right next to the waiting bench -- so instead of the magnificent smell of Linden trees, or the tender, innocent smell of rain, you are served stinking smell of burned disgusting cancer sticks.- Isn't it important for education, whether by parents or in school to ask whether it is important to develop the child's psychological ego, sense of self or not. It seems that a child is naturally free from the sense of self until it is taught to make images through comparison, flattery and insult and other destructive means. It seems that the parent and teacher should be careful not to contribute to development of psychological images. They do, and that is why there are so many psychologists around!
- Even the smile of the lowest ranked in society at a considerate gesture made the world a better place.
- Somebody forgot their violin in the train. Talk about being absent minded. Swiss trains are surely safer than NY taxis where Yoyoma left his cello :)
- South East Asian woman eating some warm dinner on the train which has a disgusting smell. How inconsiderate. Maybe it's some kind of unfortunate sea animal which ended on a dinner plate and it's getting even by smelling as bad a possible.
- Talking to my cousin Abbass – and told his sisters too recently, Simin & Shirin, that the love their mother had for me, the love my two Amme (father-side aunts) had for me was incredible. I feel their love. It’s alive in my heart. I don’t know why I am crying. This is not a cry of pain. I am even smiling now – it’s a cry of beauty and amazement that the seed they planted – this incredible amazing love they expressed to my heart is so wide awake after all these years.
12 July 2010 onwards --
- I lost respect for the Dutch team. They showed weakness from the beginning by being extremely violent. Good thing they lost to Spain who won the world cup. I only like the games for the 'skill in action'.- A mother's psychological ego can be destructive to a child's development. Reward and punishment hardly ever works. Suppression backfires. The way of understanding and friendship and giving importance to peace not coercion works best with children. The rationale for coercion is there has to be a line drawn -- that otherwise teenagers will keep pushing the line. I am not a child psychologist though this was one of the subjects I was considering at university. But I've studied the subject practically and theoretically, and I've gotten amazing results from having dialogues with children. Their brains are often far more advanced than their bodies and if we call on understanding, it goes a long long way.
- Sound of mother reading to her kids is so sweet. There's so much love. Love rules the universe. There is a tremendous love in motherhood. No words can describe it, and not being a mother perhaps I could never grasp it, however, what I do feel observing and feeling it, is that it is incredibly beautiful and powerful.
- There are incredible number of psychological monsters in this world and the root of it is image making and thought as an illusion machine.
- I am so glad not to have children of my own.
- I have to forget and forgive them. I am disgusted by the smell of cooked meat and this makes my state of being miserable but they have other constraints, disorders, limitations, and seeing that I have affection for them. They could have been more considerate -- by waiting a little bit for example -- they know very well this smell makes me want to puke -- but I see these things and am cool and not distressed anymore. Sometimes it's hard to be fully aware when the body is so tired. This includes being totally in the present with inconsiderate people, and not to sulk, not to be affected by the discomfort they put create. But it is my responsibility as a human, in any relationship, to be without an image. So I move forward with quietness.
08 July 2010 onwards --
- Content with every breath. Like a kid in her mother's lap. Couldn't ask for a lot but just to have the nostril open after the sinusitis saga and while it's open I smile and cherish it. Gratefulness is so lost in today's rat-race world - to take nothing for granted - everything that works must be appreciated while it works and not when it breaks.
- Two lovely Germans sat next to me on the train. One goes to a university specializing in field of education but had not heard of alternative or holistic education and some leading educational philosophers like John Dewey and Jiddu Krishnamurti. Good contact. Maybe they will email me. Swiss hardly ever do. If you get their emails they're happy to have contact but to show such initiative is simply not Swiss.
- Peter Gabriel's new concert tour flier said: "No Drums, No Guitar" - he's touring with an orchestra -- maybe like McCartney he wants to aspire to be a classical guy - why not? I wasn't impressed with his album but maybe have to listen again. It's a shame to take the guitar out. If I ever do orchestral works, the guitar has to be there. Guitar needs more concert stage not less.
- She toured California and was disappointed about LA "what a horrible city", and her favorite was San Fran - pretty typical.
- We've had something like a week of summer days and no summer nights yet.
- More and more in Europe kids are mandated to learn English from kindergarten and grade school, something that was the case in Iran when I was a kid.
- 1.5 year old kid walked up and I offered him some of what I was eating, with his mother's permission. He neither liked mixed sprouts nor hummus (all organic) at first but he came back for more.
- At 11 a.m I am his 15th patient !! these Swiss doctors probably make several millions per year.
- PAYERNE, Switzerland - An experimental solar-powered plane completed its first 24-hour test flight successfully Thursday, proving that the aircraft can collect enough energy from the sun during the day to stay aloft all night.
- Met 3 youngsters - 15-16 year olds - good head on their shoulders - one was even well versed in famous philosophers. Already searching for a career, the best tip I could give them was, find something you love.
- Rep said it can't be done. I had a case because yesterday they said it can be done. I asked to speak to supervisor. She said I'm trying to help you, it can't be done. I had to hang up. Called again. Got a supervisor. He said, it can be done!
- He also lost his dad - at age 61, he smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Another victim of Big Tobacco.
05 July 2010 -- Wake up call
- With finally summer time and windows open, it seems the whole neighborhood woke up at 5:15 with the moaning of the Eastern European lady next door's -- up and down and up again... Some minutes later she went to work - and then her partner.05 July 2010 -- "One in the spirit"
- A friend wrote an email calling me "brother in spirit".Immediately kicked off the song in my mind by Kim Palmer, the dear friend who's no longer alive:
one in the spirit are we
one in his love ever free
free to give love
eternally
blessed are we
- Angela Jaggi is the best Beatles bass player I've ever known! She is simply amazing.
- The air is full of perfume by the newly arrived Linden blossoms. Wrote about dad in the park. Updating this regularly: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/dad.html
04 July 2010 -- Immune System, & Sinusitis
- It's very important toa) boost the immune system when traveling.
b) on first sign of cold go on therapeutic dosage of vitamin C and keep it up way past cure.
c) if you lose to cold, take some decongestant. Living with congestion means sinuses can move from viral to bacterial infection.
d) if infection persists antibiotic + decongestant + fluimucil. Careful about spray decongestant as they can create rebound effect.
c) use all means of boosting immune system.
04 July 2010 -- Drunk Germans and Italians
- German guy downstairs came in at 2 am with another German neighbour Sacha, and blasted music and the drunk one seemed to have a monologue till 3 a.m. -- then Tomi with another Italian friend had a street discussion at 5 a.m. -- they were all drunk. Much of the chaos in the world is because of alcohol abuse.01 July 2010 -- Anniversary...
- 30 years ago today, I flew from New York to California to start a new life, go to college.- 1 week ago today, dad died. I started writing an article about him -- it's in draft stage and being actively updated: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/dad.html
- And some random pictures of him: http://ganjavi.kwebserv.info/dad/Dad-pictures-group-1.html
- Felt like rejoicing for him - in the style of Blacks' concept of 'home going' - not based on idea of going or becoming but for his joy for life as his life itself was a celebration of simplicity, comfort, beauty, and love.
- Lots of new videos on www.RezaTV.com
- Nertherlands played beautifully and kicked Brazil out of the games.
- Talked with Alan, my old landlord from beloved Fairhaven. I used to pay $225/month when I moved in in September 1980 and stayed there for 12 years and rent went up to 395 or something (I don't remember). Now it's almost triple what I paid 30 years ago (makes sense). Such a lovely place. Perhaps I will visit it again.
29 June 2010 --
- What we can not do is to give way to sorrow -- that does not help humanity although that is the way of the world, the habit of the human brain.- When you lose a great friend... you haven't lost him, she said. It's true that in many ways he's right there but I still need to understand certain things... and have time to ponder which the circus after someone dies is totally contradictory to this spirit of pondering.
- Someone did a search: "I am totally unhappy with smoking and really want to quit". The 4th result google returned was my 'keys to stopping smoking' page...
- Persistence pays. Lufthansa just took the miles w/o informing me (it's their policy to do so) -- but after much persistence I got them to reinstate it. Sandra, very nice, said it's very difficult to get miles reinstated. Will send her a nice complement.
- What kind of a ripoff is this? Lufthansa miles and more customer service phone number which is free in the US: "Switzerland: 1st to 2nd minutes are charged at local rate (call from the Swiss landline). 3rd to 12th minutes are charged at CHF 0.86/min. All additional minutes are charged at local rate (call from the Swiss landline)."
28 June 2010 --
- The whole idea that death = sorrow is defective. For a great person who has lived a long, fulfilled, happy life, what is there to be sorrowful about? Part of the greatness was living with death, knowing it is always around the corner - that once he may sleep and never wake up. And he was perfectly ok with that because he knew it was inevitable, the nature of things. Meanwhile the circus goes on.- The cool pharmacist proposed something else. Sounds really good.
- The bio-shop had new chips - finally - to buy for friend who likes chips - only one was sugar free - and they were around $7 - talk about ripoff. Paid around $35 for 3 anti-biotic pills.
- Lots of new links and newly edited videos on my site, www.rezamusic.com
27 June 2010 --
- Finally a warm day in this refrigerator.- Nice to have a good friend over - volley ball - it's a nice change to the temporary chaos. Like in childhood, the kind of friend you end a day with and look forward to spending another day with.
- Pink Floyd cover band is a good idea but musically is so limited. They played 4 chords for 30 minutes.
- We went to offer to catch the frogs but he wasn't there. They're shouting again to our ears - to them, it may be a song of joy - like the junk psychedelic so called melodies this band was playing tonight which is considered as music. Floyd has a good sound and a lot of great songs - but many are too dark for me to sing.
24 June 2010 -- Goodbye
- He left in peace, he left in sleep, his heart gradually stopped, before he goes he said all his wishes have come true. I don't know if he knew that he'll never wake up - probably not, but as great as he was, it did not matter because he lived fully, with dignity, with a joy which was always the light in his mind, or a mind which was always the light of joy. His friend said people like him are rare.- To say he died is such a silly phrase. He did not die. The body that embodied that greatness died. His love and greatness, his values, rationality, goodwill, harmlessness, innocence, utter fearlessness, positive attitude, lack of suspicion, deep insight, contentedness, competence, are qualities that live on and contribute to the wellness of humanity. He did not contribute to sorrow, anxiety, fear, craving, and misery which so many people all over the world are caught in.
23 June 2010 -- Misc
- The Louisiana judge who struck down the Obama administration's six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry,
- Human Ancestor 'Lucy' Walked Upright 3.2 Million Years Ago
- Dallas, Texas – The city's new police chief faces one of the worst tragedies that could befall a law enforcement officer: living with the knowledge that his dead son was a cop killer.
23 June 2010 -- German
- D: you will never meet someone who learned German as a foreign language and speaks it perfectly, even if you grow up in a foreign country and your mother is German but not your father. He said within Germany people are very intolerant of accents from areas other than where they live. P has been studying German for 1.5 years and still can't speak it.- Asked Sylvana if I could have 10% discount if I shop in German :)
22 June 2010 -- Coop Organic Cheese False Label
- When I first came to Switzerland big label on the pack said 100% orange juice - bit ingredients said it has added sugar.
- Case of Swiss cheese false label closed. See "March 2010 - Two Case of False Labels on Swiss Products". They admitted they were wrong and will correct it nationwide for the second time.
Dear Daniele
Thanks for getting to the bottom of this. First they didn't put any of the
ingredients on the package except cheese and walnut which is misleading by
itself. Then after I complained they changed the nation-wide label to include some of
the ingredients but still omitted the E-numbers. I'm glad they've corrected this so the consumer gets the correct information on
what they're buying but you know, to me this seems very suspicious. I would
suggest Mr. Loosli may want to do an investigation on this because this is really
bad for coop. Coop has all this great natural food but a person
decides what goes on a label, he or she drops these E-numbers. Was it an error?
It doesn't seem like it, since it was just the E-numbers that were dropped which
still made the thing look like it was 100% natural and organic which it is not.
Very best wishes
& Friendly regards
Reza Ganjavi
22 June 2010 -- The Sweet Red Princess
- Morizz event was fun. He brought his amazing red hollow body Gretsch. Obviously having bought it in Switzerland he paid around $2000 too much for it but the thing is so tame, and elegant and cooperative. It's there for you. From the first touch it was obvious. Perfect action. We liked the music and got into it.- Didn't trust the bike being at the station overnight after two was stolen from the same place.
20 June 2010 --
- Tired of being in a refrigerator. 10 degree weather on 20 June!19 June 2010 --
- NEW YORK: John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to the final song on the Beatles album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band have been sold to an American collector for $US1.2 million- "My first teacher on the subject of ear, nose and throat was the famous Miles Foxen, of Westminster Hospital. He always said: 'Any cold still present after 14 days is sinusitis, unless proven otherwise.'"
- American and Swiss manners when it comes to hello and goodbye are so different. Swiss have these long goodbyes - specially in Bern region - which are kind of cute.
- Working with computers a lot makes a person become too fast - changing physical position like changing windows.
- Amazing how this instrument, this being, has innate power to heal itself. That is life. A machines that we know can't do that.
- Grandfather is with me, part of me, his love is here -- having kids meet their grandparents enriches both parties. Agha-joon used to order chelo-kabab from Shayesteh for me quietly (as a special order) b/c he knew how much I loved it. That was after I was forced to become a meat eater and long before I quit meat.
- She said Swiss people like to talk to strangers but they're not sure if the other person wants to be disturbed :)
12, 17 June 2010 -- British Petroleum
- The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is a terrible disaster and BP is responsible for it. BP is also responsible for other terrible things like their role and history in Iran.Sixty years ago, BP was called the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
STEVEN KINZER: At the beginning of the 20th century as a result of a corrupt deal with the old dying monarchy, one British company, owned mainly by the British government, had taken control of the entire Iranian oil industry. This one company had the exclusive rights to extract, refine, ship, and sell Iranian oil. And they paid Iran a very tiny amount, but essentially the entire Iranian oil resource was owned by a company based in England and owned mainly by the British government.
16-Jun-2010
- Tony Hayward, CEO of BP is getting fried in the US congress. BP's history in Iran is a shame and while the oil spill is very unfortunate, I totally support putting these guys on the hotseat and get BP for take full responsibility for their mis-judgment. Mr. Waxman said it appears BP wanted to save $7Mil so they took the riskier option that caused this mega disaster. "BP knowingly risked well failure to save a few million dollars". Hayward is dodging the questions and sounds very cunning -- he doesn't seem to take this whole thing very seriously! Hayward makes $6M in salary and another 10's of millions in stock options..
- "BP has a systematic safety problem - plain indifference, disregard for safety and health of employees"...
- BP should be banned from doing business in the US after this shameful reckless environmental disaster.
- David Plouffe wrote: "When BP CEO Tony Hayward testified before Congress this morning, many expected to hear him apologize for the disaster his company has caused. Instead, GOP Congressman Joe Barton was the one saying he was sorry -- to BP. In his opening statement, Barton, the top Republican on the committee overseeing the oil spill and its aftermath, delivered a personal apology to the oil giant. He said the $20 billion fund that President Obama directed BP to establish to provide relief to the victims of the oil disaster was a "tragedy in the first proportion.""
- Only In Texas:
The Texas Republican (Barton), the House's top recipient of oil industry campaign contributions since 1990, apologized Thursday for apologizing to the chief of the British company that befouled the Gulf of Mexico with a massive oil spill.
16, 17 June 2010 -- Goodbye to Windows Pagefile
- Increased RAM = no need for pagefile = better performance. My research determined this is the way to go.- If using pagefile good to have it clear on shutdown.
- Wrote hot letter to Thermalbaden reminding them of their moral and legal obligations to customers. The mentality is from the era of the Roman Empire just as the baths.
- She talked of the taxi driver who spoke of being human, of barekat (blessing) and that money is not important. She wants x to leave the past behind, she can't guarantee others' bahavior but told some. She thinks it's x's imagination - maybe a bit but surely the essence is there. And that jackass broke his promise. Even a jackass wouldn't but he is worse -- no values -- a thief of trust. I feel sorry for her - and there is affection.
16 June 2010 -- Swiss
- I really enjoy the simple aspects of life here. One teacher came to the village once a week for a few months to teach the kids how to brush their teeth.- You can walk in the organic market, take what you want and leave the money for them (no attendant) -- but the test apples were much better than the for-sale ones
- sure way not to have repeat customers
- sure way to sell apples
- They've started teaching kids English in kindergarten. Today I asked directions from two youngsters, 12 and 15 and they both spoke perfect English and they had German speaking parents and just learned it in school. Also a teacher's little child who picked up her phone spoke English.
- The Swiss national football team won against Spain in round 1 of Worldcup football. Major streets got closed from patriotic shouts of fan(atic)s. The interesting thins is any form of egotistic, self-centered emotion such as patriotism, as "me and mind" immediately gives rise to "you and yours" even if the other party has no sense of such acts of identification and self-extension.
- Even 2 hours after the game the streets are blocked, people shouting slogans, waving flags, and ringing huge cowbells they carry on their shoulders.
16 June 2010 -- Real Estate Sharks
- He is in the Swiss real estate business himself and he calls them sharks. This one agency tried to take advantage of my friend by trying to impose the burden of finding someone who pays 28% more rent than the current contract, and so on. We wrote a nice letter. It's better to make sure they understand they can't screw with you earlier than later otherwise they'll try and dealing with it at the end of the process is more difficult.[17 June: the power letter saved friend over $500 -- the agency saw they don't have a chance to pull their trick in this case and revised their plan].
14 June 2010 -- throw away the table salt
see section:Refined table salthttp://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lsalt.htm
even normal salt. i would go ask reformhaus and throw away the migros table salt
table means it has anti-caking agent chemicals and it's processed so lacks other minerals...
Here's a great site:
http://curezone.com/foods/saltcure.asp
13 June 2010 -- misc
- She said people are so unfriendly in Switzerland. I said where are you from? She: here. People often have remarked that they like how in the US people talk to strangers -- or maybe that's their image here since i talk to "strangers".- Lots of new stuff on www.rezamusic.com
- The drugs made her insecure, so she wants to cling on to school as security - a school she hates.
- Wholefoods Market is way over-priced. Their buffet sucks -- not organic -- full of dead animals -- and way too expensive. They have some good things but I hope people don't buy there thinking it's all good and fairly priced. I was against the merger with Wild Oats. any further mergers is death to this market as prices will sky rocket further in an almost monopolistic dominance.
12 June 2010 -- Churchbell Torture
- Every saturday night and sunday morning we have to go through torture as several neighbouring churches ring their bells at a paralyzing, torturing decibel level.- It meant a lot that mom called to ask how I am - it's simple but it meant a lot.
- The frogman said he'll get rid of a couple of his frogs but the rest make his pond very disturbing to his neighbors. Actually he said he couldn't catch them. The suckers are loud as hell. Just the horny males singing. What kind of female would be attracted to that kind of loud scream? He wants to spread his sperm and she wants a good looking capable rich artistic creative intelligent frog!!
- Hour twenty minute talk w/ FR. It'd been a long time since we wanted to talk. It was great. The kind of friendship that we can talk all day. But we also share realization of value of silence.
7 June 2010 -- Disease of Loneliness
- Loneliness is a disease people pay a high price to get rid of but all medicines for it are simply an escape from being nothing which is tremendously powerful, but that power involves psychological death to longing and all that give thought continuity. Watching this couple and many like them who are only together because they can't imagine being alone -- and the price they pay for it, the drama, the pain -- togetherness is wonderful - we care social creatures -- a community gives us power, a sense of well-being -- laughter and sharing are healing -- but as long as loneliness is not there as an underlying disease which togetherness is trying to solve. I'd rather be without somone than to be with someone just to not be lonely. And then there is aloneness which is the essence of angelic life : to be one with oneself, not broken up, and such people, in this broken up society, are angels and much needed for bringing about a new world.- I stayed long enough in Geneva to see this great person -- then buzzed out of there -- not my kind of place. The lake is so fantastic - a shot of utter beauty suddenly appears as the train leaves Lausanne heading to the Alps of the musical Bern.
5 June 2010 --
- Katie is going to her senior prom and just walked in the door with her date.- Nice to get some warm weather for a change. The earth is rejoicing.
- Some artists are deprived from an extensive social life while working and creating and practicing but they share this with others in a much larger social scale.
- Finally had some time to do some editing: www.rezatv.com
- If the potatoes are growing (have a green tinge) then they are poisonous and are not fit for anything except growing or composting.
- Canon camcorder support line was useless. They don't understand a lot of the concepts.
- I met a girl with 3 snow tattoos on the side of her palm. Very angelic girl and the reason she got these were pure, because she loves snow and mountains.
- More link of tattoos with vulgarity: "WENATCHEE, Wash. - Police in Wenatchee are surprised at the amount of contraband an inmate was able to smuggle into the jail rectally. The Wenatchee World said the man internally carried a cigarette lighter, rolling papers, a baggie of tobacco the size of a golf ball, a smaller baggie of marijuana, a 1-inch smoking pipe, a bottle of tattoo ink and eight tattoo needles."
- "MIAMI - More than half of the federal judges in districts where the bulk of Gulf oil spill-related lawsuits are pending have financial connections to the oil and gas industry, complicating the task of finding judges without conflicts to hear the cases"
- "Department of Transportation address a far more common aviation crisis: the growing number of people who are too fat to fit into tiny airplane seats and the discomfort they cause their seat mates."
4 June 2010 --
- Fabio responded to the ad and we had a great talk.- i don't condemn ir. but when u say u had it b/c it was there that is funny -- well not funny, but kind of interesting because there are so many things that are there but my body's intelligence just doesn't go there -- it's not about effort -- i don't shy from it or try to avoid it - my being has learned to die to something on the spot and it's not an argument or discussion -- if there is internal discussion or my mouth is watering at the sight of it - I go take a small piece - and eat it slowly - with full awareness - not as a joke or a cause for party which is unawareness - and taste it - and body asks itself, do i really want to swallow this? and usually it's not. not a decision or conflict about it - to make a problem of it is to be slave to it.
1 June 2010 -- Compassionate Switzerland
- Switzerland can be best described with one word: Compassionate.- I must have such a strong morphic connection with fairhaven and havenwood, related to everything there, the trees, the land, the ants, the air, etc. -- I bet they also miss me :)
- Zurich is frinkin 8 degrees in June !! Give me California please.
- So much ugliness at the bus station - everywhere you turn your head you see people smoke - they all look like dragons, puffing out smoke, addicted, nervous, and obviously unhappy.
30 May 2010 -- Misc news items
AP - Officers pulled over a white minivan with Ohio license plates while "running drug interdiction" on Interstate 40 in east Arkansas, said West Memphis Police Inspector Bert Shelton. Two men got out of the van with the assault rifles and opened fire on the officers, he said. Traffic stopped as authorities searched vehicles on Interstate 40 looking for the suspects, who were spotted about 90 minutes later in the parking lot of a nearby Walmart, officials said. Dozens of officers swarmed the vehicle after a wildlife officer rammed the minivan with his car, and both suspects were shot and killed, authorities said. Shelton said the two slain officers were doing the "most dangerous job" in the department because they dealt with drug traffickers.AP - BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber detonated himself Monday outside a textile factory where crowds had gathered shortly after two car bombs went off at the same spot in the worst of a series of attacks that killed at least 75 people across Iraq, the deadliest day this year. [A fool called George W. Bush said years ago: Mission Accomplished!!]
AP - Bush: Book begins with decision to quit drinking. Bush said the book is less autobiography and more an analysis of key decisions in his life, both before and after he was elected president. Topics will include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the troop surge in Iraq, his responses to terrorists attacks and Hurricane Katrina and the financial meltdown. He said he hopes the book will be a tool for historians evaluating his presidency [the evaluation will just get worse as we go through the worst recession in our lifetimes]. "I don't think you can come to a definitive conclusion about a presidency until the passage of time," Bush said. "I want to put you in my position." He said his biggest regret was not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq [And that was the reason for going to war and wasting so many lives and so much money].
27 May 2010 -- Coward Matador
- Those who pretend to be hotshot macho and tough and yet torture animals to death are nothing but a bunch of cowards, and those who watch and support this criminal activity called bull-fighting are just as bad. What is so noble about killing a creature with a lower form of intelligence and skills and capacities (e.g. to carry a sward) by continually inserting banderillas (sharp barbed sticks) in its poor back until it bleeds to death. What is so great about that El Matador? If you have the guts, face a man of equal skills and tools not a harmless grass-eating bull which doesn't even harm an other animal by eating it.
- I was delighted to see this bull kick the socks off this coward matador: Here's a video of it
http://www.nationalturk.com/en/bullfight-injury-as-matador-gored-through-chin-in-madrid-spain-56646415/comment-page-1#comment-6613
and on the same page, there are some interesting public comments.
- This is as bad as cowards who hide behind a computer screen and nick name and attack other people.
[15 June a matador in Mexico ran away from the ring two times and was arrested for breaching his contract to kill the poor bull].
27 May 2010 onwards
- She finally got sick of ketchup after having it with soup!!- Youtube is still the best video site despite the 10 minute limit - it allows up to 2 GB per video. Yahoo has a 150 MB limit (15 min). Metacafe's limit is 8 minutes. Google video no longer accepts uploads. Other sites don't have the access control I like.
Youtube can also mean you get stuck in a recursive tube and waste hours trying to figure it out.
They write: “If you're unable to find the answer to your question in the Help Center, you may use the contact forms located there to send us your question.” But there is no contact forms located there.
They also wrote in the email: “If you do wish to reset your password, please use the following link:” But there is no link there.
They confirmed the account was active and in good standing. So what's the problem? Technical glitch. Waiting sorted it out. The key is when this happens, give it 8 hours, then don't try to login but go to the password reset page and the next email they send will have a link.
- Got 120 unprocessed/unanswered emails.
26 May 2010 -- New Coverage -- 400% 12 month gain estimate
http://www.ardourcapital.com/Ardour Capital initiated Beacon Power (BCON) with a Buy at $1.50. That's a 400% gain in 12 months.
25 May 2010 -- New Contract for Beacon Power (Nasdaq: BCON)
http://www.ardourcapital.com/Beacon Power and NYSERDA Sign $2 Million Contract in Support of Stephentown Flywheel Plant
One brick at a time...
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1430253&highlight=
25 May 2010 -- Best Place To Live
- She asked about Switzerland..."I can't think of a better place to go to."
- He switched to driving buses in Zurich b/c he said people are more open minded, and he's tired of the closed minded bus company here. And in ZH people change every few years, and here you see the same people year after year.
- Attacked 35 page todo-list down to 12.
- I hate facebook. Suddenly some web searches show up on the bloody wall. It's an absolute invasion of privacy that flipping facebook doesn't seem to care -- without you wanting it, suddenly the books you searched for show up on your "wall" unless you opt out. Anyway I only use it to see friends list when looking for old friends.
- "In Johannesburg, around 17 murders are committed each day. Burglaries and the violence that accompanies them feature regularly make the local news headlines. A recent survey we conducted of young burglars showed that most of them were not aware of having done anything wrong. When you live in Alexandra, a poor township to the north of Johannesburg, and every day you see luxury four-wheel drive cars passing through on the way to Sandton, you think that you, too, are entitled to a slice of the cake."
- " I resent performing for fucking idiots who don’t know anything. They can’t feel. I’m the one that’s feeling, because I’m the one that is expressing. They live vicariously through me and other artists." John Lennon -- this and a lot of other great new quotes added to:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/quotes_beatles.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/quote_main.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/quotes_misc.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/quote_ancient.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/quote_music.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/comments_music.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/comments_cd2.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/comments_cd1.html
- The word "work" in Swiss German lingo has a very specific meaning -- it's work vs. life -- or rather as Swiss French say The Swiss Germans (generally and stereotyping is stupid anyway) "live to work" vs. the more laid back French (another false stereotype because most Swiss French I know are also hypered up by caffeine and they calm down by wine) are thought to "work to live". Aside from these silly generalizations, the word "work" in German has a very strict, stiff meaning because the God here is work and work is separated from life and as a friend said most people are doing work they don't like. There's a whole different outlook altogether. I vow not to use that word since it is often misunderstood here.
- Brigitte S: The guy had gall stones & hepatitis - was all yellow - before they put him on medication he drank 1/2 liter of olive oil and became well.
- DNA tests pinpointed the mummy of Tut's mother — and confirmed she was a sister of his father — but the mummy has not yet been firmly identified. Brother-sister marriages were common among Egypt's pharaohs.
- Email has proven time and again to be a terrible mode of communication for any sensitive matter.
25 May 2010 -- The new Swiss no-smoking rule falls short
- Talked to the State. She said the law is fuzzy in saying what happens if staff are constantly going in and out of the smoking to non smoking room.- Reported violators. Updated
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/smoking-swiss-2008-2009-2010.html
25 May 2010 -- Stone Age Customer Service
- Swisscom reps completely clueless. I emailed the CEO. He emailed me back today and sent the case to senior agent who called and resolved the problem. Never fails: if you don't escalate to CEO, customer service case is treated in the stone-age manner.
24 May 2010 onwards --
- Swiss banks UBS, Credit Suisse and Vontobel are among 146
financial institutions that have invested billions of dollars in cluster bomb
producers, campaigners say.
- She said age 5 to 10 is the most precious years of a kids' life and so should not be pushed into going to school early.
- Jazz guitarist played Bouree and destroyed it.
23 May 2010 -- Sunday Morning Torture
- For 15 minutes at 9:15 3 different churches miles apart ring their alarm clocks so loud they combine into one massive, deafening explosion of continuous noise. At 10:55 they start pounding again, disrespecting all wishes for peace and quietness on this Sunday. And here they come again at 12:10 knocking the socks out of any ear that's trying to have peace. Here it comes again at 6:20 pm.22 May 2010 onwards
- Met friend who has properties but he says managing them is a lot of headache -- what I always thought.- Read that average American male age 50 has 5 to 22 pounds of compacted fecal matter stuck in his digestive system.
- BO wrote: "Now, the House and Senate must iron out their differences before I can sign it into law. But the financial industry will not give up. They have already spent more than $1 million per member of Congress, lobbying on this issue. And in the coming days, they will go all in. This is their last shot to stall, weaken, or kill reform, and they are not accustomed to losing."
- She's a pretty girl but when I saw her tattoos around her ears it was like cold water.
21 May 2010 -- Customer Service at Swisscom is a Nightmare
- The idea of customer service for Swisscom seems to be to sit there and tell the customer why he or she is wrong. "It could not have happened". Well, it did. But that does not get through their thick heads. If you want to speak to a supervisor they just pass you to another customer service agent. One of their supposed supervisors told me they must do that because supervisors don't talk to customers !!- If you can forget about the screwups of Swiss providers and don't expect them to stand behind their messups and take responsibility for it and provide some sort of a reasonable customer service then you can live in Switzerland peacefully otherwise you have to constantly engage in pulling teeth to get a simple grain of truth understood by they that they might be at fault and the customer might just be right. Stone Age Customer Service in Switzerland is proven time and again.
- Then you get this friking wine company (StadtKellerei Basel, CityCellar AG, Rotterdam-Strasse 21, 4053 Basel) with the phone numbers 061-331-7045 and 061-205-1890 owned by a chap called Markus Wyser who obviously doesn't care about people's wish to not be bothered by incessant sales calls. I've asked numerous times not to get phone calls from them and everytime they promise but it happens again. I spoke with Ms. Nakiwala today who promised for the 5th time to remove me from their list and not to call me to sell their flipping wine. First today it was Thomas Meier who called and Nakiwala came on the phone as a manager. She said she is new and apologized but they have zero credibility because every one before her also promised never to call again. If someone calls you 5 times and you politely ask them not to call again how do you talk to them the next time? They're calling me, I don't want to have anything to do with them.
CityCellar AG, in Basel, CH-270.3.013.238-2, Aktiengesellschaft (SHAB Nr. 216 vom 06.11.2009, S. 8, Publ. 5330098).
Eingetragene Personen neu oder mutierend: Wyser, Markus, von Niedergösgen, in Mühlethal, Mitglied des Verwaltungsrates, mit Einzelunterschrift [bisher: in Mühlethal, Präsident mit Kollektivunterschrift zu zweien].
The policeman neighbour said I can report them for harassment to the phone company and have their number blocked.
20 May 2010 onwards -- Eight Swiss Students & Their Teachers
- Eight girls and two teachers surrunded one in the pool conversing in broken English, excited about music and prospect of doing concert at their school. A bunch of them came later and asked if I like their teacher and were trying to hook me up with her :) A very friendly and nice group. A couple of the girls played guitar and another one asked if she could take lessons. The lack of fear in this society attests to its greatness.- Divide and conquer is an old trick. Perhaps a gossip-loving culture like the UK is promoted by the rulers and their extreme excesses because division is easier to rule.
- Fedex in Switzerland does not have a toll-free number! It used to but I guess it's competing on the poor customer service instead of making others compete on good customer service. I called and asked them to call back. Turns out the driver wrote the wrong tracking number on the notice. The last few Fedex and UPS drivers I've met in Switzerland are class acts in lack of education or intelligence or whatever it may be.
- 800 schools took part in the national UK debate contest. My friend Edward and his partner won the top prize.
- Thermalbaden is such an amazingly backward place in terms of mentality. I have not yet met a single person who works there and his head is not stuck in the sand.
18 May 2010 onwards -- Four Italian Young Ladies
- Met 4 Italian young ladies in the vegetarian restaurant. Two sisters from Firenze, one from Milano, and one from Venezia. We had really good deep talks. The two sisters asked really good questions. The older one finished her economics degree and is going for a masters - the younger whom I could tell was younger by her manners, will study art history, perfect for a job in Florence. They were from the country side and their sweetness and intelligence was refreshing and holistically stimulating -- they seem to belong to the new mind -- but are still burdened by the rotten ways of tradition, like smoking. Laura who was the only vegetarian promised herself to stop but didn't. I recommended reading:http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/cig.html
We spoke about why not eat meat at length
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/diet.html
About clean-tech and frequency regulation:
http://www.beaconpower.com
And about macroeconomics, markets and investing in Nasdaq : BCON
She asked if I have written a book "It's nice to have met someone... who knows..."
For now, Reza Ganjavi's book of life is this.
16 May 2010 onwards --
- Peter Gabriel's new album is depressive and sad in different ways -- I don't want to say it sucks but it does!- H: I don't recommend (having) kids to anybody.
- Bob said his 16 year old depressed friend has gotten really into Beatles and hearing it nonstop.
- Tribal hooligans are out in support of their favorite football team. At 11 a.m. on Sunday, different people on the bus and train reek of alcohol. Decadence in full swing -- it is not the yuga, the epoque -- vulgarity is inherited from animals and until a person can set themselves free it will continue.
- To say freedom is not a discrete, final event in time, is not to say that it is continuous. It is outside that field. [lg]
- He was very happy to see me - likewise - he: u made my day - he spoke with such high regards for my dad - that great men of character like that are not that common and that he's something extraordinary -- "it takes one to know one" but he sincerely said no, he's of a different level altogether. I do believe it takes one to know one or at least to recognize one -- people of such degree of greatness are sometimes not recognized and taken for granted by the people closest to them -- but I do know what he means. The flaws of character, if we start picking on them, are part of being a human -- not to say one should not grow -- seeing *is* action, as for an intelligent person, change is not a matter of choice. And by greatness we don't mean power position wealth and looks -- not at all. Greatness is of values, quality of judgment, awareness, affection, of love for truth, and for love for wisdom. I didn't know, but dad saved his life once -- well, once is enough!!
- He said having to manage property takes too much time. Exactly why I never wanted to have property/dealing with tenants and frikin broken pipes and this and that complaint.
- He said in Switzerland he observes old people take journies on trains and are content whereas in his home country, UK people are nervous in the trains.
- He said having wife and kids is a headache. I've heard complaints about marriage all my life and very few times heard good things about it. I tend to listen to the advice of so many over so many years and it makes sense. There is a totally different quality possible.
- The Indian food was so hot that afterwards I felt tipsy from the pepper. An aging man, with a cozy home, orderly and clear, with a guitar he bought long ago. There's a feeling of dignity here with a happy palm tree in this cold climate and the otherness is now here calling for silence.
15 May 2010 - Rajneesh (Osho)’s Fraud & Review of movie GURU - Bhagwan, His Secretary & His Bodyguard
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Osho_Rajneesh_Fraud.html15 May 2010 -- Swiss anti-smoking laws have long way to go
- The new non smoking rules in Switzerland are unbelievable -- nobody thought it would happen -- but still, long way to go. The places of heavy smoke still reek and are toxic -- maybe it will take a year for it to get less toxic. One place I went into has a smoking section separated by a door and a connected bar that freely allows the smoke to travel (like piss in swimming pool).- Cinemas for 14 and over show advertisement for cigarettes. Shame !! Big Tobacco drug pushers still have a lot of power here.
[logged in http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/smoking-swiss-2008-2009-2010.html)
14 May 2010 onwards --
- Non organic product advertised as organic. They ignored the call to deal with it until followup and then surrendered which was an intelligent move -- it takes real stupidity to want to fight something you know you're guilty of. They will give a full refund.
- Some of these "naturapaths" are voodoo doctors in Switzerland. She gave her a powder to take after talking to her for 1.5 hours about her life. The powder was supposed to cure her ills. No description. It turns out to be a chinese herb with benefits unrelated to her problem. The best herbalists I know say herbs take a long time. So this voodoo doctor is just relying on placebo effect. Where's science?
- Nice to see the Euro drop after a long period of over-valuation -- down to 1.2359 -- lowest in 19 months.
- Nice to see O reining on the cozy oil relationships between the regulators and oil executives. Same crap is going on in the financial markets and medical world and Republicans are mainly responsible. Look at SEC's Republican commissioners for example, and look at Chairman Christopher Cox of SEC and Chairman Andrew von Eschenbach of the FDA, both Bush nominees.
- Two people at CITI gave me wrong info -- they were in India and Texas. I had to escalate it and the manager discarded what they both said. I only thought they were wrong because what they said didn't make sense. I had more experience than them on the type of subject to guess the right answer.
- Indian call centers do too much robotic training. These people sound like robots.
> you wanted this, am I right? (of course you are, that’s what I just said). (and they keep asking if what you said is what they heard)
> may I place your call on hold for 1 or 2 minutes to transfer it ? (of course you can, how else are you going to transfer the call)
9 May 2010 onwards --
- Many days of rain and cool weather is not a-typical of Swiss spring. Summer will eventually come, show its head and disappear.
- Frank is probably the best drummer I've ever met. He knows the Beatles stuff as well as everything else under the sun. He said Ringo was such a musical drummer that all the parts he played were for musical reasons and must be played. A duo he met had recorded the backup voice tracks and used a drum machine because they auditioned 10-15 drummers and none could play the stuff. We did the same until G got the scores to learn the stuff. Frank has an amazing mind -- a good drummer as every other instrumentalist executes from mind onto the instrument. His fills are mind blowing. He uses this particular crash a lot as almost a ride as it doesn't ring much. He goes through many cymbals till he finds what he's looking for; this one isn't expensive.
- There was a ghost in that room -- it was a silly one -- and one ordered it to leave and energized the wall and it left -- we are always stronger than ghosts -- as long as we are fearless and healthy -- because we have a body. It rattled the bed which only made the sound when it moved and there was no other movement - even when the brain was awake and watched intently - the bed moved and mad sound but nothing was moving it and one was still. The silly ghost left and there was quietness. I have an idea how it ended up there... it piggy backed off X's or that other place. I don't hang around people with the quality of life as JB so this was an unusual event with unusual and not surprising consequence as the effect of such things on chakras is known. [it really appears to be related to the heavy pot and cigarette smoker I met -- of course, I don't touch that stuff but he had it all around him and probably the associated ghosts -- looking back at the video, I am now convinced of it].
Then as the morning came there was a connection with the bird outside -- as though one knew when it would start to sing -- or those two were so much in sync -- as though I asked it to sing and it immediately started its sweet song. Wordless connection with nature is not unusual, we are part of it -- but it may take living in harmony with it.
- Cannon camcorder support line is useless. They have very shallow technical knowledge.
8 May 2010 --
- JB has been at it for 50 years -- he started playing the drums at 3. So did I :) -- we had a good band for a while. He wrote some smart lyrics and nice music.7 May 2010 -- The trap of continuity
- A suggestion has to always be made when there is demand, vacuum, space to receive that suggestion, therefore it is received in the intended spirit. If a person does not feel hungry, even if she starts speaking about food, if you offer her food she may think you're shoving it inside her throat.- Thought's ability to turn events from discrete to continuous just causes suffering therefore a disciplined mind knows the limitations and habit in its scope of operation and seeing that bring freedom from the trap of continuity.
- Thank God I'm not married and have no kids. Could not stand the pressures of a wife for a single moment.
May 2010 -- Growing Ancillary Services Market. Beacon (BCON) right at the heart of it:
- http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/20275- High-Speed Trading Glitch Costs Investors Billions - a trader accidentally placed an order to sell $16 billion, instead of $16 million, worth of futures, and that was enough to trigger sell orders across the market (this could be the cause but not sure) - one $40 stock fell for a time to one penny.
April 2010 -- Way of the world
- Most modern music is plagued by vulgarity of heavy trash material or criminally influenced unmelodic cheap poetry. And when it sees an angel playing to the rhythm of the Empire it wants to absorb it to its ways -- a music industry insider trying to teach an angel how to look and feel angry not knowing she is dancing to a different beat altogether.- The power of Rock is often attributed to sleazy vulgar behavior but that is a misnomer. Beethoven can be pure Rock too (or rather vice versa).
April 2010 -- A Master Philosopher's Endorsement
- Reza, you are probably the brightest student/friend that I've known during the last many years. You have brilliantly combined the world of data/facts with the job of being a human being and philosopher--not an easy achievement. And you have excelled in both. As I said, you are a philosopher at heart, and always will be; but I also admire you competence with "gadgets"--a skill I don't have. You have mastered both worlds. Dr. C.May 2 2010 onwards
-
Dendreon finally obtained approval from the FDA for Provenge. I knew
this would be coming 3 years ago but it couldn't come until Wall Street
crooks, certain analysts, hedge funds, and analysts got their
way. Meanwhile tens of thousands of men died but for criminal
manipulators that does not matter because their God is money and that's
all that matters. But I , like many other small investors were right
and the approval finally came and the stock went from less than $4 to
$54. - The six year old reminded one of my life and times pre-7 and the role of all that affection in shaping my life. I can understand similarly that children who are abused can sometimes grow up to have problematic lives and in some extreme cases end up like a couple of animals I know who pose as humans. Conversely, the love and caring and attention and wisdom that my grandma and others gave watered my heart for the rest of my life... I also talked with her about the importance of saying the truth -- that joking is good and humor is important but it is essential to tell the truth and that brings power to one's word and removes any fear that comes if one lies which leads to more lies. We also talked about importance of being able to say sorry and admitting
- Some therapists are so greedy for money that they go all day without any breaks except for 10 minutes, back to back patients – and then take a nap on a patient as they supposedly do cranio sacral or whatever other esoteric stuff that half the time doesn’t work. I caught one once napping on my clock at 140 an hour! The right way to do it is to close the “factory” and take a break.
April 27 2010 onwards
- You can say a 1000 Om's and still not invoke the immeasurable when your instrument is out of tune. A poorly tuned guitar or piano can't play well no matter what. They slept 3.5 hours after starting to drink at 5 a.m. after being up all night... and this is probably not an exception. Not my cup of tea, thank you.- They stopped the construction to allow us to have lunch in peace.
- Careless promiscuous people run the danger of not only disease but psychological entanglement which is even more serious. So she came back to him at 3 a.m. -- imbalance attracts imbalance.
- Fire is a symbol that's used by various religions and traditions. This likely refers to the fire which is inside us when we are young and for most people it dies out due to conformity and other factors.
- Incredible sunset and clouds – magestic beauty of this planet despite many highly wasteful and vicious people who live on it. I am not a Mozart fan nevertheless the smooth music and sunset and bouquets of clouds made the dinner romantic. A different scene from the "bombastic" day before.
April 24 2010 onwards
- It was great to see Louis and his family. Asha is very kind. Mark wished one good luck and gave tips on publication as did Lori recently who is a pro. Michael was temperamental as ever. He forgot so quickly all the attacks in collusion with Diane and to defend Friedrich who didn't even need defense because he wasn't attacked to begin with but that's normally the case with the super rich -- they get people like Gisele or Michael whom on a number of occasions have defended him without even really understanding the case or cause, but only out of tribal mentality and also a loyalty that may sometimes and in one instance surely be related to desire to win brownie points. All this matters not to me -- people can think and live how they want -- but when in that attempt to win brownie point they start sacrificing others then there's something wrong -- and how easily Michael forgot the numerous occasions he did just that to another but in every occasion behind the poor guy's back. Ulrich is a good man. He's harmless and peaceful. He has certain interests and in perusing them he's not stepping on others. There's something simple about many Swiss people which is often refreshing -- I think it's related to their education..- A wonderful presentation by Chet Lyons of Beacon Power: http://www.beaconpower.com/files/UWIG-presentation-April2010.pdf
- The performance was a big success. The otherness blessed us with its presence. Beatles music is classical music and deserves the same level of attention to detail as Beethoven. People came from far away places. It was very participatory so the thing moved on its own. It was healing and refreshing. It was about good music which does not need to be too loud.
- Talk about gossip-minded backward mentality. It seems that some of the people who work at the thermal bath possess the most backward minds and rely on gossip to fuel their extremely boring lives.
- Nice gig. I had a dream a few nights ago about RH -- woke up and thought he may come to the gig -- and he did.
April 17, 2010 onwards
- Some people are so used to living with conflict, dissection, friction, dissonance, that not only they accept it as a way of life but it even infiltrates their humor. We operate at a totally different frequency.- 10 years later comments about In Friendship still come:
"I've been spending many mornings relying on some of your music like track 4 of In Friendship..."
logged in: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/comments_cd1.html
April 11, 2010 onwards
- Rezangela practice was refreshing. It took a bit for the train to take off but once it did it was a great cruise.- On the bus, the kid on stroller who couldn't even talk yet said Ball -- pointing to my large exercize / sitting ball -- he wanted it but the ball was 3 times his size. He offered me his ice-cream in exchange, nein danke :)
- Best clean-tech investment around...Nasdaq: BCON
BEACON ON CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/podcasts/fareedzakaria/site/2010/04/04/gps.podcast.04.04.cnn
AND...
http://www.mysmartrend.com/news-briefs/news-watch/beacon-power-among-companies-highest-upside-potential-heavy-electrical-equipm
April 8, 2010 onwards
- Her grades have improved. She has more motivation. Yes we can!- Lennon's 1970 interview with Rolling Stones -- http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/16313366/john_lennon_the_rolling_stone_interview
- There is no guitar community on the internet - perhaps Cristiano's -- the rest are just reflections of the competitive minds that miss the boat on what the guitar is all about -- it's not about competition and who can play the harder piece.
- Palin, echoing the stupid, pronounces "iran" as "i" "ran" like a true redneck should.
- Talked to 2 x 17 year old smokers - facts speak. One was corrupt -- the other one very alive.
- Talked to the owner of Biotec Foods which makes Cell Guard. Asked him if he's a doctor. He said he has a bachelor's degree in accounting! Phyllis Balch mentions this product and recommends enteric coat - but this product is not enteric coated. http://www.biotecfoods.us/ -- he said Catalase is iron and that most resveratrol comes from China (and so is sprayed etc.) - I told him there's a co that makes organic res. They buy their herb powder ("is swiss") from botanical international
- Gave Alexander Technique lesson to musician.
- Dr. H says cheap mic cables don't matter.
- Dr. Satz said there are lots of tics this year in Europe as the winter was hard so tics slept good and are strong.
- FOR OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 800-338-0252
Why I will try to avoid doing business with Staples:
1) rep told me wrong info on refund - she said items bought on website can't be returned to the store. Manager said she was wrong.
2) I had a call from 877-312-9737. According to your agent you call everyone who puts an order online to verify it was really them. What a lousy practice. This wastes people's time. No other online vendor I use does this. You need to improve your technology to detect fraud.
3) You monitor every call that come in without informing the customer. Manager, Adam, apologized. Apology is not good enough. There was no recording informing me of this as Adam said there should have been. What went wrong?
One simple transaction cost me a lot of time and nonsense at Staples.com -- a website to be avoided.
April, 2010 - A hot email [warning: contains expletive language for the first time in my online journal]
Congrats again - seriously - I always felt - as I've told you - that you cared too much about others' needs - carried too much weight of how x and y would feel including moderating relationships that didn't need your moderation and what if I didn't buy the right gift - what if I didn't say the right thing or go to the right party or conform to this or that tradition. FUCK IT !! Put your health first. At least for the sake of your kids. Your health is the best gift you can give the kids. If you eliminate your walk to cater to some fucking tradition that means someone or some tradition may like you but at the cost of you being more stressed which is the worst thing you can do to the kids -- every yell at the kids goes in their heads and they'll have to get it out of their head later in life if they're lucky to have the insight to empty their consciousness of its content (which is the real meaning of having a meditative mind). Traditions are for us not the other fucking way around. Excuse my French but been listening to an interview and picked up the F word again -- I like it today - it conveys exactly what I want to say. Traditions are often corrupt - rooted in selfishness and conformity - they don't want you to think freely and stand on your own feet. They want you to fucking depend on that very tradition. Tradition wants you to serve it. Some traditions are good and we can keep them but to lead one's life based on what people think is a guarantee for suffering.Love
Reza
April 6, 2010 - Hurray Patrick Byrne
Overstock turned profitable.
Byrne says his point was to expose "crooked" hedge funds and how federal regulators were powerless to stop them.
"We've got a group of parasites who have found a loophole that they can keep on using to just drain resources out of entrepreneurs in America, and in the process kill small companies," Byrne thundered on the call.
A larger case is pending. In 2007, Byrne filed a $3.4 billion lawsuit against brokers Morgan Stanley & Co., Goldman Sachs & Co., Bear Stearns Cos., Bank of America Securities LLC, The Bank of New York, Citigroup Inc., Credit Suisse (USA) Inc. and others. The firms say Byrne's allegations of a naked short selling conspiracy are without merit. Trial is set for September 2011.
--------------------------------
April 6, 2010 -
- Traditions and taboos just appear unchangeable. It takes courage to challenge and break them and once done one sees it's possible and is not locked anymore into self-imposed barriers which enslave the mind.
- She’s a deputy PM but she runs the show. She’s very competent. She’s quite young and I see a bright future for her. I told her I could give her a good recommendation for a job anytime.
- Stinky smoker worships coffee too as though if you don't drink several cups a day you're not ok.- Tobacco industry has been very successful at brainwashing people that puffing this ugly nasty toxic thing is cool. It's not. It's sickening.
- 70's songs were blasted at Davos ski restaurants. Why? I think it's a escape to find melody. Hiphop and rap is not cutting it for people. People are seeking melodies.
- The guy spent 800 francs on a watch to tell him if the weather is sunny now or not. And it doesn't always work. And it gets the elevation wrong too.
- Break dancing for a musician is deadly (too hard for hands).
- It's always refreshing talking with Phil. He's a mine of wisdom when it comes to music. Jacksons traditionally are bland and don't have character because metal-heads don't care about the guitar tone, etc. - they destroy it via amplification. Mix pickup guitars are better than same-type. Flatwounds used for bass recording like classical guitar. Lennon complained about the Epiphone Casino hurting his hands. Rickenbacker good clean sound but I look for a new sound. Les Pauls rule but too heavy.
April 4, 2010 -
- A very intense unusual dream - it is too pressure to put it online where there are sleazy loose dogs who call themselves humans hang out among real humans. Accounted in private journal.- Bloody bells ring off the walls at 8:45 on Sunday and ring for 15 nonstop minutes. Feel like sleeping in? Forget it. You're bound to get up by the torturous bells that are louder and more disturbing than a punk-metal concert.
April 2, 2010 - A bunch of news headlines from article I downloaded but never had time to read
- Williams told US talk show host David Letterman that "Australians are basically English rednecks. You down there, 'how are ya? Good to see you. Hello.'". "I think Robin Williams should go and spend a bit of time in Alabama before he frames comments about anyone being particularly redneck," Rudd said. The comedian went on to say: "I realised that if Darwin had landed in Australia, he would have gone: 'I'm wrong'."- The complaint alleges that Novartis's sex discrimination includes policies and practices that keep women employees in lower positions. "Novartis in effect bars females from better and higher paying positions which have traditionally been held by male employees," the complaint says.
- Marijuana is the most common illegal drug consumed by drivers on Swiss roads, according to the country’s first nationwide drug statistics study. But cocaine use is growing rapidly among motorists, with the percentage of drivers testing positive for the stimulant nearly double that found just a few years ago. [unfortunately]
- Another Texas marvel: Texas Republican Rep. Randy Neugebauer acknowledged Monday that he is the lawmaker who shouted out "baby killer" during a floor speech by Rep. Bart Stupak, an anti-abortion Democrat whose vote was crucial to passing the Democratic health care bill Sunday evening.
- Rule 105 prohibits a short seller from covering short sales with offering securities purchased from an underwriter or broker five days prior to pricing of the securities.
- New health insurance requirement ... was GOP idea. (now they're opposing it).
- Germs in the gut may help drive appetite, says new research into the link between obesity and bacteria. Previous studies have shown that overweight people and normal-weight people harbor different types and amounts of microbes that naturally live in the intestine.
- The Republican National Committee spent $1,946 last month at a sex-themed Hollywood club that features topless dancers and bondage outfits. Listed in a monthly financial report, the amount is itemized as expenses for meals at Voyeur West Hollywood.
- Archaeologists have unearthed a 3,500-year-old door to the afterlife from the tomb of a high-ranking Egyptian official near Karnak temple in Luxor. These recessed niches found in nearly all ancient Egyptian tombs were meant to take the spirits of the dead to and from the afterworld.
- Interval training can cut exercise hours sharply -- [very interesting article By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer – Thu Feb 25, 12:28 am ET]. Some experts say intense exercise sessions could help people squeeze an entire week's workout into less than an hour. [Reza Ganjavi's note: After reading the article carefully and speaking with a friend who did this training intensely, bottom line is this: walking can be enhanced by sprints.]
- Here’s one record the Swiss may not be so enthusiastic about holding: more suicides are committed here using guns per capita than anywhere else in Europe.
- Stock market slides may hurt more than your savings. New research suggests they might prompt heart attacks. Duke University researchers found a link between how a key stock index performed and how many heart attacks were treated.
- Canadian-born art collector Peter Silverman bought "Profile of the Bella Principessa" at the Ganz gallery in New York on behalf of an anonymous Swiss collector in 2007 for about $19,000. New York art dealer Kate Ganz had owned it for about 11 years after buying it at auction for a similar price. One London art dealer now says it could be worth more than $150 million.
- Police in Connecticut say they had ample warning of a bank robbery because the two suspects called the bank ahead of time and told an employee to get a bag of money ready. Police arrested 27-year-old Albert Bailey and an unidentified 16-year-old boy... the suspects were "not too bright."
- LONDON (Reuters) – Interfering in mosquitoes' sex lives could help halt the spread of malaria, British scientists said on Tuesday.
- analysed popular brands of pet food and calculated that a medium-sized dog eats around 164 kilos (360 pounds) of meat and 95 kilos of cereal a year. Combine the land required to generate its food and a "medium" sized dog has an annual footprint of 0.84 hectares (2.07 acres) -- around twice the 0.41 hectares required by a 4x4 driving 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) a year, including energy to build the car. "Owning a dog really is quite an extravagance, mainly because of the carbon footprint of meat," Barrett said. Cats have an eco-footprint of about 0.15 hectares, slightly less than driving a Volkswagen Golf for a year, while two hamsters equates to a plasma television and even the humble goldfish burns energy equivalent to two mobile telephones.
- The EPA said scientific evidence clearly shows that greenhouse gases "threaten the public health and welfare of the American people" and that the pollutants — mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels — should be reduced, if not by Congress then by the agency responsible for enforcing air pollution. "These long-overdue findings cement 2009's place in history as the year when the United States government began addressing the challenge of greenhouse-gas pollution," said Jackson.
- NEW YORK (Billboard) – Peter Gabriel eschews traditional rock'n'roll instrumentation on his upcoming album, "Scratch My Back," which sports orchestral covers of material originally recorded by David Bowie, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Radiohead and Arcade Fire, among others. [Reza's note -- this is a sign of age]
- Yemen once set 15 as the minimum age for marriage, but parliament annulled that law in the 1990s, saying parents should decide when a daughter marries. [pre-stone-age thinking]
DENVER – A Qatari diplomat trying to sneak a smoke in an airplane bathroom sparked a bomb scare Wednesday night on a flight from Washington to Denver, with fighter jets scrambled and law enforcement put on high alert, officials said. Passenger ...told The Associated Press she smelled smoke about an hour into the flight. She said she later looked out the window and saw two jets flying alongside the plane. [STUPID GUY]
- WEDNESDAY, Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Sphingadienes, natural lipid molecules found in soy, could become a key ingredient in treatments for colon cancer, California researchers have found.
- LONDON (AFP) – A diet heavy in processed and fatty foods increases the risk of depression, according to research published on Monday. Researchers at University College London also found that a diet including plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit could help prevent the onset of depression.
- WASHINGTON – Women may think of men as primitive, but new research indicates that the Y chromosome — the thing that makes a man male — is evolving far faster than the rest of the human genetic code. A new study comparing the Y chromosomes from humans and chimpanzees, our nearest living relatives, show that they are about 30 percent different. That is far greater than the 2 percent difference between the rest of the human genetic code and that of the chimp's, according to a study appearing online Wednesday in the journal Nature.
- This is a real shame. Ultimate vulgarity in the heart of the biggest democracy: "Police say the 15-year-old girl went to a party with some men at Rowan Towers on March 28 and the younger girl tagged along because she was worried about her stepsister's safety. They say the 15-year-old sold sex to men and boys there, then took money to let them touch the younger girl. They say the touching turned to forcible sex as at least seven men raped the 7-year-old."
- Prosecutor: Greed prompted Ill. fire that killed 7. The owner of a suburban Chicago apartment house had his maintenance man set fire to the building, killing seven people including a newborn, because he wanted to cash in on a $250,000 insurance policy. "This fire was set at a particularly chilling time of the day, on a Sunday morning at about 6:30 when it would be pretty safe to assume that most residents in that building were there and were sleeping," Alvarez said. "If I could talk to them, I would say why? Why would you do something like this to anybody?" Grays said, his eyes wet with tears. "I don't know what's going through their minds, but I know what's going through my mind and my heart. I want to say it would be hatred, but I can't. I can't hate nobody, you know?"
April 2, 2010 -
- Davos sucks -- there are cars everywhere -- you want to walk from one place to another you have no choice but to get exposed to lot of car exhaust and racing buses. The mountain is fabulous -- the ski resort is world-class but you wonder about the wisdom of being exposed to so much sun, even from behind clothing. And there are people getting sunbathed at 2500 meter elevation!!
- Our 5* hotel makes it a nice little holiday but to go for a walk means you come back with car exhaust in your lungs. What a pity. And the mountains are so close that this village can be claustrophobic.
- Two women ahead of us, I said I don't want to be behind them so we waited - just by their quality of energy - later walked into gondola and both were in there - the place reeked of alcohol of their breath - it wasn't too late to get out and I did !
- No fun getting stood up by a stupid irresponsible friend of friend who's staying here who agreed to either be here or leave the key in the mailbox and didn't fulfill her promise. I don't like her smoky smell anyway and don't want to have anything to do with her. I am fed up with irresponsible people and there are plenty of them specially among the young in rich cultures like this -- full of them.
- Good thing I don't have to socialize with her. I dealt with one for over a year and that was enough.
- Skiing at Davos was great. Should not have rented the poles anyway as the last run without them was blissful. I may never ski with poles again.
- The ski resort lied to us -- we understood them say the card was a depo - it wasn't - they sold us a worthless card and then lied about it having been in use for 10 years. A year or two ago we were here and it didn't exist. It's worth one email.
- Reformhaus manager said he didn't approve of Chandra's poor customer service and will investigate.
- When I go to a place for the first time I usually get the detailed directions, bus number, stop name, etc. - specially when carrying heavy bags. I left it to a friend this time. We got to the station with heavy bags and had no idea where to go - let's go this way, it's a few minutes. I said no, let's call - get the directions. And then we took a bus and got to where we needed to go. It turned out to be the opposite direction and a good bus ride.
- Updated:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/ovulation.html
- Manu chao
- Older German woman asked me to ride her BMW. I don't want to go the Frankfurt to network at the fare b/c everyday not worked I lose a lot.
April 1, 2010 -
- They speak Romansch here. It's a nice language and the culture is warm like Italian. Italian is the most beautiful of all languages.- Experts say piracy will continue to be a problem until an effective government is established on Somalia's lawless shores. The country has not had a functioning government for 19 years.
- Saying low-slung pants give their wearers a bad image, a state lawmaker is making the point... Bill Cosby caused a stir by blasting baggy pants, alongside other things he considered missteps by black youths, at an NAACP event in 2004. President Barack Obama, as a candidate, came out against low-sitting trousers in 2008. "Some people might not want to see your underwear. I'm one of them," Obama told MTV News.
- She says she has a revelation from her angels that it's time to go -- it's been 4 months now but she's still around, healthy and kicking. So her loved ones told her, maybe angels have a different concept of time and are on a different schedule :)
- At :47 I was getting done washing dishes and hadn't finished packing yet so last minute mental list of what else to take and packed high speed to make it to the :08 train. Downstairs realized forgotte the vegs so back up and down and sprint to the bus. The bus was very late by Swiss standards and got to the train station at :05 - friend was not at the meeting place so wondered what to do - the station was full - which way do I start walking? the train is arriving any minute. should I just go with it? what will the friend do? And then started walking forward and we met. Apparently friend never heard me say platform 1 Kiosk but I am 100% sure I said it. Now the train is rolling into new moments and all troubles are resolved and not just left behind. The cell phone is off. Token is at home which means no corporate email this weekend for a change.
- The greenery soothes the being. I don't want to say "the soul" as that is such a misnomer. By soul we often mean the depth of being.
- Stinking smokers came on the train. Such a violent backward habit smoking is -- it injures the being deeply and the most superficial evidence of it is its extremely ugly smell.
- People buy snakes in the shop -- 100% junk food + junk drink "Energy Drink". They eat that junk for food which depletes them of life energy and dulls their body's intelligence, then they need coffee and "energy drink" to boost their out of tune instrument. Much of the so-called music these days is an extension of this dissonant state.
- We got off the train too early but it didn't matter as the guitar was there and with it came beauty.
March 31, 2010 - Cell Phones Disrupt Sleep
- I love March -- such a powerful month -- it's not like October when people worry about stock market meltdown or January when the momentum of stream of human consciousness reminds those with failed new year resolutions that time can not change the psyche, that psychological time is an illusion. Vulgarity can not turn into civility by the virtue of time. But there is a solution for laziness in simply changing the diet.- My brain was buzzing last night - I thought it must be the neighbours cell phones as mine is never on at night. It was particularly strong and disrupted sleep. In the morning realized mine was on all night!
March 2010 - Two Case of False Labels on Swiss Products
- At organic bakery in Zurich, the Linzertorte had a list of ingredients which did not include sugar. The lady told us the dough has raw sugar -- it was not listed.- At coop, a cheese with walnuts has big label: BIO and natural, and the label just lists walnuts. The fact is it has different E-numbers but these are not listed on the label and therefore the consumer who sees the BIO sign and reads only walnuts, is misled. (product: Bio Schmelzk. Nuss). The big cheese where this piece was cut from has a different label: "bio nusskasse" which has listed as ingredients "E331 and E333 (both are preservative/anti-oxidants)" and other things like lactose etc. I spoke with the chief, Mr. Fontijn who said he'll get back to me -- we'll see!
[update: 25 May -- no news yet -- called -- he will contact me later]
[update: 22 Jun -- after escalating to the CEO they wrote back and investigated and said they made a mistake. Convenient: organic natural product except two not so friendly E numbers which were eliminated. After my first complained they changed the labels nation-wide to include more than just "cheese and walnut" and now they said they will modify it to include the E numbers as well!]
- If you ask to try the meal from the buffet and you are given a spoon of sample and you don't buy it, for years you're treated like a criminal -- that's the customer service for you in this neck of woods!
- So many stinky people on the bus -- they come in reeking of cigarettes from a distance -- I don't want to imagine how it feels inside their bodies.
- So many fat people and this is not even America. And people out of tune from eating so much junk. Food companies are partly responsible for making all this junk that doesn't kill but !
- Christian terrorists prove humanity's vulgarity and primitive thinking is not focused in one group. "A Tennessee man authorities say is a white supremacist has pleaded guilty to plotting to kill then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and dozens of other black people in 2008". "Nine alleged members of a Christian militia group that was girding for battle with the Antichrist were charged Monday with plotting to kill a police officer and slaughter scores more by bombing the funeral — all in hopes of touching off an uprising against the U.S. government."
March 2010 - Trap of confidence
She's very wise. She said x doesn't return an email to show her not being well. That really makes sense. She thinks shyness is not good. I see something beautiful about shyness. She views it as caused by lack of self esteem. Of course the other side of the coin, arrogance which people often call confidence is also not good. The intelligent good state is the confidence of innocence and not confidence of ego which is promoted in this day and age as key to success.- Dad's recovering -- an old body but a young mind, a child within, full of joy for life and every day that's a gift from the universe. He wishes to write two letters - first in Farsi and then translate them - to Armand and Angela.
March 2010 - More on Persian New Year
"Nowruz, the day of the vernal equinox, is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide as the beginning of the new year. The celebration predates Islam, going back thousands of years..Under the Achamenid dynasty, which ruled about 2,500 years ago, Persia stretched from the Indus River to Egypt, to central Asia, forming the largest empire on earth until that date...
"Nowruz, with a history of 6,000 years, promotes the message of unity, honesty and happiness," Emomali Rahmon
28 March 2010 - Invitation from hell
At eightfukin in the morning on Sunday the bloody bells ring like hell to invite you to heaven and one after another tower joins it in an ever louder volume to impose its losing grip on society. This is not an invitation but an assertion of "I am". And they ring for 15 minutes to make sure everyone is awaken before shutting up.And they return full blast a couple of hours later.
And they return full blast another half hour later.
26-7 March 2010 onwards -
- Met friend to help her manage completing her diploma. There are a lot of life skills that they don't teach kids in school and they should. They teach them a lot of intricate maths and physics but miss the boat on communications and the art of living or the art of loving as Fromm puts it.- What a great site -- http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter
- Preparing publication of documentary on the case: "Reza Ganjavi vs. Jeremy C. Smith, Todd Tipton, William D. Jennings, et al."
- Brand new idea emerged in an email I started writing to CF. Power of dialogue!
- Obsession with being white? (LOS ANGELES – Detectives found large quantities of general anesthetic and dozens of tubes of skin-whitening creams in Michael Jackson's home after the singer's death, search warrants unsealed Friday show.)
- Nearly 18,000 people have died in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon launched an assault on cartels after taking office in December 2006.
- Drug users support this kind of crime: The decapitated body of the police chief of a northern Mexico town and the body of his brother were found inside the chief's patrol truck Friday, authorities said. Hours earlier, gunmen killed a deputy police chief and his bodyguard in another part of Mexico's north. The body of Heriberto Cerda, the police chief in Agualeguas, was found on the bed of a patrol pickup truck, which was left on a dirt road in the nearby town of General Trevino. His head was on his lap.
If this is not terrorism what is? In this case their god is drugs. At the root of every form of terrorism are two facets: 1) tribalism 2) fanaticism/blind-belief.
Canceled a $100+ order from MyVitanet
26 March 2010 - These "Men of God"
Another shameful scandal of the Catholic Church.Both involve some of society's most vulnerable: deaf children for whom the admonition "never tell" is easy to enforce because they have difficulty communicating... In a signed statement last year, the 67 former pupils at a school for the deaf in Verona described sexual abuse, pedophilia and corporal punishment from the 1950s to the 1980s. They named 24 priests, brothers and lay religious men at the Antonio Provolo Institute for the Deaf... One victim, Alessandro Vantini, told the AP last year that priests sodomized him so relentlessly he came to feel "as if I were dead." "How could I tell my papa that a priest had sex with me?" Vantini, 59, said through a sign-language interpreter. "You couldn't tell your parents because the priests would beat you."
March 2010
- She's studying veterinary medicine and for specialty she prefers small animals. - "it's safer". She agreed. Saying goodbye to Marianne it was natural to say "so long Marianne" and it set off the song during the walk.- I hate it when people just stare at you. Like it's a cinema show, without even paying a ticket price. You just sit there, pull out the laptop and he just stares -- looks at your atypical complexion -- and his thought processes his perception, placing you into his little shoe-boxes of categories, likes and dislikes, and takes interest in your moves -- the moves capture his robotic attention further. And meanwhile face makes animations when thought is active. In this case, he was a nice guy and did not seem to have evil thoughts of prejudice, nevertheless, to be subjected to thought matter and prolonged stare made you want to wake him up from his cinema by capturing his attention by staring back - not in an unfriendly way, but without an expression -- an alarm clock needs no expression -- it just is. And it worked as he stared away only to snooze back and it took one more ring to get him to respect my wish not to get stared at.
- Momo is a 10.5 week old dog. can't it walk? "it can but it's not used to the city". It comes from the country side first time to the city and the noise of trams and cars and cigarette-butt field streets freak it out. But it found some affection on its first interaction of a city boy.
- Met classical guitarist. The music schools do something destructive to the minds of musicians by burdening them with competition which is so prevalent in every form of so-called education today. So it's all about comparison -- my pieces vs. your pieces, and whoever plays harder pieces wins (never mind that the pieces are often butchered or interpreted according to the wishes of some teacher which sometimes turns into simply mechanical following of dynamics or phrasing (check out Sharon Isbin's artificial deliberate interpretations for example) which have nothing to do with music.
- The little girl refused to eat the junk food grandma was forcing her to eat - I supported her -- ah ah, abfall essen -- she agreed -- her body's intelligence is still awake. Now grandma is eating the disgusting looking item (a white junk covered in a brown junk).
- Arabic speaking man - then Portugese speaking woman - shouting at their cell phones on the train. So inconsiderate.
- Somebody gets a fixed price contract and they keep pushing to rush the job. End result is literally nightmare and mega stress.
- There's an organic restaurant which has the best meals in Zurich. "large or small"? A large small :)
- People who think in polarized, tribal ways are quick to change sides to cater to their categorical thinking: a foe becomes a friend in opposition to a new foe.
- Irish pub worker said he still doesn't believe the cig ban will happen. The place reeked anyway.
- Error in Amazon terms and conditions. Your web page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_navbox_center_ret?nodeId=901888 has an error. It says: "General Returns Policy -- You may return most new, unopened items sold and fulfilled by Amazon.com within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. " Your customer service agent Bjorn and Jessie in Philippines tell me that the same policy applies to used items sold by 3rd parties but fulfilled by amazon. If they are right, your website is wrong and vice versa. What is the truth of the matter. Are used items sold by 3rd parties but fulfilled by amazon have the same policy as new items? [I didn't tell Amazon that Bjorn was trying to argue that the word "most" in the phrase "most new items" means "new and used". False
- Many would envy an angel if they saw one -- how s/he would shine -- but they don't know that the angel lives a life of purity and austerity not in the sense of sleeping on a bed of nails but living in harmony with ways of nature.
- Winlogon is not showing up on event viewer. "In Event Viewer, right-click Application in the left pane then click Properties, then click Restore Defaults and Clear Log on the General tab, and Restore Defaults on the Filter tab, then Apply, OK".
22 March 2010 - Asking
- Inquiry is like opening the window so breeze could come. Asking, even the seemingly impossible question can open doors. When everyone may think the answer would be no, often the answer turned out as yes when asked.- For two decades I've heard US presidential candidates give lip service about healthcare reform. It's finally done by the current administration. Republicans, insurance companies and big pharma were against it.
- Most often the teachers ran out of things to teach the pupil...
22 March 2010 - Norouz Pirouz
Pictures of haft-sin made me cry.How deep rooted it is - and how beautiful. The smell of sonbol. What a great tradition. One of renewal, goodness, beauty, sensitivity, love, love, love.
Being such a non traditionalist, I had no idea how much this means to me. I have nothing - no traditions - nothing to hang on to - no ceremonies - no rituals - I am even dead to birthdays which are just another number to cater to the judgment of many Europeans who are so age-conscious. But apparently, Norouz is deep rooted, and because it is beautiful, it is good, it's here to stay. Har-roozetoon-norouz.
March 2010 -
- Open Courseware. Great site: http://ocw.mit.edu- 4 hour nap on Saturday revived the being from a week of nonstop project demands and hard work. Flexibility was the key to sanity. Perhaps a more stiff manager -- from places where every bloody thing has a plan that's written in stone and deviation from it is a crime -- would flip, but we managed change like a breeze but not without a toll on us.
- Aldi is killing Coop and Migros. They understand certain things about customer service that Coop and Migros can't think of. A good company needs to have customer service basics instilled in its workers through training (unless in a place like US, it is part of the culture). Aldi has it written. Coop and Migro just rely on the people who don't have that in their blood so it's not working. Aldi took items back that were opened and had no receipt. Migros and Coop would first scrutinize and treat you like a criminal for the very intention to return something - then would say it can't be done without a receipt (not even store credit) - then say everything else to make sure you don't dare come back for a refund or exchange. That's not Migro and Coop's policy but the mentality here -- the supplier-ruled history which is being shattered by competition.
- Anousheh Ansari, the first woman to fly into space as a passenger spent $20M on her ticket. She was on the new year program. They also had Mohsen Namjoo, a very depressing singer. Most of his songs are in A minor and use two chords. I couldn't handle hearing the painful "music".
- Harrison was really into Hoagy Carmichael who was a great songwriter.
- Ringo Starr is a great drummer but he just can not sing.
March 2010 -
- In the desert someone challenged Tyler the madman to eat a live ant - he did and the ant bit his intestines and he had to be taken to the hospital.- Never liked Andrea Bocelli's voice and singing -- it's too painful to listen to.
- As much as I like the convenience and sensibility of public transport (vs. many American big cities' lack of efficient public transport network), some people's aura is so painful to be near -- and that's not to mention morning drunks and reeking smokers.
- Maestro Phil Maynes said: many guitarists miss the rhythmic specifity but this girl who was playing a Gibson SG had it. Pete played SG during Live at Leeds.
- So strange when people bring poor lamas to Switzerland or take Alaskan Huskies to South Africa like my friend did. Two lamas in the village died because dogs went to toilette in their grass.
- Good article about fluoride: http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/fluoride.html
- The Fluoride debate is absolutely settled: yes to toothpaste fluoride.
- Talked with two Persian polymer physicists at the lake about plastic.
- She got a free carrot cake advertised as home made. It turned out the only thing homemade about it is they pour the mix from a plastic bucket that comes from a factory and on the package there is a list of ingredients. I counted 10 E-numbers and other things I couldn't even pronounce :)
- German speaking people work till 5. If you're English speaking press 1. She didn't press it despite speaking fluent English :)
17 March 2010 - Tip to a CEO
I told this to a CEO before who used to speak very fast. You don't speak very fast but the tip may still be valuable. These are just general remarks to support the idea of good articulation is helpful:Sometimes there are international investors/analysts on calls / presentations / webcasts -- so it's important to be articulate and sensitive to people who are not used to our accent. This is achieved through a tiny reduction in tempo.
Also, being a performer, I know that sometimes things move faster than planned on stage because of nervousness etc. (even Elvis got nervous).
Some other reasons people speak too fast at presentation:
- we try to save time if the timeslot is very short.
- we're very excited about the topic
- we are generally fast creatures these days because we work with fast computers all day.
A bit of slowing down does us good. Also good articulation projects a good sense of balance, clarity and confidence.
March 2010
- Power of meditation is to see hidden processes in the mind -- useless low frequency hum that are nevertheless there in RAM yet consuming CPU.- TV or radio or any non music source when not intently listened to provides source for the mind source of unnecessary inference.
- For the young neighbour internet is more important than food. The other one bought a $3000 BMW 990 cc motorcycle off ebay.
- Project managers wouldn't have a job if techies would not so easily dive so deep they couldn't rescue themselves from the depths of their technical fancy.
- Beacon Power did its first conference call. Outlook remains very positive: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=irol-audioArchives
- Customer is wrong around here anyway, and if you're a foreigner, you're doubly wrong. In most places except the US or warm hospitable cultures, customer service is a foreign concept.
14 Mar 2010 - Only in Texas
- "No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill for which he fought so long." Lyndon JohnsonThere are many theories about why Texan Oswald killed JFK but it can't be a coincidence that it happened as JFK was fighting for civil rights. http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/1964.html
- In the news today: A far-right faction of the Texas State Board of Education succeeded Friday in injecting conservative ideals into social studies, history and economics lessons that will be taught to millions of students for the next decade. Decisions by the board can affect textbook content nationwide because Texas is one of publishers' biggest clients. [many examples include: ] Numerous attempts to add the names or references to important Hispanics throughout history also were denied, inducing one amendment that would specify that Tejanos died at the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Another amendment deleted a requirement that sociology students "explain how institutional racism is evident in American society." [AP]
13 Mar 2010
- Grumpy Swiss man on the bus was sitting side ways because he
didn't take off his backpack. I said can I sit here (on a 4-seater
section) but he didn't move and was taking up four places. I said could
you let me sit here. He grumped: you can do that in your home country.
I said, it's a matter of rights, do I have the right to sit here? He
moved his leg a bit towards his 1/2 of the section. I said thank you. A
minute later he grumped back: why is your bag on the seat? you just
paid for one seat. I hinted back in approval, meaning, I don't want to
argue and ignore your comment. Later I told him gently, you're allowed
to put your handbag on the seat next to you (if it's free and the bus
is not crowded) and if you like to do that too you'll sit more
comfortably (and not sideways to take 4 seats by sitting with your
backpack on). Greeted him kindly on the way out and he reciprocated.
Another guy sitting a few rows back looked so utterly unhappy.- His controlling mother is there on skype like a ghost that you hear its sound but can't see her face. I helped him out and he appreciates it.
- He switched from PC to Mac and loves it. Before twice a month he had to get PC mechanic.
- Letter to a troubled teenager: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/letter_to_19_year_old.html
- Darina Takova is an amazing singer.
ca. 10 Mar 2010
- This is the kind of work I like to do -- to write a concert flier - not to write court pleadings against lowlife bastards who have nothing better to do than bother other people and waste people's time.
- Demands of the project are very very heavy and consumes enormous amounts of time -- like a double-full-time job,
- I absolutely hate using cellphones -- I feel the pain in my head which feels like shrinkwrap in a microwave.
- Dancing in the snow with Obladi, Penny Lane which is such a masterpiece.
- Culmination of the extreme project -- incredibly demanding.
- Naturapath/homeopath fraud? 3 hour interview about her past led to her getting a white powder in mail which is supposed to solve her problems!
- Updated: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/on_customer_service.html
- Didgeridoo shop changed to a vacuum shop. No wonder!
- Rappers miss out on power of melody. Some rap is cool, I have nothing against rap and like some hiphop too but melody is largely missing.
- Music industry is bogged by cheap uninteresting hooks as long as it's a hook.
- Idea of natural toothpaste in Switzerland is to have saccharin (artificial sweetner).
- A Swiss junkfood maker is marketing chocolate with fully English writing on it. This is a revolution in Switzerland -- a Swiss company marketing a mass product with English writing only on the front cover including "no artificial colors or flavors" but huge amounts of a drug called sugar! Many food companies love sugar because it's addictive and it's cheap. I know a person who works for this company and she told me horror story about research into increasing sugar quantity of certain items to increase profits. Needless to say the ingredients were written so small it was impossible for majority of people to read it. Shame!!
- A large Swiss insurer's moto is in English: "because change happenz".
- Sensitive Swiss youngster attempts suicide because of the demand to mold into status quo and stringent bounds of tradition -- with its rotten ways of comparison and becoming -- is too heavy to handle.
- The ambulance driver is not wearing his seat belt ! It costs about $1200 for ambulance transport of a few minute ride.
9 Mar 2010 -
- Hundreds
slaughtered in Nigeria religious violence. Christians and Muslims are
still killing each other and Muslims are killing Muslims of a different
sect and humanity hasn't evolved psychologically except for a few. More
people need to get out of their shell of tribal mentality and dictates
of divisive thought.- C. said he hates sledding -- he has a lot of patients injured in sledding accidents - much fewer than skiing incidents.
- Great talk w/ Karen. She's amazing. And very generous. So is Jeff. Their hearts and door is always open it seems. The early years of a child are under-estimated in importance but they're the most critical. A child learns to trust,
- M thinks the less school the better -- to invest 1/2 the money in life enriching experience like taking the kids to Europe to see their grandparents. He thinks of school as a conveyor belt.
- Both E&K said the school is not so important but the teacher is.
- Our parents bought a house near Raveshe No., the alternative school based on ideas of Dr. Yamini-Sharif who was one of the leading educational philosophers in the world, with ideas close to those of J., Krishnamurti, such as dangers of comparison in education. K congratulated oneand said one was lucky to have gone to such a school.
- Two Beacon conferences next week. Don't miss it.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1400447&highlight=
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=123367&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1400520&highlight=
- The main thing I dislike about living in California and most of America is the size. Certain places like Manhattan is different but most places are too big according to Haldane's theory which I agree with "on being the right size".
- Oak Grove School plays my CD as call waiting music -- it's cool -- they wore out one CD after years of playing it and I sent a new one...
8 Mar 2010 -
-
This is a special day - I don't believe in day of this and day of that
as they're sometimes commercially promoted "boss's day" "secretaries
day" etc., but March 8 is a special day as it's the Woman's Day and
women have been suppressed throughout history by jealous, possessive,
chauvinist men. Even in Switzerland till 1970's women couldn't vote.
So, today is special. Talking about days, I wonder if birthdays have
significance actually -- if they are astrologically familiar time. I
reminisced about berenjak - kafshe verniye barrag - shalvare
makhmale no - eid shopping done before birthday - excitement of coming
together - almost every kid in the class was invited - marjan and negar
spent the night every year - decorations - gifts - cake - play -
madness - love.- Shazam is an amazing program. It recognized the amazing Beethoven piano piece that permeated the being for hours after hearing it in the bus.
- Phil Maynes is a fantastic songwriter and a killer musician. I remember the Ovation he bought when he was 16 or so walking down Sunset road. It came in post. He bought it with his salary as a paper-boy. I remembered his sign though I'm not into astrology.
- Rice & lentils give body joy. So does walking.
- When a hatred driven person learns to respect you, not by force, but out of understanding, there is hope for the world.
- Heard a new word today: 'thugocracy' which happens when fanatics have power.
- He is a very capable musician but like many who get so sucked into exotic cultures, that obsession has overtaken music. African music in ice cold center of Europe was so unnatural, and it was boring. I love some African music but this dingy flute improvisation with uninteresting sounding little drums was not my cup of tea.
- It's a pity that lyrics are sometimes written in bad grammer to comply with the illiterate. A lyricist has a responsibility at least to those learning the language to speak correctly. "we was" is flat out wrong and off.
- She wondered if I'm not mad at X - of course not - I don't hold things against people - I try to see people for the first time every time - and if there is an issue, if I care for somebody (or have to care for work or professional relationship) I talk to them about it and work it out, and if I don't [care for them], they can go to hell.
Mar 2010 -
-
The snow was making love to the Earth today. At the end it had a
climax of beauty -- huge pieces of snow, the size of ping-pong balls
danced down the sky smiling in their tender moves. They completely
overtook the earth & sky. Later the slowed, became smaller, and
gradually dissipated into eternity. Blue sky came.- It's amazing how much work goes into preparation for a performance. And working double-full-time it seems due to the extreme demands of this project, the system is maxed out.
- She laughed with the two guys and one became obsessed with her. It's the sick world we live in. Some women same way, when a man is friendly they imagine that he wants to sleep with them and when he doesn't they get disappointed. And guys specially are so bad at getting hints and interpret everything the way they want to hear it. For example girl saying "I have a boyfriend, I'm not interested" gets interpreted as "she's not interested b/c she has a boyfriend"! Directness and clarity always works best - any ambiguity is used in favor of illusions.
- He is 20 - young and short but with an awake heart and mind - another internet addict - eats bread and bananas for food - loved the spider catcher - "you were singing - it was very good - it was very good" :) [lg]
- Updated: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/tv_facts.html
- Ulrich said storytelling weekend is big so I shifter the plan.
- 7 day old baby was crying, mother was puzzled - it was clear to me why: he was too hot. She opened the zipper and he stopped crying :)
- Village kid was getting car sick even on a 10 minute ride for first years of her life. From unter- to ober- boez.
- Oh my God, Serra is 30! I still think she's 16. She's teaching first grade at a hispanic school. Gotto spread the perfume around. I never forget her mom's speech at the same school she's a principle of, Oak Grove School, when Serra was a student there.
- He was caught napping in the barn again instead of working. He dropped the walki talki and quit his job. He's done it before - to leave everything behind.
- Dave Anter is really cool. Guitar, amp, percussion, friendship.
- Amir Ghoreishi is so cool and an amazing dentist.
3 Mar 2010 - US vs. Swiss customer service (again)
-
World of difference between American customer service and Swiss. In
Swiss returning an item is as bad as committing a crime. She bought
something - same day, with receipt, she was shy to return it "she will
remember me" [as some sort of criminal for having returned this]. I
took it there and returned it without a problem. It's often not without
a problem to return things here.- Planetwave guy (in US) said: you bought it so I want to make sure you're happy. World of difference.
2 Mar 2010 -
-
Many people, specially the young, take their happiness and health for
granted. But some who have known the pain of not having happiness and
health, some who have dived deep into the swamps of sorrow, do not
forsake happiness and health when they have it. Their numbers are few.
Those who give real importance to healing, to balance.- This is an environmental disaster: heard Tehran had 1 hour of snow the entire winter and it immediately melted. It used to snow for days at a time and stay heavily. Poor planet.
- Dr. T told dad R is such an affectionate person, to hear his name makes him happy. They washed the family cemetery. Funny he watched program of guy who went to Rasht and Masooleh, and i also dreamed about Masoule.
- Fender Amp Can weighs 6 kilos. Crate TX15 Taxi is 9 kilos. Both are 15 watts. Crate is 8 inch woofer, Fender 6. It's a pity Fender doesn't make the ampcan anymore (since Aug 2008).
- Since Starbucks took over the Dedrich shops they killed the live music that Dedrich sometimes hosted.
- Chris White -- missing in action -- Blake will do some investigation.
- Talked to Rowan - she's teaching yoga which seems to be the default profession in Ojai -- there are more massage therapists and yoga teachers there per capita than anywhere in the world.
- Niki is so loving -- every sentence of hers is filled with adoration and love. I was surprised she knew my birthday.
- Shadi told Tara story of Ramin's Dayee Farhad bringing him a violin. So both kids want a violin now.
1 Mar 2010 -
-
Grabbed the wild bull by the horns and tamed the sucker. It was
important to exclude extra bodies and streamline decision making to
only those who count.- California kids saw snow and were amazed.
- S. has a nice offer for gig.
28 Feb 2010 -
-
In this country young discontented people are quickly put on
medications and it often screws them up. She looked awful - pale -
sleeps 3 hour nights - 9 subjects at school she's buried under... she
wants to stop to medications.- Many young musicians are technically good and have good musical ideas but the culture is not there - the richness and maturity of an enriched life and travel and so on, is not there -- one can transmit this to another by working very close with someone.
- She had one bad experience and wants to close the door to something that can help her. It's her call. Not the first time that something helpful is ruined by an incompetent practitioner.
`
27 Feb 2010 -
- Talk to Ellen & Jeff and Michael & Brianna & Abby, Chris (msg).
- The aggressive brutal music many youngsters listen to effects them in a wrong way.
- 3 feet of snow in Upstate New York. Spring weather in Switzerland. Lorenzo the Marouni man's business was slow. People don't want to think of warm chestnuts when the weather is warm - it's too reminiscent of the snow.
- These rude Peruvian bands come to the center of the city, break all the rules, don't get a permit, use very loud amplification, and the police did nothing about them (till later). I could hear them all the way from the clock tower to the station.
- Received multiple invitations for accommodations.
- T&R both want violins and colorful balls.
- Christa said you and I were like brother and sisters and I always have a special place in her heart. Too bad she can't come because her dad is ill.
- Why is so many of Mozart's pieces so cheesy and boring like much of French pop music?
27 Feb 2010 - SEC finally makes a move in the right direction
- http://sec.gov/rules/final/2010/34-61595.pdf
- Better late than never. Better little than none. It's got a long way to go to tie up the hands of market manipulators.
26 Feb 2010 - Swisscom subsidiary caught
Source: Swissinfo.chhttp://sec.gov/rules/final/2010/34-61595.pdf
An Italian subsidiary of Swiss telecommunications firm Swisscom has been caught up in a tax fraud and money laundering investigation with alleged mafia links.
However, the suspected fraud ring does not end with Fastweb and Telecom Italia. Prosecutors have talked about a string of fictional companies and law firms being set in numerous countries and the involvement of Swiss banks in laundering the ill-gotten gains.
24 Feb 2010 -
-
Got Assad brothers' Latin American music for two guitars for 5 francs
(1/7th of original price). I don't like the sound. It's got that ugly
chemical studio reverb which is good for pop music but kills classical
guitars. And Piazzolla is boring as ever. I can't even handle listening
to Piazzolla except maybe one of his works. The other pieces on the CD,
some great ones, are destroyed by the cellophane sounding reverb.- "In the second half of 2009, the number of spam messages sent per day skyrocketed from 600 million to three billion, according to new research."
- GM to end Hummer after sale to Chinese buyer fails. Good news. Those gas-guzzlers are a culmination of stupidity and irresponsibility.
- Most senior analyst guy was trying hard to explain something that sounded so complex and confusing. I said, are you saying what happens if X logs and incident and it's ignored and he needs to escalate it what he needs to do? He: yes! Mind can get itself so tangled in complexity. It's a virtue to see things simply.
21 Feb 2010 -
-
Tara is in my heart -- god, it's been 6 years since she came back to
us. She wanted to skype instead of phone and we had a wonderful
one-on-one and shared good stories and laughters. Rusteen was busy
playing with chalk and when she went to call him he was onto dirt so
one hand had chalk on it and one in soil.20 Feb 2010 -
-
Amazingly fulfilling performance. Sharing, power of good music, being
one mind and one heart with the listeners, their contribution, our very
strong repertoire, almost everyone knew almost every song, even a
youngster who hadn't heard an old song said cool. Those who like
everything you play. They trust your choice of songs and listen to even
things they don't know because of that trust and dig it. I can tell immediately when a person is a Beatles fan. The honor to perform the great work of genius musical mind of lennon-mccartney(+martin), the great spirit was there, it filled the room, it touched everybody deep in their hearts.
The policeman in the bus: I love your CD – it’s peaceful & relaxing.
Angie did really well -- she was right there with her bass: solid and musical, and she sang her parts well.
"you're a good performer"
20 Feb 2010 -
- Another one bites the dust. Jecklin closed its CD shop. Bought several CD's -- top class, 38 fc CD's for 5 or 10 fcs. - Didgeridoo is not a musical instrument. It's a sound-making instrument.
- Most of Jobim's music I don't like.
- Listened to 100 CD's and bought 10. Bought another 4 yesterday.
- Asked her if she’s Andrea’s mother. I was sure though I’d never met her before. Her face was a copy of Andreas’. Sure enough, she was :-)
19 Feb 2010 -
- Finally some good news coming out with Taliban asses getting kicked.
- Tiger Woods did a well-staged apology. It didn't cut it. It appeared insincere and that he only is sorry because he was caught and lost his sponsors. And he's taking therapy, treatment which also sounds superficial. At least he had the character to apologize when caught, some idiots don't even have that much character and think not admitting to mistakes is strength -- no, it's stupidity. There is not much glory in being insincerely sorry after you're caught if you would have continued with the wrong action if you hadn't been caught. But it's better than nothing. What I read between his lines was, his main goal is to get his corporate sponsors "business partners" back, and lines like: I don't know when I'll return to golf but I don't rules out it will be this year. Ok, got it, planting seed with the sponsors.
18 Feb 2010 -
Dr. Tek "Hi Tek" -- PhD in CS - said hardest part is to understand what the customer wants. I: for the customer to understand what they want (and good analyst helps that).
17 Feb 2010 -
In
an interview on MSNBC this morning, newly retiring Sen. Evan Bayh
declared the American political system "dysfunctional," riddled with
"brain-dead partisanship" and permanent campaigning. Flatly denying any
possibility that he'd seek the presidency or any other higher office,
Bayh argued that the American people needed to deliver a "shock" to
Congress by voting incumbents out en masse and replacing them with
people interested in reforming the process and governing for the good
of the people, rather than deep-pocketed special-interest groups. [The
Newsroom]- S came - nice guy - stage manager for Pink Floyd. They take him to tune drums for people like Gilmore. We welcomed him to jam with us anytime and in due time build a repertoire. He has very good feel for music but his technique is not a virtuosic drummer as he admits it too... He played certain things amazingly well -- he has a good ear. We like him.
- X wants to bring in his buddy as a contractor at a time when company is getting rid of contractors. So cunning political games are played -- standard things that make the corporate world suck: making someone look bad, stepping on others to get ahead, etc.. I have no interest in any of these games.
16 Feb 2010 -
- Feeling good despite a day of over eating and unintended sugar (but still within calorie limit). Been doing launches / yoga / leg exercises Angie gave etc.- Dreamed of Mary Cadogan last night - very lovely person and very kind. People were giving me money that I wasn't asking for, for music.
15 Feb 2010 -
- Talked with Donna after years. Unfortunately she's a hunter. She remarried after x died. She speaks fluent Farsi still and said it's a beautiful language. She remembers me in her kitchen "I always loved the fact that you liked my cooking... it made it easier to cook when you were around"... She wrote : "Dear Reza, I'm so very glad that you got in touch with me. I can still see your sunshiney face in my kitchen, snitching little bites of this and that and saying, "Bah, bah...this is so good!" I always said that you were good for my kitchen."14 Feb 2010 -
- Angela's bass playing has improved so much -- her articulation is solid on the right hand. Her left hand has stretched out and strengthened. And of course improved technique in the hands of a musical mind means great music. All that practice is paying off -- I'm very touched -- and to play guitar in that bass canvas is a pleasure.- I never start a fight with someone. Never. But if someone picks a fight -- and people sometimes do because they're stupid, shallow, crazy, malicious, burdened by envy and jealousy, causeless hatred, fragmented, abused, obsessed, etc. -- then he ends up really sorry because I don't attack but when I get attacked the strike back has surprised myself too -- because universal forces help a peaceful person who is attacked.
- Valentine's Day is meaningless to me. Every day is Valentine's day.
- Such sweetness.
- Peaceful powerful feeling. Special supplements. Great movie. Such tenderness.
- Carnival has ended. Now bad musicians can find another reason to get drunk. It's actually a good thing -- it's a celebration of joy instead of worship of sorrow which many religions promote. The customs are awesome -- very beautiful and creative.
- Reviewed iron inhibitors and enhancers for friend and natural sources. Doctors obviously say injection is the only way but in most cases, I believe, they're wrong.
- IBM showed my friend an ugly piece of almost binary looking long paragraph. Friend pointed to one library saying this one I don't have!
13 Feb 2010 -
Goo talk w/ UB. We joke that we switched places. Apparently KFA is denying there is even informal discussion about the land. Troy said: if you care about the work, just make a donation to the foundation.UB is very kind and extended the offer.Good talk w/ Asha. She: where you've been? Said she's always in my heart. Mark returns soon from India.
11 Feb 2010 -
- People forget Karma. You hurt someone, or act with malicious mischief, it comes back to you. There's Instant Karma as well as Delayed Karma.
- White gold dancing down the sky blessing us with its frozen beauty. Carnival started -- lots of bad musicians in great customs.
- Talked to Earnie Ale (Ernesto) -- it seemed like yesterday. He was in the desert.
Feb 2010 -
- Just when you think you've seen it all, you run into Greg Gutfeld of Fox News. Why is Fox News filled with one after another idiot?
- Advised her to return the hard disk and not buy one until she has to because hardware prices have been going down for 20+ years. I just bought 1.5 TB at price I paid for 300 GB a few years ago.
- Desert State Of Mind -- Joshua Tree calling -- long talk with Tara. Rattle snakes and scorpions don't attack unprovoked. It seems natural and civil. But some people are worse than animals. They attack others unprovoked just to have fun and get a kick out of it to spice up their empty pointless confused lives and jealousy burdened minds. It's also natural to warn an attacker before kicking their ass: the rattle snake rattles its trail. It doesn't attack something that's too large for it to eat, unprovoked. Scorpions that hide under rocks sometimes inject people but she said it's rare and they never had a problem.
- People don't like to see campers off the trails so campers have to go deep inside the desert or sleep at campground where there are fire rings and others.
- Mojave & Colorado Deserts (north & south) -- remember it from env.bio. class. --
- One Magic Click -- on the floor - legs on bed - one lower-mid body twist.
- Two concerts in the US on the horizon.
- Now a driver's license can be renewed on the web. California is a great state. Too bad it's doing so poorly financially. The big hit global economy took as result of George Bush administration's miserably stupid decisions impacts all fiscal entities.
- Guitar is the most beautiful instrument in this large orchestra.
- Updated: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Reza_Ganjavi_Quotes.html
9 Feb 2010 - Loners
- There are so many loners here. Maybe not literally but practically. The society is very though dominated here -- and therefore isolation and separation is rampant -- I know so many people who have such distanced lives even from their 'loved ones' -- kids who don't call or see parents but rarely even when they live an hour away -- and flipping thought which closes the door on so many possibilities.- Mom says, when God closes one door, he opens another. (Not "he" as in Farsi "oo" is neutral - not male or female).
- When thought closes doors, it remains closed.
8 Feb 2010 -
- She asked about secrets of youth. Of course many factors are obvious. Importantly also is lack of cognitive dissonance, managing stress, etc. -- this led to the role of understanding, transformation of what-is, correct place of thought, etc.- She said Switz law is against marriage as married couples are taxed individually at rate of total income.
- Updated http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/netaholics.html
- Updated http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/smoking-swiss-2008-2009-2010.html
- Updated http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/misc_general.html
- Told her to eat that banana soon - it's sitting on her desk blinking at me all day -- hard for a bananaholic - but it's not bio so....
- She messaged out of the blue that she likes his name. I learned a long time ago not to argue with ladies - specially certain time during the month !
- Talking to Claire, it seems like yesterday that I was there -- she said it's a sign of affinity.
- Jackson Guitars are nice but too bad they're market positioned for metal players only with an aweful red and black flashing site and an aweful music in the background.
7 Feb 2010 -
- AA met Doors' drummer John Densmore who's a friend of JA.- Talked to MA, AA, IB, BB. Four places confirmed.
- Thanks to all those who've written.
- New on www.rezamusic.com
Picture on main page
Short Primer on Basic Astronomy - by Astro-photographer Dr. Robert Gendler
Amazing Photos of the Cosmos - by Astro-photographer Dr. Robert Gendler
- BB King has a lot of bad songs. Many people record a lot of bad songs. As fillers, etc., but sometimes even their best is not that good.
- Going through Paul Simon's catalogue of hits. Embarrassing to read he didn't give Los Lobos any credit for their song ""It was not a pleasant deal for us. I mean he [Simon] quite literally — and in no way do I exaggerate when I say — he stole the songs from us... We go into the studio, and he had quite literally nothing. I mean, he had no ideas, no concepts, and said, 'Well, let's just jam.' ...Paul goes, 'Hey, what's that?' We start playing what we have of it, and it is exactly what you hear on the record. So we're like, 'Oh, ok. We'll share this song.' ...A few months later, the record comes out and says 'Words and Music by Paul Simon.' We were like, 'What the fuck is this?' We tried calling him, and we can't find him. Weeks go by and our managers can't find him. We finally track him down and ask him about our song, and he goes, 'Sue me. See what happens.'" (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graceland_(album))
Reminds me to what Simon & Garfunkel did to Scarborough Fair!
- I am not impressed by any of Paul Simon's solo material enough to want to play any of them. He is a good musician but not a great song writer. I like his work with Africans and love the percussion and drum works.
- Windows XP virtual memory custom size initial (MB): 2046, Maximum size (MB): 4092.
Rule of thumb: around 1.5 time RAM for initial and 3 times for maximum. Having pagefile on a different partition of same drive doesn't help. Having it on a separate drive helps. Anyway, for normal applications on modern day systems with large RAM pagefile is not used but turning it off drains the RAM when programs request address space which is usually more than what they need.
5 Feb 2010 -
- Working from home is great -- compared to that noisy office, here I have peace and quiet and can be much more productive.- What a mistake to go to town for lunch. It was nice to see one angel among the crowds of ugly people with their ugly ways of smoking which you simply can not get away from -- smokers have infiltrated Switzerland and May 1 can not come too quickly. Many young people smoke, stink in the bus, make a mess out of the bus stop -- but also older people -- like that stinking woman in the bus.
- Copied files all night to new disk only to realize it was FAT32 formatted by default. I don't care, the machine did it - so it copied during the day. New organization of digital assets.
Feb 2010 -
- Too many calories yesterday – lunch with HK – I always learn something from him – he is so much like me though much older - comes from the same class - and has the same kind of father who did not take a penny in bribe though he could have become very very rich if he had done so.- Perfect timing - took a chance on next train - had connecting bus and made it to meeting on time. Khastan Tavanestan Ast. (wanting is ability).
- He said it was the American movies that promoted smoking and drinking -- before then, when he was younger, smoking was not promoted -- till Hollywood movies came along,,,
- He said programming is good for memory -- never thought of it that way but it's true -- you have to have a large mental concept of the upper and lower algorithms -- it's a very interesting job unlike accounting which is boring and dry as hell. He heard a software manager in India say Indians are good at software because culturally they're patient. Not true. Indians are not any better at software than anybody else. It's just that labor is cheap in India and the industry has boomed because they offer programming at blue collar rates to western clients.
- Found an old friend - he's now a topnotch K9-dentist. "Over 50% of cats and 85% of dogs over the age of 3 require professional dental treatment."
- Why do 90% of jazz fusion funk songs sound alike? Very similar active bass lines, same tempo, and same idea of a sometimes nice melody followed by garbage improvisation.
- When you need something and you don't have it and you look and it's there, you take it as a positive sign. A perfect day for skiing. Smokers at the station are missing out on the full grandeur the morning has to offer. A morning that wipes out all past and makes future so unimportant. Pure and brilliant. The trains puffs away the snow on the rail as it smoothly scrolls to the station. Trees are hosting new snow and ancient statues take a different form with a new tone of white.
- Very intense day at work. Some music at night splashes perfume on life.
- Disaster Recovery is the most boring part of IT. I know a DR director who quit for that reason. Like Security jobs -- boring because there's never any action, well, here, in RSA and LA that's a different story.
- Having been an engineer helps a lot in managing engineers -- there are certain wrong things to do, e.g., forcing them to get out of bed too early which is what someone wanted to do -- let them work at night which is what they prefer. They know better when they're more productive.
- As young teenagers we didn't listen to Britney Spears or other shallow music like kids now do. We listened to Carpenters for example which has a lot of musical value. Some songs 'can still make me cry, just like before" and take me right back to the dusks and dawns of pre-revolution Iran where love was in the air despite a corrupt system.
31 Jan 2010 - Nobodies who want to be somebody
- M is happy I gave him the gig. I need to go to an important meeting.- Lots of snow - finally - it seems like the old days when a lot of snow used to stay on the ground -- now with the planet warming it comes but doesn't stay long.
- One step away from getting a new gig. The cold call worked.
- With Swiss going non smoking lots of gigs are opening up. Real gigs that move people separate the men from the boys -- the artist-wanna-be's and cyber-kings-who-are-really-nobodies from real musicians. I never consider myself to be anything until some bozo comes along and wants to compare himself. I don't compare. The bozo does. And he follows his own lame and retarded mind in finding sustenance in comparison. Others put claims in your mind and want you to have claims because that's the ugly way of the world. We surely are not short of psychopaths in this world. They are everywhere and in places where people are closer to each other just show up more. And the worst kind are the ones who want to find fulfillment on the internet in every way possible -- by bothering others or kissing up to them which is just the other side of the same coin.
- Plans for video are moving forward.
- I keep waiting for some good news against the bad guys but news is all about bad news. The taxi driver in Vienna said he stopped reading the news but can't get away. One piece of good news is that the SEC is finally getting off its butt and is going to regulate short sellers except that reportedly the two idiot Republican commissioners are trying to block it after Republicans made the SEC a bed-partner of Wall Street instead of the Cop that is supposed to protect Main Street.
Jan 2010 -
- Good meeting with B. We see eye to eye on possibility to collaborate.- Tara 5 years old called to ask how to make baadbaadak :)
28 Jan 2010 -
- Money for CD came after 6 years!- There's a tiny village in AG that's known as suicide village. 2 farmers killed themselves there. With suicide rate being so high in Switzerland the saying "if you give the guy a free rope he hangs himself" is not an appropriate remark as it can be taken literally!!
- Visited some cool computers such as the sexy IBM Z-10.
- Soon we'll be talking in terms of PB Petabytes (1024 TB) and EB Exabytes (1024 PB).
27 Jan 2010 - Gig
- The gig in Aarau was a lot of fun. We played two séance for two large groups. The second séance was obviously better. Can't wait for CH to go non-smoking so we can play in public places I refuse to play at because of the smoke.- For some time now I've been counting calories (in my mind not formally). The awareness is very good. You tend to avoid or minimize high calorie food.
- Can you imagine people eat, the kind of food we eat once and feel guilty, every day!
26 Jan 2010 - Vienna
As Lennon said, "Made a lightening trip to Vienna". I've always loved Vienna - perfect like Zurich but much bigger -- lots of great bio shops and veg restaurants. Organic and healthfood is big here like all German speaking places. But Big Tobacco rules here. Buildings are either smoking or have a smoking room without a separate ventilator so smoke spreads everywhere. Stone age!!- The Who will do a "compact medley" at the Superbowl. "We're kinda doing a mashup of stuff... a bit of 'Baba O'Riley,' a bit of 'Pinball Wizard,' a bit of the close of 'Tommy,' a bit of 'Who Are You,' and a bit of 'Won't Get Fooled Again.' It works -- it's quite a saga... A lot of the stuff that we do has that kind of celebratory vibe about it -- we've always tried to make music that allows the audience to go a bit wild if they want to. Hopefully it will hit the spot." Pete Townsend
25 Jan 2010 -
- H had 30k emails in one weekend.- The Who will do a "compact medley" at the Superbowl. "We're kinda doing a mashup of stuff... a bit of 'Baba O'Riley,' a bit of 'Pinball Wizard,' a bit of the close of 'Tommy,' a bit of 'Who Are You,' and a bit of 'Won't Get Fooled Again.' It works -- it's quite a saga... A lot of the stuff that we do has that kind of celebratory vibe about it -- we've always tried to make music that allows the audience to go a bit wild if they want to. Hopefully it will hit the spot." Pete Townsend
24 Jan 2010 -
- G is coming to jam.- He's a great musician.
23 Jan 2010 -
- S is coming to jam and maybe with one rehearsal to come play with us at the next gig. I'm happy going it as a duo but am also open to having a drummer -- only if it's the right one -- and there aren't that many great musicians around. Most approach music too stiffly and lack the emotion required for having a relaxed yet powerful groove and feel.22 Jan 2010 -
- Jammed with B who is an amazing drummer. Now A knows what I meant by playing with top notch musicians and why I didn't want to play with these other drummers we've tried out so far. There was magic ! He incorporated original African drums into a drum set. The African congos make you want to cry from beauty. The sound is so warm and authentic, innocent and pure, that no Remos, Pearls, and Ludwigs would ever be able to manufacture such drums. He finished Jazz school and spent a year in Africa. Very musical and skillful. It was such a pleasure to jam with him. The drum beats and fills were spiritual orgasm. Utmost beautiful music which as a producer gives me a ton of imagination for possibilities of cooperation.- Dreamed of floods and natural disaster in California. Had no idea why. Today the news says:
"A new storm with tornado-like strength pounded the Southern California coast this afternoon, flipping a car, causing major street flooding, damaging homes and stranding motorists. Witnesses reported seeing a tornado touch down in Sunset Beach this afternoon and lift boats out of the water as it came onshore, sheriff’s officials said."
- Heard from a great drummer who knows this music well and has great connections.
21 Jan 2010 -
- Said no to a few drummers - two way or one way - it takes a lot to have the right match. Sharing the same goals are extremely important. And equally important the ability to comprehend and share philosophical insights. A person who spends the rest of his or her music life playing hell music doesn't belong in our band. A person who doesn't speak my languages can't be in the band because I need to communicate with them clearly, directly. And there are a lot of other reasons and then come the esoteric ones which are actually not esoteric but reflect on how one lives, one's actions, and also one's genes, IQ, etc. Then comes blood. How much does this person have music in their blood? How cultured they are, etc etc. -- with a young person who has the right profile I can spend time and convey certain things -- with X this was very successful -- she was able to understand what sound I wanted and get it -- and she could hear that it sounds good. She suffered from what a lot of young people suffer from specially in rich countries: not being interested and passionate about anything in life, and another big problem many young people have: lack of communication skills.- Dell says for English press 3. Ok. Then the guy tries to argue that he can't get me the right keyboard layout. I know he can. Instead of trying he wants to argue. And I say I don't want to argue, and he says he is doing me a favor by speaking English. No, because they have a English speaking line. I asked for the manager whom after looking into it said, you are right, we can order the right keyboard, I apologize...
- Sonja who speaks good English 20 minutes to translate a short paragraph from English to German. Just shows how difficult German is. On her trip to the US everyone called her Son-ja not Sonya.
- He said many physiotherapists became osteopaths because of money but now the rules for the certification are getting tougher (more years).
- A lot of disabled people work at Vierlinden. I ordered a pie and said everything with gestures (didn't feel like talking). She thought I couldn't talk. At end I said danke. She was happy I can talk :)
20 Jan 2010 -
I knew something was ticking today. It was in the air. It was in the stomach as the crazy man used to tell Raman :) the osteopath did wonders, and there's more to it than that. It's such a great field and "school medicine" doesn't recognize it. Low calorie is way to go. Hip knows end of therapy means it needs to be well. Shopping was 25 Fcs even. Absolute clarity that Markus is the wrong person for us. Wrote him a letter. Found 2 new drummers, both interested including a German woman who is responding to my ad despite the tough criteria it had :)She’s coming today! Got a lot of calls from other drummers too.
Got a gig in Geneva: “The client has had a good listen to your music and decided she does want to book you for her wedding.”
New keyboard arrived.
Lots of DVD’s etc. arrived from US.
Friend got some pearls.
18 Jan 2010 -
- What a good feeling to have won over a group of cyber delinquents. It was hard work dealing with these jackasses but at the end I succeeded and all the hard work paid off. In itself, winning over deliquents is not a feat to be proud of but given the circumstances it was a good feeling regardless.- 3 year old Rusteen cut the sock he as wearing with scissors and when asked why he said, "I wanted to see what happens, but I was carefull" :)
17 Jan 2010 -
- Great performance. There was love magic and music flew by its own grace.16 Jan 2010 -
- Rehearsal sucked. I miss Rosa'd artistic touch. The new musician is too "heavy handed" and has problems with musicianship and dynamics and I am not motivated. I guess years of playing with ultra-heavy rock bands hurts people. The energy was too strange. Something in the aura did not put us at the same frequency. It was not just the smoke that hurt him. There was something wrong which I can speculate but it's not my business. Let's just say it is not a good match. I canceled him for the next gig -- we'll play duo -- and we'll see afterwards.- There are lowlife sickos in this world who are nothing and by bothering other people want to be something. Of course it happens mostly to people who've done something of value. Having best-selling CDs like I've had is enough of a cause for these psychologically sick people.
- News of Iran is too depressing. I don't know why I read it.
- I’m glad it's out of my hair. No matter how nice of a guy he is, he’s obviously not a fast learner. This was proven to me as he couldn’t do the simple intro to a song despite showing him exactly how to do it several time. A also noticed it. I need to work with Ace players, someone to whom I say A he goes to Athens and back or as they say in Persian, you say F and he goes to Farahzad. He played a couple of pieces good, but in terms of musical maturity, Angie playing a year with some direction from me about musicianship is far more mature than his 10 years of playing heavy metal. I know a lot of frustrated musicians here. Lots of them. I've seen very few Swiss people who could play good Reggae or good anything groovy with real groove. There are some, but not many. R has Spanish blood. She's also artistic. She does really nice paintings -- things she loves to do she can do them well. But she has other problems -- communications etc., but I have hope for her - still - not necessarily for working with us but in general as a musician if she decides to pursue music more seriously. That's it - to do anything right you gotto be serious about it - and that includes having serious fun. She also had a heavy metal background but I saw she could drop it easily and she did. She was more ripe and I could guide her the way I heard music which people seem to like.
I saw potential in R. so I invested time in her. In M I don't see potential for doing what I want which requires a high degree of subtleness. Maybe we'll find the right person - or a drum machine. The frequencies just do not match. Younger people might spend 6 months beating around this. I saw it in a flash after the 3rd meeting. What is reveals itself.
15 Jan 2010 -
- 25 of Dey and still no snow or rain in Tehran and weather is like Spring I heard on the phone today. Has winter forgotten Tehran or like many others stays away because of air pollution?- Some drummers have a hard time reading music. Whatever! Playing drums by ear is very easy. It's good for any drummer to be able to read notes.
- I am happy not to be on facebook. It's so superficial. I just get on it sometimes when I have to or to see some friends' pictures that's not elsewhere.
14 Jan 2010 -
- We are constantly bombarded with unnecessary content. Media has a big role. It was OJ Simpson case in the 90's. Now Palin is talking on Fox catering to the fanatic crowd. At the same time she looked very bad in a 60 Minutes interview with McCain's adviser who basically said what an airhead she is.Wrote a anti-smoking letter to Swiss Federal Council : smoking-swiss-2008-2009-2010
Met guy skiing - Chinese - he said 90% of people in China like the government and they have freedom of speech as long as they don't want the party to change. What he described sounded very capitalistic with a big division in wealth. Also met 2 dutch sisters - one a blond policewoman and some others.
I'd rather not read the news every day. News is normally bad news. It drags down creativity.
13 Jan 2010 -
- Spoke to Uncle Yusef Ganjavi (Yousef, Joe Ganjavi) who was the head of the Iranian National Gas Company many years ago. Such a great man indeed. One of the greatest men I've known. He is now 87. Hopes if he can survive this hard unusual English winter to fly to Canada to meet my other uncle Ozhand who is the head of a university, and to go on an Irish cruise and later come to Switzerland. Such immeasurable love. He said hello to everyone. Hopefully we can celebrate his 100th birthday. He said he'll invite everybody.Jan 2010 -
- Bought a $275 Boss outfit for $25. Bought $800 worth of clothes for $150. No joke. Just a super post-holiday sale. That's why I never pay full price for clothes.- The bus stop indeed was like an ashtray. What a shame.
- Joubin called inviting one to Nice -- they heard my CD at dinner "what a feeling ... we loved it". [lg]
- Village girls may be more simple and loyal than big city women ...
- Body loved quinoa
- Elio quit smoking finally -- great news.
- Good talk during the walk about psychology and religious theory.
- NH tax evader gets 37 years on weapons charges... Brown made several outbursts throughout the hearing. At one point, he was removed from court when he would not be quiet during testimony from a forensic psychologist, who concluded Brown has narcissistic personality disorder, characterized by grandiosity, a need for attention and a lack of empathy. Singal referred to Brown as a 6-year-old child needing a time-out. (AP). I know another sick guy in America like that: "narcissistic personality disorder, characterized by grandiosity, a need for attention and a lack of empathy."
- Reza Jozi is wise. He saw cause of muscular cramps as over-workout, lack of potassium (also magnesium) and dehydration. Recommended muscle relaxant ice and time and drinking water. He said after certain age after work out it's harder for body to relax. So he takes a pill sometimes. I do it naturally. He's been going to yoga class and likes it.
10 Jan 2010 -
- Archived off the last journal (click here to see journal entries up to January 1, 2010)- A friend is concerned about her lack of motivation. The classic answer is to set your goal high enough to get motivate but not too high to burn out. Beside that, there are a number of other factors in play which are worth exploring. She's going to a psychic channeler to get help. I don't think that's necessary! One can explore a lot in dialogue with oneself or with a good friend. A long term problem took a lot of her energy. Now the problem is gone and she has more time. The brain meanwhile is used to being in a state of having problems. It easily forgets 5 years of pain and compares what should be with what has been a long time ago. Perhaps we will talk more after her meeting with the channeler. There's a lot that can be explored. The society is hard here and makes people very self-demanding and hard on themselves. I don't believe in psychotherapy as it is generally applied but finding roots of habits are important.
Jan 2010 - Music Fashion
- Fashion in sound of music changes every few months or weeks even (e.g. in NYC).- I don't follow fashion. I don't believe in fashion. Fashion only benefits fashion makers. Fashion is too transient.
- Our sound will emerge on its own. I am not looking for it.
- I do want to do more with keyboards but guitar will always be a central figure in my music, and the world needs that because too much of new music is dominated by too much keys and beats.
- Stuart Smith is a great artist. He carried all the lead guitar on Eagles tour.
Jan 2010 - Emotionally Deprived Swiss Kids
- Friend stopped smoking after one session of mental ginger discussion we had.- Unless they're really needy the parents I know would never charge their child for use of the occasional use of their car. In Switzerland it's normal I guess. Even parents who make good money, charge the kid by kilometer for the use of car. Hard to swallow but it is what it is.... Actually, come to think of it, it's sick, it's flipping sick -- that your kid buys something and needs a car to go pick it up and you charge the kid mileage while you have a good salary and the kid earns pennies compared to your dollar.. Incomprehensible.
- The Swiss parents both had miserable childhoods, deprived of emotions and love. So they don't know any better. They're loving and smart and so I suggested putting some ginger in their mind -- provide a different perspective on things. There's something very uncool to charge a kid IRS mileage rate which is more than the price of renting a car to borrow the car for 2 hours to pick up a personal item and not for business. Putting it in a form of a question is non confrontational and it may make them start thinking there's a different way...
- A Swiss grandmother told her kid who was then a mother herself: if your kid cries just lock her in the bathroom until she stops crying. Years later the mother admits she received bad child-raising instructions.
Jan 2010 - Cleanup After George W. Bush's Disastrous Mess
- "The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed stricter health standards for smog, replacing a Bush-era limit that ran counter to scientific recommendations."Jan 2010 - New Leonardo
- "Profile of the Bella Principessa" was bought from Kate Ganz in 2007 for about $19,000 for a rich anonymous Swiss collector. Fingerprint matching has experts believing it's Leonardo Da Vinci.It is now estimated to be worth $150 million and the first Leonardo painting to have been discovered in a 100 years. The Swiss collector is ecstatic. Ganz is in denial: "Nothing that I have seen or read in the past two years has changed my mind, I do not believe that this drawing is by Leonardo da Vinci".
- Updated http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/misc_jokes_funny_sad_stories.html
Jan 2010 - Swiss Supermarket & Drivers
- Sign says 7 articles only in express lane. Woman goes with 15. Groups them and says it's 7 (5 bottles of jam she called 1 item).- People are cool and even the cashier doesn't react or says anything in a similar case my friend saw.
- Got almost hit with a car two times today by these mad drivers.
- Bought drum set today.
- A little bit of progress at a time.
Jan 2010 - Full Moon
I wish I could run and hide from the full moon.It seems that everytime I say something to some one that everybody else wanted to say it too but didn't or couldn't, they smile in approval. E.g., train today told girl blasting rap, sorry, I don't want to hear this. Or girl on bus shouting on her cell phone, sorry, this is a public bus, please keep it down. In both cases others who were also bothered by the noise signaled their approval of my comments.
Jan 2010 - Azari
He said my positive prejudice towards Turks (Azari's) is due to my "fetrat" which he defined as "esalat mabni be ehsas" linked to my upbringing around Azari speaking grandparents, mom, etc. and fondness of that rich warm emotional culture.He cited case of a boss who was badmouthing a subordinate tea-man, and an Azari office mate emotionally slapped the boss. He said if it was a Mazandarani person he might have ignored it. He said it's a genetic matter -- that Azaris speak what they fee.
I am wary of stereotypes but there might be some truth to the fact that different cultures have different temperaments, values, etc.
3 Jan 2010 -
- People are so unnecessarily stressed and hurt by drugs that are so decadent and so common such as caffeine and nicotine and alcohol.- A problem should never be approached by the attitude "forget it" "it can't be done" "impossible". Never. Otherwise it surely will become impossible as all doors are shut immediately. A much more intelligent approach is to start with not knowing - without stress - without hysteria and emotional reaction - in calmness - and ask, what is the problem? what creative ways can be found to solve it. If after thorough investigation it is determined that it can not be solved that's a different story than starting with a "can't do" attitude.
- I am a feminist in the sense of believing in the freedom and equality of women and feel utmost upset that women has been treated the way she has been. I have a deep rooted distrust towards women when it comes to "love & relationship". Basis of it is Neda Notley, a girl I knew in Iran as a teenager and all that I've seen in women specially in the big cities. I am very cautiously optimistic that someone from a small village who is not corrupted by ways of the ego and the world can be loyal. Otherwise, by default I don't trust my heart with any woman and surely depend on none. I trust Angela though. She's not a woman. She's an angel. Oh, I remember another Neda -- it was surely before I was 7 -- maybe 4 and 5 -- she used to come - eat - and leave. Grandma would wonder: you came to play! Very practical girl already!
31 Dec 2009 -
- It's 12:48 a.m. on Jan 1, 2010 and inconsiderate people outside, probably drunk, are doing fireworks. The sound of explosion is torture.- We welcomed the new year in singing. Came up for a harmony for Knocking on heaven's door, nicer than Clapton's. On his recording the background vocal sounds wrong to my ear and mind.
- I don't believe in any prophesies that certain year will be special and this and that. 2012 will be just another year. Of course, humanity gets more and more dangerous to itself as long as fanaticism (with or without a tie and suit) prevails over reason. It happened in America for 8 years under Bush. And it's happening in several other places as we speak, and fragmentary action always breeds more fragmentation.
- Migro's CEO is upset that the discount stores keep dropping the prices. Yes, global competition is real and it's here to stay. These big Swiss companies may finally have to start paying attention to customer service too!! A classy hair salon opened here for 20 / haircut compared to double and triple elsewhere.
Dec 2009 - Newly Discovered Cousin
- http://www.josephlerner.com/audio.htm29 Dec 2009 - Drummer
- Spent 4 hours with Markus in the evening working through the scores, recordings, etc., in helping to bring him up to speed on the music. Categorized the songs for him, etc etc - intense session. And finalized list for the gig.- Raining cats and dogs.
- Navaii is an lying prick.
- She calls lichis "epiled cow eyes" :) -- A little note on the box says they contain "l. anhydride sulfureux" which is the same as sulfur-di-oxide (SO2). Most people don't know it because they buy it by weight and not in the box.
27 Dec 2009 - Blood in Tehran
- Tehran saw one it's bloodiest days. I followed the news very closely with videos being posted on line throughout the day, with great concern for the well being of people there.26 Dec 2009 - Good Jam
- Jam session was energizing. Remembered how much energy I spent training Rosa. There's still something about her playing that I like. At least Markus is motivated and can do some good fills. Gotto get him to not change his sound within a section. A drummer's biggest asset is patience because their job can be thought of as boring and in the process of wanting to be more, to do more, they run the risk of making the rhythm more complex. He needs to go through a big learning curve on the Beatles material -- not sure if he will - but will drill his mind Monday.- Some new news blew my mind.
Dec 2009 - Dead Dogs
- It's so nice to be able to adjust my site reports to exclude psychotic dogs and hogs so I don't even see their IP address. A consciousness of of their presence, even if it's just a number, is much nicer. The world is a beautiful place but it also has some vicious ugly creatures who get their psychological sustenance out of bothering other people. And as a great composer friend beautifully put it, it's impossible to achieve anything important and not have these jealous disgusting creatures trying to give you a hard time.Dec 2009 - Reactive not Proactive
- Nigerian terrorist's dad warned the embassy but they didn't do anything about it. Now he tried to blow up a plane. Thank God he didn't succeed. Today TSA made a new rule that passengers can't carry anything on their lap or leave their seats 1 hour before landing. Reactive. Like the shoe bomber after which time they started searching shoes. Why can't these genius authorities be proactive instead of reactive ?!Dec 2009 - Global broadcast
- My song was broadcast on a global satellite TV/webcast program on the environment 3 times in the last 24 hours !http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Lets_Keep_Our_Planet_Clean.html
Dec 2009 - Skiing
- heart and passion won over reason, not in a battle, but in action which was not produced out of any conflict. The right thing to do was to get up no matter how late it is and try to make it to the next bus. It was 7:23. I had not slept good the night before with the lady doctor's bed shaking in the middle of the night and making the old house's floor squeak, and other reasons including having slept too late. And being tired was the sole reason for not wanting to go skiing. I was looking for an excuse not to go on different weather site but overall the weather seems ok. Going to bed last night, remembered the excitement that would keep me up all night in Iran as a kid when we were going skiing the next day. Anyway, left home at 7:27 (4 minutes after getting out of bed) dressed in ski gear, packed with fruit (forgot the cheese), laptop for the way, and made it to the bus.- Stereotypically, Dutch women are the most beautiful. Have seen so many beautiful Dutch faces in my life that I allow myself to stereotype. Two sisters, Carlonjne or something like that, and majke - such beautiful noses, cheeks, eyes, and so full of life after having skied several days already. Met several other people too - Michaela of the tourist office was very kind. The facilities were first class - utmost comfort provided - lockers, internet, etc.
- Another two Dutch kids in the cable car simply didn't know how to speak softly. Their parents never taught them the virtue of being soft spoken. Same mentality grows up into the group of teenagers also staying at the Dutch favorite holiday spot, started shouting in the tunnel and it got louder and louder and such a torture for sensitive ears.
- Met Ana and her friend - she was a doctor - i thought she's a gynecologist. She is! Her blond sister is a German cop.
Dec 2009 - Iran's Air Pollution
- 22,000 people died in Iran in 2008 due to air pollution.- Iran is rated as 10 worst polluters in the world and the only non-industrial country on the top 10 list of polluters.
- 88% of Tehran's air pollution is due to car exhaust.
Dec 2009 -
- Her brocolli had worms - floating on the soup - she tried to catch them and they put out a green substance. It seems like when there's bad crop they drop it 50%.- Beautiful music. Very relaxing.
- Bravo. Schone.
- Nice music. People liked it.
(Guests at Nati's).
- A (22) has the same boyfriend since age 14.
Dec 2009 -
- Another disastrous apprentice -- bank put first year apprentice in charge of counter with 6 people in line and she is lost. Only in Switzerland.- Bob Gault started singing in slightly over-zero temperature which for him is warm enough to play his guitar. He sang and played powerfully and wonderfully.
- Email is an easy way to pass the buck but in important issues good customer service and good business practice means not to just send an email but to make sure the solution is delivered.
- "When asked what they thought about the past decade, Americans by a 2-1 margin rated it negatively. In contrast, they rated every other decade since the 1960s positively." No wonder: Bush ruled the decade from 2000 to 2009.
Dec 2009 - Black Culture
- That's a big generalization but I have a lot of affection for African Americans -- Blacks in general - of course there are many exceptions and it depends on the person's own character - and that's same as saying I love whites, Asians, etc. - same thing. But there is something special about the African American culture. Again, that's a big generalization, but let us generalize for a minute. What would American be without African Americans? There's a special warmth about my black brothers and sisters that makes our world a more lovely place to be in. Part of the vile attacks that the group of guitarists that attacked me did was to publish material that I never wrote as my writings, and one of them published the most insulting remark about Blacks on my behalf which could not be farther from the truth of the sentiments I have for this great part of our human race.21 Dec 2009 -
- Had an old friend Phong Tran at PCI (later taken over by Cullinet) - we were office mates - Chinese/Vietnamese - very happy person - used to do his administrative work in the office. There's also a lot of heart in Asian countries and Europeans often look so deprived of it.- To test the greatness of a person, give them power and see if they can remain great.
- There are two present and past leaders of different nations whose voices is like torture. Hearing these two jackasses speak is the worst sound ever.
18 Dec 2009 - CD
Reza,Did I ever tell you that Pam and I used your CD at our wedding reception Cocktail Hour? Pam still listens to it in her office. It's awesome!
David :)
Dec 2009 - Success!
- Got a large cyber criminal network to comply to our request to cease and desist its illegal action against my client. Big success for us.----------
- James Bain exonerated after 35 years behind bars after DNA test results came after all these years.
"No, I'm not angry," he said. "Because I've got God."
The good news is: "Florida last year passed a law that automatically grants former inmates found innocent $50,000 for each year they spent in prison. No legislative approval is needed. That means Bain is entitled to $1.75 million."
- Very old man said Iran is a good country and he hopes it flourishes in a good way .....
- Love little kids - their way of talking is such a music.
- Returning good here, let's say you buy something and it's too small, is tabooed and simply not part of the culture. It's rooted in the supplier having upper hand.
- The less educated can think less clearly (not that the highly educated can necessarily think clearly). It's a virtue to think clearly and be able to put forward ideas in concise, clear ways, or if longer, for poetic reasons.
17 Dec 2009 - Daliah Saper Lied
- I can't believe the Chicago attorney, Daliah Saper, stood there in front of people in her "October’s Seminar at Saper Law about online defamation" and lied about the case: "Reza Ganjavi vs. Jeremy C. Smith, Todd Tipton, William D. Jennings, et al."She said, for example, talking about back then:: "all these people are anonymous to each other – they don’t know who each other are -- they just know each other by their handles". That's a flat out lie. The clients she represented in my case knew very well who I was. They had seen my website, saw my postings using my real name, one of them had called me on the phone before, one of them had sent me personal email before, and the other one also sent me personal email during the course of the attacks. Furthermore, those who set up fraudulent website, used my email address and real name to post thing, knew exactly who I was. So her statement is a lie and sets the stage perfectly for her next statements which I could not believe my ears when I heard them. Here's an attorney talking about one of her cases in front of the camera, bringing justifications for the same kinds of acts which later her seminar condemns as against the law, and says things like, it was just high school humor, and other crap like that.
I like to know how she would feel if somebody went on a widely read, international newsgroup, used her name, her email address, and wrote a message sympathizing with terrorists. If she considers this crude act which can put someone's life in danger, as humor, I am speechless. I don't know what kind of humor they used in the high school she attended, but I hope, every high school in the world considers it a criminal offense to write a note to someone using another person's identity, threatening to kill them. That is not funny, but a felony. And these are just two examples of the kinds of things that were done to me. And she takes cheap shots at the case, which I find very unprofessional since her client settled this case with me, about the motives, and suspicion on why I filed it pro-se, which again can not be further from truth.
I have sent her a formal notice to retract her video which lies about a horrendous case of attacks which I was a victim of.
More on the case: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/litigation.html
A news story about a guy who pinned his wife's kid and said he thought he'd never get caught reminded me of her saying a long time ago when I first talked to her on the phone that her client these these (horrible) things to me because he thought he wouldn't get caught.
23 Dec 2009:
Daliah Saper got the defamatory part deleted from her seminar video (which incidentally was on Defamation) on her website. It was a very distressful few days once I found out about her video. I am happy she complied. I was not looking forward to having to take legal action on the matter but having those false remarks online was one of those things that I absolutely would not have tolerated. It was good of her to act quickly to end the saga.
16 Dec 2009 - Boeing 787
Watched the first flight of Boeing's 787 jetliner. Congratulations to Dr. Kamiar Karimi, my dear friend, guardian, brother, and mentor.
"Nearly all of the 787's fuselage and wings are made of lightweight composite materials such as carbon fiber, accounting for about 50 percent of the aircraft by weight... Boeing says the aircraft will be quieter, produce lower emissions and use 20 percent less fuel than comparable planes, while giving passengers a more comfortable cabin with better air quality and larger windows... Boeing, has orders for 840 of the jets... The version being tested will be able to fly up to 250 passengers about 9,000 miles. A stretch version will be capable of carrying 290 passengers and a short-range model up to 330." AP
Dec 2009 - New Year Messages Already...
- I third that :)Let's hope people come to their minds and stop killing each other over ideology, and worse, fanatic ideology.
Let's hope the economy recovers after the long slump.
Let's hope I can go to the Filenet Reunion next year :)
Let's hope I can find time to update the pictures files with the pictures Suzanne rotated :)
Love to you all
Reza
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- "Credit Suisse , the second-largest Swiss bank after UBS , said Tuesday that it expected to pay a fine of $536 million to settle charges with the federal government and state authorities in New York that it violated sanctions against doing business with Iran and other countries."
Dec 2009 - "A concert on a very high level"
- Many thanks again for your beautiful guitar performance. It was a concert on a very high level which I appreciated very much.- Five year old Tara gets taught in school that angels put the kid in mother’s belly... She is so smart and has a big mind. "How did the first kid ever come? where did the angels put the baby if there was nobody else on Earth." She asked her mom. Then she continued herself... maybe they put it in the belly of a dinosaurs...
- Called the hotel: "What category are you?". She: "I’m an apprentice." :)
- Asked him how's your baby: "He smiles sometimes but at night he wakes up a lot..." Poor guy looks tired. Big project isn't it? "yes, and with a lot of unexpected events".
- Berlusconi has about 9bn euros! He already paid his wife 60m to 70m and I guess proposed a monthly payment of between 200,000 and 300,000 euros but she's sued him for 43m euros according to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8380526.stm
I can't tell you.how enticing marriage is [NOT].
And he got a punch from a crazy guy that broke his nose and teeth which I'm sure many Italians cheered as 10's of 1000's rallied in Rome against him.
Dec 2009 - Wall Street Executive Comments on Beacon Power Corp. (stock symbol: BCON)
- Talked to a Director at one of my clients from years ago. He recently structured a deal for Beacon Power. His remarks are best summarized in these two statements which I fully agree with:"Beacon has a promising business model"
He expects "a lot of upside from here"
I gather the demand for shares at the latest offering was much more than the supply and they selected institutions that were interested in long term investment over the toxic kind of investors we've been a victim of before. Many small companies are victimized by Wall Street vultures sharks & wolves but looks like Beacon will be holding its own soon with increasing revenues as it builds its first plant. I was also happy they are not allowed to short or long the stock. I am cautiously optimistic about this new relationship.
Dec 2009 - More Clueless Swiss Customer Service
- It was like pulling teeth trying to get the Sunrise agent to escalate the call. Her inclination, typical of poor customer service was to pass the buck: go to our website, go to the shop. Well, we've already been to the shop and the guy did the same thing: pass the buck. "it's not possible to talk directly to a cust srvc manager". Well, then have one call us back. "not possible". Are you sure? When I go to the CEO suddenly things change and it turns out I was getting wrong info. Can you double check that you can't escalate this to 2nd, 3rd level support or have a supervisor call me back. "but today is Saturday". Monday is perfectly fine. Anyway, after not taking all her no's and excuses for an answer she said "but I have to fill a form or write a mail". Well, do it. That's exactly what I've been asking for all this time (lazy woman). Also, sadly she didn't understand that an escalation is not necessarily a complaint, and her English was perfect as was her Spanish, French, and German.- Swiss Hanna herself says: "I say good morning to everybody on the bus - nobody says anything. People here are dead and don't talk to each other"
- Solved her Access problem on the phone not having Access, not having touched Access for 10 years and even then for maybe 2 hours total in my life. The technology principles are all the same. The Computer Science background is helpful.
- Good talk w/ R – old friend from Netherlands. I apologized for answering email so late. They come to CH several times a year for mountain sports and holidays.
- Mom: we keep coming back to the conclusions you say “maa hamash be natijeye harfhaye to miresim”.
- http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/useless_usenet.html
- http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/angel_journal.html
- IE is the worst thing that ever happened to computing.
- Those who don't open their mouths for the fear of frogs jumping in have trouble articulating :)
- She's learning not to get so manipulated by sellers of bogus overpriced products like a supposedly natural hair oil for $40 which turned out artificial, and flax oil in animal capsuls (gelatin) at least 4 times more expensive.
- RJ is one of the biggest distributors in North America. He gets calls from Wall Street regularly to invest there but he says he doesn't trust them. He calls them crooks. I call them sharks, wolves, and vultures.
Dec 2009 - Senate looks at Grid-scale energy storage -- Beacon Power (stock symbol: "BCON" is a key player there.
Grid-scale energy storage gets Senate scrutiny"In Chicago, Illinois, Beacon Power Corporation plans to design, built, test, commission and eventually operate a utility-scale 20 MW flywheel energy storage frequency regulation plant, and provide frequency regulation services to its grid operator, PJM Interconnection."
Dec 2009 - SBB Customer Service: Customer is wrong by default (typical in this part of Europe)
- Dear SBB: Mr. Vetterli, the senior conductor on the 22:36 train from Zurich to Basel had a junior conductor with him and not only he acted falsely, he falsely instructed the junior conductor and taught her bad customer service. I was in the wagon where four British drunk men had their i-phone very laud and at an obnoxious level to the point that I and other passengers were bothered. I asked them to turn it down once, and they did but being drunk, the volume of the distorted video went right back up. Mr. Vetterli was standing in the vestibule which is noisy and so he could not hear them. I told him and his response was that it was no problem - that this is not a quiet wagon.I know Swiss trains very well. The "quiet wagon" means no cell phone, no loud talk, etc., and those are special wagons. But, on every wagon, certain things like disturbing distorted loud noise is prohibited. Furthermore, he didn't even bother to go in the wagon to see what I was referring to. He immediately assumed I was wrong, which is pretty typical of terrible customer service: that the customer is wrong by default, and started to argue with me but I immediately dropped the subject as I had no wish to argue with him, gave my place to the drunk men, and left the wagon. Maybe your senior conductor should have some training about your own rules which you display on train walls before they start training junior conductors about poor customer service.
Dec 2009 - Gig
- Got a ton of complements at the gig:http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Comments_music
- People are so addicted to their high-tech iphone type gadgets. Even at dinner table, several were using it.
Dec 2009 - Society's Tobacco Disease
- On a bloody cold night, swiss teenager smoking in a warm train waiting room, mandating that all others waiting be exposed to his poisonous lifestyle. On the door there is a big no smoking sign which we lobbied to have. He says he didn't see it, that he didn't know. That it's his first time in this room. Lying like a dog. "but now you know".- According to the data of the Chinese Ministry of Health, there are 350 million smokers on the Chinese mainland (an average of one in three individuals). The population of passive smokers is more than 540 million. What is worrying is that the number of young smokers has reached 200 million.
10 Dec 2009 - Swiss Suicide
- "After eight years of inaction under the Bush administration, Obama has offered to reduce U.S. emissions by about 17 percent by 2020"- Continental hostess doesn't like Switzerland b/c she says the people are unfriendly. But it's not true. Once you get to know them they are very kind gentle people (as accurate as can be but the perfect society has reflected inside and thought domination has made it unspontaneous, stiff, and so unhappy and high suicide rates.
- W saw a 15 year old Swiss guy jump in front of the train and splash to pieces. His blood and debris was on K who was standing by as well. The locomotive driver tried to pull the breaks but going 140 km/hr makes it impossible to stop that fast. She said the drivers see it but can't do anything about it. She knows a loco driver who's seen three suicide cases. The boy's friends said there was nothing wrong with him (apparently). Was it deep depression? Or more likely as Persians say "khoshi zade zire delesh" (happiness has hit him under his belly) in a society where everything is provided and motivation for youngsters is generally a problem (from what I've heard from some educators and parents) but of course it's difficult to generalize. Or is it looking ahead at the stiff thought-dominated emotionally deprived society which is trying to mold him into?
- After spending 20 days at the Caspian he finds Tehran air unbearable.
Dec 2009 - Beacon Power
- Beacon raised a lot of money through a public offering which we expected. The stock got hammered as expected but it will rebound and go up next year huge because unlike a lot of dream companies this is a solid company with a solid technology and solid target market. It's just manipulated by a corrupt Wall Street but the stronger the company gets the less it can be a victimized. BCON is the symbol and it definitely gets my "Aggressive Buy" rating. Start your research with www.beaconpower.comDec 2009 - Unofficial Lawyer
- I got two cases representing friends as unofficial lawyer.One friend wrote: "of course, you know laws more than a lawyer..."
The other friend wrote: "you're my best lawyer! "
- I'm impressed by Markus. He's alive, sensitive, very musical.. He said he feels the emotion that we feel so the jam session was really good.
- She's still "right" so yes we haven't met much lately (wrong :)
- Good fonts include "Palatino Linotype" - "Lucida Bright" - and good old "Times New Roman". Sans Serif group are overused.
- Trying to pass a cross walk in Switzerland is a dangerous affair. In the US cars stop when they see a pedestrian standing there, but in Switzerland I've seen numerous times when cars just keep coming.
Dec 2009 - Swiss Prejudice
- Sometimes I forget that a foreigner is a second class citizen in Switzerland (and most of the world except America which is built by "foreigners"). You do not find that level of integration that is offered in US anywhere in the world. Here, if you're a foreigner, you can be sure you won't get any kind of an award in a setting where Swiss folks are also participating.Dec 2009 -
- Failed to clean the aura after meeting the Osteopath who sees patients back to back with only a 10 minute break the entire day. Picked up all the junk of the other patients he transmitted and had all sorts of strange dreams. Best to go as first patient of day.- Her cousin pulled her eyebrows to be cute and it didn't grow back.
03 Dec 2009 - Bush vs. Obama in Europe
- It's noticeable. During the Bush years you'd see dart boards with his picture. Europeans seemed to hate him. They seem to love Obama. Saw a poster of him in Superman outfit today in an office.01 Dec 2009 - Another Fanatic Republican Disaster
- "As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee had a hand pardoning or commuting many more prisoners than his three immediate predecessors combined. Maurice Clemmons, the suspect in Sunday's slaying of four Seattle-area police officers, was among them."30 Nov 2009 - Psychological Evolution
- Rain turned into snow. We have proof everywhere that the human consciousness is as primitive as it was during the dark ages. Time doesn't bring psychological evolution. Insight does.30 Nov 2009 - More Bush Admin Screwups
- "Osama bin Laden was "within the grasp" of US forces in late 2001 but escaped because then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld rejected calls for reinforcements, a US Senate report says. Entitled "Tora Bora revisited: how we failed to get Bin Laden and why it matters today," the report commissioned by Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says Bin Laden expected to die and had even written a will." (AFP)Nov 2009 - Back in the USSR
- The Russian sisters were totally absorbed in the music. Such a nice boost.Nov 2009 - We sent the stalker to Prison
- Helped friend get the stalker to go to prison.- Swiss post has gone downhill. A A-post letter took 3 weeks to come from her grandmother! It's happened a lot lately.
Nov 2009 - New Articles on Beacon Power (BCON)
http://eastwickpress.com/news/2009/11/ground-breaking-in-stephentown-for-the-world’s-first-flywheel-based-frequency-regulation-plant/http://www.lowellsun.com/local/ci_13873027
"You're being very low-key about having probably the greatest technology advance in present time," she told the Beacon Power executives. "As time goes by, I think people will begin to understand what a huge thing this is and what a great discovery it is."
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4337758.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10405069-54.html
Nov 2009 - Meditation
- By the power of attention, meditation - sitting quietly without any compulsion, control, and becoming - releases tension at levels that are not apparent.- Gender in German is completely arbitrary. A telephone is neutral, but a lamp is feminine, and a tree is masculine.
25 Nov 2009 - Old Friends
hello Reza,long time no see.
You probably don't remember me by now. We met in a train from Boston to New York back in the early 2000s.
Since then I have bought your two CDs and also I became an avid reader of your not-so-frequent messages.
I have appreciated everything you have wanted to share with us, your fan base.
I have something I'd like to share with you to hopefully get your insight on it...
25 Nov 2009 - Useless Usenet
moved to:http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/useless_usenet.html
Nov 2009 - Backward Swiss Mentality Regarding Smoking
- They allow people to smoke inside the government building in Switzerland. Guess the rest.,Nov 2009 - Recharding in Sleep; Quality of Energy
- The earth too, waking up from a winter sleep may feel a bit tired first. Our batteries can recharge in sleep. A nap is a precious thing. Not doing it from the fear of feeling tired afterwards makes no sense. One may feel a bit tired afterwards but after that one feels calmer and more energetic. Usually, the corrupt, drugged society that's constantly buzzing itself with coffee and other drugs, thinks of being energetic as being active. A powerful tiger may be very calm but burning with dynamism and power. Power and calmness go together. It's all about quality of energy. A person after these stupid "energy drinks" could feel energetic from the caffeine, sugar, etc., or a person may feel energized after an argument or when in conflict, but there's a different quality of energy, angelic, otherness, or whatever one can call it, that is being energized from correct, clean, intelligent, holistic way of life without a shadow of conflict. Nerves must be strong to handle that other kind of energy.- In our thought-dominated society thought plays a big role in determining body's ways. We can give more space to body's own intelligence.
Nov 2009 - Avoiding Smokers
- You help smokers by not joining their party and not supporting them by tolerating their nasty habit which also poisons passive smokers.- There are number of techniques to avoid shaking hands with smokers. It may involve learning their ways and adjusting one's tactic accordingly.
Nov 2009 - Old People
- Why do some old people turn out like this? It can't be natural. It must be all the drugs they're given. And the animals they ate all their life.- Some companies make so much money that cutting fat is not an interest.Partly it's cultural. IBM continues to cut fat despite being very successful.
Nov 2009 - Heart in California
- My heart is in California- What's so special there?
- The light and the mind.
- People are anonymous - it's so big - you don't see people that much. That's what I don't like about big cities.
- That's what I don't like either.
- There's something that's hard to explain. It's the new mind that emerges from California (and other special places?) vs. the old mind everywhere else........
Nov 2009 - Music Gives Life
- He had an accident and was in a coma for a long time. His mother kept playing the music which he loves and he came back !! Now he sings in a choir.- Talked w/ Bia - Southern Italian pronunciation is so musical and melodic it always melts my heart.
- "my friend who had also bulimia when she was younger has to operate her bowel now!
thanks again for saving my life!!"
i didn't do it
we did it
you did it
it did it
intelligence did it
inquiry did it
love did it
Nov 2009 - Gerry The Drummer
- Trying to explain a vacuum cleaner to non English speaker was funny. carpet - then sucking air....- Sarkar Ostovar in one episode of Samad refers to "Ostovar Ganjavi filmo dar biyar".
- The organic persimmons have been heavenly.
- I owe a lot to many teachers including psychology 101 teacher Mr. Courtland Holdgrafer. He changed many lives for the better.
- Some make sure they sit in the back of the bus like in the back of the class. The guy was stinking of pot.
- Sold the band on many grounds
- no ambition or competition but we do it for the love of it and everything else usually follows.
- 3-piece - lot of freedom - like the ride to fill in during solos - no playing too loud/hard. He understands role of drummer.
- Beatles night packed.
- Angela is learning all these great bass lines.
- etc.
- 1357 Tir grandpa died. Then we went to Shomal. In Dec I went to Ithaca. We went to pelage sherkat naft once (or maybe twice) but went to Farah Abad every year...
Nov 2009 - Found Two Long Lost Friends
- Faramrz is a professor in California. He recalls that I had boor-hair (light colored hair). At our school desk in kharazmi school there were four of us: Ghobadi (he is now a doctor) – Imani – me – and faramarz. I went with bicycle to his house and we studied together – we went to chelokababe ghahremani – he left- Reza is an inventor / top Intel engineer. 2 young kids. We lost touch many years ago.
This day is to be taken as a good omen (faale nik).
Both these friends were found as result of finding a few papers from pre-revolution days. The bulk of my papers and writings for the next 7 years were destroyed by my stupid cousin's family.
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/lost_treaure.html
Also found flyer for my band's concert before the revolution. http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/the_cheaggers.jpg
Sisi wrote: "My goodness! Reza my brother must have been Sherlock Holmes in his previous life!"
12 Nov 2009 - How I Miss California
- I need the light of California - internal and external light to recharge my lamps in this old world mentality of Europe. Kevin was visiting from Costa Mesa today - I could feel California in his aura. Remembered Miners' Oak while awake with a dry mouth and clogged nose. Failing to take vit C following last cold and given how miserably cold it is here was not a good idea. I was sick for a few hours yesterday but seems that I won the battle. Dreamed of meeting some old yoga center people - and we recollected mutual friends - Satya, Dave Forsyth for is an incredibly good guy and good friend, Dhruva, Todd Stoutenborough, & Tara, and others. Can't get a flight to LA last time I checked but I can try SJC, SFO. SNA, etc. - will take a look. Also other dreams of US -- all good.- Called Jackie Pool Associates Limited after finding a letter from many years ago from Jackie Pool. She's not the same Jackie.
- Chavroux cheese is so delicious. Gotto find the organic version. Ate it to the health of Dr. Taghibeygi who had some at the Caspian
Nov 2009 - Letter to CEO of SBB
(updated http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/smoking-swiss-2008-2009.html)Dr. Streit leaves home at or before 6 a.m. and returns very late (tonight, at 11:11) and she'll wake up again at 5:30 a.m. -- talk about workaholics.
Nov 2009 - More Bad News About BPA
(updated http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/toxic_plastic_water_bottle_etc.html )BPA is used in a wide variety of consumer products, including some hard plastic bottles and metal food or beverage cans. Several makers of baby bottles recently said they had stopped using the chemical. Some 90 percent of the U.S. population carries detectable levels in the urine.
Scientists are concerned that BPA exposure might harm the reproductive and nervous systems, and possibly promote prostate and breast cancers. Last year, a preliminary study linked BPA to possible risks for heart disease and diabetes.
BPA is used in hard plastic bottles, etc. BPA exposure has been linked to reproductive and nervous system problems, prostate and breast cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and most recently to sex problems (i.e., trouble achieving erections, difficulty ejaculating, low sex drive, low satisfaction with sex).
The legality of BPA is questioned by FDA's scientific advisers so the FDA is reviewing its stance that trace amounts of BPA that leach out of bottles and food containers are not dangerous and the US government has recently announced new funding for BPA research. Already 90% of the US population show BPA in their urines.
Nov 2009 - Insight & Thought
From discussion between K and Dr. Bohm - the following is a paraphrase:Ordinarily thought runs on its own, like a machine on its own, it's not rational, and it's based on memory.
if we are completely rational there is total insight
when thought is the instrument of insight (insight uses thought),
then thought is not memory, it is not based on memory. Memory is used but thought is not based on it.
Nov 2009 - Bass
Went to a friend's place on Landstr which is like a mini takhte-tavoos street - a mini motorway - with constant back to back traffic several hours a day. Got a mild headache and smelled the exhaust of the cars from the living room -- a sour reminder of Tehran with its incessant pollution.I'm convinced hard water makes people hard. Swiss are often stereotyped as being dry people (which is not true) but I do believe their hard water (high PPM) has an effect. Until recently, Tehran had one of the softest waters in the world (lowest PPM) until it got ruined with over population, over-migration from villages, and economic mismanagement.
Angie is playing really nice bass -- she's diligent and intelligent and sits down and learns all the bass lines, simple and complex, and plays them very musically.
Nov 2009 - Why Don't I Speak German in Switzerland?
1. They don’t speak German in Switzerland.2. They speak Swiss which is a very thick dialect of German which is not understood by Germans when they come to Switzerland.
3. When Swiss kids first go to school they have to learn proper German (“high German”) almost like a second language.
4. I know many Swiss people who can not write a proper German letter. The SwissGerman language is not accepted as official communication and to write correct high-German is difficult for many.
5. Most foreigners who learn German do not speak it well enough like a native and are therefore always identifiable as foreigners. Many speak German wrong and are just tolerated. They can say what they want but it is grammatically wrong.
6. German grammar is a nightmare.
7. You have to spend hours learning if a laptop or a pen or a guitar is a male, female, or neutral.
8. In Switzerland English is almost a national language. Many large Swiss companies offer English as a appropriate customer service language – even ahead of Italian and surely Romansch.
9. All my jobs in Switzerland have been in English. English is the official language of most large companies in Switzerland.
10. My friends want to practice their English.
11. Check out Mark Twain’s article: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/german.html
12. Everybody speaks English in Switzerland. Even though who say “none”, speak a little or understand and those who say “a little” speak a lot.
13. Swiss German is spoken everywhere and in school they teach you high-German which is a different language. Therefore the environment does not support you in learning the language.
14. I’d rather spend my time communicating with music which everyone understands and loves than learning German grammar which is like pulling teeth.
15. I went to school and university so many years that I dread doing homework.
16. I don’t have time for spending 2 hours a night doing homework.
17. I am not talented with languages. I don’t know grammar of any language well. My English and Farsi grammars are perfect for speaking and writing but I don’t know the rules. Therefore to learn a new grammar is more difficult.
18. I don’t like to do anything that I know I will not be able to do well.
19. I speak Reza-Deutch – to know and learn a lot of vocabulary and to be able to say and understand things which may not be as good as Albanisch-Deutch but it’s something. Still, you’re a second-class citizen unless you speak perfect Schwizer-Deutch and I believe that is part of the historic reason behind these dialects: to make sure foreigners are known – it goes back to our tribal roots.
20. The is just what comes to my mind now, I’m sure there are other factors involved.
8 Nov 2009 -
So happy I found two other unwatched Samad movies. I've seen these all as a kid but it's been a looong time. Parviz Sayyad is a genius in the Samad role both as actor and director. I could watch it all day. Samad Artist Mishavad is probably his worst movie in the Samad series. The rest are awesome and this one too has some very funny moments but the plot is weak. The series, made in early 70's depicts the pre-revolution Iran with the Western influence including hippism.Got a lot of complements for the cooking last night and got asked for the recipe but it was improvising....
Interesting visitor: Someone from Isfahan has a folder on their D drive: "/D:/amazingly%20beautiful%20kids%20-%20Rezamusic%20-%20Reza%20Ganjavi.mht
7 Nov 2009 -
- Subu, what's happened to you? :)I disagree with several of his quotes and some are said by a million other people too so are nothing special, "learn from others' mistakes"...
But the most I disagree with is number 5. I am friends with you and there is not a trace of self interest in it. It's only because of love.
Keep it simple!
Subu wrote: "I agree with number (5) more than any of the others.:"
5)"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is the bitter truth." Chanakya
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- "We all have the same amount of time, why is your time so short".
That question came from someone who has a part-time job. I have two professions. Normally people have one profession. I am working full-time as a project manager, and also am a musician with a number of projects, e.g., 10 scores on my desk that need attention.
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- Man in bus - 5 meters away, stinks from cigarettes.
- From the office you can see majestic chain of Alps. Their house is cold like those icebergs we are looking at. There was a carrot market with several types of carrots on sale : black, yellow, orange, white, red...
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They complemented one's cooking -- that it's a nice autumn menu. Just improvised. Secret to good cooking is empathy and imagination. The potato dish was awesome -- had to insist on it getting cooked more so it's a bit mushy. And found the right herb for it. And Hannah went to the garden and got some fresh parsley!!
The stove was broken
- 1 is like 10
- so 10 must be like 100 :)
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She called for consultation. She's dying to have a boyfriend she said. She said a long story of liking a guy but ...
Another friend contacted for consultation on her computer viruses.
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Watched another two Samad movies -- absolutely fun and engaging. Played guitar meanwhile,
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6 Nov 2009 -
- What is becoming of the music industry? I bought 7 new classical CD's today for less than $30!- Subway is in our town. $16 for a sub and the line is long. It must be the American marketing and image that still can rise fever in Europe despite Bush having ruined it.
Nov 2009 -
- The use of perfect rhymes in rap is so boring. In every language, every song, sounds alike: just a bunch of perfect rhymes.- Grandma used to say your dad has no-one. There are lots of friends but the father and I are one.
- Talked to Rahel - she's now married and has a kid. Annina has 3 kids. None of them had kids last time we talked :)
- Called Yadi -- gratefulness for the guitar he bought me when I was 15 or so -- that I never forget his favor. Gratefulness is beautiful. It brought beauty to his life. And for me it was only the expression of truth, of love, of gratefulness. He said it's no problem doing the interview as long as it's not political. If anyone ever objects you say, listen to it. Mom also says it's no problem. A few people said it could cause problem. The ability to reach to many hearts outweighs the risk.
- If it wasn't for her i'd go to SZ. aside from emotional aspects it's good for music. but fact is i haven't found a place i've liked yet. i don't want to live b/w the railroad and the street.
- United, US Airways, American, Delta: no mileage ticket available for xmas period. I hate talking to automatic agents -- I sometimes just press zeros until a real person answers.
2 Nov 2009 -
- Had a lovely little 6 month old baby on my lap from Dietikon to Baden. She was soooo sweet and friendly. Usually I have a laptop on my lap! I love kids as long as it's other people's. Saw Antonio at work. How's the baby? "Lots of sleepless nights".- A good project manager doesn't sit in an all day workout while tasks on the critical path have not been initiated. Got nine balls rolling at once and got lots of people talking with each other and went head-on with the questions and problems and a lot got resolved. Great team work specially in collaboration with the chief architect. Having been a system architect myself as well as technical at all levels, it makes it so much easier to understand address problems and relate and bring the best out of people.
- Good talk with Marcus from Brockwood -- he was surprised and happy -- long time no talk -- I don't forget old friends but don't get time to call all the ones I want to -- called him because his email was disconnected and at least gotto have old friends' emails.
- Got the mx3 compilation CD -- what a junk -- perfect collection of a lot of bad songs.
- Nice night walk.
1 Nov 2009 -
- Stefan knows Iceland very well. He said: Iceland is not as cold as Switzerland!!- Got an invitation to appear on a global TV program.
- When I told her I missed her she melted in simplicity of love.
- With great wonder she said:I never need a terabyte in my WHOLE life.
- X talks in sleep and walks in sleep with eyes open. They say it's dangerous to wake up a sleep walker.
- $1 per 100 km electricity to charge it. Very nice looking car: www.kamoo.ch but damn expensive($24,000) and it seems very unsafe for accidents. I would buy an electric car if I ever buy a car again but I'm happier not having it.
Oct 2009 -
- Talked to 16 year old about smoking hazard. She: you're a musician... how did she know?- Her mom's boyfriend left her. She was all sad for her mom. It's good to care but we can burden so much. Can you think clearly? is your heart good? Is the body healthy?
- Saw Markus, old friend, great drummer -- we jammed years ago -- and he likes the material we play and wants to jam. I am excited. "you play great guitar" he said.
- Made organic halvah/halvardeh -- http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/meatless-recipes-by-reza-ganjavi.html
- told her to get up and go buy it -- don't wait for the right time -- kids can't afford drinking more BPA contaminated water. Rescue them from laziness.
- Watched 4 Samad movies!! and rest of Love Story (played guitar meanwhile). Parviz Sayyad (as Samad) was a genius and extremely funny.... nice to see so many funny characters after so long: ghooch-ali, siamak, ein-ollah(bagherzadeh)… and hear some funny expressions such as "yaboo alafi"
Oct 2009 - mobile phone hazard
- If you use mobiles best to get one of thesehttp://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=headset+air+tube&spell=1&oi=spell
like:
http://www.healiohealth.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jnkrooprq
Oct 2009 - Saturday
- Picked up the wallet that was lost on Wednesday on Saturday from the Rail system. The agent yesterday said: it will not be here till Sunday, I am 100% sure. I told her it would be here Saturday -- professional systems analyst sometimes know systems better than people who are in those systems :) -- I had gone to the ATM the day before losing it so I had a lot of cash. All of it was given to me -- it gets taken out in the L&F office in Bern and then is refunded off the cash register of the ticket agent. Every item that is lost in Switzerland goes to the Capital to a central place where they match it against loss reports. I just had to pay a $10 fee for the found item, and a $5 fee for not having had my ticket in my possession when I took the train home after realizing the wallet was lost -- since I had a ticket for that trip but it was in the lost wallet (which I now presented) the fee was only $5 -- otherwise it would have been a $40 fee plus the price of the ticket despite it being a fast train which allows buying tickets on the train. The slow trains which are checked in random have a $80 penalty vs. a $40 fee on the fast trains. Actually I think the $40 fee is for not having a ticket and not having money to pay for the ticket (with the wallet gone I had nothing on me - no cash, cards, or ID). If you have money and no ticket the fee is $10. It used to be $5 but recently increased. The only people I've seen buying a ticket on trains are first class business people whose companies pay or those who don't care for money.- I already bought a green wallet -- Nadia found one on sale for 1/2 price. The red was too pinky. I had a red one before which was perfect - never lost it. A black one is easier to lose.
- Gave 2 bio pears to Marouni-man who later gave me a bag of free top quality chestnuts. We don't speak each others' languages but affection is a universal affair that is binds everything in the universe together.
- Saturday buzz in the air -- natural old town car-free regions beat American artificial shopping malls hands down. These markets here have been around for over a 1000 years. You don't need a car to get to them, and if you play music there no uniformed security guard comes to stop you.
- Switzerland country side is an amazing postcard.
- For the first time, Haas will offer an undergraduate course in energy markets. http://ei.haas.berkeley.edu/
Oct 2009 - Credit Card Companies
Great customer service pays offI have been a customer of US Bank for many years,. I only have a credit card by them. I had had credit cards by all major credit card companies including US Bank, BOA, Chase, Amex, Citi, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, HSBC, Barclay’s, Capital One, GE, MBNA (now BOA), Discover, Washington Mutual (Providian), and several others.
Undoubtedly the worst credit card companies ever, in my opinion are American Express and Bank of America, and some others like Providian which is no longer in business. MBNA was a great company until BOA took it over and ruined their excellent customer service. Barclay’s was a new unit in the US and their systems really sucked (e.g. even if your account was paid off it took the automatic payment – something no other card company does) which wasted a lot of my energy.
"Bank of America Corp. plans to overhaul its credit-card business after the unit posted five straight quarterly losses totaling $4.7 billion with no sign of profit ahead." I am sure one reason for it is lousy customer service.
Chase and Citi have excellent customer service. One bank however, consistently proved its superior customer service attitude and that was US Bank. Therefore I was happy to read today:
• U.S. Banker magazine, published by SourceMedia, has ranked U.S. Bancorp’s women leaders as the top banking team in its annual “Most Powerful Women in Banking” issue in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
• U.S. Bancorp is ranked #1 by Institutional Investor magazine in its 2009 "America's Most Shareholder-Friendly Companies" for the Financial Institutions/Large-Cap category.
• In July 2009, U.S. Bancorp was named the “Best Bank in the U.S.” by Euromoney magazine as part of its 2009 Awards for Excellence.
• U.S. Bank ranked first in the nation in the Privacy Trust Study for Retail Banking conducted by the Ponemon Institute in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Good Job US Bank -- if I need new banking service you can be sure I'll call on you.
The European card providers are far far behind the US providers in terms of customer service which is often a foreign word in much of Europe.
Also, Amazon.com has really good customer service. And guess what? They're extremely successful.
Oct 2009 - Wallet Found -- Viva Schweiz
- Swiss have a great system of rail and associated services, e.g., lost & found in trains. Wednesday my Wallet disappeared. I thought I had left it in the train. The timing was: if found, it's sent to Bern Thursday, they get it on Friday, I filed a report immediately. Today, Friday, they emailed me that it's found !!! In more than one way I had a hint it would be found.- 6 person family have 5 cars. This is the American way. Without a car they can't go anyway.
- Been pushing her for a year to get away from her BPA - 7 - water bottles. Finally this sunday maybe... at least for the health of kids .
- Opera tip: It detects IP, and returns local language search results from Google. To make the default Opera Google search language English, change search setting to: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%s
- Made Pumpkin, ginger, mushroom tofu soup/stew. Very nice and hot. Got some organic pear bread today. Soooo nice.
- Thanked god for a great job.
- Acronis 9, Acrobat 9 suck. Acronis totally changed the user interface. Acrobat stopped allowing multiple files opened in one window.
Oct 2009 - Another case of prejudice against foreign renters in Switzerland?
- Dr. Martin Huber is a coward. I wrote him a few times asking for an explanation on why his agency lied to me. Of course, in my opinion the matter was nothing but prejudice which is strong in Switzerland when it comes to renting – in the old days they could tell you out right, I don’t want to rent to you because you’re a foreigner but these days it’s illegal to say that. So what I got was: your fax was not readable (I have a confirmation that it went through just fine), that we did not get your emails (this turned out to be a lie because on another occasion they had a different declaration), that the attachment to your email was missing (well it wasn’t – attachments don’t get lost just like that and I have a hard time believing it given they already lied). I guess they just thought, here’s a foreigner, we’ll just ignore his application. Well, it’s against the law to do that but when I wrote to Martin Huber he ignored my letter. What am I supposed to do? Pick a legal fight with this idiot?Related information:
ImmoCompleteService GmbH
Kantonsstr. 81, 8807 Freienbach
manuela.rhyner@icsgmbh.ch (Manuela Rhyner is the one who lied and told different things to different people about the same subject)
martin.huber@icsgmbh.ch
Oct 2009 - Food Therapy
- Food is the best medicine. Some tofu miso brocolli carrott lots of cayanne pepper and good oil and touch of apple cider vinegar already makes me feel better.- Angel brought natural nose spray. A walk also helped. It's damn cold outside.
- PARIS – "Former French President Jacques Chirac has been ordered to stand trial in an alleged corruption scandal dating back to his time as Paris mayor — a case that caught up with him in retirement once he lost the judicial immunity of France's highest office." Good. I never liked Jacques Chirac -- remember the underwater nuclear tests? He's a low-life weasel
29 Oct 2009 - Lost Wallet?
- Lost wallet last night. If it's not stolen it will come back. That's the Swiss greatness - - small, well-managed, and helpful people. But it was hard a bit.Swiss driver’s license
California driver’s license
Credit card - $
Credit card – CHF
Insurance card
Train ½ price card
Several unused train tickets
Customer cards from 2 healthfood shops and a record store
Postcard
Money
Guitar picks
Visit cards (they’ll have no problem finding me)
Phone card
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Told the Swiss card customer service agent: Let me give you a tip about customer service: it is a very bad practice to tell a customer: "my manager will tell you the same thing". Your manager has different powers, is a manager for reasons you're not, etc.. He appreciated the tip.
And fact is, his manager came on line and got me what the first guy said would not be possible, i.e., a print of recent transactions, which for American cards is a 2 second matter but for my Swiss card it's like pulling teeth. The junior agent had in mind that I want a statement or that I wanted to dispute a charge, neither one was true -- he was only seeing what he thought I wanted despite my not saying a word to that effect. The manager listened and understood.
No charge for withdrawal (normally there is) she said, since the wallet is lost or stolen – very nice lady, and miryam at healthfood shop gave me ½ of a full card’s stamps for a lost card. We shared the cornbread with her.
29 Oct 2009 - Night in Hell
Caught a cold 2 nights ago after taking shower and window was open and it got too damn cold. Last night was hell. Couldn't breath - kept waking up - couldn't find the chemical decongestants which I probably threw away after they screwed me up last time by their strong side effect. Must have taken 20 grams of C since yesterday. Got worse at ostheopath's office which was cold. I don't welcome the Swiss winter and don't want another long streak of cold like last year.Oct 2009 - Boring Flamenco
Flamenco is so boring. After 5 minute it all sounds the same. Watched a DVD of 3 great flamenco players -- sooooooo boring and harmonically shallow (not as bad as classical Persian music which is poor in harmony but strong in rhythm and melody. In contrast Western music is boring rhythmically. Flamenco seems to be just a matter of who can play more notes given a boring standard chord progression.Jon Bon Jovi's voice is not pleasant - just like Springsteen and Phil Collins whose color of voice I don't like - Springsteen is the best among the three. I love his songwriting and musicianship - also Collins - but just talking about voice.
Oct 2009 - Persian Empire
Noreen wrote:"Iran is one of those places I have always wanted to go to in my search for the ruins of antiquity.I tell people that the U>S. is a blink in the eye of history -now the persian empire that was a culture."
Oct 2009 - Music
- Gave lesson. Jammed with new drummer. Then we met Rosa by chance. Future unknowns.- 4 tickets on a weekend between the two of them :)
- Baechliweg is the most dangerous road in Switzerland :)
- Music is magic. All you need is one good note!
Oct 2009 - Switzerland
- It's always good to be in Switzerland, a country which is the dream of the world in many ways but like a beautiful woman who becomes unattractive when she becomes proud, any sense of arrogance backfires. Swiss people are generally humble, kind, simple, and highly appreciative of arts. It's highly admirable that this country cares so much for the environment and it is possible to live a clean life free from pollutants and toxic material.- 2 spinach pies are not too much. Guessed Mirjam's name right.
- I must have met the most beautiful policewoman in the world. What the heck is she doing being a policewoman? She should be a Vogue model, a goddess in a temple to be worshiped by lowly bumblebees, or in a museum being adored by spectators, or just posing for Japanese tourists for photos. What the heck is she doing arresting criminals, even going near them, although it must be only in the utopia of Switzerland where I guess crime is non existent except maybe by the likes of some big bankers (check the news) that an angel like her can take on such a rough job and probably never have to touch the likes of criminal that the police in LA or Chicago have to deal with. Who said something against the looks of Swiss German women? Today I saw the prettiest goddess ever.
Ok, back to Earth Reza, I know nothing about her, her personality, her ways of life, etc. etc., or even truly how she looks like except her standing there making sure there are no musicians in the train station or whatever, and her laughter. The flower is smelled - it enriched the being - and we move on - there is no residue of it continuing - no image that is sustained by thought to make up desire - none.
Oct 2009 - Being a writer, Breeze of Now
- "How could you read my email and write such a long answer in such a short time? do you have a pre-made answer? it's not possible."I don't have any pre-answers but words flow out as the mind sees. That's the virtue of being a writer: words are not blocked.
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Talk with a friend:
- Lack of balance gives way to more imbalance until balance is regained. Just as the notion J. Krishnamurti speaks about that fragmented action breeds more fragmentation. Another factor is that old habits could have ripples that come and one needs to be attentive to them, let them tell their story, otherwise they'll come back. One way is to go with the flow of habit, another way is to be in the present, quietly fly with the breeze of now.
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- I think many Swiss businesses take advantage of the people's simplicity and trust and forgo of better quality control knowing the degree of tolerance is high towards poor products and services since traditionally this has been a society where service provider has had the upper hand.
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-
X spoke of crippling jealousy where she is not even allowed to see her
girlfriends because her boyfriend is so damn jealous (sounds more like
sickness).
19 Oct 2009 - Swiss Suicide
- Thought has made the swiss society into a perfect one – every minute detail is planned and configured.18 Oct 2009 - Iraqis' 4-year toll: 85,000
- Congratulations Mr. George Bush (NOT). You F'd up. Mission Accomplished (NOT). One idiot thrown a stone in a well, fifty wise men can't get it out. Ruining the economy is another one of the nightmares of his presidency. Now a lot of the same kind of folks who put him in the office complain about high spending. Well, look who screwed it all up. How much was wasted in the wrong war? Now Senate is saying Afghanistan needs a boost -- where was Bush back then? Like Molla-Nasr-e-din looking for his lost ring where there was light not where he dropped it.- One study of re-published/recorded music it: mainly they boost it: 10 years later – 10 db higher - 20 years later 11 db
16 Oct 2009 - Flax + cottage cheese magic
Updated: misc_health.htmlhttp://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/misc_health.html
- Taxi: since you used the old name of the street I gave you a ride. He is very cool guy. He said next time you see me in the street call out the old name of the street.
- World news pronounced "costarica" as "caastarica" I guess because the guy was too shy !
- The amount of love is breathtaking -- taxi driver - one eyes shoe shiner from whom I hoped to buy something because to just give him money may have been insulting... but didn't take the change back and he showed gratitude with pure love and gesture of hand to chest which clearly symbolizes heart action.
15 Oct 2009 - circa
17 year old astrophysicist from Latvia couldn't figure out how to tie a seat belt.Lufthansa meal was disgusting -- I ordered a VGML - it was a pumpkin polenta which is fine but they were deep fried in old oil so it reeked.
Tried a face cream at the Duty Free shop which was 150 Euros !!
They have not solved such a simple subject as airport taxi. Complete chaos and mis-information and so on -- it's a real pity to get worked up over such a trivial subject -- even though I expected some drama, but never so had as I went to the airport taxi authority. Shame! The taxi driver was just as pissed citing corruption -- that sometimes he has to wait several hours to get assigned a passenger while there are plenty of passengers because, he says, there are entities who own the Camarys who have a grip on the passenger traffic...A real shame that in this day and age the simple problem of airport taxi has not been solved and according to the driver, is plagued with corruption. The taxi driver said the boss said all letters of complaint that come to my desk about Camary and Corolla I tear up.
Not surprising that I had a nightmare about the frikin airport taxi.
Talked to the assistant to the chief of airport. He was full of argument that the airport taxi has nothing to do with the airport. Anyway they are apparently aware of the chaos with the airport taxi and said it is being addressed and will be solved in the next couple of months. Seeing is believing.
14 Oct 2009 - Project Management is Fun
I love project management because you get to bring the best out of people, and your role to a large part is to facilitate communications and to ask the right questions and strive to clarify questions ...- Let's make the question clear.
- Do we have enough information to make a decision now?
- Given the constraints what are the options?
Humor really helps dry meetings. It helps people loosen up, enjoy it more, and also perform better.
Motivating people, teaching them not to pass the buck (after several roundrobin passing the buck he finally gave the answer), demanding clarity of questions,
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- How's your Italian Gwen?
- Terrible. how's your Italian?
- I love it.
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- She's eating gelatin capsules - disgusting - it comes from
pigs and horses etc. - don't send me an email tomorrow saying Oink, instead of
good morning :) - she couldn't swallow the capsules today after reading the
ingredients.
13 Oct 2009
- To have a bus is to have your own driver. Everyone else is lined up in their cars hands on the wheel but I am free to look around and free to write.- They were traveling together - a couple and a single woman - the tour guide became interested in the single woman. The married woman got so jealous she started scorning the single woman, comparing herself with her that married woman is taller and thinner and after the trip broke up their long friendship. Another instance of how crippling jealousy which is rooted on comparison and competition is.
- Elegant lady walks in first class train with a piece of processed dead-animal in a bun that is so stinky it makes you get up and go. Another guy later comes in stinking from cigarettes. If these people stink so much from what they consume, I don't want to imagine the inner state.
12 Oct 2009 - Beatles Remastered CD's
"One of the reasons I like you Beat, aside from the fact that you're a great human, a wonderful sound engineer, an audio-guru, a patient man, a kind man, and a wise scientist, is that your name is the first four letters of the best thing that ever happened to music: BEAT-LES :)Anyway, I listened to another Beatles remastered album: HDN. The opening chord had plenty of high pitched disturbing tones. The entire album felt over-boosted, over-thin, over-eq'd on the high ends. I have to listen on a nice system again to judge it but so far I like the classic sounds better. The girl at Jecklin said she's heard this from many people -- that old things should be left old. Of course I'd be interested to hear your take if you get to have a listen...
Kind Regards
Reza"
11 Oct 2009 - Airplane
- Heard the surprise sound of airplane going by - - it took me to grandpa's bed sleeping on the rooftop of their house in Tehran - the peace and love that was and is.- The dolllar is getting killed because of US's economic weakness which is mainly due to Bush/Cheney's absolutely terrible leadership:
Dollar Reaches Breaking Point as Banks Shift Reserves (Update3)
- White House Communications Director Anita Dunn told CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday that Fox News operates "almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party."... The president avoided Fox when he visited five Sunday morning news shows last month, and a recent White House blog post accused Beck of lying.
10 Oct 2009 - John Lennon
- A peace monument designed by artist Yoko Ono, the widow of John Lennon, was installed in the capital of Iceland on Tuesday, to mark what would have been the late Beatle's 67th birthday. The imagine Peace Tower was lit in Reykjavik to mark the late Beatle's 67th birthday. The Imagine Peace Tower is engraved with the message "Imagine Peace" in 24 languages and is filled with about 500,000 capsules containing messages of hope sent by people around the world. The monument's cylindrical illuminated base silhouettes the tower and sends a "peace light" skyward from the world's northernmost capital... The monument will light up annually on New Year's Eve and also from Oct. 9 through Dec. 8, the anniversary of the death of Lennon, who was shot dead in New York City on Dec. 8, 1980, as he and Ono returned home from a recording session....(excerpts from The Japan Times Online)
- The International Lunar Geographic Society announced today that a crater on the Moon has been renamed to honor John Lennon today, his birthday. The crater, located in the Moon’s Lacus Somniorum (“Lake of Dreams”) district, has been named the John Lennon Peace Crater. It measures approximately six kilometers in diameter, with a depth of about 990 meters.
10 Oct 2009 - Rosa's Out
- Rosa is officially out of the band today. We wish her luck. We already have some hot drummers lined up.- Rosa's out of the band but I left the doors open for us to collaborate again and suggested if she decides to play the drums seriously to pick up our repertoire. I still like the 3 of ours configuration but for now it is over. We will now gather our energies and don't have to spend any energy on anything but musical direction of the band. Christina had the best cheese - chocolate tasting amazing Swiss cheese. There is love, peace and friendship. We got the stuff on Oct 11.
10 Oct 2009 - Quiet Saturday
- Baden senior chestnut man who will never touch a computer in his life gave one free chestnuts again. Lorenzo - we don't speak each others' language but friendship knows no language; friendship doesn't require words. He's an old man with arthritis and bunions in his feet and hands -- he works barefeet cooking his Tessin chestnuts in three different grills. Heavy rains gave way to clarity during the last 1/2 hour of markets being open. Made a trip to the healthfood store for some over-priced reduced salt Tamari, an over-priced piece of fruit bread, and tofu. Organic raspberries was all I needed from Coop, and then some stuff at Migros -- the godly organic mango and obvious grapefruit which the girl thought were oranges - "they're bananas :)". Suffering is in the background and only hidden by activity -- the sorrow of aging, of disease, of fanaticism which so vehemently rules so many people. But it is my role, and all I can do, is to end that suffering and sorrow in my life -- first, not to let the brain fall into the human-brain-habit of having a sorrow problem, and secondly, living intelligently enough to end that which is not love. We can go on pursuing various things and cover the nothingness, but creativity seems to be the important thing that stands out -- and with creation comes joy and benediction.- Very enjoyable video talk w/ Shadi, Tara & Rusteen.
10 Oct 2009 - Environmental Music
Kudos to IGSU and everyone who contributed for the efforts to raise awareness of this important environmental challenge that faces our societies and planet.My little contribution to it is "Let's Keep Our Planet Clean" :
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Lets_Keep_Our_Planet_Clean.html
The song had a lot of interest already:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Comments_Lets_Keep_Our_Planet_Clean.html
Some people think it should be translated to different languages and because it's groovy, melodic, and harmonic, it may attract a large distribution network... who knows... I did it for the love of it and to support this important cause.
This event has motivated me to pursue a new genre of music which I believe will be more and more popular: Environmental Pop. Our planet needs all the help it can get. And beautiful music, not trashy music, will contribute positively.
09 Oct 2009 - Kaspersky Anti Virus
After waiting 17 days for an answer from tech support I called -- I don't have time to wait 20 minutes to get a call answered. The sales person sent me to a customer service line which she said takes longer than the tech support line. Fed up, I called the President. He personally answered. Stephen Orenberg. He said he'll have someone call me right back :)08 Oct 2009 -
- 20 years ago I took Pat to Filenet. She still works there! Love of old-friendship. Also located Steve.- In Zurich Main Station there was a big loud smoked filled tent for October Fest -- just another excuse to get drunk for some folks.
- Frita the wheelchair lady of Zurich Main Station wants a Persian Newspaper.
- In American many people are not taught manners that to say hello and goodbye is just basic human respect. Try calling Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles. The rudest operator: No hello. No goodbye.
- He said in the last 6 months he's learned to like foreigners because he's learned from them. The other agency was a beautiful Turkish lady. She said they put her in charge of difficult owners because her oriental style makes it easier for her than locals who have a more stiff approach. Nice apartment too bad it stincked from cigarettes. Wrote more but lost it in paste buffer.
07 Oct 2009 -
- Got a lot of response from Filenet reunion pictures. S. is such a sweetheart: "Thank you so much, it is great to see your pix, FileNET reunion pix, and even better hear your music again and read some of your writings. Great person, great info!"- Someone in Ardabil searched the web for “imeil for reza” and landed on my site :)
- Certain Swiss-German accents can have such an unfriendly, confrontational melody. Or maybe when speaking English it sounds like that. Of course, it's only a matter of perception as the person speaking it is very friendly. Just the intonation...
- In General Swiss-Germans are very friendly and wonderful people. In general I have not seen so many unfriendly people in my life in certain Swiss-French speaking places -- Geneva is the capital of unfriendly grumpy people (there are many exceptions) and Lausanne is next.
06 Oct 2009 - MISC
These journal entry dates are often not accurate but approximate.Talked to old friend. His time is totally consumed with his kid who's 11 - piano - football - etc. -- I often hear this complaint from parents - and the more kids you have the less time in this modern world where kids' process of becoming makes their schedules more busy than CEO's.
- When we played football as kids we didn't have to be driven somewhere at a set time. We just played in the ally and had a ton of fun.
05 Oct 2009 - Programming Joy, Country Music
- It's been a long time since I was a professional programmer. A year or so ago I rolled up my sleeves and wrote some cool programs for managing my own databases. Simple powerful fast code. Running these to do my utility work gives me so much joy -- computer programming is so much fun and I was really good at it -- a hotshot, they used to call me.- In terms of genre sales, the Latin category leads the decliners so far this year, with a 35.1% slump to 12.6 million units. Rock sales dropped 11.5% to 88.1 million units. R&B (which includes rap) fell 6.6% to 51.4 million units. Country was off just 1.7% to 30.3 million units.
04 Oct 2009 -
- She slept like a baby at parents' home -- 23 to 9 without waking up! Own perfume replenished. This quality of energy is to be cherished.- The music exhibition was good. Leaving I thought Michael, I have not seen yet and as the thought finished Michael showed up. Contacted Angie and she said she just called me. There's synchronisity.
04 Oct 2009 - Another Gathering of Idiots
Stephen Moore of Wall Street Journal is talking at a gathering of the fools and they’re blaming the high unemployment on Obama and completely forgetting that it was Bush’s screwups that put the US and the rest of the world’s economy in a hole.Just to prove he is a complete idiot he said “global warming is the greatest hoax of the last century”. Fools remain fools and their Fox News and Wall Street Journal will make them feel good.
Now he’s complaining about the national debt. How about all the money Bush wasted in the wrong war? I better turn off this crap on VOA.
He's trying to describe debt using a basketball players' salary. I guess this is the only way his constituents would understand it.
These same fools put Bush in the office who screwed them up but since they're still fools they now believe it's all the fault of the present administration.
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Another idiot is on, Phil Kerpen… he’s complaining that the government took over banks and AIG. Well it had to because Bush screwed up the US and world economy. Now he’s trying to cause fear of Green jobs and Cap&Trade with lousy logic which only suits to other idiots who fail to see it was the idiot they put in office that screwed things up and that the Green Jobs will do the economy good, and that global warming is not a myth.
02 Oct 2009 -
- Almost a 1000 visitors to the new song's page.- Fr. Dr. Peter made my day. She’s a pharmacist but knows a lot and is wise. The floaters are dead veins – she said they’ll go away after 2 months
- Also I was happy to hear from my computer shop friend a webcam of 1.3 is good enough for video calls.
01 Oct 2009 -- My New Song: Let's Keep Our Planet Clean
To hear the new song please click here
To see listener comments about the new song please click here
- Did a mailing about the song. Before going to sleep had 600 visitors.
01 Oct 2009 - Law of Attraction: Cheap Pop-Psychology Nonsense.
S wrote:> Do you know any thing about Abraham Hicks? Have you heard of him?
didn't remember the name but i know the book / video and am very familiar with the message which is essentially cheap-pop-psychology stuff which is rooted around self-centered-ness, will, ego, and the root of it: thought.
There is a totally different movement most don't know about but most feel at some points during their life and day -- that other movement can not co-exist with a crystallized ego, self...
Law of attraction is true in some sense but not in the sense I understood this book/film. You can repeat a 100 times a day "a big house by the sea". You may get it but it has nothing to do with the repetition and 9 out of 10 will not get it because not only repetition only makes the mind dull, but and power of the self is very very limited. The other movement can only come when the way of the self comes to an end -- which is quietness of thought, comes out of order not force, and requires observation of what one is, in relationship...
01 Oct 2009
Disgusting smoking smokers sit next to you on trainWoman inhales a puff and exhales it in the train.
Man goes in train’s toilette and smokes in there.
Swiss road signs make no sense. A 2 lane 2 way road (one way each way) is divided by a broken white line!! And 2 lanes going same direction are also divided by broken white line. The proper way to do it is to divide the opposite traffic by a solid double line with a broken inner line to indicate passing zone.
29 Sep 2009 -- Finished Song: "Let's Keep Our Planet Clean"
- From vision to reality. Less than a week ago a melody sparked in my head in the train at night. Now it's recorded.- Back to Luzern at night for a last touch up edit to:
bring guitars up
take backup vocal down and fade in or out or eliminate (deleted backing vocals)
fade-in eggshake that comes in middle of verse (eliminated it until the drum roll)
lower one of the guitars during a connection phrase (done)
So most of the time on this recording project was spent on technical issues which Beat solved, regarding for example, synchronizing tracks on Wavelab vs. recording on multi-track device, and secondly to take out unwanted parts which were performed by a friend who is not professional, The lesson is, if you want a professional sound use experienced players. But now the record sounds good. We are quite happy with it. It was a joy working with Beat as usual. He's a philosopher and our minds, hearts and ears are very much in sync.
This was a fast job. Two takes or so on the vocals. Could do everything better but we have a deadline and between writing the song and recording it in such a short time, I am very happy with our performance.
27 Sep 2009 -- Marathon Studio
- Spent over 12 hours in studio -- job done -- it seemed mission impossible -- form the conception of the song 3.5 days ago to complete recording. Of course Beatles have done a lot faster recordings but I'm quite happy with this progress -- Dr. Beat Hohmann did amazing work. He's patient, very technically competent, and has a great ear. We worked hard but had a lot of fun- Recorded on a microphone built based on Beat's specification -- there are 2 of these in the world before they're commercialized.
- I did:
classical guitar
steel string guitar
drum
lead guitar
backup vocal
as well as writing the lyrics, melody, chords, and arrangement.
- Everyone who's heard the song says they like it a lot.
26 Sep 2009 -- New Song
- Three nights ago in train idea of a new song's motif ignited in my head. Tomorrow, I'm recording it. Will be doing the lyrics on the way to the studio.- Marouni man was out for the first day of the season. He brings the Winter. We're good friends and understand our Italian/Persian warmth that is not so common among Swiss Germans. We don't speak each other's languages but love needs no words. He gives a big bag of marouni's without weighing it over the amount I paid for as an act of friendship. He ran out -- I was his last customer and told the rest it's sold out!
26 Sep 2009 --
- When he was 5 his father was assassinated. He had a 1 year old sister. Mother never got over it. She died when he became 18. if she was alive she’d have him study engineering or something but he liked music and so he pursued music. He’s an amazing musician.
- Saw Berna after 10 years which seemed like yesterday. What an active day but as of 16:30 everything is done and the rest of the day will be dedicated to a nap-a walk-and mainly finishing the song I have to record tomorrow. The lyrics at 30% done. The music, 80% but everybody who's heard it so far has liked it.
- Borrowing car today -- it's so easy but I hate the whole subject of cars -- it is so stressful and stupid.
- With ear plugs and windows closed still got woken up by the flipping church bells that rang at 3-digit decibels. Ok, we heard you for 20 minutes. Now what?- He said it’s been hard financially to be a musician despite teaching and performing He has kids but finds them to be too much work – it’s almost a full time commitment – to take them here and there …
25 Sep 2009 -- Polluted Waters
Woke up with the worst nightmare which I know the reason for -- polluted energy. I try to be careful but it's the friend of friend whom I had not expected to bring so much crap into the energy field. I can not tell anyone how to live but I can at least ask to know when such a deep mix happens so I can wait till the polluted water passes away.- Woke up again with another nightmare. No doubt in my mind that the system has some astral 'malware' which I could not clean while sleeping and need to get 'debugged' today. It came from a friend of friend who is into this astral crap and is also not careful about what she takes in -- she had close contact with friend I had close contact with. All my life I tried to stay away from the astral field and now it comes pouring in my backyard. Now I know and can close this loophole.
- Also neighbour is back -- a smoker -- and he didn't bring the purest energy back. Smokers and astral field are always related because of the effect of narcotics on chakras which according to Leadbeater reverses their movement. Myth or truth, I do not know but empirically, the correlation is undeniable.
25 Sep 2009 -- Beatles Harmonies
- Angela is singing Beatles harmonies like a bird. It soothes my heart.- WASHINGTON – New satellite information shows that ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica continue to shrink faster than scientists thought and in some places are already in runaway melt mode.
24 Sep 2009 -- Special Energy
- That other type of energy is precious. It may come with right living. Cows are to be guarded. Some people are so quick in mixing their energy at a core level with others without really knowing how another lives. We can not take it for granted. When we do something changes. Suddenly the stresses of another's ways of living whether it be stupid diet or lack of inner clarity, jealousies, etc., effect the person they mix with. In a way it's a subject of responsibility.
- She went arm in arm, hand in hand, with another woman who happens to be a lesbian, in the forest after midnight. She's not a lesbian and views it as just friendship. For the lesbian woman, she's also getting a kick out of the physical contact. So be it. But the lesbian woman was in smoky bars regularly befriending or at least hanging out with lowest common denominator of peoples -- drug dealers and so on. She's now got a degree in healing, which means nothing as far as I'm concerned aside from showing an interest in the subject which can possibly not be guaranteed or degreed. I've seen far too many out of tune people who tried to be healers. Smokers who tried to help others quit but couldn't themselves -- good example and there are many more. The commercial world made such schools and promotes this as another occupation.
- Anytime we get mixed with another by extended hand holding or similar contact, we should just expect that their "stuff" will come across.
- Some entities love to suck angelic energy. It's comforting for them. They suck on another's clarity, tolerance, beauty, wisdom, and straight road -- things they don't have.
24 Sep 2009 -- No wonder I never drink Green Tea, Rooibos, Black Tea, Coffee, White Tea, Oolang Tea
- Had a 1/2 cup of green tea -- I never drink it -- thought, ok, it has anti-oxidant. Flok the anti-oxidants. I was wired -- like drinking a cup of coffee. And sure enough, in the afternoon I was tired as hell -- hell is the right word -- my energy was dragging like I've not experienced for years. No thanks. I'd rather live without caffeine and similar stimulants.
24 Sep 2009 -- New Song
- Last night new song appeared in my mind on the train back. It developed and the verse and chorus were solid by the time I got home.
- Got Hindi and Italian lyrics. German French and Polish will come. Farsi easy. Tried Chinese -- impossible to pronounce.
23 Sep 2009 --
- Zurich Main Station is like filthy bar: full of cigarette smoke -- what a pity for commuters to have to get exposed to such poison and out of control sympathy for Big Tobacco.- Healthfood store exposed samples of very fancy tofu. Guess what? They all had sugar! Even in tofu!
- Man in train chowing down a disgustingly smelling kabob sandwich (cooked dead animal) in first class.
23 Sep 2009 -- City Buzz
- There's a very cool buzz in some special big cities like Tehran and New York. Many other big cities don't have that buzz. Villagers in quiet countries like in Switzerland have no idea how much fun that buzz can be :)
- Great talk with Dr. Beat Hohman my old friend and acoustics guru yesterday. Dedicated recorder is more reliable than computer recording of a live event. Chances of mis-haps with a computer given a live performance that can't be repeated is higher than with dedicated recorder.
- Byrne: SEC Enforcement Division Takes Orders from Short-Sellers "You know how it turned out that Bernie Madoff could basically call the SEC and get them to stop an investigation. It's also turned out that there are short sellers who can pick up the phone and get the SEC to start an investigation."
22 Sep 2009 -- Beatles & Buddy Holly
- I'm willing to bet The Beatles got an idea about their name from "Buddy Holly And The Crickets". They liked Buddy Holly who was extremely talented. Crickets - Beatles - no surprise !!- Organic Raspberries soaked in organic orange juice -- yum yum.
- "I am not a warm gipfeli" :)
21 Sep 2009 --
- Met Shakiba after years. It was good seeing him. Coming from Germany, he was appalled at how smokers are out of control in Switzerland -- everywhere you go you get attacked by second-hand smoke.20 Sep 2009 -- The Stream
- "When the Body dies, the desires, the anxieties, the tragedies, attachments and the misery go on. They go on to contributing to the vast common stream of consciousness in which mankind lives. Each of us is a representative of the whole stream ... "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFPaf72DWMA
19 Sep 2009 --
- An almost blind man was trying to find his way. Held his arm. He said he could not find his way because the floor of the train station was too dark. Once he saw the light board he was ok. There was affection of sorrow.18 Sep 2009 --
- Had a malware attack which AVG did not catch. The malware broke into FileZilla unencrypted password file, sent them to the evil hackers who are just out to disturb other people to get a kick out of it; a program of the hacker broke into my server and put a script in all index files.- Got the ftp passwords changed, dumped AVG and FileZilla in favor of two better programs (WinSCP to which not saving passwords comes naturally) and Kaspersky anti-virus which is the best I could find (Bitdefender already had a problem on the free trial, and Norton I developed a sour taste since just before renewal I used to get viruses in email that I didn't get all year).
- Verified my other FTP enabled tool, Kompozer does indeed encrypt passwords.
- Tried other malware removal tools and various utilities but finally settled for the above and want to end the day free from this subject.
- Always good to search for coupons before purchase. Found one and it worked and bought the software for 3-years.
- Also had to repair MDAC which got corrupted. Found a quick way to do it that the tech support group didn't think of.
17 Sep 2009 --
- CS visited an Arabic country. He said the local women are completely covered – not even their eyes or a burga – it looks completely covered. They go through normal passport control completely covered !!- Alex wants to go to California. Like most Swiss youngsters, visiting America is a dream – it surely was mine as a youngster. We talked about the weather… there has to be sunshine inside. It’s true the Swiss winter is miserable but one could live in a sunny area and have snow and cloud inside or live anywhere and have sunshine inside, in one’s heart, mind, and body.
16 Sep 2009 -- They Don't Talk German In Switzerland
- German lady, been in Switzerland 2 years, still only understand Swiss German 50% and can't talk it !!- Stupid doctor -- I knew more than him.
- Good talk with R. They had an unusually warm summer in Alaska but the glacier is still there. He said having one metal crown is ok. More than one could set off a current.
15 Sep 2009 --
- Switzerland only has two seasons: winter and winter :)- Found a punch card in my old notes. Most computer users today have no idea what a punch card is -- we had to program computers with punch cards :)
14 Sep 2009 -- New Letter to SEC
- This one just came out spontaneously yesterday:http://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-08-09/s70809-4590.htm
14 Sep 2009 -- Sugar's Ugly Aftertaste
- The toast at friend's, although organic and whole-wheat, had sugar which we realized later. Funny that all night there was the ugly aftertaste of sugar in the mouth.13 Sep 2009 -- Ugliness of Competition
- NEW YORK - Serena Williams walked toward the line judge, screaming, cursing and shaking a ball in the official's direction, threatening to "shove it down" her throat.- Competition is destructive in sports, music, arts, etc.. In arts specially it is frivolous because it's based on measurement which is never accurate.
13 Sep 2009 -- Animal Abuse
- There was a program on cattle farming in the US. Lots of cruelty.- Poor calves have their balls cutoff in industrial cattle farming. "testosterone from the testicles makes the bulls grow big and strong. you castrate them so the muscles will stay weak and the steak will be tender and not all thick and coarse. the animals are less aggressive, and instead of spend time fighting for procreate , they eat and gain weight.".. their meat is supposed to be better for dead-animal-eating consumers. How disgusting.
13 Sep 2009 -- Funny & Sad Stories
- Updated http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/misc_jokes_funny_sad_stories.html12 Sep 2009 -- Another Crap Animation Film: Mary and Max & others
- The cinema was packed but I walked out after 20 minutes of that crap. Most of these movies I've seen at Fantoche festival are "thought diarrhea" ... the computer allows creating anything visual but unfortunately the level of creativity has been very low and and like most of the decadence in the human society they either cherish sorrow, are caught in lots of words, or resort to sensory distortion or violence to create stimulation. Friend who stayed till the end left crying because the film was so sad -- sad about things we already know.- Saw another crap movie (walked out) Genius Party Beyond. And a short collection of Swiss animation movies -- one worse than another. The world-wide collections suck 90% let alone a small regional one. This whole line of work, animation, is just like music and movies business in that 90% of what's produced is crap.
12 Sep 2009 -- Imposition of Deafening Church Bells:
- At some 2000 Decibals these church bells go off for 15 flipping minutes at 16:45 on Saturday imposing their stale ideology on people of land.12 Sep 2009 -- Switzerland: Hostage of Big Tobacco
- Everywhere you go, indoors and outdoors, you have no choice but to get exposed to second hand smoke. This flippin cinema, Trafo, is supposedly non-smoking, but the cancer-inviters stupid smokers occupy the front entrance and the smoke blows right in and the entire hall stinks from second hand smoke.Outside in the restaurant last night, outdoors, you had smoke blowing in your face by flipping chain smokers that sat in every adjacent table. The girl who was with us asked if we mind if she smokes. “I will cry”.
12 Sep 2009 -- HSBC Sucks
- The manager apologized for the misinformation and wrong information they gave me. They're so clueless. With a 10k credit limit who needs them when you have much better companies on your side with world-class service. Anyway, had to escalate it to the executive resolutions and a guy by name of Guillermo took care of it immediately. It's never encouraging when floor managers are not good enough to take care of things and you have to escalate it to the executive office. Anyway, done deal, but it wasted 1 hour of my life.11 Sep 2009 -- More Animation - -- Fantoche
- Unbelievable how many crappy nonsense animation movies people make -- such violence and stupid stories and very disturbing pictures - like this guy who made a 5 minute movie in which the screen constantly vibrated and killed the eyes. It just reflects the sick prevalent sick aspects of society.- One good movie was "Lost and found" by Philip Hunt. Very enjoyable
10 Sep 2009 -- Prejudice
- Swiss friend returned broken bowl guaranteed against breaking - no questions asked - it was replaced.- I took the same one in -- no, we can't do it - blah blah - I said, look, my Swiss friend had the same case and you did it immediately. When I said this it had an impact on her -- kind of like, realizing her own stupidity, and she refunded the money. False advertising is not a big deal here -- I've seen it several times.
- Friend said, the reason is foreigners commit 99% of crimes in Switzerland. BULL!! According to the government's own statistic the number is "44% of the persons convicted of criminal offences are foreigners, half of whom do not even officially live in Switzerland." (Source: switzerland.isyours.com)
- Misleading statistics: "The Federal Police Office has admitted that the figures do not give the full picture because they refer to suspects, not convictions." (source: swissinfo.ch).
- The reason for the higher % of foreigners in Swiss prisons than Swiss people is only because:
"Researchers at Bern University concluded that foreigners are seen as "flight risks" by authorities and are therefore more likely to be sent to prison than local criminals" (source: swissinfo.ch)
- Now the proposal a friend made was that the prejudice is due to 99% crime rate of foreigners which turns out to be false (the rate exaggerated by over 100%) but regardless prejudice has much deeper roots than 40 some percent crime rate of foreigners. The roots of prejudice are in the working of thought itself -- in identification, desire for psychological security, belonging, and the deep rooted animalistic conditioning of tribalism. A human can recognize and get free these conditionings through attention, learning.
10 Sep 2009 -- Why Are There So Many Corrupt Republicans?
- The list just goes on and on and one. Every once in a while there's another Republican lawmaker or person of power that's caught e.g. soliciting sex in men's toilette, etc etc etc- In their latest contribution to the party of George W. Bush, the dumbest and worst president in the history of the wold, Mike Duvall Republican quits after spanking boast is caught on tape.
09 Sep 2009 -- Triplets & On Makeup
- The four-year-old triplets were soooo cute. They wore the same outdoor adventure outfit of the highest quality only children in these rich countries can afford to know. The funniest part was their Swiss German speaking with their childish accent and every other word being a "kh" deep-throat distortion accent.- I have nothing against makeup. It can be beautiful. But there are certain societal conditions that are merely assumed by the makeup-wearer: for example, that contrast that helps bring the eyes "out" is good. How many paintings by the greatest of masters I can think of in which the eyes only had their natural level and were out or in only as far as nature intended for the given complexion. Mona Lisa did not wear makeup and it is still the most visited painting in the most famous museum in the world. Da Vinci, the one of the greatest painters of all time whose energy still reverberates in Europe vs. the dark shadow of fanaticism, could have easily added makeup to Mona Lisa, but the chose the natural shades.
Those who don't have a natural strong contrast of dark eyelashes and light eyes for example, can still be very beautiful. I personally find the lack of such stark contrast sometimes very beautiful, gentle, angelic. But the world and its corrupt ways of conformity and mediocrity cherishes stark contrast, Las Vegas style glimmer of eyes popping out accentuated. Yes, that can be beautiful, but that natural state of not such heavy contrast is, has, in my opinion, a quality of purity and beauty which the world doesn't know that often -- it's not normal -- Las Vegas glamor is the way of the world and of course sexual attraction is at the root of it, so those looking for a partner use it more.
- She remembered meeting one on the train 3-years ago. I remembered her face.
09 Sep 2009 -- Drum Machines Suck
- I will not play live with a drum machine.-
- Met brother of current world record holder in weight lifting. He showed me a stage color changer which I ended up buying from another vendor because of lower price. I had forgotten who his brother was and didn't give the acquaintance much weight which he must have found surprising because he pulled out his brother’s card from his wallet to prove it. I guess he’s used to people doing summersaults when they hear that but I was so untaken by it.
08 Sep 2009 --
- Saw animation movie "Up". The first 20 minutes were great and then it was downhill -- perfect demo of loose thought jumping from branch to branch. Waste of time but because of friend just stayed.- New Beatles remastered works are released this week. Looking forward to it.
- Sent letter to x outlining what it'll take to stay in the band. The ungratefulness of many young Swiss kills me -- it is so common -- everything is so provided for them in this ultra-rich country. Several people have commented that their kids have everything they need and so lack motivation. In this relationship that may not be the case -- but whatever it is we were waiting for this for over a year and now we need to see results and if not we find a different solution. I like the idea of a percussionist who can sing. Also to have freelancers -- our friend can be one too but only with the right attitude. Attitude is everything -- life is too short to do anything half-hearted and unenthusiastic. Communication is golden and many young people suck at it.
07 Sep 2009 -- Another lying Swiss Realstate Agency
- When you're a foreigner many of these agencies don't get your email and your faxes are unreadable until they find a Swiss or worst case German person to rent to. This is a hard fact of life in Switzerland. It's illegal. We caught once agency doing it to someone and we gave them hell -- with logic law and reason and not their way which is lies and vulgarity -- until they worked with my friend and accepted that she leaves early. This time, a different agency. It's not Fr. Rohner, but it's Fr. Rhyner. Same rubbish, different agency. Fr. Rhyner lied like Fr. Rohner lied. These people belong behind bars but I guess lying is simply accepted. Where have ethics gone?!?!07 Sep 2009 -- Father
- Thanked dad for all the favors. He: Whatever I have is all yours (mom and us kids). I have nothing of my own.- Good night guys, don't forget to go home :) (logged in http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Reza_Ganjavi_Quotes.html )
07 Sep 2009 -- Start of a Long Cold Winter
- Miserably cold in Switzerland. Last night it was 9 degrees (48 F) which is colder than it ever gets in deep winter in Southern California. That's a start of a 10 month winter which I abhor. For a while it's ok, but day after day of cold creeping into the bones gets old after a while. If it wasn't for how great this country is, the wonderful people, the deep love for music, and a few special friends, I'd be long gone.06 Sep 2009 -- Did Prince Charles Murder Diana?
- Saw a picture of Prince Charles. He looks scary and miserable. Google found this quote: "But this time, Fayed added a new co-conspirator, Prince Charles, 59, Diana’s divorced husband and heir to the throne. Fayed said Charles had “participated” in the plot so that he could marry his “crocodile wife” Camilla Parker-Bowles. By arranging for Diana and his son to be killed, Fayed said, Philip and Charles had saved the royal family from having the princess marry a Muslim and bear his child. “They cleared the decks,” he said. “They murdered her.” [http://www.indianexpress.com/news/charles-killed-diana-to-wed-his-croc-wife/274746/]06 Sep 2009 -- Gift of Life
- We were endowed the gift of life another day. Father is old. When he is weak, death is so near just as it is also for the young and strong. But he is better today - his voice is stronger.- It's a lovely day in Switzerland. The temperature has hesitated to step into the cliff that it will eventually do in a 10-month long winter. Nights are already very cold for September but don't forget it's Switzerland, the land of Alps and lovely people, and massive glaciers.
05 Sep 2009 -- Opera Browser is The Best !!
- Opera is very cool - I've been using it for a long time. Here's a feature list: (Google: 10 Features You'll Find Only In Opera).The new Opera 10.00 has many cool features:
tab previews
speed dial customization
auto-update
in-line spell checking
webmail integration
crash recovery and reporting
resizable search field
04 Sep 2009 - Swiss Prejudice Against Foreign Renters
- There is a hard sad fact of Switzerland having incredible prejudice against renting to foreigners, ignoring their application, etc., before they pass laws making this illegal it was a lot worse but it still happens regularly.03 Sep 2009 -- Big Pharma Crookss Drug Pushers
- "Pfizer fined $2.3 billion for illegal marketing in off-label drug case In the largest health care fraud settlement in history, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer must pay $2.3 billion to resolve criminal and civil allegations that the company illegally promoted uses of four of its drugs ..." "It was the largest health care fraud settlement and the largest criminal fine of any kind ever."02 Sep 2009 --
- Giving love to children is absolutely essential. Perhaps it's more necessary than food and everything else! Babies and children absorb love like a sponge, they react immediately with a smile. It helps them become better, happier persons.01 Sep 2009 --
- It must have been such a traumatic experience to have my adolescent diaries destroyed by my cousin's family's stupidity. Dreamed about it again. Again, hoping in the dream to find the lost writings. I have no choice but to observe this bubbling up of the shock to my consciousness from the betrayal of trust and realization that it's long gone -- my meticulous writings that meant so much to me are part of the Orange County Landfill. I am also surprised that this shock has not cleansed itself -- those writings must have meant a lot to me. Anyway, life goes on and I trust this will eventually clean up from my consciousness, not eventually in time, but eventually through the observation of any remaining ripples.My name was on the box, they knew how much my writings mean to me, yet, they destroyed it -- I can guess as to the motives -- but let's just say, utter stupidity and craziness which is common in Orange County, specially in Irvine -- the machine life Oriana Fallaci wrote about is right there -- soul of cars are everywhere but people don't walk in the streets. Of course there are always exceptions.
In the dream I hoped that I would not wake up so I can find the box.
(logged in http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/lost_treaure.html).
01 Sep 2009 --
Persian saying:Harche-pish-aayad
Khosh-aayad
Whatever comes
is welcome
literally:
Harche = formal for whatever (slang: Harchi) (it's not Kh but Ch like cherry - I write my Kh's as Kh).
pish-aayad = pish is forward - aayad is comes, pish-aayad= event that comes
Khosh = good, well
aayad = comes
whatever turns out is welcome....
it's a good positive attitude towards life that whatever life brings one welcomes it with open arms. Of course this can be analyzed and one can argue, what about things that are not good -- well, that's our dilemma -- but we have strength and when something not good comes we deal with it with intelligence to solve it or push it out.
----------------------
31 Aug 2009 --
- Wrote:http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Talk with a confused friend - by Reza Ganjavi
- Another case of camel dreaming of cotton seed. Dreamed of the destroyed diaries – this time the box was found at Parand’s – Farid’s sister’s house – a lovely lady and lovely family – haven’t seen them for ages – but back then we were close. It was like, Gosh, that’s right, the diaries were there, in her garage – they were locked and sealed and I was incredibly thrilled happy joyful ecstatic to have found this biggest lost part of my life. Only to wake up in disappointment that it was only a dream. (logged in http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/lost_treaure.html)
30 Aug 2009 --
- Very loud thunderstorms last night. It was so loud that the sound frequency shook up the walls.Dream of R. A sandcastle takes a lot of work to create but can be destroyed with one kick. There's nothing noble in that kick unless there is a good reason for it. "I've learned when issues are talked about they can get clear and truth can be found easier in communication and dialogue."
- Spent a long time studying music, song writing, classical guitar, etc., which makes the day well worth-while, as well as planning trip to the US -- the US Airways agent Laura was very professional and wonderful -- she called in and got a seat on a flight that had no seats. Will send complements for her.
- Cooking an amazing bouquet of beans and grains -- about 7 different beans plus quinoa and amaranth, eggplant, chili peppers, carrots, etc.
- A&R were impressed. Told them the other day how mom told me in first grade: look, if you study you study for yourself and not for me -- so she never forced me to study. I was making the point about being in the band that X should want to herself and not do it because of me ...
29 Aug 2009 - Guitarlove
- Started work on producing a video of guitar technique exercises..28 Aug 2009 -
- Nice to be back at home.27 Aug 2009 -
- Shopped at Damavand -- fresh pistachios (double skin), mangos, okra, sweet white figs, nectarines, peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, long melon, local yogurt, etc.
- Many lovely trees including the tall slender Tabrizi tree and the humble romantic "beede-majnoon".
- Jalal picks tomatoes and cucumber to have with cheese for eftari (breaking of fast).
- Dinner was godly: lentils, quinoa, okra, olive oil, yogurt, and a few pickled garlic as an exception.
- Updated the comments section of : http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/on_work_around_k_etc-june2009.html
- Good talk w/ Shahin and some fun recollections from our days and years before the Revolution as teenagers in Tehran.
- There are several interesting books here including Beethoven Letters (in English), teachings of confucious (in Farsi), and a meditation book titled first & last freedom (same title as Krishnamurti's famous book) but Osho also has a book with the same title and probably a lot of ideas he obviously got from K. Curious thing is this book's author is a guru acharya but I think this is probably osho's book -- it's not uncommon in Iran to change titles and even authors -- I've seen it happen. Aside from all this the K influence is huge in this book - not only in the title but in the ideas of what meditation is and is not.
- The stress of Swiss trains and trams are getting washed from the consciousness.
- Big discrepancy between the local villagers with their simple old homes and the multi-million dollar villas.
- Some sunflowers in the village including one that stood there shyly all by itself bringing color and beauty to the dirt around.
- Little 2 year old Afghan kid said: "Hey!". Salam. "I have a car". Barikallah.
- Possum or a similar animal killed all Jalal's chickens - it'd cut the throat - such the blood - and throw the chicken in the pool. Now he only has turkeys and ducks.
- Told x about the many incidents of accidents which happened when driver of car or train sends an sms. Talking on mobile phone or sending sms is very very dangerous. It's much more dangerous than
playing guitar while driving because it totally pulls the mind its way.
26 Aug 2009 -
- Good long night of sleep. Some dreams. Dream of Gisele Balleys who apparently didn't like http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/on_work_around_k_etc-june2009.html I doubt she even read the whole thing. It appears that she tends to see things black and white sometimes. The famous saying comes to mind: "You're either with us or you're against us" which is a very closed minded statement Bush said. No hard feelings about her but when someone just doesn't respond to your emails and you pick up from the air that she's upset and she never tells you why... what can I do? It's almost kind of like the drummer drama or the case the radio was talking about of the wife who wants to throw herself out in the freeway but doesn't tell the husband what's wrong with her.
- Also in the picture was Nick Short, the New Zealander lawyer who is part of Friedrich Grohe's organization KLI, and a Trustee of KFT. It is interesting how close KFT is to Friedrich. I think Gisele Balleys, a Trustee of KFT, receives financial backing from Friedrich for her "center" in Geneva. I don't know much about the activities of the center which located in her apartment. I have not seen any programs of activities but while in Geneva I know there were some dialogues at an Ex-Trustee's house, Jean Michel Maroger, a kind and apparently wealthy gentleman. And Nick, whom I assume is on Friedrich's payroll is a trustee of KFT. A senior member of KFT and one of the School is also very close to Friedrich. Nothing wrong with all this, and not surprising given Friedrich's large donation to build the Brockwood Park Study Center some years ago, and his very generous help and engagement in helping the school, and his deep care for the place (which I also share).
- Nice set of stretches etc.
- Instead of antibiotics, taking lots of C, as well as onions and garlic (which I don't usually eat because of the smell except odorless garlic pills), and these mean green peppers from the garden which Jalal says are unbearably hot. Also picked a number of other things form the garden tomatoes, cucumber,and pears.
- Another friend called to invite us to Shomal ("North") (Caspian Coast). Hopefully next week.
- Jalal, like 10% of this village is Kurdish. He's from Sanandaj. They speak Kurdish which is very different from Farsi. A optical cable has been broken by road work so 1000's of people don't have phone. This village became popular with the rich as a quick getaway when Iraq bombed Tehran. The price of villas here soared to 5 million dollars before recession. Jalal says he's Zoroasterian but then he fasts and says he's a Moslem -- he explained it but I don't understand his arguments and mixup of historical dates -- I doubt he has beyond a few grades of education but he's a good hearted, honest, hard working man.
- I like how natural languages are like computer languages, and having been an expert in computer languages it is fun to optimize and compose in a natural language.
- At the communication center internet costs 360 toman per hour (about 30 cents). Hours: 09:00 to 15:00 during Mah-Ramezoon (month of Ramadan) otherwise: 7:30 to 16:00
- Phone works - internet works - after 26 hours of being without it -- but at a very slow speed.
- Perfect holiday day - of rest reading songwriting playing etc.
- Mom made a great Aash, a Persian thick soup of herbs legums vegetables, and I added Amaranth to it -- been eating it every day... Tomorrow's menu is lentil and Quinoa and bircher muesli as well as fresh zucchini and other goodies from the garden.
25 Aug 2009 - Trip to Village
- Hard to find a non smoking taxi. The driver was a wrestler who had an injury and had to stop sports despite lots of physiotherapy and best of doctors. We talked about holistic health, etc. - cleaned his flash drive of virus and gave him advice on software. Although the village is an hour drive from Tehran, you can still feel traces of pollution. Big villa. The keeper, Jalal asked the taxi driver to come in for tea in a taarof of all sincerity. None of the local shops had local egg this late in the day. Got a sangak break with extra sesames - but nothing to write home about. There some nice garlic pickle here, and an older bottle of very premium, old ones that are like char coal. Shopped some kask (whey), yogurt, dates. The garden outside is awesome -- full of fruit many kinds of trees and vegetables -- had some fresh picked tomato and Persian cucumber, and plums. All godly. There are donkeys, cows, and ships in the village, as well as these lovely old Benz trucks :)
- No telephone (= No internet. The lines don't work. Good! Got a guitar that and lots of writing to catch up on and surely there is space for nothingness among activities. Worked on a Jodle song :) It feels like being in Saas-Fe.
- Mr. & Mrs. N. who own this villa used to own a lot of land in this village, Jalal said, until it was taken away. I told Mr. N. this morning, thanks a lot for letting me go there -- he said "this is your dad's villa - - I am just the care taker" -- in sign of humble affectionate friendship.
- Forgot to bring the antibiotics - but doesn't matter - 2.5 days is enough if the doctor said 3 days - got lots of vitamin C instead.
- A beautiful girl called -- daughter of someone we know -- to maybe meet -- but I know what she has in mind and I am not interested. I know it will offer nothing but complication and the motivations are pretty clear.
24 Aug 2009 - Email to a Bulimic Friend
Dear <>
The body is a bit tired after traveling to Tehran and oral surgery but the mind is good and heart is good.
> unfortunately i haven't been in the position to fight mia yet (not that i haven't tried).
I don't think you can fight it. All you can do is to understand it, understand yourself.
> food is still so important to my daily life that the thought of me loosing mia is making it worse.
food is important to everyone's daily life.
Exactly. "thought of losing" makes it worse. so stop thinking about losing it. understand how thought creates an image which involves time (future or past) and that creates sorrow and fear.
> i believe i'm too scared of what would happen if i could not compensate my anger through mia.
anger? we didn't talk about that before. If you have anger then you need to understand anger. When you're angry, you are anger. you can escape anger through vomiting or alcohol or drugs but anger remains. isn't it more interesting to understand anger so it can resolve?
> it's not the right time.
you will be what you are in the future unless you change now.
> i can't deal with it, i need to function somehow for another year. who knows what's going to happen afterwards.
nothing will happen. you will not change in time unless you change in some 'now' and the only now that is true is now.
> thanx for your help though. i really appreciate all you have done.
anytime. Feel free to write anytime.
good wishes
Reza
24 Aug 2009 - Day 3 in Tehran
- Got some sleep but still tortured by air pollution which could be a lot worse. Summer is the best time for Tehran's air quality. Didn't take a pain killer at all after the surgery.
- Taxi was parked outside our house. Want a taxi? How much? dad: 2k. He: forget it. I: how much do you want? 3k. Ok, let's go. A friendly conversation was started by dad and the whole time wonderfully interesting conversation followed. He's 55 without any white hair. He calls my dad, "my dad".He wouldn't take money as a normal "taarof" but with a real affectionate sincerity.
- Tehran city is bigger than the entire country Switzerland.
- Worker came this morning and brought her 10 year old son. He was eager to work with the computer -- he's now scanning :) -- between him and Neda they scanned all the old letters that include also some elementary school cards and letters and some old precious letters.
- To hospital with dad. The other errands.
- Many beautiful women.
- Kashk, a traditional dip used with eggplant (kashke-bademjan), noodle soup (aashe-reshteh) is really very healthy. It's just made out of whey which is wonderful and salt.
- Spent a very interesting 2.5 hours at old friend I met in Poland.. He has 2 Swiss children. He underscored the problem of many Swiss youngsters with motivation because they have everything.. Several people who've heard the case have found it very interesting. I am still highly motivated to make the video when it finds its right priority. New ideas came. Very nice meal - several courses. He recalls that in renting apartments in CH they told him he couldn't because he was a foreigner. Later they passed anti-discrimination laws in CH.
23 Aug 2009 - Day 2 in Tehran
- Had gum surgery. She was very good. Having to take antibiotics is no fun but also will take mega-doses of Vit C. Hope to surprise the surgeon next week.
- One taxi broke a clutch. Another taxi tells story of passenger who cheated him! "Whether passenger cheat me or not what is my (Roozi) daily share I take home at night - and cited a case... ". Roozi is an interesting word. It's a spiritual concept of one's daily need -- like God provides the Roozi for the birds... Told him that the passenger he thinks cheated him may not have had the smarts to decide right action under such circumstances - when the taxi broke down and he left without paying.
- One taxi talked of seeing a guy get hit with a car and his tongue dropped out and he died. There aren't that many accidents here because people drive very alert, but when accidents do happen they're extreme.
- One taxi talked about Afghan man who was hit with another car and landed on his. He took him to hospital. Nothing wrong with him but the Afghan guy made false report. The taxi driver got arrested and beaten to confess it was a hit-and-run. The Afghan guy came in bandage saying legaldoctor gave him 40 days off work. Taxi driver's friend remembered the doctor who came and testified nothing was wrong w/ the Afghan guy. Back to legaldoctor and they checked the Afghan guy and found nothing wrong and case got dismissed and instead of filing a counter suit the taxi driver beat the guy up on the way to get the file archived and paid 10k to the soldier accompanying them to not say anything.
- Dad insists to pay for my surgery. Something magical about fatherhood.
- Spent the rest of the day with mom and dad. Mom pulled out the old letters - thank God a small part of the diaries that were destroyed by my stupid cousin's family are back in form of letters I wrote home during those precious years.
22 Aug 2009 - Day 1 in Tehran
- Got home at 3 a.m.. Cooler blowing -- happy to be there -- relinking to the roots and short sweet painful musical loving exploring transforming memories of pre-revolution teenage years (I was a teenager for 3 years before I left Iran). Orderly Grandma's apartment. Her peace, wisdom, energy, and love is still there. Internet instantly connected at a good speed.
- Woke up with a inhale of toxins in the air - -like swallowing a gulp of poison that ended all sense of smell. Actually the air is relatively clean -- you can see the gigantic mountains on the north of the city. Had a dream of a rigged deal which is in the air.
- Had softest and sweetest grapes that can't be found to the west. On the way back from dentist the taxi driver was 26 and complained of heart palpitations which shake his shirt. He smokes heavily but not today since it is the first day of Ramezaan ("Ramadan" as it's known in English and I guess Arabic). We talked at length - about stress, smoking, drug interactions, exercize, diet, etc. -- he does not eat meat - he said "why is meat even part of the diet - it has so many harms". Told him about mind's tricks on itself to defer quitting smoking and some stories and encouraged him to stop smoking. Another taxi driver said he can't fast because he works 7 am to 1 am to support his family. His dream is to go to Lichtenstein and see some lords. He wants to be a lord. Told him happiness is important -- "to be a lord within". He said true that in rich countries they have everything and then they lose motivation as experience is limited...
- Fresh walnut seller howling as he walks in alleys to advertise. Cousin came for visit. Other guests come and go - such active social life. The big city has a buzz which reminds me of New York in some ways. No other city has the buzz of Tehran and New York.. Several taxi rides to dentist, oral surgeon etc. - bought lovely figs and fig-peaches and anbeh (Asian mango).
- Dad does "what would take others 6 months in 10 minutes". And I believe it and have seen it. Through moral ethical legal ways yet using the magic of love, good reputation, truth, etc.
- X said dad's generation will never get revived.. He is right. This was a special generation which this country will not see for a long time. He characterized it as: manners (adab), recognition of rights (ha-agh shenasi), knowing / study of people (mardom shenasi). He said it was a pity the rich culture and history doesn't have a chance to repeat itself.
- What a crazy day after 3 hours max sleep last night. Ophthalmologist's assistant said don't worry,everybody slept late last night since it was the first night of Ramadan. Went to get a tooth xray that the surgeon required. Forgot the letter - on the way back stopped by at another surgeon for a second opinion. She gave a different view - I think both are extremes in every way (e.g. one wants 50k one wants 300k - one takes 1/2 hour, one takes 2 hours. Confused, came to mom who call the surgeon she went to whom she liked a lot. He gave me a 6pm tomorrow -- mom insisted and I am on yet another taxi there.
- No time for a nap and got a message to be at Arsalon's at 7 pm with the guitar. Don't think it'll happen.
- Vali Asr, the biggest street in Tehran has become one way. Haven't been there but heard from a couple of drivers that it's a mess and made other streets a mess too. Another driver just said one way means going one way but now buses come the other way and the traffic is just as bad.
- Crossing Takhte-Tavoos street is risking death every single time.
- The wind is much welcome in Tehran. The air quality is generally much better than in winter time.
- It's lovely hearing all the expressions of affection that are embedded in everyday conversation. There are many - e.g. - may you live long (zendeh bashi), may you be healthy (salamat bashi), and many others.
- Mom's doctor was excellent. He knows the first surgeon whom he said is really good. It all depends on healing period etc etc. - but it looks like I have to come back for a followup - we'll see. Anyway, not much of a choice unless I want to spend megabucks in Switzerland. Anyway as dad specially gets older I'd rather pay the money to an airline and come see him than to an dentist in CH. So, surgery 9 am tomorrow - still have to get an xray tonight but it's open 24 hours and am off to Al's - but without the guitar. Knackered.
- Played guitar. S loves Tarrega. They complemented a lot and the vocals a lot. Since the many gigs we did and the preparations voice has improved a lot in the last months.
- Tajrish Bazaar is very exciting. People who live in these circumstances are constantly bombarded with sound and external movement. Bought a kettle from an old man I know -- his son is a surgeon in Switzerland. Bought a "faal" of walnuts (unit containing 10 fresh walnuts) -- heavenly -- ate them all. More nice figs.
- Met a man in the x-ray center. He was in a lot of pain. I felt sorry for him and asked him what's wrong. He admitted to having been at fault on her motor when a car hit him. His knee was destroyed and his ankle broken and tendons torn. He appreciated a bit of sympathy.
- People in this ultra-big city are too nervous, stressed, anxious. This is not really a vacation by any means. Can't wait to get finished with the gum surgery and bail out to the relaxing Caspian Coast.
- Cute Persian kittens roaming the streets.
- I prefer the life of small village Switzerland. Here everyone is running - running fast to find something only to run again.
- Finally found the singer for the famous Nathalie song: Gilbert Bécaud. Thanks for Joubin.
- Day ended with peace and love and kisses.
21 Aug 2009 - Swiss Utopia; Toxic Fish
- It's been so long since I've flown. After years of constantly flying around the last project has kept me out of airports for a change, which actually I enjoy. Airport life can be fun but it's stressful for the body.- You're reminded from time to time why in many aspects Switzerland is the envy of the world. Such a small and absolutely perfectly managed place. Of course it has its problems - which place doesn't? But the people are generally kind and simple in their approach and living is truly comfortable here. Switzerland's worst problem is that of dominance of thought in the psyche -- same problem much of the world faces but moreso in places like here and many Western and Northern places where love and emotion is not such a big part of the culture.
- Conductor accepted offer for a bio-gipfeli. She refunded the extra ticket Angel bought. Swiss trains call for guitar -- guitar+rail+nature -- such lovely combo.
- Airbus 340-600 "the longest aircraft on earth" - "nothing serious, it's from the air conditioning" he told the woman sitting under the leak.
- Did a lot of physiotherapy / exercize at FF airport. Paged through 3 papers.
- Sample of fish caught in 300 US streams show they all contained mercury!
- Started the meal course with a banana, later 2 bio-gipfelis, then nice mixed bio salad from Zurich healthshop. Airline food was pasta in plastic. Hard to get away from plastic. Everyone else seemed to have dead animals for dinner (lamb, chicken, turkey). Desert was bio corn bread with butter. Not much protein today so later had some bio mild Gruyer cheese. Lot of people on the flight, mostly gentle, cultured, peaceful, beautiful Iranians. Two empty seats away from a oversize guy who's double his weight. In America, you meet people who are multiples of their healthy weight.
- Tired as hell today because I slept late last night. Luckily unlike the last days work was a bit lighter than normal today. I feel sorry for the people who are coming from California. They must be knackered.
- Lovely seeing Mehrdad on the flight -- old friend from Orange County. It had been soooo long.
- Passport control officer had a name tag: Mehdi Turk. "What a nice name, are you turk?" - yes. he said with a smile. He had light eyes like many turks.
- First impression of Tehran's airport: smell of air pollution. Sweet, funny Azari(turkish) accent in the air. All incoming luggages have to go through x-ray but it was totally chaotic: zillions of luggages from two full flights going through one x-ray machine and one lady supposedly monitoring the x-ray screen from time to time and the rest of the time wondering what to make of the piled luggages at the other end. It seemed impossible to spot a bag if a search needed to be made.
- Shared a taxi with old friend Mehrdad. We were good friends in Orange County many years ago. He is one month younger, and like his father and forefather is a rug merchants from Tabriz which is where the best of Persian Carpets come from. We shared memories of the our lives in Iran -- we both left at the same time (when revolution started). He said Kharazmi (our school) had the highest English level of all high schools. Our teacher was actually English.
21 Aug 2009 - Drama
- On the radio morning talk show in California once the guy was talking about a grumpy wife and how you're driving, she is ready to open the door and throw herself out, and you have NO idea why. (Talk about good communication). I know someone who reminds me of that. Communication is golden. Often people who breed illusions in their head don't or can't communicate because the illusions extend the self, and if they communicate, the illusion may end but they rather keep it because the dissonance gives them continuity.- A: I have no hope that she will stay because she shows no enthusiasm, no interest... She's right. and no caring either - not communicating is a sign of carelessness. Everybody, even an enemy, deserves communication.
- Good to see Nati at the station. Had no plans to shop for food but the bad is now full of organic stuff.
- Saw Natalia after a long time at HB.
20 Aug 2009 - Meditation is Annihilation of Society's Content
- Society is constantly providing content to the being. Meditation, whether sitting quietly or walking, still or in motion, is the annihilation of that content so the mind canbe fresh and free and unburdened and uninfluenced.- Wasn't even asking for money -- the guitar case was closed - yet - a group of young Swiss people came and dropped all their coins on the guitar case. Swiss coins add up quickly. Something like 15 francs. Very nice of them and shows how much they love music.
- Reserved a room for 2 people and the intelligent software got me a room for 30 people!
- Such nice lady at Railway station - she checked me into a flight and took the luggage without a passport based on an electronic image and a promise and knowing one for many years. I didn't weigh the luggage before but she said it was exactly 20 kilos. I had to talk to the lady directly otherwise the junior clerk would have asked: can I check someone in with a copy of passport, and get a clear No answer and once a No comes it's harder to reverse it than to get a yes initially. Good feeling. Got boarding card and luggage checked in.
19 Aug 2009 - "Mission Unaccomplished"
- "Wave of explosions around Baghdad kills 95" Didn't Bush said Mission Accomplished? What an idiot he way. The world can thank Carl Rove for helping the worst president ever take office. Rove's an animal who knows how fear mongering and subjects like abortion and security works among the uneducated fanatic masses. He's a smart animal.19 Aug 2009 - Santana's Pick
- Saw it on video a few days ago.- "Santana's manager gave me one back in 1984. It's one of the large equalateral type triangle ones and is pretty thin, which surprised me."
- He uses a medium soft 0.03 triangle pick.
19 Aug 2009 - A Filenet (Not IBM) Reunion
"Thanks Michael and Suzanne for your work. I got a message that after being quite busy Audrey is now involved and is going to head the organization of the reunion. Of course she prefers to be known as the "Retired VP of Human Resources"!
Just spoke with her. She's going to check out the venue with Suzanne on Thursday. We'll then do a mass reach-out campaigne. I have 259 people on my Filenet mailing list. Suzanne also, and Audrey has plans for how to spread the word.
By the way, let's be very clear, this is NOT an IBM reunion, this is a Filenet reunion.
The turnout should be good. I still hope to make it but Oct 1 might be tough. Later would be better but let's see... "
18 Aug 2009 - Heaven on Earth; Power of Nothingness
- Fresh picked raspberries served from the garden. Meal from garden picked organic vegetables under masses of kiwis hanging on trees. Yellow butterflies cruising by. Flower in the pond that grew out of dirt like a person who flowered her way out of clinics and hands of stupid psychologists and psychiatrists who just drugged her, into the wonderful blossom of a happy life.- She said they don't know what to do with so many old people in old people clinics in CH so they just use a lot of drugs -- people are easier managed if they're drugged. And she said Swiss prisons are like five star hotels -- in the mountains -- tennis court, swimming pool,hikes, ski touring...
- Dad still knows Paris quite well.
- Life's boring sometimes for people who don't have inner richness, so they get stimulated by poking at other people.
- When the otherness is there, when God is there, when the mind is empty of things, things that push out out, when the eyes are turned to eternity, then one doesn't need to be like the rest of the people by the lake getting pleasure from wine, smoke, and eating dead animals. Ultimate joy is right there in the air, in being nothing.
18 Aug 2009 - Early Sleep is Bliss
- Dream of mountains. And Gisele - there was love for her - she was older than reality - kind of like grandma - yet she is young at heart - and a kid in some ways - being so attached to the gathering - etc. - but no ideas where there - we just met - and in that spontaneity of meeting - like we have a thousand times - there was love & joy. Things of the mind push out love. My brain has been empty - I hope she's not carried things and images that stop love - but if so, it doesn't matter because there is love here for old friends despite. In another scene was meeting Javier - in the instance there was also love - there was a detection of his desire to put one on trial (for not putting up with his BS) and have one ganged up on - but spontaneity melted that thought form that I detected arising from him and there was love. And last scene, Friedrich was there. And so on.- Last night slept very early -- at 21:15 -- until 8 a.m. minus some time of not being able to sleep because of the early hour and a couple of short wakeups. I love it. It's a dream come true. Sleeping early is one of the keys to happiness. 9:15 is an exaggeration but even 10 or even 11 is better than what I've been doing. A step in the right direction which I knew it'd be coming as one strives to simplify the equation of life.
17 Aug 2009 - Drummer Drama
- Drummer playing Drama is no fun. There is love so there is patience.- MT made me realize I'm a year younger than I thought :)
16 Aug 2009 - Beatles Forever
- "the Beatles remain the most popular band... In a generation gap survey by the Pew Research Center, the Fab Four came up tops ... who were asked their opinions on 20 popular musical acts, past and present."- Met a 19 year old who knew lots of Beatles lyrics / played piano.
- Practice was short and very strange. Good talks. I have a grand idea if Rosa quits: A&I can play drums with 4 pedals :) she can do cymbals with 2 feel going ssssssss, I can do bass drum with one foot and snare with other. We have no tum tums so we can have a button that turns her cymbal pedals into tums :)
- She said her problem was solved since she wrote about it. Such is power of self-therapy/emptying/writing.
- She got mugged. Tehran has become such an increasingly dangerous place.
- Dr. Streit is here at 11 pm cranking the radio. Must be some religious program. She is sooooooo loud at such off hours. 5:15 a.m. she starts to rock.
- Dini CigerettE Shtink-khet --- your cigarette stinks
15 Aug 2009 - Parents as Friends
- Advised a friend to explore a new relationship with parents. After a certain age the relationship with parents can change from a superior/inferior where parents make ultimate decision for children to one of friends – equals. It’s good to give this a chance instead of operating based on past unpleasantness. In that equality, when one can also assert how one sees the world, what seems right, what one wants to do, etc., it also changes and effects the parents in some way in finding a good way of relating as friends. Then traveling together can be fun. It takes awareness not to fall in old grooves and habits of being, relating, image making, etc.15 Aug 2009 - Decadent Society
- There are always a group of druggie drunks by the train station. Some of them - or maybe all - are junkies in character and life style. One guy came tonight with tattoos up to his ears -- was such an asshole. We just packed and left instead of confronting him. The sad part is when these losers come they want to hear music but their approach is so vulgar that it stops everything.The bus stank like a bar full of smokers but mostly drunks. Such a decadent society -- the pressures of becoming backfires on weekend nights in the form of getting drunk, trying to find release, find happiness in the bottle -- so stupid, un-angelic, and destructive. And not even mention the cigarettes which are everywhere. I come home and because the windows are open the place smells like cigarettes from neighbors. Time to pack and go far far away.
15 Aug 2009 - news
- UBS Client to Admit Failure to Report Swiss Account to IRShttp://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aXrlMpdDXYGs
The case is U.S. v. John McCarthy, 09-00784, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles).
- Drug violence has claimed more than 11,000 lives in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon took office in late 2006 and launched a major offensive against cartels, filling prisons with thousands of drug suspects.
14 Aug 2009 - Filenet Connection
- Nowadays it's IBM but we still know it as FileNet. Dave created the word Workflo (later, it became part of the language: Workflow). Linda Wallace, an old colleague for whom I did an MBA project while I was working at Filenet has the following on her site: "Managed a pivotal group of select, software engineers to create the first imaging and workflow software solution for the software industry in a leading-edge, funded start-up company that had a successful IPO in 1985." She joined Filenet in 1983 !"Managed a pivotal group of select, software engineers to create the first imaging and workflow software solution for the software industry in a leading-edge, funded start-up company that had a successful IPO in 1985.
"
That's history. David Seigle invented workflow "Workflo" back then and Linda already managed a workflow project. I did my first workflow project in the late 80's (88 maybe) on Filenet's proprietary platform. Then open systems kicked in and Filenet did a great job of adjusting with the times. Ted Smith was a great CEO.
13 Aug 2009 - Mobs & Their Fox News -- Fanaticism as number one human problem.
- "A former health insurance executive just went on record saying that right-wing mobs at town halls are the result of "stealth efforts by health insurance companies.". And The Huffington Post reports that dirty energy companies are helping bankroll the mobs."- It was very entertaining watching these townhall meetings specially in "Red" states (Bush Country). There were some genuine questions, and there were also many who were obviously fanatic and got their info from Rush Limbaugh etc., and worst of all, Fox News. Insurance companies must love this. It's so easy to play out the less educated fanatic layer of society against health care reform where people will win but insurance companies will lose. But since Obama is heading this movement -- something that I think every president including Republicans promised to do (I remember Bush talking about it before he was elected) but never did it -- since it's now Obama who's actually going to do something, the fanatic Bush supporters are opposing this not knowing their opposition just benefits large insurance companies. But they oppose it out of ideology.
- In Hillsboro, Missouri, for example. The lady Senator handled it so well. Many of the anti-healthcare bill Republicans don't like Federal healthcare but like Medicare and veteran's healthcare (both of which are Federal).
- In
- I bet the mobs also believe Iraq had WMD and Saddam was linked to A.Q, two notions which are proven false by Congress's own investigation yet the fanatics can believe whatever they want as long as it's opposed to an image they have of those they can blame for their misery. Fanaticism is fanaticism, in East or in West, and it's the number one problem we face as humanity.
13 Aug 2009 - Les Paul Died at age 94
- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090813/ap_on_en_mu/us_obit_les_paulI had a Gibson Les Paul when I was 16, a new, shiny black Les Paul Pro. Nobody in the high school had an instrument like that. I got that as a gift from a very dear friend. It was heavy as hell though but had a sweet and powerful sound.
"the guitarist and inventor ... changed the course of music with the electric guitar and multitrack recording and had a string of hits, many with wife Mary Ford...
12 Aug 2009
- Some idiot drunk showed up at the show and got too close for comfort.- Singing harmonies is so much fun.
11 Aug 2009 - Biotta
- Friend did the Biotta wellness week and hated it.- As a side note, be careful, some Biotta juices have added sugar and some of their juices is way overpriced (e.g. tomato -- you can get organic tomato juice for 1/2 the price).
11 Aug 2009 - Postfinance
- Had a clueless guy on the phone the other day. I asked to talk to a manager but he refused. I had his name. Unfortunately in this climate of terrible customer service I had to write to the CEO but before sending the letter gave it another try. Finally got a manager on the call and he told me what the first guy had told me was wrong. "We realize people should read this but many don't and we have to do a better job of informing them. Other customers complained about this issue as well." Aha! In the eyes of the first guy, I was at fault. He talked to the first guy said we will give you a refund and assure you it won’t happen again. That's better.[next day got a call - they refunded one fee - and offered to go 1/2 way on the other fee but since based on their own argument the other fee should not have been charged either (them saying many customers don't know the fee exists and we're doing things to improve it so customer is better informed), I said, no. They agreed to full refund. ]
10 Aug 2009 - Sugar Mafia
- Sugar is cheap and addictive. Two characteristics that makes it very attractive to be in foods. The cheese patties with cauliflower inside had sugar also. Everything seems to have added sugar unless you read the package! They must have used a lot of sugar as its ugly after-taste has remained hours later despite bruch and floss.- Lots of drama yesterday, which I guess is part of having young friends. But it had a happy ending. Dialog will continue. The current educational system can be so tough and so destruvtive to the student's psyche that upon graduation condolences may be more warranted than congratulations. In fact, the congratulations was for finishing with that hell. University is a lot better, and I still believe the American higher education system is the best in the world. There are many great universities in other places as well, including Tehran which has one of the world's best universities.
- I wrote to the CEO of Migros and then received a call and letter of apology that they were wrong in how they handled the situation. the sad part is, why did it have to get to that point? And I know the answer. I can write a book about what constitutes good customer service and why in many cultures, that is such a foreign idea? The District manager apparently notified store. Today, my friend went to return something and she was surprised how well they treated her. She was convinced it was because of my letter.
- She said, don't have kids. She had drama over the weekend as well with her grown-up kids. she read in the paper that the number of 18 to 30 year olds taking antidepressants has skyrocketed.
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09 Aug 2009 -
- Grandpa used to clean the room before sleeping - pick up the small pieces from the carpet... I do the same. My room includes the computer Desktop. Not every night. And to organize it by priority. Now one thing is top priority and only item on center of desktop. The desktop is an extension of the mind.- I support universal healthcare but I think Obama should have waited a year until the country which was sick by Bush's stupid presidency recovered first. He's trying to do too much in too short of a time.
- Even Iraq has gone no-smoking in Public places and most of Switzerland is still living in pre-historic times of allowing smokers to violate other people's rights to clean breath.
- Wrote this last Monday, the day a friend started her new job. http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/tip_new_job.html
- Some Republican leaders are criticizing Obama for spending so much money. Huckabee called it "stop the spending orgie". What they tend to forget is the spending orgie of Bush. At least Obama is spending it internally to boost the economy. Bush's miserable gang spent it, I mean, wasted it, on a useless war based on lies (where are the WMD's?).
- She might have swine-flu, poor girl - she worked in a tourist hotel.
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08 Aug 2009 - Notes from past
Her brother ran 42 km up the mountain in a race.
I love the sound of the Ferrari.
He said emotions was treated as a virus. It was promoted that you have to think, and very little with your heart. He said we live in the best place in the world but we have no time to tell our kids that I love you and to spend time with them, so we buy them gifts. And the children get rewarded with computer games and they don't need any more rewards in their school. They’re not thirsty.
Actually that's a bit of problem I have with x -- no thirst, no enthusiasm. But I accept her for what she is. She's quiet and low-key… so be it.
rain washes away a depression that didn't come due to the minds demand and power over body.
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08 Aug 2009 - Won against HTML
- I absolutely hate HTML. What a nonsense. The editors put so much garbage in the code and not using an editor is out of the question since it's a dog of a language and this comes from a guy who can "speak" 12 different computer languages. Finally managed to tame the code of this file and strip it off all the shit html put in there.- 4 pm, guy in grocery line was stinking of alcohol. "At least he hasn't killed himself yet". She got the joke?
- Met Nadine and Julia - 2 good songs. Flight attendants. Her mices are ill and had to be given antibiotics !!
- The drug store at Baden station is way overpriced. The same juice that's 4.70 in a healthshop is 5.20 there. 10% is a lot. We got the bath oil that was 17 something there for 15 something 2 doors down.
- Another rainy day in middle of summer in Switzerland. At least we had one summer day.
- 5:45 Saturday the misery of these church bells starts. If this is not imposition what is? There are about 5 extremely loud bells one after another imposing themselves on the community. Where are my ear plugs? The flippin bells rang for 15 full minutes till 6 pm. What is religous about this imposition except to push the idea to the world that "we exist".
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07 Aug 2009 - True Dream
- Dreamed of aunt. It was unusual dream so I knew something was up. Called her. She said she heard record of guitar and tears came as she missed me. How to explain this? Morphic connection b/c she spent time w/ me as kid? or sensitivity and picking up the energy? or both? "This is how energy transmits. I missed you this morning. He played a 33 (rpm) record. First song was a guitar song you play. delam havato kard. Two tears came. I miss reza… and immediately you call."
- Played by the river -- pity as flipping smokers are everywhere. I was full of power and dream - to play by the river on a finally nice summer night - but the flippin smokers were everywhere. Even upstirs in the main circle. You just can't get away from smokers in this tiny country. They've infilterated the place and Big Tobacco loves it.
- Met 3 girls - all beautiful - 18 or so - they were boxers!! Is there anything beautiful in boxing, I asked. They could not answer. No, they said, but that the trainig is good.
- Met 2 girls who have a band - she wanted to play my 10,000 Fc gutiar but she didn't wash her hands well (just soaked them in the pool to satisfy my requirement but didn't work). I liked their energy and music.
- She lost her dad who killed himself when she was 6. He was schisophernic.
- Met 3 other girls who gave me a list of their favorite music -- all minimalist genre. I always hear about new categories of music.
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06 Aug 2009 - Quietness Is The Root Of Fearlessness
- She said if you're quiet people think there's something wrong. Society, specially in the West, often does not realize the virtue of quietness. You're supposed to be talkative.
She said maybe she should drink alcohol to be more talkative. Why? Many people use alcohol to help them drop their inhibitions - but at a cost - and it's temporary. Why not understand fears and inhibitions in a sober state? Why not be like a child who is not driven by fear? This does not mean one is not quiet. A fearless person can also be quiet. In fact, inner quietness is the root of fearlessness. It isa fearful person who makes a lot of noise.
- Better late than never: Law360, New York (August 05, 2009) -- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday announced the settlement of its first two enforcement actions targeting naked short-selling, just weeks after the commission made permanent a rule barring the practice.
- The poor flowers are sitting in the same water in the plastic foil since Monday. Told her, you may want to cut them a bit, change the water and take away the plastic as they may enjoy some fresh air -- how would you like to be in a plastic for 5 days? She laughed as her "2-rial" coin fell (do-zarish-oftad) (expression meaning the coin fell in and enabled the public phone).
- The guy said a new plague like disease in China kills people in 24 hours... "that's worse than Planview :)" That's the wittiest thing you've ever said :) -- I was looking at a Planview email as he was talking.
- A guy walked in the train with a big puff of cigarette and exhaled it in the train. He took 2 deep inhales of poisonous air before entering the train with total lack of consideration for other people. I told him this train is non smoking and he should exhale before coming in the train but he lied and said he didn't exhale smoke in the train. I saw him do it so he was also a liar as well as an inconsiderate person. Other people objected to him too after I said something to him. I don't think he will do it again.
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05 Aug 2009 -
-
Played guitar for the full moon at the park. It was therapeutic for the hands and the being. - I want to give her time to see how she unfolds now that school is over. To see the level of initiative and learning.
- We are lucky to have someone who really understands marketing (has a Master's in it and a natural sense for it). The product placement is clear as day and the promotion will follow but I first want to be clear about the ingredients. We don't want to promote something that is half way.
- She thought she couldn't play a certain thing. We worked together and she could play it. All I did was to slow it down and give it a level of attention that she could have given herself but part of being an effective teacher is to teach the student how to teach themselves.
- Good old MBO would apply nicely.
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04 Aug 2009 -
- "Milton Babbitt - Sheer Pluck for solo guitar" -- what a nonsense.
- The day flew by with one conference call after another.
- my nick name is paperless : Reza Paperless ;)
- Made appointment with another osteopath in Zurich. Unlike Johnny Kessler who charged me 170 Fcs, this guy is 140 which is more reasonable. Kessler's assistant told me 2 times that it was 150, still, I got charged 170 (160 something plus tax which is still more than the quoted 150). And when I asked why, his reaction was a typical European old-mind lousy service-provider attitude of service-receiver being at fault. It seemed that his success had got into his head and just wanted to raise his prices on the fly and not expect any resistance. He's free to do that but when a customer is quoted a certain price, the service provider should at least not pretend it's the customer's fault :)
- "I Dream Of Jeanie" has a very nice theme song.
- A dream job nobody would even dream of dreaming of. [logged]
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03 Aug 2009 -
- This is the anti-thesis of 8 years of Bush cowboy diplomacy: "North
Korea Pardons U.S. Journalists After Bill Clinton Visit". Another proof
how Bush's stupidity ruined the world. If he was diplomatic the world
would have been a much better place. Stupid idiot Bush and the fanatics
who still like him!- Lotus Notes has to be the biggest piece of junk software ever written. It has so many bugs or lousy design features.
- Was tempted to consider going to the Krishnamurti Gathering in Murren but it's too long of a trip for a weekend and only reason I'd go is to meet new people and see some old friends but also I don't look forward to the torture by psychological monsters.
- Guitar after a long day's work is very rewarding and it's proven to keep hands healthy.
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02 Aug 2009 -
- Really looked for a Swiss German song to play with the band but so far have not found any. - The generation doesn't matter the sound doesn't matter as long as it's a strong melody. [logged]
- Helped friend figure out drum parts.
- "Each day goes by so fast... you turn around it's past... "
- Playing classical guitar was so wonderful. The band is also sounding good - - long way to go still but it's motivating, specially seeing how well Angie plays these great bass lines. Rosa is also very talented.
- Another miserably cold day. August 2 for God's sake. Oh how I miss a warm climate.
- Wondergirl used to run barefoot and beat all the kids in running -- they taught her how to run with shoes at age 16.
- They don’t have good old fashioned kettles you can buy here. They are all electric. After explaining she said, ah! The grandma kind.
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01 Aug 2009 -
-
I don't like Aug 1 because of fireworks which are so loud for my ears
and so polluting. The night was hell. The air full of smoke and
explosions. What a misery. Poor trees, plants, and animals. Until past
1 a.m. there were fireworks. - Richard Quest has a terrible, harsh voice. It's a pain listening to him. He should quit smoking or take voice lessons or somehow stop doing whatever wrong he's doing that's straining his voice. A good voice is a basic requirement for a reporter. He's on again and it's pain. I can't stand his voice.
- Nice to get bug catcher for friend from FG who generously gifted it. Wrote nice email.
- Added: Brockwood_A_Unique_School
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31 July 2009 -
-
Hectic work these days. We have to transform a mixed OS solution
to a single OS solution in a matter of days. - Only ate a cup of raspberries from morning till 5 pm.
- Some guitar at night. Wrote.
- Sign of a society where there's a high degree of isolation and suicide, parents taught her not to call anyone after 8 pm. There's life after 8 pm.
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30 July 2009 -
-
Spinach pie from Zurich HB health shop for breakfast was lovely.- He sms'd her a month later that he couldn't find his phone for a month. He probably didn't bother looking for it given how relaxed he is. She may answer him a month later.
- Fond memory of sitting in groups with lots of relatives on peaceful friday holidays sitting on the floor in grandma's house when I was very little -- they did have furniture, couches, etc., but upstairs in the guest rooms -- these relatives were all "informal" so they sat in the every day living rooms -- it was fun - big circle on the floor. And later in the day one would yawn and another one and another one and it was so funny. Every week the relatives - mom's uncles aunts cousins would come to grandparent's house -- open door -- open house.
- Playing guitar outside was therapeutic.
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29 July 2009 -
-
Police friend said he'll send me the address of the woman who almost killed me by
totally ignoring the stop sign -- I will write her a friendly note.- She said rabbits and cats now can be only sold in pairs (of each) else they get depressed.
- Didn't eat anything all morning - then some dates - later a banana - later steam veggies, tempeh, soy sauce, etc. -- lovely.
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28 July 2009 -
- Everybody and their mother seems to be on holiday. Migro's in rush hour is not busy. Mary has beautiful light blue eyes.- Plummer charges 107 per hour. Accountant 150.
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27 July 2009 - Zurich HB
-
Zurich has a charming train station (the main station is called HB
(Haupt Bahnhof) but it has a disgusting air of a bar because there are
so many smokers and people who just hang out around the meeting point,
the place is filthy with cigarette smoke.- Physiotherapy was good.
- Getting your call transferred to India for customer service is often like pulling teeth. The woman in Mumbai said only USAirways is the partner for United!!! Had to call back -- of course she was wrong but just wasted my time.
- A big win for us (let's hope it's not lip service): SEC Takes Steps to Curtail Abusive Short Sales and Increase Market Transparency.
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26 July 2009 -
-
Two
warm glasses of water or liver tea - wait - then oliveoil+fresh lemon
juice - wait - then melon - wait - then having rice/grain/lentil mix
soaked for 2 days then cooked - and steamed brocolli and tomato and
yogurt. Dinner is salad + artichoke + tempeh or an egg. All organic.- Big meeting with RG.
- It was so sweet of Tara to say: Dayee ZEZE , come take us to zoo. "Zeze Zoo"...
- He went through a divorce and a heart-attack and surgery and then quit smoking -- he feels great now.
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25 July 2009 -
-
Swiss culture is not caught up with the changes that are occurring to
Swiss big businesses in face of global competition. The businesses,
facing growing challenge are being forced not only to adopt their
customer service policies (a foreign concept in a supplier-is-king
culture), but also to try to maximize profits by pushing the line and
almost abusing the Swiss people's good natured simplicity. The culture
historically is based on honesty: when you get a bill, you pay it. When
you buy a product you don't return it, etc.. We have seen, however,
numerous cases of ways where these attitudes would hurt the customer if
the bill is paid unchecked, if the product is kept despite being
defective.- Y.A. called -- he was very thankful at the tip I agave him regarding the phone company charging practices.
- Sent a long over-due letter to "Y" to get off his high horse and walk with the lowly: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/letter_to_Y.html
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24 July 2009 - More on Murren Krishnamurti Gathering Article
- I wrote to the organizer a couple of times a while ago but received
no feedback -- not that I was expecting any feedback but I had made
some remarks about how a
replay of the 2007 illusions
would be a real shame. I also stated clearly that while email may be
prone to misunderstandings, I have only good feelings for her and those who gossip. I
have no hard feelings for them. I send them no negative energy and I
wish them well. To wish ill on another is to wish ill on oneself, but
that is not the reason I wish them well. I wish them well for no
reason. Love has no reason. Anyway, I ended up summarizing what was on my mind in this: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/on_work_around_k_etc-june2009.html#updates- After days of rain, the morning air is glorious.
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23 July 2009 - Swiss
-
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/on_work_around_k_etc-june2009.htmlEverything is provided at the material level -- every form of basic comfort for all people who live here -- perfect socialism -- even low income families get cheap, government sponsored vacations! But psychologically is very tough -- there are a lot of people with deep stresses and deep psychological disturbances -- the mental hospitals are full of people, some of whom would never be in an institution in other countries. I heard if you fail your driving test 3 times you have to see a psychiatrist. Suicide rate is high. The open cinemas in my town this summer have one after another depressive movie. I've known or have seen several depressive theaters where it's about mental imbalance. It all comes from emotional poverty. A Swiss artist calls it "an emotional ghetto despite perfection of tram schedules. Love & emotions are wiped out at the cost of thought - thought rules this society -- every little aspect of life is planned, even death in some cases. Outward certainty, security, has crept into the mind and the price of that search is the killing of emotions and love which are spontaneous. Instead people are quickly drugged and put away or they take their own life. Great cheese though, and great simple people who love arts and I love them.
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23 July 2009 - Drum Machine? Never!
-
He said maybe we can get a drum machine. I said, forget it. You will never see that day.- He signed up for Tweeter and immediately people he didn't know were following him :)
we don't get it.
- "FBI agents lead arrested suspects from their headquarters as part of a corruption investigation in Newark, N.J. The mayors of three New Jersey cities, two state legislators and several rabbis were among more than 40 people arrested Thursday in a sweeping corruption investigation that began as a probe into an international money laundering ring that trafficked in goods as diverse as human organs and fake designer handbags.
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23 July 2009 - Migro's Apology
-
I have no issue with worms but with people there who were absolutely
clueless about customer service. If I deserved a refund why was I given
such a hard time. If I didn't, why was a refund given? Why did I have
to escalate it to the CEO to get them to admit they're clueless?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 July 2009 - A Day In The Life
-
Finally a nice humid warm morning that takes you back to the
gorgousness of Caspian coast where we spent many summer as kids.
The morning air is filled with love, renewal, joy, calmness, and people
around are totally spoiling it for themselves by chasing away the
otherness as they chase after joy in drugs and toxic substances
(cigarette, coffee). - Late morning train so shops were open - organic frozen raspberries, organic mixed dark salad, 2 organic gipfelis, organic cheese (lowest weight piece, on sale) (it was sweet). Some Swiss cheese is the best ever in the world -- sweet like mango.
- At work had to call for timeout a couple of times in meeting with technical folks as they got into round-robin discussions. That's why facilitators and project managers exist -- to pull techies out of the depths of thought into a level where a solution can be found based on the wider context of the problem. As an ex-architect I proposed waiting for the infrastructure architect to return and as an ex-programmer I suggested not to try to find a workaround to the unstable mount by changing the application code. The application architect agreed with both points.
- It is so hypocritical for any meat-eater to call a flykiller "absolutely unethical" like the article in paper called it.
- A sunny day turned into very heavy rain while still sunny.
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23 July 2009 - Childhood Summers by Caspian Sea
-
Flower smells took one right back to days and night of innocence.- Still loving Benz trucks. Saw a beautiful 1848.
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23 July 2009 - Band's Image
-
Image is icing on the cake, The cake is the music. Icing sometimes
makes a lot of difference. (of course we're talking a sugar-free
organic cake :)- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, still clinging to office after admitting to an extramarital affair, wrote in an opinion piece released Sunday that God will change him so he can emerge from the scandal a more humble and effective leader.
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22 July 2009 - Village People
-
Dinner at small village. The garden is full of variety of vegs & fruits - a marvel. - Humor is an act of creativity. We only wanted one spoon of the low sugar cherry cake so got the biggest spoon from the drawer. If police comes she just says I'm from that small village......worst case cries..... (just joking) but Saturday the musicians are not bothered. 'Does the camera do anything else than video and picture? - ya, it makes pizza ...
- They had a conference call from up to down the stairs.
- Wrote hot letter for friend to agency to get their deposit back -- based only on truth and justice.
- Breath and ask yourself is it possible for my hands not to do anything when it's not necessary for them (she was nervous).
- Helped U select and buy camcorder
- Lot of crazy people in this area, she said -- the woman who worked at the gas station and her husband killed themselves - others did too - suicide is common in Switzerland - so much natural beauty and so much unhappiness.
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21 July 2009 - Little Child
-
A little 2 year old shopping with her mom. We waved smiled and there
was such a connection that only her and I knew the depth of and we both
showed it in our deep smiles. Our eyes could see the uncorrupted child
inside the other person.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 July 2009 - A Unique Planet
-
It seems so clear. This planet is so unique. Apple trees and flowers of
many smells and color. It IS heaven. And conflict is ruining it. Root
of conflict is misuse. Misuse of body and thought. Poisoning the body
with fear-causing food (meat) and other toxins, and applying thought to
where it doesn't belong, therefore creating conflict because thought is
limited and therefore divisive, and division brings conflict. - I like to move to a place that has big skies. Maybe even in Switzerland that has small skies, and small horizons, a place like that can be found.
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19 July 2009 - Swiss Summer Iceberg
-
So sick of Swiss weather. I was rejoicing the warmth that only lasted a
day it seems. Last night was cold (11 degrees) on July 18. God!!- In Davos, 1200 meter, it snowed.
- Very productive day. We made hummus with 2-days soaked garbanzo beans, boiled, de-foamed, rinsed, mashed, sesame, etc., 100% organic, big salad, rice, lentils from before, pressure cooker explosion :) , laundry, cleaning, vacuum, etc., figured out the bass line to Genesis' Carpet Crawlers (hot) and other songs -- we'll keep T&S in C (best I've ever sang it in C), cleaning floor reminded of childhood -- I enjoyed cleaning floors of big house -- grandma's motivation -- always liked cleansing.
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19 July 2009 - Not "I"
-
Careful when you say I can heal myself. I understand what you mean and
you don't mean it in an egotistic way but there is a lot of momentum
and habit around thinking "I" can heal. The healing energy is not
personal. It can flow through a person.- There are a ton of books and ideas around self-glorification and power of "me" and "I". Things like the popular movie "The Law of Attraction". Of course if you think negative thoughts you attract negativity but people take it way too far and nonsense like, repeating in their thought again and again "a big house" in order to get it !
That's simply naive and only serves to make authors of books and movies that promote such ideas rich.
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19 July 2009 - The Lennon Connection
Strong
dream of John Lennon. I am not superstitious but there are a lot of
supernatural forces in play that ordinary eyes can't see but when
chattering thought gives way to deeper perception abilities it becomes
evident beyond a mere feeling that there's more to it than meets the
eyes. As K puts it "deeper layers of cause and effect". Anyway, something very strange happened after John's death. We have a connection. It proves itself in the music.
There are lots of bands and there are lots of musicians. Right here in our surrounding villages there are a gazillion bands. Probably none of them will ever make it big, and I don't mean big in terms of world class but even regionally. And even more, are the number of musicians. Most play for themselves which is good as art is therapeutic, and a few play for others, alone or in groups, ensembles, duos, trios, quartets, or rock or jazz bands. This country is full of classical musicians. And Jazz is also big. There are a lot of musicians here but not a lot of great one as the culture was stripped off emotions a long time ago in favor of rationality, perfect watches and perfect timetables -- these are no my words but . It's just regaining it, very slowly, and people from other cultures are helping it a lot. There is a thirst for warmer cultures, warmer events, southern music and southern dances, but it doesn't always work. This is all beside the point.
Most of these bands don't make it because if they write original all their songs sound alike, or they try to satisfy some youth rage and be cool and make a lot of noise in the process, or even if they are cover bands, there are several cover bands around, they're missing the spirit which is required for greatness. Even if you play all the best songs ever written, you can still be a very ordinary band if the spirit is missing and I've seen a ton of cover bands here with exactly that problem.
Yes, Lennon, he was performing. He was not there yet. A very clean drum set was in the background and we were ready.
If the spirit there it is to be cherished. And togetherness is never to be taken for granted.
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18 July 2009 - Posted on Angelo Gilardino's Blog
Dear AngeloGreat pleasure to read your account of the journey. I was very curious but up to now, bogged in life's demands, was not able to catch up with your journal.
Glad you had a nice time. Ithaca is indeed beautiful. I don't know if you had a chance to visit the lakes, the water falls and the gorges.
Ithaca's weather, almost 30 years ago when I lived there, was a lot more gray and cold. Climate change has made it more tame, but cloudy and rainy days are a staple, and what makes such greenery possible.
Congratulations on your Artistic Achievement Award addition to Hall of Fame.
Listening to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. The summer weather in Switzerland feels like autumn. Starting to see light at end of tunnel that I will be back to where I was five years ago -- in terms of freedom and space for creativity -- prior to the attacks carried on my the handful of classical guitarists, and the complications it caused. A few more steps and I'm there.
Hope you're well and healthy.
Reza
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17 July 2009 - TIPS FOR EATING HEALTHY & MEAT-FREE
- Wrote: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/ESSENTIAL_DIET.html- Told friend: you had a breakthrough (complete psychological change). She: A Rezathrough.
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16 July 2009 - 1980's, a terrible era for pop music.
- Listening to a selection of best of 80's. So much bad music was produced in that decade. Lots of ugly drum machines, octave bass, and cheap sounding synths.
- Wrote to the SEC about entities who manipulate Beacon Power: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/SEC_Investigate_Manipulators.html
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15 July 2009 - Blessings
-
Talked with Mary Cadogan. She just came back from University of
Lancaster where she received an honorary doctorate (D.Lit (Doctor of
Lessons)) for her work on Children Literature and her work for KFT.
So lovely talking with her. She is so energetic and so clear. So lovely to hear from you..... Bless You. Those two last words were so powerful and shook one up like a thunder love and blessings...
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15 July 2009 - Help!
-
She wrote: " i'm lost for words, that you put so much effort in helping
others. of course, you explained to me that you are interested in
psychology. but still... have a wonderful day, i am really looking
forward to meeting you."- Met her today -- long talk about her problem, bulimia, challenge and nature of change, role of body/health, etc etc etc etc
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14 July 2009 - Dad, a Happy Man
-
He referred to sixty of Dad's students and said dad has the highest
morale of them all, that his morality, ethics, correctness, is
exceptional. The most powerful of his friends got corrupted but he did
not. He could have been a billionaire but he preferred to be correct,
not to steal, not to accept bribes, and to help people and fight for
the cause of the good, the right, the correct, the fair, the just. As a result he stayed a happy man.- Sound of Music. Liesl (Charmian Carr) was 21 (acting as 16), Maria (Julie Andrews) was 28. I was in love with Liesl when I was a kid.
- Charmian Carr worked for Michael Jackson for many years as his interior designer. Interesting fact: he liked to sleep on the floor with just his pillow and blanket.
- Lunch with Dr. K. He's 20 years older. I still enjoy dealing with people with a big age contrast - up or down.
- It's so cheap to let the breasts hang out. Societies in which the breasts are totally out the mystery is taken out. In others, the part-showing creates sense of teasing and therefore part-showing is more provocative than full showing. It's aggressive, vulgar, cheap, on some people. A woman may not see it herself as the boobs start acting out in movement.
- She stands naked in her room with no curtains even when there are others watching. Talk about naive! Binoculars!
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13 July 2009 - Some News
-
"Astronomers on Wednesday said they had found the farthest supernova
ever detected, a giant star that ripped apart around 11 billion years
ago."- "North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, 67, has life-threatening pancreatic cancer."
- "Two senators including the head of the intelligence committee suggested Sunday that the prior administration broke the law by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress... The assertion that Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the concealment came amid word that Attorney General Eric Holder is contemplating opening a criminal probe of possible CIA torture."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 July 2009 - Ojai Connection
-
JW had been hiking alone (with dog only) for 6 days and hadn't talked to
anyone. He said you notice I'm more talkative than usual :) Great
friendly talk.- Good talk with UB. Proposed writing a article about the excellent dialogues / study he led.
- Good talk with MM. He: let me know if I can help you with your script????
- Good talk with EB.
- School doing well. things going well. regrouping. All to the good. We're all doing the best we can.
- KH was a perfect fit in my eyes for a long time.
- Two of the people I nominated as trustee became trustees.
- Suggested to Shadi to check with dad once before deciding. He might need one final push to say yes or no.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 July 2009 - Torture by Some Swiss German Dialects
-
I love this country and its people but some dialects of Swiss German
can be torturous -- on the train -- these three old women are all
talking at the same time with a loud volume. Pain!- Hip is better today thank God. Playing classical guitar sounds good. Love is here.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 July 2009 - Great Gig
-
Gig in Baden was great. One kid gave us money about 5 times. Many
people donated. The event was sooooooo cool. People of all ages
came appreciating the music. Several people gave us 5 franc coins which
means "we like you a lot!". We only played an hour and half because sun
came out and it was directly on us. As I sang the line "you with golden
hair", Andrea walked by and smiled with her golden hair. - After CPR class Rosa joined us to get the stuff out of Minerva to her house -- I drove : 3 people in the car with a full PA, monitor, full drum set, guitar, bass, chair, effects, etc.
- Found ticket for sister for France by Air Tahiti. Would love to go there.
- Sound of music -- what a timeless great movie. Still tears came in a couple of scenes, same as it did when I was 8 or so and watched it.
- Wrote an email to Gisele and copied Rita, Hanns-Peter, Rita, and Friedrich since I mentioned their names.
- She dumped her boyfriend. "I start a new life" (she shaved 1/2 of her hair). The hair has changed but the person is the same. The person can change too but it takes understanding.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 July 2009 - A Krishnamurti Gathering Management
[UPDATE: On July 12 I wrote an email about this issue, and on July 13 wrote an update ensuring love is not forgotten -- unacceptable tendencies in another doesn't mean love is not there]
- I really want to tell her something but I can't find the right words. She's an organizer of the K gathering somewhere in the world. I respect her but she's gone around soliciting gossip and fueled a lot of illusions which I guess keeps her customers entertained. I am kind of fed up with it. It's time to say something. For years I let it go but I already see it coming related to my recent article.
She's the big boss, the master, the speaker in every dialogue and every panel even if she's not a part of it, by the virtue of being the organizer -- and I have no problem with this except that innate will to power which she projects onto others. My impression based on certain concrete statements is that she finds importance in this organization -- organizing around K seems to be the calling of her life at this stage -- she works on it diligently for most of the year it seems, and she does very well at it except when it comes to a few subtle things. She is not a philosopher and her engagement, time and again, in gossip, is an evidence of this -- she has gone around soliciting opinions about others from others which is a perfect recipe for gossip and when an organizer does this, it sets the tone. These are not some illusory images, these are facts that can be backed by specific citing. But facts don't always matter in the circle of gossip.
Luckily there others in the group who are much more educated and open minded, scientific, philosophical. Like Hanns- Peter who's a retired physics professor. He wondered about some of the points in my latest article and took the time to write and asked questions and I explained how some of his assumptions were not what I had in mind. It works. But the gossip crowd don't communicate. Communication would be anti-thesis of gossip. It makes gossip disappear when you find out the fundamental argument in the gossip is flawed, then there is no more entertainment, no more occupation.
Image making is a big part of it. An image is made about someone and regardless of truth, it is maintained. That's the nature of images. For example, a guy can come around for whom listening has been a key to his very successful career -- he possibly could not have gotten where he has, managing over 100 million dollars of projects, without being a good listener, but the gossip chain is that he can't listen, and that claim is propagated and pushed onto others. A person can inject images onto others by the type of questions asked -- self-fulfilling prophecies. In this instance, an organizer is on record for going around asking others what they think of others -- what kind of response do you expect to get? That is a pretty lame question specially coming from an organizer. To organize around a man's work who was very wary of organizations is fine if it's done very carefully, but to go around soliciting gossip is not ok.
She's also very uncertain to stand alone. Over the years, on numerous occasions I've seen her soliciting others' opinions in order to form her own. Perhaps this is why she puts such a heavy reliance on a few and puts them on pedestals. It's about will to power again -- you empower others to give you power and think that power matters to everyone else -- but it doesn't. On occasion she's thought denying others on what she considers important roles would somehow bother them not knowing the measure of importance in another's mind may be completely different.
She criticizes judgments but at least some of those who express opinions and "judgments" -- (which is a no-no word in this circle but only the most thoughtful see that a judgment is not a bad thing, it is pre-judgment which is) -- are able to form their own opinions clearly which is much better than those who don't have that ability.
Sometimes criticisms of certain aspects of the gatherings are quickly taken personally by her and her immediate reaction is to try to discredit the person in whatever way, including a favorite one: gossip channel: telling others bad things about the person, injecting images, or prompting them in thinking bad things about the person. A person has made a number of comments which has concretely improved the way the gathering is run. She discards them, does not give them any credit, which is fine because the comments were not made to get credit for but it's interesting that giving such credit in her mind, appears to be a way of giving power which is contradictory to the image she apparently prefers to maintain.
She's not a bad person. She is lovely and has many qualities but her mind is too petty in this particular area of gossip. She ignores people but doesn't really ignore them -- she goes on gossiping. Talking behind people's backs is still directing energy towards a person.
So what I want to tell her now, is to give it a break. But she's not the only one. There are a couple of other regular ladies too who thrive for gossip. Year after year, come to a summer holiday, in the name of K, but still utterly confused, and need gossip as entertainment and stimulation. The problem I have with these folks is they don't talk to you, they talk behind you. I know this as a fact. The ones who care enough to talk don't fall for gossip -- they wonder about something, they ask, find out, see another's point of view, and move on to more important things.
She also worries so much about what people are thinking. Her role as an organizer should be down to practicalities not managing psychologies.
Last few years she's provided a new service to the participants: psudo-psychotherapeutic recommendations (see http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/on_work_around_k_etc-june2009.html )
A friend went to the 2007 gathering and was totally appalled by the level of gossip which had absolutely nothing to do with truth, speculating that another is jealous or that another person wants to get attention and power and and all this "network of thought" stuff which were illusions that had nothing to do with truth. Instead they could have wanted to find the truth or at least ride the wave of not knowing which is not nearly as fun as the certainty of gossip, however illusory.
I didn't care about the gossip of 2007. But I see it coming like a wave in 2009 because of the self-protective motives of an organizer and another regular who's also a gossip lover.
The articles I wrote had a clear section on intension. Problem is an organizer is not all that studious. In 2007 she had not even bothered reading my article and already judged it as wrong because I happened to talk about a man who helps her center financially and his people play key roles in this gathering -- for the last several years almost every panel and dialogue were comprised of this team (maybe this year it will change since the last article), and much weight is given to those nominated by this team, and of course he does a lot for the K foundations, and I said nothing bad about him -- but in her mind, as she put it, she wanted to protect him. Protect him against what? Against an article which had not read yet. That is petty. I am not being nasty to say these things. At least these are facts, and far different in quality than the kind of violence someone who gossips does. Many don't realize that backbiting is a form of gossip -- to say things behind people that you would not say in front of them. I have respect for those who express their views, out in the open, and do so either factually or as expressions of opinions.
The message is: Give it a break lady. If you don't agree with what someone says, don't try to organize others against the person. If you want to find something out, ask. Let the power of inquiry you speak about apply in interpersonal relationships as well as so called philosophical areas.
I am not a Christian but this is a good quote I just came across:
"Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow". -Proverbs 25:18
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 July 2009 -
-
Another case of camel dreaming of cotton seed. Dreamed of the destroyed
diaries – this time the box was found at Parand’s – Farid’s sister’s
house – a lovely lady and lovely family – haven’t seen them for ages –
but back then we were close. It was like, Gosh, that’s right, the
diaries were there, in her garage – they were locked and sealed and I
was incredibly thrilled happy joyful ecstatic to have found this
biggest lost part of my life. Only to wake up in disappointment that it
was only a dream. (logged in http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/lost_treaure.html)My beautiful little journals -- what a shame that they were destroyed by my cousin's family. How painful. This must be one of the most traumatic things in my life.
- Thunrderbird 2.0 has a bug that attachments can't be deleted and saved. Here's the workaround: "In the attachment area, unmark all attachments and right-click on an empty space". It works.
-Good article about Beacon: http://newenergyandfuel.com/
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
09 July 2009 -
-
Colleague from Istanbul said Azari is more clear and original form of
Turkish because of European influence on Turkish spoken in Turki.- What a idiot is this Fox news's "sean hannity". He interviewed a director of a movie about stoning and soon linked the subject to "liberals" and took a stab at O -- it has nothing to do with stoning but he had to link it because in his divisive hateful mind the opposite is the problem -- the 'liberals'. 8 years of Bush, a so called 'conservative' which was the most reckless president US has ever had wasn't enough to teach this airhead a lesson.
- Band practice was really excellent. We worked mostly on vocals. And also played and sang. Harmonies are cosmic.
- "Can I have a person not half machine operator stay on line"
- "Smelled" corn bread from a long way away and went in. Reformhaus had one.
.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
08 July 2009 - 52 degrees Fahrenheit, 11 degrees Centigrade in Switzerland on July 8
- So 9 months of winter is not an overstatement!____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
06 July 2009 -
-
Not clear if I should go to Tehran. At the prospect of postponing the
trip I feel better -- prospect of need for pole in tooth is highers
(thanks to Amir's message) and I don't have 2 weeks to spend there
given current level of work load, hot weather there, pollution, etc.
. Dad said there are unprecedented dust storms in Tehran. Some
flights are canceled and any have health issues. Work was intense and
heavy -- and prospect of handover itself was cumbersome (another reason
not to go) as the project needs attention. Was starving. Ate a little
at home. Called Dr. Balov -- going there now -- spontaneous decision
and she's open to it. I want another opinion if I can wait on the tooth
which is not bothering me at all... Happily left home with a carrot,
banana, and pear. I am also looking forward to playing with the band --
after a year of hard work we're now really sounding good and it's a lot
of fun to play.- Dr. Balov -- or "ba-love" (with love) -- said there's no danger -- can wait on the tooth. Not going to Tehran. Can stay with the Lindens in Switzerland, after all they're only here a couple of weeks or so per year and their rare visit should be cherished. Walking back saw a plum tree with delicious red plums and took some -- noone else would.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
05 July 2009 -
-
Good band practice -- it was powerful.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
04 July 2009 -
-
What I absolutely have no space for is drama. Certain things in life
I'd compromise, certain things not, and in the case of being in a band
with a a member who has a extreme punk tattoo head will simply not
work. - It was great to be out on Saturday -- so many little children like flowers brought so much joy simplicity and glory to the day.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
03 July 2009 -
-
She showed up with a tattoo on her head. What a pity -- how quickly
beauty gave way to rough edges -- or was that roughness always there
and is now just expressing itself? It's hard to believe. I know her to
be gentle inside. Quiet, simple, sensitive. But she associated a lot
before with people with hard edges -- drunks and druggies who hang out
in the street with their dog and black leathers - punky rough haircuts
- and all this has a different meaning in this society which is so very
affluent. In her mind, she did it -- as an article of beauty. I don't
think so. Course of action is clear purely for placement and
positioning purposes.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
02 July 2009 -
-
Anklin said we were not made to sit. What about monkeys? They sit to
eat bananas. He: but not for long. Short sits is ok. We sit for hours
in meetings, etc.- Last night long discussion about a friend's desire to tattoo her head which I strongly discouraged her to. There is too much historical association of tattoos with crime and I've met so many people who regretted having them. Prison gang members, porn stars also have tattoos but so do average people these days, but I don't like it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
01 July 2009 - There for me
This was a song from a long time ago that crept into my head - so I found it - "There For Me" by Italian disco duo La
Bionda, who originally recorded it - in English - in their 1978 album. It is so easy to regress.Played in Aarau in the evening. It was really good -- a milestone for us and a big success.
We learned to pack the car with reduced drum set and three of us ride it - it's like a puzzle, we're getting good at solving. They were quite happy. Loved the new mic (Shure Beta 87A) as I am really learning how to use it and singing through it was a lot of fun.
Very hectic day at work.
The Murren gossipers will continue their ways this year too -- but it's already explained and documented. I probably won't have time to go.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 June 2009 - Agency
-
The real-estate agency that manages the apartment came to check
friend's apartment after she moved out. They're picking on totally
normal wear-and-tear items. It's their job -- same people who lied
multiple times -- they try to get as much as they can -- here's a mark
of a couch on a 10 year old carpet and you have to pay for every
mark... They forget that they lied and their bargaining power is very
very little. We further got power by her remark to friend "don't write
to the headquarters". Because the last letter we sent exposed her lies
and got us what we wanted which was totally just and fair.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28 June 2009 - The Old World
-
There are so many beautiful aspects of the old world of the not too distance past that younger generation has no idea about. They used to sew their blankets -- not blankets but quilt (duvet "laahaaf") -- blankets were also sewn with a cover of soft sheet but one side of the blanket minus the frame was still showing. The quilt ("lahaf") were sewn differently -- on both sides. There was a profession of quilt sewers / one who'd come to "hit" the cotton to make it uncluttered "lahaf dooz" -- they would show up at random, walking the alleys yelling their beautiful penetrating chant of "aay laaf doozi" (hey, duvee quilt")(I sew quilts). They carried a large 1 stringed bow with them which made a nice sound as it "hit" the cotton or wool -- "an old rhyme dad used to sing to me as he held me and I made a sound with mouth with lips closed and he'd bounce his finger up and down my lips to make them sound funny to the rhythm of "ping ping panbeb, shangoole man zi-panbeh" or something to that effect. ping ping being the sound of the cotton hitter's one stringed instrument.
Charcoal was sold by a charcoal man who had a small shop full of charcoal. He always seemed blackened.
We had a yearly fun event of making tomato paste in the summer in the backyard for the whole year from fresh tomatoes.
And the list goes on -- things that these days don't happen that much if ever -- surely never in the West.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 June 2009 - Curry Disaster
-
He washed 15 white shirts together and a curry pack was in the
bag by mistake. All shirts came out yellow and subsequent washes
too. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 June 2009 - Friendliest people in Iran
-
He gave a presentation about his travels throughout the Middle East. He
said this place people were friendly, and that place people were
friendly. The children asked him, which place had the friendliest
people? And he said, Iran.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 June 2009 - Rosa Graduated ! Yes !
- Rosa's
graduation was huge -- I counted about 700 people in the church. Long
boring talks - and some music. I went shopping and came back and there
were still speeches and the room was stuffy as hell. Hot sweaty and
stinky. I opened the church's big doors wide open and people looked
back and gave a smile of relief. Finally commencements began and I saw
Rosa up there getting her rose and blew a whistle for her. What an
accomplishment!- Drunk group at 11:30 pm on balcony, very loud. I asked them to quiet down. But being drunk and therefore stupid they didn't take it seriously and made a joke out of it - I warned them that it's against city's rules and police will take action. They joked it off and continued with their holler. One call to police took care of it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 June 2009 - Osteopath who couldn't handle getting caught for over-charging
His
secretary told me it was 150 francs for the first meeting. That's a lot
of money but I agreed to pay it since I needed the service. Most other
therapists charge anywhere from 70 to 100 max. A great osteopath I know
in Geneva charges 90 and his work is absolutely fantastic. This guy in
Zurich charged me 172 francs. I didn't make a fuss and thought I made a
mistake -- I said nothing -- till next time I talked to his secretary
for an appointment I asked her again, and again she said it's 150. I wrote to him about something else and in the same email I said by the way, this is the story about the amounts -- your secretary told me 150, 2 times, and you charge me over 20 fcs more (excluding tax, it is still more than quoted but usually patient, in every therapy I've been to, when asking the price, get the total price). I was nice to him, I did not say anything un-gentle, but I guess he didn't like the fact that his price was questioned. His reaction was very telling.
If a person makes a mistake they can admit to it, apologize, and move on. We all make mistakes. But this guy didn't have the character to do that. Getting caught in over-charging me did not go so well with him. A Swiss friend with whom I talked about this and she explained the osteopath's behavior as such:
"It’s very uncomfortable when you know you did something wrong and somebody doesn’t play this game with you. Playing upset is just a protection to show how strong you are. It’s harder so say sorry than to show upsetness. A way of saying, you did something wrong, I never make mistakes. I guess in this society to be 150% perfect so important. For me to be perfect means to be true. I guess sometimes we are so pressured from expectations that we become machines and loose the true view for things."
She is right. As the old saying goes, if you have a case you're quiet. If you don't have a case you make a lot of noise to make it look like you have a case. His reaction, another-words, getting upset at me for asking him, why are you charging me 172 when I was quoted 150, just shows that he was indeed guilty, that he was indeed trying to overcharge me, and as is customary in Switzerland he never thought I'd object to it because I looked like I have money - a suit and a good job - and the culture here is, never question the supplier. Supplier of goods and services here has the upper hand. They're not to be questioned. Customer is at fault by default in this culture as in several places in Europe -- it's the old economy, backward thinking which is being challenged and changed by global competition.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 June 2009 -
-
How many men invite a woman to travel with them and don't want to sleep
with her? Even Swiss men who are raised with women -- when they
ask a woman to go on a trip with them their goal is very very clear.
What's the explanation? Just want an escort? I like to suck your
angelic pheromones? It's all of that but many men think just with their
penises and that is a biological fact: to spread the genes, conquer a
woman, touch and go. A few can step out of these conditionings. What I
don't like, what is really ugly, are lied: knowing a woman is with
another man, and lying in order to create division, or any attempt to
create division. Nasty stuff, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with
such people.- Tip for women: if you don't want someone, be clear with them otherwise they will interpret your remarks as leads. Most people don't get hints. But direct speech works.
- Moved a lot of furniture and boxes.
- Russell 3000 reindexing - many securities dropped at day end.
- The stream of thought is strong - like that river - but insight like the smell of those linden trees brings a end to that stream and bring silence in the mind. Precious silence.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 June 2009 - In Friendship CD is selling for $256.79 on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00004S359/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1245878906&sr=8-3&condition=usedAmazing !!
And another one also the next day for over $250 - then one disappeared (someone bought it?)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 June 2009 - Conference with Robert Blackwell
In
the evening conference Robert was the keynote speaker - another guy
gave a boring talk after he did. Robert's talk was good. We had a meal
together actually -- among over 100 participants, a few were selected
for one-on-ones and I was one which spontaneously was having a meal
together. He generously picked up the tab and he witnessed first hand
the poor customer service attitude I
was telling him about Switzerland (in the hotel restaurant). We both
love Switzerland. He's been
a friend of Obama since 1993 - O was his company lawyer - and they were
also neighbours. We have one very funny thing in common - we both
started our own business as a kid - and the line was also similar. He
bought candy for the classmates and so did I ! And we both made good
money as kids. (that was one of my several businesses as a kid and
teenager - others included broiled corn (big business) and sandwich
shop, etc.) - Three top characteristics of a CEO of a top global company: Integrity (value honesty transparency), Passion, Fearless (take risks). Robert added:
- I answered both questions right while noone else vocalized an answer. Who's ultimately responsible for the customer problem? Who gets the benefit at the end?
- Majority of CIO's in survey said communicating is the most important factor in being a leader.
- At the end Robert asked something to the effect of how Europe feels about US. The CEO of Harvey Nash said it's improved a lot since Obama came... one of chaos to one of leadership. I said: "In general People in Europe are quite happy that Bush is gone." That received a big clap ;)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 June 2009 -
- Linden Trees are finally blossoming and their gift to us is immeasurably beautiful.- Worked on vocals with Tanja.
- We met one of Rosa's classmates who said the whole class passed. Yes!!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 June 2009 -
-
"in support of the Cancer Research at Princess Margaret
Hospital in Toronto.... Our
team raised a total of $17,338 – surpassing our total goal. THIS WAS
ONLY POSSIBLE due to your generous and kind support. WE THANK YOU
SINCERELY. Overall, 3,500 people took part in the ride – raising over
$14.5 Million. The ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls took us through
some of Ontario’s most beautiful and scenic route. " - Switzerland is flipping cold on June 22! Sad reminder of the long winter that still lingers after days of nice warm weather.
- Asked her to ask the cheese counter which one is delicious. In German delicious is not really used - she just said "which one is good" in German. "here, everything is good or bad".
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21 June 2009 -
-
We tried our new microphones - the Shure Beta 87A. Being tired hurts
the vocals most - but the reserve energy came with good music. - He said in 1980 there were no CS degrees in Switzerland.
- Beacon Power Agrees to Accelerate Funding of up to $14 Million from Seaside 88, LP. Good news. DOE loan guarantee should be coming. The stock is a steal (BCON).
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 June 2009 -
-
Finished big article - big burden off my shoulders - it was low
priority task that lingered around for too long and finally I went
heads on with it. Some of the writing was fun and creative. There were
certain things that needed to be said and documented. Commentaries on the work around J. Krishnamurti’s work, etc.- Saw Adrian Stern and Seven in Baden. Seven was boring -- both bands were too loud -- louder than necessary. I hate being among so many people in a sardine like fashion - smokers and meat eaters - but managed to get away.
- 1 out of 6 people are hungry. "The global financial meltdown has pushed the ranks of the world's hungry to a record 1 billion, a grim milestone that poses a threat to peace and security, U.N. food officials said Friday. Because of war, drought, political instability, high food prices and poverty, hunger now affects one in six people, by the United Nations' estimate."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 June 2009 - Obsession with Letting It All Hang Out
-
I don't understand, this obsession with letting it all hang out. Is it
a 9-month-winter complex that as soon as the weather turns bearable
tits start flying out? Of course we can have different tastes and
values but anyone, anybody, in a civil society, unless they believe in
nudism, would agree that an outfit that allows a person standing
near-by at a salad buffet to see not only a woman's breasts but the
entire breast including the entire nipple, is not right. What can
I say? I can not even object to it. It's not my right. I can say I can
see it but that's about all I can do. Many people have a psychological
complex and use naked clothing as a way of attracting attention when
they're empty inside. If that is not the case, then what is it? Isn't
wearing clothes a social agreement we've implicitly made? If so, then
we should respect it. Nipples is simply off limit.What I saw today was pretty extreme. A woman in this society is allowed to show some of her breasts and she can manage her outfit designed for that effect, and some do. But to have a nipple showing?!?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
17 June 2009 - Swiss Latin
-
Swiss man passed the Latin dance test. He practiced every morning
at 4 a.m. before work (he is not a farmer). His daughter said, it
doesn't come to us naturally...- Going heads-on with the Murren / Krishnamurti gathering 2008 / K-related article. Hope to release it soon.
- What are you doing? "writing a love letter to life".
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
16 June 2009 - Politics vs. Music
- I
am so fed up with politics because last few days have been following
flipping news too much. It is at a level that is not in sync with my
work. I am fed up with stolen elections, dictatorships calling
themselves democracies, and corruption. I'll stick to music. It's much
more beautiful.- Talk about ripoff: Swisscom mobile: if you call a landline it's 80 cents an hour. If you have your phone on forward-when-unreachable for example, you pay 80 cents a minute. Is this fair? Or is it, let's milk the customer any way we can.
- Friend has found the guts to return something she bought and decided it's the wrong product for her -- within 24 hours -- Swisscom shop told me on the phone she can return it -- but the totally new product with receipt, she got a return after getting a hard time: "only as an exception". Let's face it -- in Switzerland, often, if you return something you're treated like you're a criminal.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15 June 2009 - Water
- Water therapy was good. Water is healing. - Got stressed over finding Rosa's flying into Basel instead of ZH on day of the show and that means we'll have to pack her drums and take them and she'll just show up and play with no practice for 10 days. God help us :)
- Beautiful guitar reduced the stress.
- Swiss girl said: "next to you we're not swiss at all - you're so organized".
- Jealousy cripples a lot of minds.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14 June 2009 - Andrea
- Band practice was really good minus the brain lapses of some members due to lack of sleep from the festival. - Andrea joined us for some tambourine. She's got a good beat and may come on the video.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 June 2009 - New Pictures
- A picture says a 1000 words. A video says a 1000 pictures !- New Pictures on:
http://ganjavi.kwebserv.info/rezangela/rezangela_pictures.html
www.rezangela.com
- She said she went to sleep in her hammock at 8 a.m. after the festival. At 9 a farmer came around with his tractor to revenge :)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 June 2009 - The Father
- Least I could do to the man who gave his life to me is to call and give him the good news from time to time.- Just as I was a bit down - not down but under strain of travel and load, etc., 2 separate kids in the bus - one on the way there and one on the way back, who were sitting across, gave one a nice smile :)
It meant a lot. It was a sign that something is very right... and it turns out that one's predictions are becoming true.
- Two girls asked me to spend the night in their tent at Ehrendingen Open Air but I'm going home instead :)
Played guitar by the fire. Met several people I knew and made new friends. Tomorrow night Rezangela performs.
African drums were very nice - we followed them from one stage to another doing African moved.
Nice walk during the boring Irish music. The fields so beautiful but all these young people forsake the night by violating their bodies' intelligence. Mine now needs sleep!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 June 2009 - Clueless Swiss Customer Service
I
usually try to avoid this subject and just take it as given that in
nSwitzerland the business is king and the customer is a peon; the
business is right and the customer is wrong by default. I should
just accept it as the way it is but I simply can not and fall in the
same bitter experience almost everytime. But on a few occasions when a
matter was escalated way up top, form example, to CEO level of Swisscom
or SBB or Coop, it turned out that I turned out to be right, but why,
why does it have to get to that point? Why do I have to waste so much
energy escalating matters that a CEO understands but the workers don't.
The answer is: lack of education. Swiss companies miserably fail to
educate their workers about customer service. In the US, a kid grows up
seeing how it is - it is part of the culture - here, it's impolite to
return something. I have been on occasion treated like a criminal when
I returned something, unused, immediately, in original package, and for
good reason, and according to the rules of the company which were
simply not communicated to the store manager, and it was up to CEO then
down to the regional manager to declare that I was right, and
apologize, and teach the employee something.Same thing today. We bought 3 packs of organic (bio) broccoli and two had massive live worms inside and I took the 3rd, unopened bag which had worms visible from outside, back to Migro's in Baden. Ms. A. Haldemann who spoke good English was quite aggressive and gave me a lot of hard time and a long lecture and wanted to argue. I was there for a refund not an argument. She said if you want food that doesn't have worms don't buy Bio. She is wrong. I've bought Bio food for years, and even at their shop on regular basis and 9 out of 10 there are no worms. This was a bad crop, not cleaned well or whatever, and the company can't expect to sell it and not expect any returns. She I had to wait and wait for her to check with grocery department etc etc to issue a damn refund. Of course it wasn't the money but the principle, and her terrible attitude was another proof that the roots of "customer is wrong" is very deep rooted here.
She said, ok I give you a refund only this time. I said no, it's your company policy to give refund on such returns (I know that from talking to them before). Returning things, for any reason, is close to being a crime in Switzerland. Customer is wrong by default here. Unless that changes, Swiss companies will not be able to compete with global players who do know what customer service means.
I expect an investigation and statement from Migro's management. If a refund was warranted why was I given such a lot of nonsense along with it? If it was not warranted why was a refund given?
Regards
Ganjavi
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 June 2009 -
- The annual shareholder meeting for Beacon Power (BCON) went really well. The stock is a steal at $1. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 June 2009 - Another Victory
She
said if it wasn't for me she would never have done it and just paid
extra 2 months of rent. I encouraged her to write to the agency's big
boss about the lies they told her and the prejudice they showed (in
dealing with a prestigious Iraqi tenant because they don't like to take
foreigners), and demand that she
gets out early. It was very hard for her to do it as the Swiss culture
is very non-confrontational. Hey, these guys have not had a war for
centuries. And some businesses take advantage of people's goodness
and
rip them off and count on people never asserting their rights. They
were going to rip her off. They lied to her and cheated, and her
cultural conditioning was to say nothing and just accept it.
They assumed she will just take it. She didn't. I helped her in
writing two very good letters spelling out what they'd done wrong, how
they'd broken the law and breached the contract. We gave them a
deadline of tomorrow. Today they wrote back agreeing with her terms and
now she can leave at the end of this month. Yes. Another win against
crooks.She was ecstatic and said she had no idea how to do this on her own. I had a lot of confidence in her case and spent a lot of time writing for her and reading every version of the letter and the hardest part was to encourage her to be patient and not to give up while at the same time not wanting to impose my ideas on her -- she decided everything on her own.
A good letter takes time. I once spent days on a letter and the day the top executive of the world's largest concert merchandising companies got it he called me and settled the case. Honesty, clarity, and strong logic are the keys to success in standing up for one's rights.
After days of anxiety she said she'll sleep good tonight. Her mom sent her thanks too :)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 June 2009 - Guitarjoy
Even a little bit of classical guitar brought so much joy. That little
friend sleeping in its case is such a source of joy when amalgamed with
these hands and heart. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 June 2009 - Saudi Arabia's Primitive Culture & Appalling Attitude Towards Women
-
(AP) Saudi Arabia – For the first time in three decades, Saudis in the
nation's capital did something that most Westerners take for granted —
they went to the movies. But it wasn't exactly date night. No women
were allowed. ... And in a sign of the challenges that face every small
step toward reform, a group of conservative men gathered outside the
entrance to the center to try to discourage the moviegoers from going
in. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 June 2009 - Rezangela
- We
sounded really good today - the vocals have really taken us to a new
level...and the new drum heads sound really good....and the bass sounds
really good, and the guitar too... and the playing too.......and the
spirit of friendship, love & joy & harmony & understanding
that's between Rosa, Angie, and I.- Talked w/ Afsaneh, Dr. Christian, Dr. Parvizi who is an amazing doctor and speaks with a bit of Azari accent - another brilliant Azari speaking talent from Zanjan (Iran) whose research was a breakthrough in Medicine.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 June 2009 - Foreigners in Switzerland
-
Helped friend with letter to the lying agency. They told her outright
that they don't want to rent to foreigners. They forget the great
contributions of foreigners in Switzerland, the many many doctors,
engineers, scientists, and so on. I came here because nobody else could
do this job. The company ran an advert and got nobody so I got the
permit as a Document Management Consultant. Back then, and still today,
there aren't a lot of people with the skills I have. A doctor told me
years ago that when she was a doctor in Switzerland some decades ago,
most people were interested in farming and other skills. This is a
traditionally farming country. The entire banking industry is being
helped by foreigners. So this anti-foreigner obsession just shows the
fears and closed mindedness of the right wing party. I don't say doors
should open and every foreigner should come in. All I say is, anyone
who associated foreigners with a criminal is dead wrong. As friend out
it, the news media just give bad news and sometimes these are
associated with foreigners. The guy who stole the girl and killed her
was Swiss. But news don't say Dr. Parvizi's discoveries, Dr. Komeyli's
and Dr. Balov and Dr. Gaspar and so on's contributions, all these
top-notch MD's, scientists, artists, etc. who are foreigners and are
working hard and making Switzerland a better place.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 June 2009 - Swiss
-
Why is it so hard for a Swiss person I know to stand up for her rights?
It seems so much against the culture to not take how you're treated as
given when the treatment comes from a established business no matter
how crooked they are. They take advantage of passive simple
non-objecting Swiss and lie and cheat them but people seem to just take
it as granted. In this case, the friend sees that she was wronged by
this real-estate agency but it's so hard for her to say something. The
case is so clear. They lied to her on several counts and other terrible
things. She's now writing a letter demanding termination of contract.
But to write a good letter that gets results it takes a lot of
patience. It has to be just right. And it does get results. It's
been proven.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 June 2009 -
- On
the evening walk followed ears and found music coming from a boxing
ring. Walked in. Boxing is such a stupid and boring activity (I refuse
to call it sport).____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 June 2009
- Played at gig by River. Well received.- She's afraid to call people after 8 pm so as to not bother them. What? 8 pm? 'so they can have a peaceful night'. what's un-peaceful about a friendly caller except in an isolated individualistic society with high suicide rate...
- I said No to MRI with contrast agent - Gadolinium MRI Exposure Causes Serious Side Effects – Kidney Disease, Skin Reaction
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 June 2009
- You’re very funny. Thank you, I was in a shit mood this morning, you made me laugh. Fatieh- Both my parents are very social...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
June 2009 - Bush's VP, Cheney: An animal in his own right.
Bush's VP lied:- Cheney's lying about what's in CIA memos, Levin says http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/29/levin.cheney/index.html
- Spent over an hour researching water filters for Shadi
---------------
Cheney & Torture:
- AP - WASHINGTON – Dick Cheney as vice president conducted secret briefings for lawmakers in 2005 aimed at defending harsh interrogations as their methods were coming under congressional scrutiny, according to current and former government officials.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
June 2009 - The Lying Swiss Real-estate Agency
-
İ told her not to trust these real-estate agencies but she said, oh,
they're honest. My experience has been that the wonderful honesty of
Swiss people is abused by companies who know that trust is there in
favor of money and prejudice.
A few weeks later she found out they lied to her. I
actually went and asked too, on her behalf, since she could not go on
that day. Again they said, no, nobody has applied yet just as they told
her a few days before. Fact is at least one person
had applied if not more. Several others had said they were going to
apply for sure. Other similar apartments had many applicants. Fact is,
these pigs, did not want any of the applicant(s) for one reason or
other.
The one we know about was an Iraqi refugee making 6000 Fcs a month and
credible, good person, with good reference from his current landlord
where he'd been staying for two years,
who was looking for a bigger place. We caught the agency lying. Dr. S.,
with whom I consulted with, a very "Swiss" man, told me "everybody
lies".
God forbid! This is Switzerland - the land of the simple, honest folks,
until money worshipping companies start to lie.- In fact that same day the Iraqi guy had called them to follow up on his application after 2 weeks of waiting. They told him, we will review it now, and immediately told him, no. A few hours later they still lied to us and said nobody had applied. The agreement as the friend explained it is that if three people apply then she can break her contract and leave any time even if those folks don't qualify. I have not seen the contract. I am sure however, that they lied to us and denied a good qualified person from getting an apartment without giving us any good explanation. The Iraqi man is now forced to stay at his own place until the next moving allowed date.
- Once friend wrote the letter they called and lied again. They said the Iraqi guy had a family of 5 but he had family of 4. They said he wouldn't integrate well but he would as there are other foreigners in that building. One secretary outright told my friend they didn't give him the apartment because they don't like to rent to foreigners. How about all those foreigner scientists, engineers, and doctors who are here?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
June 2009 - Power of Dialogue & Inquiry, and the Unknown
-
A mature brain can ask a question, go into it, and out of understanding
the question, insight comes. This occured on the walk about a issue the
friend was facing with and the solution was in the question, and it was
clear, lucid, pragmatic, and light for action. - Switzerland is a great country but the arrogance against consumers is appaling. There are so many cases experienced by so many people who care to note it that a book can be written. In the lastest saga, the orange juice I ordered was old. It had layers of old settled crums in it. Boy, was it a mistake to tell them about it. "How dare you tell us that our orange juice is bad". It was a fact. They poured it from an old carton that was sitting in the fridge for at least a week (they're a mountain top restaurant).
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
02 June 2009 -
-
Friend's mom who was a nurse, then a therapist, and finished schooling
in Switzerland and is originally Swiss and lived all her life here,
still has friend verify her letters for and correct her German. This is
how difficult German is.- Two lambs were calling out to their mother which had disappeared by the cruel action of a butcher who'd transformed her into a meal on someone's table. You could feel the pain of longing in the lambs' calling.
- The villagers are not all so simple, she said. The farmers organized a stripper from Zurich to come and the licked whipped cream off her body.
- My dear friend, Friedrich Grohe, believes a long hike up the mountain will cure any leg & so on's condition. There is truth to that.
- The day flew by with long meetings etc.
- There is love and that sweetens everything - - love of life itself, love of dignity beauty, wisdom and inquiry; love of music, and love of art of wondering, and love of beautiful people in this ugly world which we have to make beautiful by being beautiful.
- Hossein Rezazadeh from Ardabil, Iran, is the world's strongest man. He currently holds the world records in weightlifting's super heavyweight class.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
01 June 2009 -
-
Spoke with Dr. Javad Parvizi, a very prominent and important doctor and
a very kind man. He has a PhD and a MD and did breakthrough in medicine
together with Dr. Ganz, the Swiss orthopedic surgeon. Updated iranians_in_america.html - 4 hour hike.
- We've frozen about 50 songs and concentrating on the vocal harmonies. After Rosa's graduation we can add more. Fingers are crossed for her to do well after all that she's been through. More power to you Rosa !
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
31 May 2009 - China US Dollar
-
China is worried about it's US investments. China held about $768 billion of Treasuries as of March.“I will, of course, make it clear that we are committed to a strong dollar, that we are committed to bringing our fiscal deficits down over the medium term to a sustainable place, to a sustainable level,” Geithner said in the briefing May 27. “We believe in a strong dollar. A strong dollar is in the U.S. interest."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 May 2009 - A Day In The Life
-
Swiss people always amaze me at how responsive they are to music. I've
not seen anything like it anywhere. Even 1 note makes them
response like this a.m. by the lady who was walking opposite direction
and heard me sing a note of Three Times A Lady. She was.- Last night it got too late too early. Had taken a long walk, soaked hands in thermal waters (not goo idea given m finger status). And got sucked into answering emails, research, and looking for proper water filter to replace the BPA containing container many use in the US to buy water in. Body made a big crack during sleep. Yoga upon waking.
- The ugly butcher in Baden was celebrating 100 years of his killing innocent animals by having a whole huge cow roasted. They setup the frozen carcass yesterday and offered free meat to people but even today it was pretty red and uncooked and filled the 9:30 morning air with a filthy smell of burning carcass. D I S G U S T I N G to say the least. And the butcher shop was full of people.
- Wrote long letter: "Drop by drop it gathers and suddenly it becomes a sea" as the Persian saying goes.
- The trial took a month and jury deliberated for a week and came back asking questions about giving punitive damages - at that point the defendant decided to settle. How stupid of him to want to fight my friend anyway. The real winners were the lawyers.
- Hauled the Behringer system - it was a lot of work to do b/c they sent it to wrong address - the sound is really good unlike all the people who say Behringer sucks. It does not. It's just an image of more expensive lines b/c they're getting killed by this lower cost but high quality brand.
- Had call from Iran. It's such a tightly knit society and relationships - and when people die there's always lots of ceremonies and coming and going of even most distant folks-- sister of cousin's husband has died -- etc etc - for the Swiss it's a joke to have such long relationships and care so much. Told her there's still something young inside her , she can rescue herself from suffering by taking care etc. -- in one case, X is stressed for having to go to husband's niece's husband's sister's funeral. Swiss friend just laughs at this. She doesn't even know her cousin's name!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
29 May 2009 - Prejudice
-
Iraqi renter, refugee, makes 6000 fcs a month, been in an apt for 2
years and paid rent on time. He can't get a new place because agencies
act out of prejudice. - I told friend to not trust the agency and check on them. She trusted them and they betrayed her trust. They lied to her. They said they had no applicants but they did. We have proof. We'll teach them a lesson with reason and law.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28 May 2009 - Perfect Society
- She
said here it is normal to kill oneself. She knows four students who
jumped in front of the train by the school. To her small village, four
or five people hung and shut themselves last year. The village has only
520 inhabitants. I told her in the culture was raised as a kid, suicide
was considered a grand sin - as in, you're guaranteed to go to the
worst spot in hell. Here the society provides everything. Here, there's
such a degree of social provision that the tolerance for hard times is
very very low. this is not spent here be psychologically ill, because
so many people have this problem, perhaps because the support of the
family is not there. Two of my close friends hardly ever talk to their
brothers, for example.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 May 2009 - Hiltl Ripoff
-
Took a plate at Hiltl buffet -- it wasn't that big -- I could have
eaten more -- it cost 37.50 Francs. Talk about ripoff! At lunch the
subject of divisions came up. - Got an invitation to see Richard .....................
- "More than 90 percent of economists predict the recession will end this year, although the recovery is likely to be bumpy."
- "General Motors Corp. on Wednesday withdrew its offer to swap bond debt for company stock, saying that too few bondholders agreed to the deal. The move sets the stage for what almost certainly will be a bankruptcy filing." Cool. We need fewer auto-companies specially given the practices these companies were engaged in historically to sustain their gass-guzzling model of doing business and destruction of good public transport.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 May 2009 - Swiss Renter
-
Agency told friend they like to take her because all the other
applicants are foreigners. It's no secret. Landlords prefer Swiss
renters and are not shy about that discrimination.- I don't like TV (including CNN live webcast) because it's nonstop noise. Nonstop. Silence between notes is golden.
- Called Bank Of America about their stupid uneducated agent -- I don't know how some people get a job with such narrow mind other than a job that's meant for robots or monkeys.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 May 2009 - Swiss Wonder
-
There are numerous things in which Switzerland is number one in the
world and defines what world-class means. "Swiss Quality" is not
a myth. I want out band, Rezangela, to be "Swiss Quality" in terms of
excellence in execution of songs, and be world class even in areas
where Switzerland doesn't define standards.Balgrist is truly a world class organization. Met Dr. Nagy & Dr. Kalberer who gave invaluable information. Being a disciple of
Dr. Kalberer does hip replacements like drinking a glass of water. He's clearly very good at it. What a marvel ha? Just take out a human hip and put in another one. He was a student of Dr. Ganz, the Swiss guru of orthopedics.
Dr. Nagy is a master of hands and a true gentleman.
Both Drs. Fucentese and Schallberger were walking by and we met and both thanked for the CD. Dr. F. had it in his pocket. I had promised him it a long time ago.
The level of specialty is amazing. There's a clinic for hands, one for shoulder and elbow, one for knee, one for hip, etc.
Downstairs they have world-class physiotherapy with a pool cleaned with ozone not chlorine, and a shoe shop, etc., and there's a whole floor it seems dedicated to artificial limbs. A woman was walking fast with a artificial leg on her shoulders.
---------------
- Met 1 month old Laurine in train :) and a group of joyful youngsters from Washington state. Health is the most valuable asset. Those who sacrifice it to gain other assets, including fleeting pleasure are fools..
- played guitar outside
then weight exercizes
disk has no errors
doctor came home and went to bed before 10 pm
professor came home too
both looked unhappy and out of tune
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 May 2009 - Giga Om
-
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/GigaOM.html- Good practice w/ RG. Some Beatles harmonies are so complex (e.g. a small section in Ob La Di).
- Cell phone was on all night by mistake so I had strange dreams.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 May 2009 -
-
I am sure your (psychological) problems is rooted in thought --
sometimes it's so fast like a computer program - but as we put programs
in debuggers to slow motion them and see where the problem is, the
subtle movements of thought which are often habitual need to be
understood. But avoiding situations where such problems occur will not
make the problem go away - the situation is important in bringing up
the problems so it can be seen. Once we see, understood, what we are,
how we function, then we don't have to be slaves and run by those
habits any more -- through seeing the habits can disappear.- July we'll have a DVD recording concert.
- Made another trip to music store (2 train + bus) to check out Allen & Heath AH-ZED-12FX. I don't like it. The certified sound engineer who worked there couldn't get a good delay+reverb sound.
- He said there are more open minded people in IR than in CH. How in CH complaining is so unaccepted and how much the government is pro-business and how customer service in CH is non existent. He said in English: In Switzerland a customer is not king, he is slave. He is right in the context of history but that is changing as competition is more global.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 May 2009 - Baden is Heaven not Hell
- There's a wonderful exhibit of hearts in Baden and they raise money for children in Africa and it's all positive and stuff. Take this: AZTon was playing. I am friends with the drummer who's a very nice guy and excellent drummer. But their music is too heavy for my taste and has its place in certain places but as they're Baden's staple band, they play in most major events and that's what the city has -- hard stiff distorted rock. I like some of their songs but can't handle some and their general sound which is "hellish". Groups like AC/DC and Guns&Roses and so on did so much disfavor to history of music by promoting this awful distorted singer voice which is clearly hurting their vocal cords. And to top off this nice positive event the raucous sounding singer led good people of baden in chanting "I'm on a high way to hell". Such a contradiction given the amazingly beautiful setting which is indeed heavenly - with the singing river below and gradually blossoming Linden trees. Surely the music was not one of heart but one of distorted minds which follow the decadent aspects of American music culture. Don't even mention the rest of the lyrics to "Highway to Hell". The drunks certainly all enjoyed it like the obnoxious drunk lady behind us who kept shouting to echo the same distortions she was hearing. Others, like Francisco, did not look like he was enjoying it as much as he could if this was really good music. But left without choice, many, even those who did not subscribe to the trash metal sound, went along the music.
- Wrote a lot on discussions regarding friend's miserable times.
- Anytime dealing with a clerk type in the US I am learning to assume the person is generally quite uneducated. Dealing with a yesterday I learned she was not educated enough to do basic math or understand basic common sense. What a pity. That was one of my first impressions when I first went to US as a young teenager: focused narrow vision approach I faced time and again. A person just knows their bit and that's all - missing big picture - and without big framework the mind can not be very intelligent.
- Explained that the tendency is to separate the seer from the seen but seeing one's totality of being is essential for any change to occur.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 May 2009 - Psychological time
Psychological
time is an illusion. The idea that i had this problem for 7 years it
takes time for it to go away only gives the brain an excuse to
procrastinate. The physical aspects of the problem yes, but if you
think you need time to change fears, desire for certainty, escapes,
anxieties, etc., that is an illusion. Those things can change
instantly, in a nanosecond, upon holistic insight.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 May 2009 - Division as the root cause of problems
-
Obama received an honorary PhD a few days ago. Rev. John Jenkins,
president of Notre Dame, in his introductory commencement remarks said:"The world you enter today is torn by division – and is fixed on its differences. Differences must be acknowledged, and in some cases cherished. But too often differences lead to pride in self and contempt for others, until two sides – taking opposing views of the same difference -- demonize each other. Whether the difference is political, religious, racial, or national -- trust falls, anger rises, and cooperation ends … even for the sake of causes all sides care about. More than any problem in the arts or sciences - engineering or medicine – easing the hateful divisions between human beings is the supreme challenge of this age. If we can solve this problem, we have a chance to come together and solve all the others."
How true, yet division is inherent in identification, and conflict is inherent in division.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 May 2009
- Lots of voices are delivered to the SEC but they probably all fall on deaf ears:http://www.sec.gov/comments/4-581/4-581.shtml
- a young Bahar-naarenj (spring naarenj) (is it Linden?) tree grabbed me by the nose and injected a shot of pure balsam from heaven deep in my heart.
- I can see in bulimic persons that it dulls the nerves, takes away sensitivity which is required to live happily.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
18 May 2009 -- Breasts!
-
Some stupid ass smoker in the bakery line. This is a face of
Switzerland that's better not seen. It's everywhere I go - and we're in
2009 not 1979. The tobacco regulators must be asleep at the wheel.
However, I continue my little fight against this poison and how it
poisons lives minds bodies, hearts. Had an encouraging email this
morning in response to the kind note I sent to Lallinger, that he wants
to quit smoking.- We don't know what creatures from other planets in our or other galaxies have. We don't even know what they look like. We know their spaceships can make moves that do not conform to our limited understanding of laws of physics - or our physics - different form of gravity for example could provide entirely different laws of physics - but their physics works in our world so it probably has to do with limitation in our advancement which surely will come. What I am sure is that they have music.
- A woman had her boobs showing and a Christian cross hanging right in between. So tacky and so contradictory. What does Jesus have to do with it? Another woman is wearing such sexy outfit that some of her breasts are showing but it is clearly done to provoke male response and compensate for lack of something else that's missing in making her inwardly rich.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
17 May 2009 -- I'll Be Back - The Beatles
-
Band practice was great. The potential is tremendous. The vision has
been there since I became a teenager. She's reading the emails. Last
month of school. We're all looking forward to her freedom from the
miserable school, the pressure of which sends some students to mental
institution. The songs are excellent. We froze the repertoire to zero
in on the ones for the next gig -- and vocal harmonies. If I Fell
really worked well with me dual harmonies. M finger's
first knuckle was inflamed again but it's behaved.- Figured out chords of I'll Be Back against using 3 sources. I hate it when people change melodies of masterpieces, like this girl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOG3MGPkAok&feature=related
I told her what I thought in the comments section.
- I like Farrah Fawcett but couldn't handle watching the documentary about her cancer. I can't handle new of killings, torture, pain, misery, natural disaster, illnesses, crimes, etc. -- have had enough of bad news in the news media.
- Dad said good news is like vitamin for him. Here's some good news out of FERC that effects positively Beacon Power (Nasdaq: BCON):
"On March 11, 2009, as corrected on March 18, 2009, the New York Independent System Operator, Inc. (NYISO) submitted, pursuant to section 205 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), proposed revisions to its Market Administration and Control Area Services Tariff (Services Tariff) to integrate energy storage devices into NYISO’s day-ahead and real-time regulation service markets. We accept NYISO’s tariff sheets to become effective May 12, 2009, as requested."
- How nice to see Obama speak at Notre Dame and receive his doctorate. What a refreshing difference to that joker Bush who rules America for 8 years, and his sidekick Cheney (or was it the other way around)? Those 8 years will prove to be the darkest chapter in the history of the US.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
16 May 2009 --
-
Spent hours on microphone and PA research. Finalized decisions on
microphone, speaker, mixer, and where to buy them... Learned a
lot about the latest sound gear as well as drum parts.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15 May 2009 --
-
Some young people think mail is email and post is post but mail is also post (still).____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14 May 2009 --
-
One fun part of managing a technical team is that you get to grab them
out of depths they dive into to the level where big picture gets
visible. It's so easy for some technical folks to get lost in detail. I
was a techie too but never lost sight of the big picture -- that extra
"analyst" part required that anyway, and it's my nature not to walk
without seeing the pig picture otherwise the step could lead to a
detour.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 May 2009 --
- Swiss bus stops are like ashtrays. It feels like you are sitting in an ashtray when you're on the bench waiting for a bus.- Almost impossible to wait for morning train and not get exposed to secondhand smoke. So many pathetic smokers. When even the Green Party is pro-smoking, you can guess the rest.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 May 2009 -- Whose side is the SEC on?
- Yet one more comment to SEC:1) The SEC should stop protecting criminal naked shorts who abuse the 3-day-hard-delivery rule by enforcing this rule which for a long time went unenforced and finally the SEC said it should really be followed. But to date, not a single naked short abuse case has been prosecuted.
2) The SEC should stop protecting criminal naked shorts and criminal manipulators who shortdistort by releasing to public names of major short position holders in public companies.
Anything short of the above means only lip service and the public is tired of getting lip service from SEC for years -- lip service that SEC is there to protect investors. So far, it seems, SEC is there to protect Wall Street, big hedge funds, big short sellers.
Help us SEC, the house is on fire. Wake up.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 May 2009 --
-
Had a conversation in the train with a 1 year old Alexander. a-dah,
dah, deh, a-deh... he was an absolute delight. I love kids but am
really happy to have my own. Instead of spending the energy on one kid,
I can give to many in form of music, talk, etc. - Another conversation with a 9-month old African boy from Congo with his mom dressed in a beautiful traditional dress.
- interesting click while stretching. Taking it as positive. Last night body stretched itself in sleep. Lots of changes from day to day. Hoping it's finding equilibrium.
- deep breathing , visit with nature , flowers, etc. late in day before sunset. I love unpaved roads and untrimmed grass. It is so easy to get caught in realm of thought. Order is essential. Sitting quietly is powerful. Body loved walnuts.
- 2 new articles :
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Dr.Parekh.html
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/k_harshad_parekh.html
- Mr. S. is almost 69. As youthful as ever despite not particularly healthy life style - but a strong man with good genes.
- Wrote to Farid Larijani and Maryam after years of not talking with them over the destroyed journals.
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/lost_treaure.html
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12 May 2009 --
- Practiced dual harmony w/ Angie. - Friend depressed: he got report that he will retire in year 2044 !
- Book had 1136 page. Friend said page 466. I opened the book and came page 466 ! Totally unintentionally -- no ego involved.
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11 May 2009 --
- Bought Boss Chorus Ensemble effect - what a sweet sound - from US. Less than 1/2 the price of Switz.- Published new article: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/Critique_of_SEC_Roundtable_on_Short_Selling.html
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10 May 2009 --
- AH getting brain tumor removed from his brain. He was a frequent user of cell phones. - Many sang If I Fell but inaccurately. Our version is excellent. We are not a mediocre band.
- Rosa's last week in school. Tough exams can make one cry. Band practice was short but great.
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09 May 2009 --
-
One who does not take care of herself can not expect others to take
care of her. Caring for others can become an escape from
disequilibrium, from disorder from one's own being, whether physical,
mental, emotional, but it is often physical. So, take great care of the
body.- The SEC's Roundtable on short selling was a big reminder of the Waxman Hearings where 7 CEO's of cigarette companies swore nicotine was not addictive !! Now Fidelity and other big brokers are saying there is no problem with shorting!!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
08 May 2009 --
-
Busy day of work - so much of the projects I manage is having to deal
with politics and being able to manage relationships and bring the best
out of people makes a lot of difference. I like working from home -- I
am so much more productive than the very noisy office environment, and
I save commute time.- Having order seems to be a goal but only an interim goal.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
07 May 2009 --
- News came that 2 performances are sealed for the price we offered. - Nice walk. Another summer night performance by the river is almost sure - we agreed on the terms.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
05 May 2009 --
- "UBS
reports $1.7 billion loss!" Karma for bashing Dendreon. Maged Shenouda
was one of the main Dendreon bears who even published a research report
that had false information when Dendreon shorts were killing the
company. And then UBS talks about ethical behavior!- Excellent article that recommends SEC force all short sellers to first borrow what they're shorting. It only makes perfect sense!
"The Impact of a Pre-Borrow Requirement for Short Sales On Failures-to-Deliver and Market Liquidity" by Robert J. Shapiro and Nam D. Pham - April 2009
- Went to voice class with friend. Good teacher. Good student.
- Indian food with project people. Good talks.
- Met smoker in train. Interviewed her on recording.
- Talking to Marc, German, educated, honest man. So aware of what so many pro-Bush Americans didn't and don't see -- it doesn't take much wisdom to see some things but millions of Americans don't have that wisdom, unfortunately, and millions of them do. Thank God the ones who do are in a ruling role.
- Dubai is shit-hole - I had a job offer there but could not stand it more than 1 night. http://www.uaetorture.com/ shows the UAE Royal family engaged in gruesome torture. Shame on them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
04 May 2009 --
- Had
an email from Minoo. She tells me a story how when I was a kid I used
to tell her how delicious she is, referring to the colorful clothes she
wore. There’s something about old friends, old souls, old companions,
eternal friends.- why do some bands have to play so damn loud? This band was doing a sound check, it was already obvious that they are way too loud.
- feeling particularly good today. I think it's related to several things, primarily, drinking lots of water, pranayama, a nice big organic salad and beans at lunch, the vitamins, order in one's life, the refreshing letter of Dr. Parekh about how K touched his life deeply and his clarity which I can so much relate to, versus the confusion among the folks who go to the K gathering in the mountain in Switzerland. And the pineapple heart friend is so sweet.
- now comes the heavy footed workaholic doctor upstairs. Time for some guitar.
- The pain in shoulder, elbow, hip were better today as result of lots of water. M-finger first knuckle traumatized (needs more classical guitar playing to fix it). TMJ has been quiet due to great care and healing hands of the angel.
- Girl on bus wanted to shake hands but I dodged it -- don't take it personally... allergy to smoker... She was easy - first admitted to liking smoking, then saw quickly after some questions that she doesn't.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
03 May 2009 -- Year 3909
- Rezangla is really into the Hard Days Night album - what a masterpiece. The girls are learnings If I Fell, ISHKB, and HDN.- There was a medieval market around here. Anna dressed accordingly. Very cute.
- Yahoo Travel date showed calendar from year 3909. IMAGINE!! What will they think then, looking back 2000 years? There was an idiot called George Bush. The next elections, the Republicans counted on stupidity of millions to win again but the other half won. Will they say there's been 4000 wars in the last 4000 years? There was a guy K who discussed the stream, that you are the world, and if you mutate the root of suffering you help humanity change. It worked. There was a band, The Beatles. 2000 years later we're still listening to them. Or will we not be around because some stupid nation started a nuclear war and wiped the world out? I doubt it. I am still optimistic for peace because I am having it. Will they look and say, look these ineffective leaders in Palestine & Israel still have not managed to find peace -- talk about lousy management and power of fanaticism.
- on of my goals is again to sleep same time - and write the time and stick to it - i did it before - it feels incredibly good.
- Singing 3-part harmonies is so much fun. Short but good band practice. I hear drum fills that I tell Rosa and she executes them. She's very talented but her school is so heavy she's too burdened to practice much -- but she's soon graduating. Angie has become an amazing bass player.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
02 May 2009 -- Is it necessary to teach kids individuality?
Individual means indivisible, so to be truly an individual we must live in peace within ourselves.Society's notion of individuality is the opposite: to be separate from others.
Kids have their birthdays near each other. Why not have one birthday party? Some lame psychologist says so they learn to be individual. The society is teaching them more than enough ways to be separate. One could argue a joint party is a occasion for cooperation. And a lot less hassle for the poor parents who are already spread too thin. Try it next year - a joint party - and you'll see life will be easier.
-----------------
I love some of Giuliani's music but listened to these -- some of the most boring ever composed:
Mauro Giuliani: Rossinana n. 1 op. 119
Mauro Giuliani: Rossinana n. 5 op. 123
Even the mastery of Giulio Tampalini can't make these boring pieces interesting.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
02 May 2009 -- "Where is my dead father"?
> Hi dear reza,> Thnx for your email...My biggest question at the moment is "where is he right now"...Do you know someone who can help me?
> Love
Boy, that's a tough one.
As you know, there are many beliefs that attempt to answer this questions. On the East and West, some think his "soul" is waiting for the day of judgment, some think he is in a suspension state to be re-incarnated according to his actions in this life, and so on, but regardless of what theory you believe in or not, the fact of the matter is that his physical form is gone. Was he something beyond the physical? Clearly yes, there was life that gave his physical matter the ability to move, think, feel, love, etc., -- where is that gone? And I also sometimes wonder if this idea of individual soul is really so separate from other so called souls. There are so many of us... So what's the answer? This is the million dollar question mankind has been trying to answer since the very beginning of its existence.
Based on my personal experience, observation, and examination of this question, I know certain things and don't know certain things. Ultimately the answer is we do not know for sure. For example, I know the love and goodness of someone who's no longer here, lives on, in the hearts minds and being of those who were touched by that love and goodness. Your father was a very loving gentle wise person. Those qualities do not die.
On the other hand, if you look at the stream of human consciousness, it is comprised of a lot of suffering accumulated historically. That suffering also goes on unless a person can free themselves during their lifetime -- from the stream of anxieties fear uncertainties image-making, and other psychological processes that give rise to suffering, pain, and sorrow -- those qualities continue in that stream that we know.
I would say, in summary, to your question of "where is he right now", that he is in your heart. He is in our hearts. When the sun warms a room, after it sets, the room is still warm. And unlike that room, once warmed up, our hearts can not get cold again as love is an eternal flame.
------------------
Hi, it's not crazy - many have tried to have contact with a dead person, but I think it's better to let the person go.There is beauty in death.
------------------
> Hi, Reza...You are right...We have to let him fly...as more as we keep ourselves calm, more he feels less weight...
Exactly. I think so.
> Maybe I have to help myself to keep away from my curiosity about the other world! :)
It's a perennial question mankind has always asked. I think we ultimately do not know. Water can not know water.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
01 May 2009 -- Kingdom of Purple Flowers
-
The spring has brought its many bouquets of gifts. The big and small
pink flowers came marching in for a short period, smiling at passerbys
and greetings the sky and earth, and left us with a fairly-tale ground
of pink pebbles. Today the rulers were the violet and purple flowers
pointing to eternity. There is always time to stop and smell the
flowers and their fragrance brought the otherness to the senses.- met group of women who had twins and triplets in strollers.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
01 May 2009 -- Fun in Tehran
- Talked to Tehran. They really have so
much fun - even when someone passes away and they have many gatherings
for them - the service and after 7 days and after 40 days -- and there
was joking and laughing in the 7 day service of our dear relative.- I got a call that my mom’s cousin’s kid’s husband died. Bless his heart, he was a sweet man, a true gentleman. Swiss colleague finds these close relationships intriguing as she doesn’t even know her own cousin’s name!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
01 May 2009 -- Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Myspace, etc etc
-
I get invitations regularly from friends asking me to join these and a
zillion other services. Everyone things their chosen social networking
site is the best, and some are on all of them. No thanks, I appreciate
the offer, but I have my own website: www.rezamusic.comFarewell Tribute to Great Moments in Presidential Speeches -- Is George W. Bush dumb or what?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
01 May 2009 -- Do smokers have rights?
> Do smokers have rights ?Good question. If we look at them as addicts, which they are, as victims who deserve our tolerance and sympathy and accommodation, then yes, we should give them some rights to use their ugly drug, but only in confined and separate spaces, separated from the rest who should be protected against second hand smoke. In that case, the drug pushers, a.k.a. tobacco companies should be banned from all forms of advertising and manipulation of minds which is happening in large scale in most countries, specially less developed ones. Switzerland has a huge smoking problem and tobacco advertising is rampant.
Otherwise, no, smokers should only have the right to smoke in public as long as they don't exhale :)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 Apr 2009 --
-
It's good to leave everything behind psychologically.- Brain silent, in present, alive & intense.
- I had so many reasons to be skeptical about "relationship". Met so many men and women who left their partners...
- spelt and red beans etc., soooooo nice, e really have no reason to eat meat.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
29 Apr 2009 -- Women's Clothing; Vitamin C; etc.
-
The worship of alcohol in the UK is crude and common.- There are still chickens at the train station in Neuenhof, the village I moved to from Los Angeles. One white sheep among 19 black sheep at another station.
- I’m the resident pseudo-pharmacist at work – I only prescribe and give vitamin C :)
- Some women wear shirts with an open front that either shows their breasts or goes deep down between the breasts, teasing a man’s eyes and imagination. I think it’s important for a woman to at the very least understand the significance of doing this – psychological, cultural, historical, etc. – and not merely dress as such because it is fashion, or because everyone else does it, or because they sell exposing shirts and tights pants that provoke others. My observation is that people who dress as such have another short-coming. Like a man who is bald sometimes wears a beard or long side burns to compensate for the lack of hair on his head. For me, attempts to be attractive are actually unattractive because they show weakness.
- I almost quit the band last night, thinking sometimes you do what’s right without consideration of consequence. But quitting was not right, without giving it one more chance.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28-30 Apr 2009 -- Dawn of a new era in treating cancer
-
Dendreon announced results of its important study that again proved
Provenge works. Immunotherapy is in, chemotherapy is on the way out.
Big Pharma, hedge funds, FDA's Padzur, Dr. Howard Scher and Dr. Maha
Hussain who lobbied the FDA to turn Provenge down despite strong
evidence of safety and efficacy, Maged Shenouda of UBS, Jonathan
Aschoff of Brean Murry and other lowlife analysts who bashed Dendreon
for so long, and lastly, the cartel of hedge funds who manipulated and
shorted and naked shorted Dendreon stock for so long............ all
lose, and cancer patients win. The alpha was exactly 0.043, the risk
reduction of 22.5% is much better than Taxotere 21%, the median benefit
of 4.1 months is fantastic.- This weasel Jonathan Aschoff, who once faked his identity as a doctor (and was later suspended and fined by NASD) was clearly supporting clients who were short DNDN. He was extremely negative about the company for years and even recently gave a $1 price target. Today he changed his target to $35. Who needs these flipping anal-ysts anyway?!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28 Apr 2009 -- Pork Flu
-
I must have heard 10 times on news that eating pigs is safe. They seem
so worried about the pig industry that raises and kills pigs --
disgusting! They call it "very important", "significant" that it's not
called swine flu (pork flu). Hog, pork, swine, all polite names for
pigs, and as the old saying goes, you are what you eat! I'd rather be a
carrot than a cow, a peanut than a pig... - It is worrisome that the flu has taken more victims but if we could beat SARS, and bird flue, we can beat this, let's hope!
- "Swine flu name change? Flu genes spell pig -- No matter what you call it, leading experts say the virus that is scaring the world is pretty much all pig. So while the U.S. government and now the World Health Organization are taking the swine out of "swine flu," the experts who track the genetic heritage of the virus say this: If it is genetically mostly porcine and its parents are pig viruses, it smells like swine flu to them."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28 Apr 2009 -- Swiss Smokers
-
Hard to find a place on the platform to wait for the morning train
without getting exposed to second hand smoke -- there are cigarette
addicts everywhere. It's even harder to find a place on the 2nd class
coach where the person next to you doesn't stink from cigarettes. First
class is sometimes the way to go. I generally prefer second class for
the human contact which is nicer than first class (less unhappy
people in second class!) and when I have a guitar.- It's never a good idea to put away the winter jacket in Switzerland. Today's rainy and cold.
- Entities potentially affected (by new legislation) include the Swiss firm Vitol, the Swiss/Dutch firm Trafigura, the French firm Total, the Swiss firm Glencore, and British Petroleum, as well as the Indian firm Reliance, while Lloyds of London insures the majority of tankers carrying gasoline to Iran.
- Highest price I ever paid for nuts. Organic Macadamia nuts.
- I love this country but hate its weather. 10 degree fluctuations from day to day. It's flipping cold.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 Apr 2009
-
There was suddenly pain in the back on the tram. Turned out the guy
behind me with the loud headphone was a smoker - I was feeling his
pain. I moved and the pain stopped. It's happened so often that it's a
fact. Knees are also points of sensitivity to polluted pained auras.- She found her tooth in the bus! Next time she won't use chewing gum to stick her tooth.
- A friend went on a sugar spree. Sugar is addictive and like any other drug when you take it it makes you want more of it.
- Habits of thought are unfolded in daily life -- the culturally spoiled intolerant youngster who says "life is shit" and has very low tolerance for unfavorable situations learns to act intelligently.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 Apr 2009 --
-
Media is going crazy with scare of Swine Flu. It is serious no doubt
but media loves every news, good or bad, because it means more viewers.
I had to listen to several news videos today to get to the key point
most of them didn't tell you: the good news is the medications we
presently have are successful in treating this flu (UPDATE: This is not
true, today (28 April 2009, they say it is not treated with existing
vaccines but they talk a lot about telling people eating pigs is safe
-- give me a break!). Let's hope that it
gets contained in Mexico, in US, and it doesn't show up anywhere else. - Bethenny Frankel was on one of these channels -- I barely listened -- she had some good things to say about food but the way she spoke -- so masculine -- which is the case with the way many American women speak, vs. the femineity and that gentle soft spoken way of many European and other women have. Could it be cultural in the sense that aggressiveness is a quality that is cherished the further west you go... you find a lot of it in the UK as well.
- The sick filthy German smoker is back. He's been coughing for months.
- Added page to Rezamusic.com on UFO encounter in Tehran in 1976. Very interesting.
- There's a lot of happiness waiting for her in her natural, balanced state. (logged)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 Apr 2009 -- Ugly Cigarettes
-
A snapshot survey showed over 70% smokers at the Dietikon train station
on the platform. It was amazing, shocking, and sad, how many people are
hooked on this ugly habit and how it leads to utter unhappiness and
suffering of people; prosperity of drug pushers, i.e. Tobacco
companies; and how it hurts the national health system while on the
other hand the government enjoys the tax revenue.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 Apr 2009 -- Spring is Back
-
5 degrees warmer today. - Nice long set of yoga. Dreamed of making a yoga postures video. Thomas revived the idea I had for a long time. He watched many yoga videos on youtube but non were suitable.
- Performing today with Rezangela (Reza & Angela & Rosa). Singing harmonies has put us at a different level.
- Got my annual credit report. Crystal clear and strong credit history.
- She had phone phobia since she was young. Just recently she started being ok with talking on the phone.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 Apr 2009 -- Teaching Children About Priorities
-
A parent can teach a lot to her kids by the way she lives. Giving
importance to her own well being, to having harmony, to her health,
teaches her kid about the importance of that. And in doing so, in being
in harmony, living a healthy life, managing stress, she behaves better
with the kids. On the other hand, always going after some stupid calls
of tradition, never having time for herself, accumulating stress, has
negative consequence on her health. She can drop everything and go for
walk, or do 1/2 hour yoga - kids, you can be here, be quiet - and if
they get bored and want to play with toys they do it quietly - she does
the yoga. The inner healing powers need to be given a chance otherwise
she takes medications and disequilibrium continues... She dropped
massage b/c of some stupid ritual. Once a week of massage is essential
for her -- stress of 15 year project is still there.- Uncle says he has partner so he didn't call for Eid. I don't always call for Eid, and have no problem doing that. I call sometime, and not others. I never call b/c tradition says I should.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 Apr 2009 -- Flashback
- Memory of sledding accident came back at sleep -- a cleansing, I hope.- She took rice milk to make spinach pie but instead the spinach burned and rice milk got drunk :) -- I want my rice milk back -- my own rice milk not another one :)
- Friend went out with a nun. She was extremely into it. But one day she cried - gave no reason - got in the car and left and never looked back.
- If there's no health there is nothing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 Apr 2009 -- Iron
To music store with R - tested different crash cymbals. I like to get a combo ride/crash.Doctors are so quick to tell women to eat dead animals for iron. There are so many other ways of getting iron.
Friend wants to quit coffee b/c it depletes iron. But coffee is so promoted by culture. If one lives intelligently, eating, resting, and exercising enough, and loves what one does, there is plenty of energy. Kids have a lot of energy. And caffeine causes stress.
- Good sources of non-meat iron :
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm
http://www.soystache.com/iron.htm
http://www.vegansociety.com/food/nutrition/iron.php
http://www.hhsc.ca/documents/Patient%20Education/VegetarianSourcesIron-trh.pdf
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 Apr 2009 -- Not resisting criminals
A
guy allegedly robbed a woman and robbed a second woman but because she
resisted he killed her. Not resisting criminals is sometimes the
intelligent move."Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said he believes Markoff's original motive was robbery, but he ended up killing Brisman when she fought back.
The first woman Markoff is accused of robbing said she believes she's alive because she didn't resist."
I can do without reading the news which is mostly bad news.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 Apr 2009 -- Lucky Number; UFO scientific hearing;
-
Today the secure-ID showed: 900009 which is very cool given the machine is a random number generator. - We all like to have private trainers but it simply is not feasible, I can get a student started on a journey and show the way regarding a technical, practical, musical matter (not psychological or spiritual) and they have to run on their own, otherwise, I simply do not have the time to give them private training.
- A scientific presentation by a group of very well credentialed scientists and doctors at the National Press Club on UFO abductions. While I know UFOs exist, some abduction stories I read were simply hallucinations. But I do not deny abductions either. In this meeting they spoke about having removed metal objects from bodies of people. Large metal objects with a unknown coating which appears to protect the body from showing inflammatory and other reactions against the foreign object. Also there is no scar and no way of telling how the object got into these bodies. The most likelihood is that it grew. The metal seems to be engineered. The coating and material and engineering are far more advanced than our science can explain. The objective of this group is to lift government ban on secrecy on UFOs, and money for research which can benefit and advance our sciences if we can, for example, reverse-engineer this coating which will help advance medical science for example.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 Apr 2009 -- Rezangela Vocals
-
Rosa and Angie were here tonight and we worked on voicing and learned a
lot. It's very nice as they're both very talented and joyful.- Swiss guy said 90% of Swiss men would not like it if their partner signed up to a dance class with another man. Makes perfect sense. Same is true with a female partner living with other men.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 Apr 2009 -- Swiss vs. American Credit Cards
-
This should tell the whole story about customer service attitude:AMERICAN CREDIT CARD: I've had credit cards for decades. I have about 10 of them. All from American companies, majority with no annual fee. If I lose one they send me replacement card, free of charge, anywhere in the world within a couple of days.
SWISS CREDIT CARD: If you lose your card you pay 15 fcs and you have to wait 5 to 10 days for a replacement card. There is no fast service.
-----------------
If your card gets defective after some period of use, the company will charge you for sending you a new card. I got a free replacement but only after telling them how stupid their policy is, which is, the only way a card is replaced for free is if it is shipped to the customer defective.
-----------------
- Report: Bush policies led to prisoner abuses
- Rice OKed CIA waterboard request as Bush adviser
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21 Apr 2009 -- Disgusting old smoker; Drug pushers (a.k.a. Tobacco companies)
-
Morning paper read by thousands in Swiss trains has a 1/2 page ad by
Chesterfield, a cigarette brand, advertising a special promotion. The
motto is "BE TRUE, BE YOU". These worse than scums of earth tobacco
companies are trying to fool people to associate good life, truth,
originality, individuality, etc., with these miserable little
disgusting cancer sticks. - It was painful to see the old man chain smoker, utterly unhappy yet pretending to be happy, utterly unhealthy, carrying a deep level of pain which is obvious by looking at him. Tried to avoid him as he kept the rest of his cancer stick when the train came but he walked by and smelled pukingly awful.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 Apr 2009 -- SUN; Robots in America; Lost Journals
-
NEW YORK – Information technology company Oracle Corp. said Monday it
is buying Sun Microsystems Inc. in a cash deal the company valued at
$7.4 billion after IBM abandoned its bid to buy the networking
equipment maker.- I have never seen people anywhere so robotic as they are in America. Over the years, I've come across so many narrow minded people everywhere, but many specially in America where some act and talk like a robot -- some learn their job, a certain scope, and not only they're not able to think beyond their little scope, if the existing scope requires any elasticity, because they're not educated well, they're unable to handle it. Of course there are millions of intelligent bright people in America but millions are also poorly educated.
- Strange dream of the Larijani family (minus Shirin who surely did not have a hand in it) who destroyed my early journals -- hopefully a flashback that's now cleansed off the consciousness -- of a reality which was very painful and likely the biggest loss in my life. We were very close and I will not forget their kindness and I love and love them -- we were all new to the US and had noone else but each other. However, I had to cut the relationship – which takes a lot on my part to do – after they destroyed my journals from the most precious years of pre-revolutionary Iran years as a youngster, through the first love, revolution, moving to the US, etc. etc. - until I was 21 or so - the first 7 years of my writings -- gone. They flipping just threw them away. They had agreed to save them for me. It was in their attic. During the course of my investigation -- which I had to rely on a number of things, including psychic power (as well as live witness), to get to the truth of the matter of how these journals melted and disappeared into the ground -- Payam and his dad, Farid's stories were not matching (dead giveaway), and sad but true, he said "they were fire hazard"; Heck! one phone call, one sms, one email, one sign of life that hey, that box needs to go, and it would have been out of there. They had agreed to keep it in their big house's big attic. Once I saw the truth, it was so painful, that I can never look in their face again. Someone who destroys the most precious sensitive, intimate, part of your life. Anyway, I wish Payam and his family well. I suppose he was inspired to play the guitar, having seen me play all his life, and now he's almost a doctor of guitar.
Irvine is one heck of a soul-less, strange place. Full of Republican rednecks and robots. And you barely see people in the streets. Hardly ever. Just cars. Cars cars cars. Oriana Fallaci's dream come true.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 Apr 2009 -- Drug Lords
"U.S. manufacturers, including
major drugmakers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of
pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water —
contamination the federal government has consistently overlooked,
according to an Associated Press investigation."- She said surgery is for only when someone can no longer live with pain. "we have a lot of self-healing powers that the doctors ignore".
- Got the strangest call looking for another Reza Ganjavi who used to live in Manchester in the 60's. She was a nice lady trying to help her ill sister and her daughter find someone who was a friend of that Reza. Nothing wrong with a shot in the dark. She said you're gentle person - gentle speaking.
- He said Swiss people don't know how to be happy. (of course generalizations are inaccurate but the point is well take as a deeply socialist system in a very rich country is conducive to lack of appreciation for what they have and taking it for granted) -- then in S. America and other poor countries poor people are so happy and here, rich people have a high suicide rate.
- Joy Davidson has some good things to say on intercourse etc. -- I have seen a few of her videos. I don't agree with some of what she says but some good info is there. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=loveandhealth&view=videos
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
18 Apr 2009 -- South American Indian Loud Musicians
-
During the summer Europe is infiltrated by Indians from I don't know
where, Bolivia? Peru? Ecuador? And they take around these massive sound
systems with them - hundreds of Watts of amplification and their wood
flutes and pre-recorded boring background music and they play such
boring unoriginal music and repeat the same thing over and over and
over in hope of selling CD's and getting coins -- it's really more of a
show of their ethnicity and Indian clothes that's so interesting to the
"White man". The music is trash. Makes you develop allergic reaction to
Guantanamera, El Condor Pasa, etc. - yuyks. I don't care, they can play
all they want, but their aggression is in their very very loud sound
systems which is totally unnecessary for street busking.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
17 Apr 2009 -- Beacon Power
-
Beacon Power (BCON) gained gained another 20% today, that's 70% in 2
days on the news that Dept of Energy will be giving away grants.- Sunshine turned into heavy hail.
- The rainbow was so big one could reach and touch it with bare hands.
- Closed the case with Wells Fargo in a friendly way but it took a lot of persistence and shakeup and escalation to get them to admit something had gone wrong on their end.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
16 Apr 2009 -- Clean Guests
-
Our host said he was surprised how clean he found the place - as though
noone was there - which is not often the case after his guests leave.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15 Apr 2009 -- Beacon Power
-
Beacon Power (BCON) gained almost 50% today. The wall street crooks
who've been holding it down are running for cover as demand increases
due to prospects of DOE loan guarantee.- Good News: "Colombia's most wanted drug lord was cowering like a dog under a palm tree when he was captured Wednesday in a jungle raid involving hundreds of police officers, the defense minister said.... President Alvaro Uribe described Rendon, 43, as "one of the most feared drug traffickers in the world." National police director Gen. Oscar Naranjo said his organization is believed to have committed 3,000 murders in the last 18 months."
- Bad News: (the trouble with US economy can be blamed on George Bush and his gang's terrible and stupid policies). "The number of American households threatened with losing their homes grew 24 percent in the first three months of this year and is poised to rise further as major lenders restart foreclosures after a temporary break,
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15 Apr 2009 --
-
Four controllers on the bus and 3 people, who had seen them, still had
no ticket -- one guy wanted to pay with a credit card (I think he was
American). An Italian guy endlessly argued with the conductor;
the other convict was a kid. The bus driver friend said it happens
often -- people without tickets get caught and have to pay a huge
penalty. He said it's very good income for the company. That sucks if
you ask me. - A-post used to get your letter delivered in Switzerland in one day. Friend's took at least 3 days. And it's happening more often. Pity for such a great postal system to be faltering.
- Played in Baden early evening. One Persian man gave us a 20 franc tip!
- We turned down a gig contract because the venue was smoking.
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13 Apr 2009 -- Swiss Army
-
Swiss army soldiers entered the train with a 12 pack of beer, sat next
to the quiet zone, cranked the stereo, ate and drank and had a loud
party, and before leaving the train, lit up cigarettes in the non
smoking train. No respect for the quiet zone, no respect for non
smoking zone, what do they teach them in the army? - Some smokers are so in considerate. The chap enters the train after a big inhale and exhales the entire lung full of poison in the train.
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13 Apr 2009 -- Early Linden Trees
-
After a few days of warmth has already brought the sweet fragrance of
linden (lime) trees. The baby trees blossomed faster than older ones.- Music producer Phil Spector was convicted on Monday of murdering a Hollywood actress in 2003
- Facebook users have lower overall grades than non-users, according to a survey of college students
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12 Apr 2009 -- How to read a boring book if you have to?
Friend's
reading Joseph_Murphy's famous book. First she found it interesting but
then it is slow as it repeats the same ideas. Many authors covey their
key points in a fraction of a book's volume and the rest is filler --
like a lot of average music albums. One could jump to next chapter, or
next section, read the key idea and move on. A paragraph's main
idea is in the first or last sentence -- if it's interesting one can
read the rest. Of course with a rich good book I might read every word
phrase and chapter multiple times but those books are rare.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 Apr 2009 -- Mountains
After
weeks and months of hard work it is nice to be in the mountains in a
real holiday spirit. The grandeur of mountains are a good reminder of
how small we really are, as the friend said, and as I've conceived of
it since childhood, we are really like ants, and yet some think they're
so big, and many have their own little problems and their own little
preoccupations, and constantly busy mind with no space to perceive the
otherness. She said she knows noone else that eats healthy like I -- I started young, at 18 or so, and it's easier at younger age, than to give up habits at older age -- to be free of sugar mafia, synthetic and artificial food, etc., and the stupid ways of living such as smoking and drinking to find peace.
The jaw's been slightly better which helps and sports are healing.
A great walk - the mountain air is so beautiful.
Felt guilty for over-eating but did a rough calorie count and it's around 2000, which is not too bad. My average days is much lower.
Went to Samedan - been wanting to see this place for a long time since it's probably named after the ancient city which was once part of the Persian Empire. The language here, Romansh, is really beautiful.
We gave organic lettuce to the sheep, a dream come true for them in a place where nothing green was around. The baby lambs were so cute.
Lots of music. Our objective is to play really good songs not just OK songs. And our target audience is those who have not heard this material before so first impression of quality of a song is important.
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10 Apr 2009 -- St. Moritz Eggs
Got ripped off in this restaurant in St. Moritz:Bergbahnen Engadin St. Moriz AG - Via San Gian 30 7500 St. Moritz MwSt. 255 444 Restaurant Gluenetta, CH-7505 Celerina - 10 April 2009 around 14:30, table 107.
Asked the waiter how much would 2 eggs cost. He said about 2 or 3 francs each. I asked him to ask, knowing this is a tourist area and if the price is not fixed they can take you for a ride, yes, even in Switzerland. The other guy whom he talked to said supplement egg is 2 francs. So I ordered 2. They charged me 10 francs for 2 boiled eggs. I asked why. Lots of garbage was gargled in Italian to rationalize it but at the end they couldn't. In my opinion they were trying to cheat me, a tourist, and probably thought I'd just pay the bill like many others who don't bother questioning the charges, specially in Switzerland! Their rationale was, each egg is 4, and two is 8, that the waiter was new and the chef didn't know the prices (but those were the two who gave the price to customer, but of course, by default in this culture, customer is wrong). There was no rational explanation for why I was quoted 2 or 3 by the waiter, 2 by the guy from the kitchen, and even if 4, why 2x4 does not add up to 10. As a proof, I have the receipt for 10. I paid the 8 francs because argument would be a waste of time, but made sure at least they know that I know I was being cheated, and that it's not cool to cheat tourists.
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9 Apr 2009 -- Soy & Testosterone
This
is a perennial debate with lots of good arguments on both side with the
unethical meat industry having a big stake in it. The following
is from a study which will soon be published in the journal "Fertility and Sterility." Quoting Drs:
Jill Hamilton-Reeves, Ph.D., R.D. is an Assistant Professor at the College of St. Catherine and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Food and Nutrition Science at the University of Minnesota. She currently teaches at the College of St. Catherine and collaborates on nutrition research projects at the University of Minnesota.
Mark Messina, Ph.D. is the co-owner of Nutrition Matters, Inc., a nutrition consulting company, and is an adjunct associate professor at Loma Linda University. His research focuses on the health effects of soyfoods and soybean components. He is chairperson of The Soy Connection Editorial Board.
Conclusions
CONCLUSION:
The results of this meta-analysis show that neither soyfoods nor isoflavone supplements derived from soy and red clover affect either free or total testosterone levels in men. It should be noted, however, that many of the studies included in the full model of the meta-analysis were of poor quality; for example, many were not placebo-controlled and many were relatively short-term, with the average study duration of about 10 wks. On the other hand, isoflavone exposure was quite high relative to typical Asian and Japanese intake. Overall, the results are very reassuring that soy does not lead to any adverse or feminizing effects such as reducing testosterone concentrations in men. These data also indicate that changes in circulating levels of testosterone are not a mechanism for the proposed role of soy in reducing prostate cancer risk.
Also added to: protein.html
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8 Apr 2009 -- Love
-
How is it that such love suddenly fills the heart at the sight of the
humble face of a man whose eyes are not well aligned, holding the hand
of his daughter with possibly similar eye deformation. The "how" is
used only poetically. The field of love is a mystery. - Failure of Socialism is an ungrateful populous. The high suicide rate in Switzerland is not a myth. I know people who've thought of killing themselves due to pressure and lack of love. In a system where everything is provided, it is easy to take for grated those which people in other places would cherish. In Iran, for example, there is an expression we use: Thank God 100,000 times. In our family we used this often. We mean it.
- Smokers could do deep breathing instead.
- Moser's has organic gipfelis now.
- The society is much more separative here. Part of the reason may be the socialist system -- people may thing the society takes care of us so we don't have to take care of each other. I know so many cases of parents and children that don't have contact or rarely see each other in this little country. And people who go to hospital alone and never get a visitor. The conditioning is, it's not my business, but it is, when your closest friend is in the hospital going through same thing you went through... about to get the same drugs that made other have hallucinations and schizophrenia. At least she can be given a tip that drugs don't solve problems with family and school. They just make one dull. Where is love, where is warmth, the power of affection that heals all wounds? Friends owe it to friends when they have found light and the friend is in the dark -- to help the friend be a light to one's own self.
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Apr 2009 --
-
Added to Rezatv.comAnother shocking documentary of the misery meat-eaters are supporting
- Sarina Duerst is a great physio-therapist. When someone teaches you something useful they become a part of your life and being forever.
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07 Apr 2009 -- TMJ Treatment
-
Quoting from http://www.ctds.info/tmj.html on TMJ Here's a recap of what helped me:
Changing my diet, especially to get more magnesium.
Improving my computer workstation set up and switching to an optical scanner mouse.
Using a fanny pack instead of a purse.
Using extra sharp knives in the kitchen.
Seeing a physical therapist who specialized in ergonomics and posture.
Doing yoga postures and ergonomic stretches every day.
Using a styrofoam back roller.
Using trigger point therapy and moist heat to relax my muscles.
Reading and studying the books listed above on yoga, repetitive stress injuries and body alignment
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
06 Apr 2009 -- End of Swiss Hibernation
-
Switzerland has woken up from a long period of hibernation. Spring is
here in full force and the Earth and its creatures are rejoicing
renewed life. The air is filled with loveliness of presence after a
long period of absence of warmth.- Nice walk in the hills with an angel. Godly pear bread -- the walnuts in it were soft from the moisture of raisins, pears, and other goodies.
- Obama's talk in Prague is on http://www.youtube.com/user/wejt007 -- Bush was a pain to listen to because he was so ugly cunning and stupid. This guy is much more interesting. At least he talks about issues that matter, such as Global Warming.
- "Arctic sea ice thinnest ever going into spring... Sea ice is important because it reflects sunlight away from Earth. The more it melts, the more heat is absorbed by the ocean, heating up the planet even more. That warming also can change weather patterns worldwide." (Source: AP)
- "NEW YORK – An all-star concert on meditation brought Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr together for their first performance together in seven years." What a waste! Meditation is not control. I know people who practice Transcendental Meditation (TM) whose rooms and lives are a mess!
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05 Apr 2009 -- Smoking Our of Control in Switzerland
- Went to the musik-flohmarkt.ch
at a boondock village called Roggwil-Wynau. It sucked. In the last one
we got a cool bass amp for a 100 fcs. What sucked about it most was the
bloody cigarette smoke. It was supposed to be a non smoking event
but there was zero enforcement or even notice to the vendors not to
smoke. And the prices were all normal shop prices. Waste of time...but
! We did a lot of good voice exercises waiting 40 minutes for the
train, and also went through 52 songs and decided who does backup
vocals...- Decided not to play Rebel Yell as it is too vulgar for our style.
- It was nice to get help from friend to go through boring job of sorting and totaling receipts for 2008 taxes.
- Jaw sound depressing.
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04 Apr 2009 -- Gift of Health
-
Health is absolutely the mostRoggwil-Wynau precious asset.- The promised 18 degree day didn't come. Slight rain instead. Cancelled gig. Enjoyable practiced with Rosa - she's a very capable musician - showed her the new songs and went over last ones. Once the school she hates is over she'll have a lot more time. I want her to play freely - do more fills than average drummer when she hears musical ideas. Good talk w/ her mom who's a fine person. Worst thing for youngsters is pressure. Met her and Andrea again in Baden with Angie. This region is getting increasingly busy.
- Late night the streets are like a race track with young frustrated alcoholed Aargauische kids showing off their cheap cars by going zillion km / hour. I've never seen so many bad drivers in my life. So many reckless grandmas going way too fast with no consideration for pedestrian crossing.
- There is always the question of whether It will receive the glass of water It asked for in the peak summer. But hey, for years I turned a blind eye to beautiful women who opened the door offering water. I have no guilt in that regards. The eyes are still turned towards eternity.
- We added new songs to our repertoire today. Angie has good ears and is very talented.
- Finally has time to cook. During the week it's so busy, it becomes almost impossible these days.Cooked curry mashed potatoes with rice milk, parsley, oils, herb salt, etc. - and giant raw salad - and steam broccolis.
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03 Apr 2009 -- Emotional Proximity of Southern Italians & Persians
-
My friends in Torre de Greco have no problem understanding Persian
expressions such as "Your step is on my eyes" as a guesture of
welcoming guests. We receive a guest's steps on the softness of our
eyes. And then in Switzerland a youngster busting her behind
working in a smoky restaurant pays her parents who have good job and
money, money because she lives and eats there. In most Persians' books,
a parent's home is the kid's home, forever and unless the parents are
needy, which some are all over the world, the idea of getting rent and
food money from the kid is absolutely ludicrous. But
here in cold parts of mid-to-northern Europe , a sister that goes in a
clinik gets a visit from her father twice a year, and her brother
doesn't visit her even once, and first time a psychiatrist who
sees a youngster who's discontent at home and at school, sends her to
an institution where they drug her up. - Tenors have a harder time keeping their high notes as they age than those in lower registers. Could be a muscular issue..
- A laptop has many uses. It's perfect for doing exercises while waiting for the bus.
- Suggested to singer friend who sometimes has trouble expressing to travel to Spain -- would have, to Iran, but to get a visa and all can be a lot of work -- even alone -- to absorb the warm culture which will help in singing... to go to Andalucia ...
- Friday night bus means decadamce -- these people stinking of alcohol and tobacco and pot -- trying to let loose of their self-built walls which constitute the self itself. I am only on it to help a friend with a air mattress.
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02 Apr 2009 -- On Analysts
-
Some psycho-analysts can really mess people up psychologically.
Some stock analysts are in the pocket of hedge funds and put out
research reports that their masters desire and have no reservations
stepping on truth. But a good business analyst can save a company lots
and lots of money. I've seen far too often that a company doesn't
employ a good business analyst and instead relies on long boring
meetings to sort out issues that a good BA could do much more
efficiently.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
02 Apr 2009 -- Hooligans in the UK
-
Hooligans destroyed walls of banks in the UK. They don't know it's the walls of
their minds which need destruction. They blame the bank for the
economic meltdown while they should be blaming fanaticism and
selfishness and stupidity of George W Bush and some of his team, e.g
Cheney, who ruined the world. Of course all fanatics are to blame
including the anyone who resorts to destruction, acts of incivility,
and terror, specially to serve an ideology, however noble-sounding, and
primitive motives such as tribalism.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
01 Apr 2009 -- New Tobacco Tax in the US: Bravo Obama
Single
Largest Cigarette Tax Hike Goes Into Effect Wednesday. President Obama
signed a law early in his administration to raise taxes from 39 cents
to $1.01 per pack of cigarettes and from 19.5 cents to 50 cents per
pound for chewing tobacco. "With the tax it is going to be around $6
and some change. And I don't want to pay that… so I'd rather just quit,
and this is a great excuse to go cold turkey and quit completely." ...
"The tax increase is just the first step in a newly energised
anti-smoking campaign in the now Democrat-controlled Congress.
They are considering a law that would allow the Food and Drug
Administration to regulate tobacco - something the industry has
successfully fought for years." Wasn't the Bush administration was
pro-tobacco?!____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
01 Apr 2009 -- Cyberstalking Blog
-
Somebody who was too scared to state his name and even went out of his way
to anonymize himself or herself, created a new page: http://digitalcyberstalker.blogspot.com/
referring to the lawsuit I filed and calling some of the
defendants I sued as criminals -- well, they were not convicted of a
crime by the court of law so they should not be called criminals --
they all settled the case before the case goes to trial. I tried to
contact the owner or administrator to report
it as inappropriate but could not with ordinary means.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
31 Mar 2009 -- Internet is another TV
-
I am developing the same alarming disdain that I had for TV for
years which resulted in never having owned a TV during my adult life,
for internet. Watch out internet. Can we live without it?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
31 Mar 2009 -- The Red Rose That Lasted 23 days.
-
It's symbolic that it lasted exactly 23 days. I gave it a lot of love and kisses. And it came from love. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
31 Mar 2009 -- Tight & Torn Jeans: Product of Society's Decadence
-
A study showed women who are ovulating wear sexy clothes to a club on
Saturday night hoping to find a partner, consciously or unconsciously.
The most common case of body exposing clothing in society have been
those of prostitutes who want to market their bodies. In a less extreme
case, of those who want to attract stranger males. It's a way of
marketing. I am not saying women who wear tight jeans want to market
their bodies but that is how tight jeans came into being -- it was part
of the 50's, 60's and post 60's social and sexual revolution -- the 1970's the decadence of the
60's found a new flavor -- watch some French movies from that era and
see the ultimate case of decadence of morality.The 60's gave rise to wearing torn up clothing. Hippies wore torn up clothes as an outward symbol of social rebellion. Today, some youngsters wear torn clothes to be cool. But torn clothes are ugly and disrespectful. I believe a little bit of tear for taste is ok but too much of it is vulgar and distasteful and ugly to look at. I think as members of a society we have a responsibility to look decent -- if not beautifully dressed, at least not uglily dressed.
The point is, when a person wears very tight torn up pants with flying pockets and broken zipper and legs that are ready to pop out and all the curves show, the person should understand the social significance of it: How one is promoting ugliness, how one is subtly trying to attract other guys, etc. -- and the funny or sad part is that many women (or men -- but I speak from the perspective of a man) don't know this. They are subtly giving hints to other guys, they are subtly trying to attract other men, co-workers, or co-students, or co-shoppers, flat-mates, or whomever, and seducing and stimulating them, and arousing their emotions, and attracting them. If they want to do that, that's a different story, but if they don't, then they need to at least realize what they're doing.
I find torn up clothing of a person who clearly has enough means to buy decent clothes, an insult, and ugly. I feel aggravated. It's fashion here by some youngsters to wear gothic clothing. Ok, if done in good taste, ok, but some of these outfits, and some punk outfits, employing torn up ugly means of dressing surely adds to the ugliness of society. We are here for something else. At least if not to add beauty, let's not add ugliness.
On the other hand, a touch of elegance goes a long way..., and surely, simplicity. I love jeans. They're comfortable, modest, simple, stylish, but when it gets too tight and torn up in a vulgar way, no thanks.
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30 Mar 2009 -- Feng Shui Worked; Thought At Its Right Place; (Feng Shui of Thought).
- Slept good last night, completely outside the influence of the polluted neighbor. - Its so easy for people of this and other thought-dominated cultures to go into a frozen mode. Thought creates division. Every bad mood, every form of isolation, has a cause. Only love has no cause. And as such every instance of isolation can be understood and released. It either has physiological/biochemical/pathological cause and/or psychological with thought entering where it does not belong, or thought, as "me" isolating itself because its very nature is limited and therefore divisive. When thought enters relationship which it so often does in minds which have not learned the virtue of "thought at its right place" (which is for practical and technical matters only), it dithers relationship. Meditation is the key -- not necessarily to sit quietly, which is a very good and very important thing to do -- but also to see those hidden inner motions even during daily motions. Meditation is an act of emptying, it can be done through writing, talking to a good friend, or just observing. Observation is emptying. My favorite is writing. Emptying allows one to see the root of problems. And of course, the magic question is: "what is wrong". That very asking opens doors of understanding of what's wrong which often transmutes what-is.
- How can one warm up after being in the proximity of an ice berg? Ice berg moves away and the coldness stays. How and where? In body, mind and heart. Only through depth of insight the brutal chill can be shed.
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29 Mar 2009 -- Sick of Suisse
- This
is one of those days when you feel like leaving this place -- as much as I like this country and its good people -- and never
looking back. Flipping smokers everywhere. The disgusting German guy
next door, a chain smoker, and beer worshipper reeks. It's so bad I can
feel it from the wall of the flipping house. He coughs like a dog
at night but still finds his pleasure in cancer sticks. Nice guy, a IT
professional, but a stupid victim of the tobacco mafia.One friend cancelled an appointment minutes before it, and another is as cold as Swiss icebergs. The other friend who checked herself in a mental institution was perfectly sane and has no reason to be there but in this society mental imbalance is perfectly normal. As Lennon says in "Nobody Told Me"...
Gotto live my own life and walk my own walk enveloped in the arms of the otherness.
Swiss are among the kindest and most generous people I've known, but also among the least grateful of all people, which makes sense given the affluence and ultimate socialism where everyone is taken care of by the society. When there is that level of material security, where everything is provided, you have very low tolerance for the uncomfortable, and do not appreciate what you have. So, good, basic things of life are often taken for granted. Basic happiness is taken for granted. The proof is that such a rich society has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
- Remodeled room for Feng Shui purposes. Nice gentle guitar before sleep brought warmth and sweetness despite having touched an ice berg.
- Body loved raw food.
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28 Mar 2009 -- Another One Bites The Dust
- In
affluent, less structured, less specialized, poorer but happier
cultures flipping psychologists don't play such a big role -- a
youngster has problems and s/he deals with it, talks with parents or
teachers or friends about it, writes about it, is a light to oneself.
Here in Switzerland the youngster goes to a psychologists who's almost
guaranteed to screw her up. She's been seeing one for one year. Why?
pressures of school and relationship. She's like a flower. As friend
said, one who looks like she could be leading a joyful life. Instead,
she booked herself into a mental clinic full of depressed people, and
according to friend who visited her they just give them tranquilizers
and anti-depressants so the people just get quiet, dead, dumb, and not
bother the therapists. Big Pharma does really well in all this. One
dose of drugs is enough to screw up anyone's nerves. - The threat for the youngster who has not found what she loves to do is that if she fails this gymnasium (college), she has to join the work force as a apprentice (slave) for three years and she's dreading that. So instead of solving the core of the problem, which is, how does a youngster find what they love to do, and addressing the stresses and demands of the society which leads to so many suicides, the youngster is put on tranquilizers and anti-depressants which further make the youngster unhappy. This cheerful joyful person has turned into a self-hating unhappy person. I was shocked to hear this. We never had a chance to talk much but we should. I sms'd her and she said I can visit her.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 Mar 2009 -- Sharing music & love
-
lots of coins came from busking. Large 5 fc coins and small ones by old
people for whom those small coins are still a lot of money. The point
was not money but the love they reciprocated with the music and the
musician and his heart.- Marriage seems to be such a bad deal for so many men. It's scary when you see so many men who get divorced and have to pay the wife for years even when she's perfectly able to support herself. I know one exception where the woman is paying the guy and the guy is working and makes good money anyway.
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26 Mar 2009 -- Ojai
- Good talk with an old friend. I can't believe MK is giving
talks about Krishnamurti. He's one of the people who was very close to
him -- those whom Lutynes said, burned by being too close...
and I say this not because he was too close but because of what I
have seen. He's attitude has been like treating K as a god along the
lines of "god said it, i believe it and that's all there is to it".
That, I understood to be contrary to K's own wishes. But looking at the program, it doesn't look bad.- One of the guys, having worked for a foundation and lived there for almost 2 decades was laid off with 2 weeks notice to leave the place. It was later extended to 4 weeks, and he was upset at how it was handled. I don't know if this is true but would not be surprised. Layoffs are never easy. A is gone too. I didn't like her. Nothing against her but she was one heck of a complex woman. Friend said there were complaints about how the place was run but everytime I was there I perceived it to be well run. In Thailand I caught her and another guy gossiping relentlessly. And then there were the woods and that other strange woman.
- Pity KFA lost Michael Lommel. He's a great guy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 Mar 2009 -- Old Relationships
-
Dad's at coast of Caspian with Khosro & Hooshang -- 2 friends they
went to elementary school and later highschool, and law
university together. After all these decades, their team of
friendship is still strong, and at the core of it is love. - New doctor friend called. "I listened to your CD all night. It's wonderful. You have great feeling, sensitivity, ability, You play better than Daniel Burkhard [whose CD he loves]."
- She doesn't like to talk on the phone, doesn't like sms, and doesn't like email :) -- I wonder if she likes messenger pigeons!
- He said he's fed up with Switzerland because everything is so structured and it goes in people's psyches too and suicide rate is up. Another one I met recently said same thing -- that even the garbage bag color is specified and that in US life is more comfortable and here ultimately everyone is treated as a foreigner. I love this place but can agree that the great structure is taken too far. Anyway, I was too, fedup and ready to go until the answer came wrapped in a bus.
- Good to talk to CW. Old friend, who brought back old feelings of old days of peace to touch these new moments of peace. My old camera that the friend had had just broke.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 Mar 2009 -- Thank Goodness
Thank
God, thank the healing power of the universe, thanks the all oneness
that is the source and essence of all, the jaw is better.Thanks Sarina -- her healing hands helped the leg/hip.
Thanks love for the rose is still alive after 18 days of just drinking water. Today I gave it a kelp pill.
Thanks to Obama for finally putting some sensible people in positions of decision to rein in on short sellers for example. I am still highly skeptical as large hedge fund bosses still have Wall Street by the balls.
Thank God Linda Thomsen is leaving. Under her direction the SEC failed to prosecute even a single case of naked shorting which paralyzed the economy. Her being there, together with Chairman Cox, were right in line with the disaster of their boss, George W Bush. "Much of the blame for missing Bernard Madoff's alleged $50bn "Ponzi" scheme has been attached to the US Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement division - and, in particular, to Linda Thomsen, its director, who announced her departure this week."
The workaholic doctor works from 5:30 am till after 10:30 pm some days and leaves her phone on at night. What a freak!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 Mar 2009 -- Attention drug?
friend wrote about a designer supplement: "IQ-Energy Direct"> it's not about IQ
> it's for being more efficient, more concentrated, better attentiveness, better memory, better compliance.....
"it doesn't work
drugs give you that too but have side effects
attention comes from interest.
memory comes from practice
compliance? you don't want to comply, you want to be a rebel. rebel against disfuctional tradition that's made this brutal world
efficiency comes with attention and learning to not make unnecessary moves. in bass playing if you're not efficient you get problems. Same with everything else in life.
of course if a person is lacking necessary nutrients they get problems with those areas.. . .
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 Mar 2009 -- Perfumes & Colognes
I did research on this a while ago. Bottom line is this. Synthetic perfumes and colognes and eau de cologne
and aftershaves and eau de toilettes and anything else that has
synthetic perfume, like air fresheners, and cleaning products is very
likely toxic or indirectly toxic. So best not to use synthetic
perfumes. Can use natural oils instead. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 Mar 2009 -- Pain of smokers
was riding the bus with a friend. A strong scent of marijuana was
coming from the 2 guys sitting with their backs to our backs. I sat and
felt a pole go through my body. It was not a physical pole but their
pain and confusion.I immediately moved to a different spot with less harmful radiation. friend stayed. of course I don't want to tell friend what to do but maybe next time we can follow each others' antennas :) -- when we walked out of the bus the friend had already built up a polluted aura that just intensified a long day and stress of being in a society with people of ugly habits ambitions and brutalities to their bodies at least.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 Mar 2009 -- Post Concert Notes
-
was riding the bus with a friend. A strong scent of marijuana was
coming from the 2 guys sitting with their backs to our backs. I sat and
felt a pole go through my body. It was not a physical pole but their
pain and confusion.I immediately moved to a different spot with less harmful radiation. friend stayed. of course I don't want to tell friend what to do but maybe next time we can follow each others' antennas :) -- when we walked out of the bus the friend had already built up a polluted aura that just intensified a long day and stress of being in a society with people of ugly habits ambitions and brutalities to their bodies at least.
Fat girl who came on train stinks from cigarettes. Asked her to please move. She didn't. So I did.
- The night before the concert dreamed the monitor was defective. Last night after they set up the sound system they couldn't get the monitor to work. We tried to help. Called the guy. He came. He said the monitor is defective. And replaced it.
- Every once in a while Yousef would come: "please play some Azari". They enjoyed the other stuff too. It was a low pressure, easy gig. Good experience for the angels.
- We decided to keep the money in the band and buy a PA with it.
- The gig was at a big children playground. Not that many people (around 100).
- Casatschok was a big hit.
- The organizer said the dancer canceled last minute b/c their dresses were locked at the dress maker's house who's gotten ill in Germany... and the dancers didn't even show up - so we were the main act for the whole evening.
- I played drums on a song with Yusef singing. We played a ton of 6/8 songs and also repeated stuff and changed tempos and keys. Ross & Angela did really well keeping up with my spontaneous changes. The mistakes we made were minimal - nothing anybody notices. Not bad for first paid gig of this class.
- The program was so fine tuned - Yusef and I had made it at my place a few nights before - It was very Swiss - - down to minute -- like at 7:22 this act goes on. I knew it wouldn't hold and warned the girls beforehand not to get frustrated at last minutes changes. With the dancer cancelling and the delay in setup start time (misunderstanding b/w the organizer and the owner) it started 1 hour late.
- They kept asking for Azari. We were supposed to play other things at the end. So last time they asked for Azari I started Pinball Wizard (took some guts :) and the girls were ready to do the explosive B note on bass slide and drums that we stopped :)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21 Mar 2009 -- Wall Street Crooks Getting Hit Themselves
[also logged in: One of my letters to SEC]
When crooks get hit themselves then you her shouts. Take UBS for example. They published a faulty report about Dendreon while Dendreon’s short numbers were huge. Brean Murray admitted themselves they have clients who are short Dendreon. And attack after attack. Was Lehman Brothers not doing this? Were they not catering to large hedge funds who short to kill? Then they got killed themselves. It’s a jungle out there:
(from: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aB1jlqmFOTCA)
“As Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. struggled to survive last year, as many as 32.8 million shares in the company were sold and not delivered to buyers on time as of Sept. 11, according to data compiled by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Bloomberg. That was a more than 57-fold increase over the prior year’s peak of 567,518 failed trades on July 30.”
“When traders spread false rumors and then take advantage of those rumors by short selling, there’s no question that it’s fraud,” Pollack said in an interview. “It doesn’t matter whether the short sales are legal.”
And where was the policeman? In bed with the crooks?
“While the commission’s Enforcement Complaint Center received about 5,000 complaints about naked short-selling from January 2007 to June 2008, none led to enforcement actions, according to a report filed yesterday by David Kotz, the agency’s inspector general. The way the SEC processes complaints hinders its ability to respond, the report said.”
I am not at all sure if it was the process. A faulty process could have handled at least 1 exception. None. Zero. SEC did not prosecute a single flipping naked short case despite thousands of report.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 Mar 2009 -- Jealousy
One
can and has died to stupid jealousies rooted in
possessiveness. But there are limits to tolerances. Jealousy is a
dark evil force that cripples the mind and relationships. In a caring
relationship the tolerances should not be crossed. There are also
cultural aspects. I am very far away from the middle-eastern male
chauvinist mentality which is disgusting and wants to own women as
possessions. I don't want to own anybody. People are not property. Only
in freedom love can flower. It is true that here is Switzerland the temperatures can be quiet cooler than my average temperature. I've known more ice-bergs here than anywhere -- close to Alps, no wonder. But I also known loving heart loving people, and in fact, most Swiss people are very nice and good simple people. I adore their simplicity, unlike in the UK where you never know if what you're seeing is just an attempt at superficial politeness or is genuine.
But even among the cold, there is plenty of crippling jealousy. I know this because my friends tell me about their relationships etc.. I blame the jealous person in most cases, but consideration has a role in it too. The woman who spends nights in Salsa clubs with other men, leg to leg, can not expect her husband to not feel uneasy, come on, everything has a limit except love. Tolerance has a limit. And those who point out men who don't care, may not see that those men who don't care, and their relationships, are in a different situation, different stage. How many times have their shown their affection? How much volcanic love eruptions, intensity and warmth of expression, goes on? If a person is very warm and the partner enjoy that warmth, then the tolerance for another man in the picture may also be different than one who is cooler but has more tolerance.
In "She's a Woman" Beatles sing: she will never make me jealous, give me all the time as well as, loving, ..."
It never occured to her signing up for the dance class with another man that it may be an issue. "The husband should just tolerate it". "We're just friends". "There is nothing between us". This is not an issue of trust. The guy trusts her fully, well, there is no such thing as full trust, but believes her when she says there is nothing, but he has every right to not like it, and if for her this class is not so important, to reduce the pain between them she has several options, and all require communication, like explaining to the dance partner -- he may opt out, and also getting them to meet if she really doesn't want to stop the class or take the husband instead. It's a shit situation anyway which every couple should avoid, or for God's sake, before signing up to a flipping dance class with another person, ask your partner how he or she feels.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 Mar 2009 -- Laughter
Being
such a pacifist, you can imagine it took a lot of pain to get to this
stage. I have considered throwing an egg at the bitch who wakes me up
at 5 and 5:10 and 5:20 -- of course I would not want to do anything
illegal or violent - so wondered, if the egg hits the ground instead of
her head, is that legal? Well, it may be considered "attempted egg
attack" so, not ok -- or, oops, I was making omlette at 5 a.m. and the
egg flew out the window instead of into the pan :)"in 1 2 3 4 5 weeks" -- 6 7 8 9 ...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 Mar 2009 -- Natural Cough Remedy
The
recipe is from Herbally Yours by Penny C. Royal, 3rd Edition, June
1982. [IT DOESN'T WORK ! ]1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons water
Mix and take by the teaspoon.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 Mar 2009 -- TMJ
Talked with Dr. Komeyli - the originally Iranian oral surgeon neighbor
of the hand surgeon. What an absolutely brilliant guy! He studied in
Switzerland and has been here for over 40 years.Some key remarks:
- Many people have occlusion problem and live with it without a problem. It only becomes a problem when a stressful or other special situation occurs.
- Jaw noise should not be treated unless it's uncomfortable and painful. Old thinking was it should always be treated.
- Some cases are, e.g. being in cold/air-current, stress of exam, pain of being heart broken, and other emotional trauma, fear, and often yawning or leaving a warm relaxed muscle area to a cold areas,.that lead to more Para-function.
- 22 minutes of jaw's function is necessary. Rest of the time the lower jaw hangs freely. Train yourself that unless you're chewing or swallowing (functions), your teeth should not have contact (for para-functions).
- Self-chiropractic I did was damaging ( I knew it ) . It should heal itself.
- Reduce stress, get Michigan mouthguard that also does not allow parafunction.
- Minimize para function - don't chew gum, minimize yawning.
- He will give me exercises.
- Tense shoulder muscles can lead to it. Then get physiotherapy.
- The joint has ghozroof - like a plate with "lip" - when one of the muscles is weaker than another it gives in and it clicks. It's not a disease.
- There are doctors who specialize: Jaw Dysfunction Specialist.
----------------
- tried www.cureforbruxism.com -- I do not like it. The guy charges about $40 for almost 30 pages which for me was pretty worthless. I should have known -- anyone who offers a free "book" on interpreting dreams as part of the deal..... -- anyway, I got a refund quickly. Anyway I don't think I have bruxism (teeth grinding problem).
-------------
Teeth should never touch during the day except when drinking.
Jaw mechanism is a amazing marvel of nature.
Para functional moves include tensing jaw during playing music. Tense neck from the accident probably caused the jaw problem.
The jaw should work about 20 minutes a day in actual useful movement. The rest of the time it should recover.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
18 Mar 2009 -- Balgrist
- Her tears turned into a smile after the first song. She has a new face. - Jaw was acting up.
- Dr. Fucentese is very nice and very competent. He advised that now I can work the elbow and arm again without forcing it. And arms over head is ok despite the click.
- Hand surgeon in Balgrist was really good. He said "a lot of intelligent people come from Iran". His neighbor, a doctor, comes from Iran too and he recommended I go to him for the TMJ issue which is depressing. Hen did a most thorough hand exam and said there is nothing pathologically wrong. It may be the hurt nerves due to contusion and recommended a neurological test.
- I do believe that jinxing has an effect. I am not superstitious about it. I don't do it unto others but some others do it -- it's rooted in jealousy.
- Music gave us a lot of energy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
17 Mar 2009 -- Morning Glory
-
The approaching Spring air filled the heart with joy. The entire way to
bus, in the bus, off to train, one was singing. Saw both Angie and Rosa
by chance and shared the song of the morning -- an old Graham Nash
songs which Rezangela will play.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
16 Mar 2009 -- On Old People
-
She said the old people in Europe who are sent in retirement homes get
all depressed seeing only old people around and due to that life style.
In Eastern countries where old people stay with families they do much
better. - If you ignore an initial sign of a cold it can becomes like an avalanche.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15 Mar 2009 -- Letter to new SEC Chairwoman
Letter to Chairwoman regarding protection against toxic financiers____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14 Mar 2009 -- Rezangela
very interesting fine tuning of Rezangela’s playing.
Showed drums fills for example etc etc
We have such a rich repertoire – Across The Universe is The Beatles best song.
Asked Angie to play drums to classical tunes and Rosa Djembe.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14 Mar 2009 -- Best
- Cool website that give protein quality, etc. http://www.nutritiondata.com/- Some people sign their emails or letters as "Best" which I guess it means Best wishes or best regards to you. However, I've seen some who sign it to have a double meaning: like referring to themselves as "best". I don't like that signature.
- Buckwheat is a great source of protein and nutrients. See protein.html
- Good news is it has brakes. Bike market. Long line of buyers. Tried bike of seller before he submits it. How much? 20. I said it should be free it was so bad. I left. Back. He: free, ok? Ok. Hey, it works and I don't have to use a lock or worry about it getting stolen! (my 2 bikes were stolen right here in heart of Switzerland).
- Very touching few emails came recently from Jay -- a very dear friend. Many lines followed: Hey Reza, Hope all is well.I wanted to share some recent personal news with you, not only because it involves someone in my family but because you had a peripheral influence on the situation in more ways then one."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 Mar 2009 -- Loveliness in the air
- With a bit of warmth, the earth is enchanting the coming spring and the heart, being part of Earth, shares than enchantment. Such loveliness in the air. You can smell music.
- So good to play music with a good friend.
- Why are some women so arrogant? It's just to fulfill some psychological shortcoming.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 Mar 2009 -- Markets
-
Dendreon (DNDN) has doubled in recent days. Nice to see the criminal
short sellers with their analysts and journalists and UBS and Brean
Murray and their weasel analyst Jonathan Aschoff who was caught
misrepresenting himself as a doctor in trying to get insider
information suffer a blow from seeing Dendreon rally. Dendreon is
trying to help cancer patients while these lousy creatures hope for
Dendreon to fail. Some hedge funds would prosper from Dendreon failing
while more cancer patients will die as a result of Wall Street
corruption.- Beacon also had a nice day (BCON). Looks like Ny ISO approval of tariff changes is in the bag.
- Citi (C) has rallied from 1 to 1.70. I told Tom not to sell at 1 :) I woke up one day wanting to buy but had no money. Same day it rallied.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 Mar 2009 -- Too Busy To Write
- I'll fill in the blanks later____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 Mar 2009 -- Disgusting Smell of Goulash
- The entire house was filled with smell of deal animal getting cooked. The guy said it was goulash. I begged him to stop.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 Mar 2009 -- Soaking Wet
- Had to walk. Rain didn't matter. Hands needed a break. Cap. No umbrella. 40 min to friend's. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 Mar 2009 -- Psychiatrists & Psychologists Who Destroy People
- X and Y both saw therapists and doctors of all sort.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 Mar 2009 -- Psychiatrists & Psychologists Who Destroy People
- Older people, like dad, for example, who've managed to be integral and happy, are great reminders and inspiration. Life can be hard and they must have had their share, but emerged victorious.
- Wikipedia is such a piece of junk. Everybody and their mother can add false info to it. I corrected this page tonight which falsely referred to rice protein as complete protein.
- Good article in support of fermented soy (tempeh for example). Great stuff : http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_256/ai_n6258846
- Majestic sunflower seeds are now breathtaking snow fields.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 Mar 2009 - Yasmine Tamara's website
I
hate Flash. It's a very user-unfriendly technology. Yasmine's site was
pumped by Swiss Style magazine but it's more like pulling teeth.
Listening to Annabel Lee. I don't like her voice but she's
clearly got talent. She has some videos on Youtube but all her images
are scary because she uses filters to change her face to a chemical
metallic look which makes it scary as hell.It feels cold... there is a lot of coldness in Geneva - I have spent a lot of time there and found it to be the coldest of Switzerland.
- Good talk w/ Elio-e-bia -- maybe Rezangela will play at FlowerPower.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 Mar 2009 - Another Sad Swiss Customer Support Story
I helped a friend take a laptop in for warranty repair. Oh my God!I've had my laptops repaired for years by Dell -- no questions asked -- excellent service.
Friend's Acer laptop was bought from Swiss retailer InterDiscount including extended warranty for 2 years for 99 Francs. Still under warranty we took the machine in because DVD drive is faulty and other issues. They wanted to have us sign a statement that if there is software error we will accept their offer to fix it or pay min 89 fcs for the estimate. Say what? We declined to sign and talked to their tech dept. - stone age customer service to say the least. Typical answers: it's normal. Normal that customer is made to sign a detailed tiny-font faulty agreement to receive warranty support? And she could not answer the question : what if there is a combo of software and hardware problems. And she refused to let us talk to her boss. Typical.
At the end we conditionally signed with an attached statement.
It was like pulling teeth.\
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Mar 2009 - Writing, Birthday
Every job is increasingly rewarding.Good writing is amazingly powerful. It turns no's to yes's, it opens doors; it is one of the most important skills in life.
I don't think of birthday as a reason to celebrate any more than every day is a perfect day for celebrating life's richness and love's abundance. [logged]
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 Mar 2009 - Master's in Beatles
LONDON
– The city of Liverpool already has a Beatles museum and its airport is
named after John Lennon. Now a local university says it rolling out a
graduate program entirely devoted to the Fab Four.--------
Great :
Obama would impose fees on greenhouse gas producers, including power plants that burn fossil fuels, by auctioning off carbon pollution permits. The goal is to reduce the emissions blamed for global warming while raising a projected $646 billion over 10 years.
---------
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 Mar 2009 - Stupid Idiot Bush's War
Quoted from a very interesting documentary: http://www.leadingtowar.comBush's claims before going to war all turned out wrong:
• No weapons of mass destruction of any kind were found in Iraq.
• No mobile biological weapons labs were found in Iraq.
• Iraq did not seek to acquire yellowcake uranium from Africa.
• The aluminum tubes were not suitable for nuclear weapons development.
• Mohamed Atta, the lead 9/11 hijacker, did not meet with Iraqi intelligence in Prague.
• Iraq did not provide chemical weapons training to al-Qaeda.
• There was no collaborative relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda.
• The implication that Iraq was involved in the attacks of 9/11 was untrue.
-----------
• After four years, the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has brought with it more than 100,000 civilian and military deaths.
• Millions of Iraqis have been displaced from their homes. Nearly 2,000,000 have fled the country.
• Untold numbers of people have been mentally and physically wounded.
• War expenditures have exceeded $500 billion.
---------------------------------------
Ten Assurances by the Bush Administration
1) The Iraq War won’t cost a lot of money
2) We are prepared for every contingency
3) We won’t need a lot of troops
4) We will bring peace and freedom to Iraq
5) We will find WMDs
6) We will be welcomed as liberators
7) We have the best plan available for victory
8) The Iraq War will transform the Middle East
9) It will be easy
10) It won’t take long
Details on how wrong was Bush:
http://www.leadingtowar.com/war_rosecolored.php
-----------------------------------------
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 Mar 2009 - Balkan Music
-
Spent an hour speaking to two Serbian musicians and record producers
informing them on how to publish records in Switzerland. It was a
pleasure -- from one musician to another. - Goran's dad checked out teeth and said everything is ok -- his jaw also makes sound -- he gave a tongue exercise for the jaw: close mouth and take tongue up 10 times - few times a day. He said get a new crown in Iran. Here it costs 1300 fcs. In Iran it'd cost 130.
- A ticket controller entered the bus at Langenstein. He was a real asshole. I had a ticket but the way he asked for it was like people are criminals.
These jackass surprise ticket controllers are so rude and so nasty. This system of ticket control really sucks. They don't control sometimes, and when they do, they're such assholes about it. Tonight, a jerk blocked the bus door as I was getting out demanding a ticket. No problem, I had a valid ticket and showed it and everything was cool but the way that asshole demanded the ticket was so rude that it made the experience of riding a bus, a pain in the back. Do something about it bus company. Teach your ticket controllers to be more polite and not such jackasses. Thank you.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Mar 2009 - More Signs Of Bush's Screwing Up The World
-
American International Group Inc., once the world's largest insurer,
said Monday it lost $61.7 billion in the fourth quarter, the biggest
quarterly loss in U.S. corporate history, amid continued financial
market turmoil.- I wonder if that woman who had a pro-Bush bumper sticker "say your prayer and vote" has a job still.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Mar 2009 - Film About Stupid Bush's Rush To War
- A free film about how that stupid idiot Bush and his gang of snakes
(e.g., Rumsfeld, Cheney) rushed to war: http://www.leadingtowar.com- Cheney is one hell of an ugly dick.
- Some jaw and face stretches: http://www.ergocise.com/face.html
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Mar 2009 - Amaranth & Quinoa
"Amaranth
grains grow very rapidly and their large seedheads can weigh up to 1
kilogram and contain a half-million seeds.[9] Amaranthus species are
reported to have a 30% higher protein value than other cereals, such as
rice, wheat flour, oats, and rye.[10]Amaranth and quinoa are called pseudograins because of their flavor and cooking similarities to grains. These are dicot plant seeds, and both contain exceptionally complete protein for plant sources. Besides protein, amaranth grain provides a good source of dietary fiber and dietary minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and especially manganese.
Quinoa's protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source.[3] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. "
[logged]
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Mar 2009 - Water & Toxic Plastic
- Added new file to website: toxic_plastic_water_bottle_etc.htmlFrom "7 Compelling Reasons to Stop Drinking Bottled Water
http://yourwatermatters.com/news/bottled-water-isnt-cool/
#1 It’s Making Us Sick - Plastics Are Toxic
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET #1 plastic) is used for single serve plastic water bottles.
This type of water bottle has been approved for one-time use only. It has become common practice for many people to unknowingly re-use these plastic bottles. Studies show that bacteria easily breeds in PET plastic bottles when re-used and that re-use may cause DEHA, a carcinogen, to migrate from the plastic into water contained in the bottle. A new 2006 study revealed that significant levels of antimony, a toxic chemical, leaches into water sold in PET plastic bottles. Learn more
Bisphenal-A is a toxic compound found in polycarbonate (#7 plastic), the rigid, translucent, hard plastic used in Nalgene water bottles and many baby bottles. It is a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen and is linked to early-onset puberty, declining sperm counts, obesity and the huge increase in breast and prostate cancer. Due to the alarming toxicity of this chemical, in March 2007 a billion-dollar class action suit was filed in Los Angeles against five leading manufacturers of baby bottles containing Bisphenal-A. Learn more"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Mar 2009 - New Month
-
Nice set of yoga with Angel.7 Compelling Reasons to Stop Drinking Bottled Water
#1 It’s Making Us Sick - Plastics Are Toxic
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET #1 plastic) is used for single serve plastic water bottles.
This type of water bottle has been approved for one-time use only. It has become common practice for many people to unknowingly re-use these plastic bottles. Studies show that bacteria easily breeds in PET plastic bottles when re-used and that re-use may cause DEHA, a carcinogen, to migrate from the plastic into water contained in the bottle. A new 2006 study revealed that significant levels of antimony, a toxic chemical, leaches into water sold in PET plastic bottles. Learn more
Bisphenal-A is a toxic compound found in polycarbonate (#7 plastic), the rigid, translucent, hard plastic used in Nalgene water bottles and many baby bottles. It is a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen and is linked to early-onset puberty, declining sperm counts, obesity and the huge increase in breast and prostate cancer. Due to the alarming toxicity of this chemical, in March 2007 a billion-dollar class action suit was filed in Los Angeles against five leading manufacturers of baby bottles containing Bisphenal-A. Learn more
- Long sleep this weekend was very refreshing and healing.
- Because the file was getting very big, moved Rezajournal's last period to: Reza_Ganjavi_Journal.html
- Rosa & I went over her songs with the score book.
- Health is the most important thing in life.
- Told somebody : Bulimia is like a dark hole - a deep dry well - you take one step towards it you fall in habit - be grateful for your freedom - cherish it.
- Most (musician) injuries happen because of lack of awareness -- the hand is shouting and we ignore it - or we put too much pressure where not necessary.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28 Feb 2009 - Last Day of Chestnuts
-
The Marouni man's last batch of Marouni's for the season was nearly
ending. He gave me a special deal after we greeted each other with warm
wishes for the next season. He will return first of October if he's
still alive, he said.- Worked many hours but finished the report. Heads on.
- An enchanting teaser Spring day which will again give way to winter to complete its tiresome journey. The lady told the singer: at least there's one happy person. Reza was singing Lennon's Starting Over.
- We're lucky to be near these healing waters.
- She went to ask about the smelly product she recently bought. Typical Swiss lousy customer support, the guy got angry at her for asking and said she's the first one with this problem. Not true, but the others would never even ask -- she's been hanging around me for long time. In every single situation like this when a customer service agent treats the customer lousily, upon escalation, some level of management turns around and apologizes but by that time... it's like pulling teeth -- it's just not part of the culture to return things, etc. --suppliers still rule and customer is wrong by default. Global competition is forcing this to change.
- I'm so happy Angie's hands are better.
- Many people who need to simply don't go to dentists here because they can't afford it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 Feb 2009 - Run
-
The message to her has been consistent over the years: Find harmony and
balance between body mind hear, food rest exercise, otherwise
activities, parties, doing good, etc. etc., all become escapes to run
away from the disharmony of the organism.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 Feb 2009 - TJM?
- I
like to believe I don't have TJM. Although my occlusion has not been
good since the root canal, I think it was the cold medicine that shot
the nerves. We'll find out. I don't have any other sympton of TJM. - Called ML to just touch base following last night's dream, "Good to hear your voice." You too, I said.
- Saw Gabi in train yesterday. She said for jaw put hot oil at night. Hey, better than hot pack!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 Feb 2009 - Slumdog sucks
Slumdog millionaire won many Oscars but it was not life enriching. It
was absorbing and interesting but I hated it and could have lived
without it - there's enough ugliness around - why see more? Why are
Westerners so fascinated with such poverty and violence etc? Same with
Kite Runner -- many loved it but I abhored it. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 Feb 2009 - Jaws
-
Jaw blues - dentist: due to the cold or stress of grinding at night or
maybe poor alignment. Serbian dentist - Goran's dad's co-worker - very
good - she specialized in this. She said more people in Zurich have TMJ
problems than small villages (more stress in big city). Don't provoke
it (by testing it). It was hurt by closure now it needs to open. Night
guard type of device - but it's plastic and toxic, and I don't have
headache etc., so not sure if that's the problem or mal-alignment due
to not having crown on root canal maybe? Maybe it was the
anti-histamines that shot my nerves (and made me sleepy) -- my jaw have
been unusually tense (like I drank coffee but I don't). She gave me
comfort that it's not due to any infection (i still am not sure). She:
jaw tension is involuntary muscle but of course I think I can
voluntarily release it...____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 Feb 2009 - Grandma
-
Got woken up by grandma 8:30 on Sunday to go for a walk. She was eager
to go since 6 a.m., you know, grandmas who go shopping at 7 a.m. on
Saturdays :) - mine does too. Then she came pounding the window
with snowballs till I got my ass out of the bed and went for a walk. It
was snowing heavily -- what a winter wonder land.- Green peas seem to have same property as garbanzo beans -- you feel great comfort in leg muscles -- plus the new anti-histamin for cold it knocked us out.
- Changed 3 guitar's strings. Wrote in response to John Rimmer's contradictory remarks calling the matter a parody then saying it's not. Added it to
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/litigation.html
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21 Feb 2009 - Trustees; Cyberlaw; Soy or No Soy
- Suggested the following as trustees: Michael
Mendizza, Dr. Hillary Rodriguez, Karen Hesli, Dr. Amir Huda, Rafael
Gonzalez, Rik Ganju. I already suggested Michael and Karen a few years
ago.-------------
- I was alerted of a discussion on the pathetic classical guitar usenet group which I do not subscribe to nor read as it is generally a waste of time and adds very little value. There are some good decent intelligent people there but also a bunch of lunatics as is the case with any unmoderated internet group. Over the years when I read and participated in it, I learned very few things from it, main one being, as a victim, how to fight a legal battle against stalkers and those who use your identity to attack others and so on and on as documented in numerous filings including:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/3rd_amended_complaint_IL.htm
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/litigation.html
The case is now closed. Next step is to tell the story in a proper way for the sake of other victims of abuses in cyberspace, as I was encouraged to do by the foremost scholar in the field.
Anyway, last night I saw that this guy, John Rimmer of Texas, took it upon himself to post some garbage which as much as I wanted to ignore, I could not avoid making a posting to correct his misrepresentation.
------------
Got fedup on reading lopsided articles about soy or no soy. Fact is I've been eating tofu for the last umpteen years and I feel good. There is no ample evidence that it causes testosterone to drop. There are plenty of other phytoestrogens in nature anyway, it can't be bad. I will fire plastic from my life though -- I don't need environmental estrogen. And I will continue to eat soy products -- maybe 2 or 3 times a week. Tempeh is better than tofu.
"There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of changes in serum estrone concentrations, which tended to decrease in the soy-supplemented group and increase in the control group over time. None of the other hormones measured (estradiol, total and free-testosterone, or sex hormone-binding globulin) showed any statistical difference between the two groups in terms of patterns of change."
The argument is definitely not settled. There is much research on both sides. Who's right? I don't know. I like soy so much that I don't want to give it up for a month. Change of plans. But in the process I discovered value of wheat protein and always good to eat amaranth, quinoa, and lovely beans anyway. My body loves beans.
Here's one impartial article by Linus Pauling institute on Soy Isoflavones: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/soyiso/
It even says feeding kids soy milk is no riskier than cow milk.
Another cool article: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=40265
-------------
3 hour guitar playing today -- wonderful!
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20 Feb 2009 - Dream 9
- Had a strong dream of Alison Gugliotta. Recorded
it. I wish her well. An old friend who just disappeared. Alison, if you
read this, please drop me a line. Actually, I think it's Sarina, the
physiotherapist. Their faces are quiet similar -- thin and nice.Michael Mendizza
Dr. Hillary Rodriguez
Karen Hesli
Dr. Amir Huda
Rafael Gonzalez
Rik Ganju
I already suggested Michael and Karen a few years ago.
- The guitar lesson consisted of only giving student stretches to do and teaching her about RSI. Playing with pain is wrong.
- Basically the message is: Fire Plastics From Your Life -- "everything about plastics is toxic — both the additives and the base plastics. And both migrate in quantities that are problematic at extremely low concentrations. " There are a ton of articles about the matter.
- A walk to check out the carnival did the body hands legs nose mind etc. good. I feel so out of place here sometimes. A country that was torn by a political revolution and people spread all over the world, is the paradigm. On top of that, I'm a loner in some ways -- social indeed and very much so, but also one who does not believe that caravans can get to truth -- one has to stand alone. Tradition does us little good aside from providing means of physical survival, and its ways of psychological survival are corrupt as they lead to isolation. So it feels strange -- it was once strange, maybe not so much, being suddenly in America -- a 15 year old -- assimilating the culture easily -- and now in Switzerland, a lonesome culture yet gentle and humane and artistically appreciative, away from friends of old days who have kids now and lead boring social lives with others with kids and boring parties and travail of raising children and its thousand miseries that a woman blinded by desire for a baby does not see -- here with a young angel who is more learned about life than people 10 years older than her, pure, clean, sincere, intelligent, loyal, musical, etc., -- and I should look at the bright side of life -- shoulder chest hip and elbow are getting better, jaw will get better, am playing guitar these days which is cool, got a good contract working with good people, got a gig lined up, got a cool band with Angela and Rosa, so what that the room is too hot in a cold winter or house makes noise or that criminal manipulators effect the stock... Beacon Power locked in up to $18 MM today -- not bad.
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19 Feb 2009 - Some News Headlines
- Music is geometry -- such joy!- Experimenting not eating soy for 1 month.
- Some people just drag things out with no motivation to complete things. It's always a management issue. Good old subject of MBO is very important specially regarding people whose motivation is to have things drag on. I am not like that -- I like to finish things asap. If there are outstanding questions I try to find answers now. Of course, ideally, people should be self-managing, optimized for completion as fast as possible with highest quality. I know many who are not like that.
- It's about time: "UBS has agreed to pay $780 million and turn over once-secret Swiss banking records to settle allegations it conspired to defraud the U.S. government of taxes owed by big clients". - "For Switzerland, (the settlement) is a true catastrophe for the country's first industry, that is to say the banking sector," Geneva lawyer Charles Poncet, a former member of the Swiss parliament, told Radio Suisse Romande.
- It' about time: "A Florida court has ordered US tobacco giant Philip Morris to pay eight million dollars to the widow of a lung cancer victim, in a case that could set a precedent for 8,000 similar trials in the southern state."
- Brit calls bottleneck, pinchpoint.
- "Iraqi says he threw shoes at Bush to restore pride."
- "Eric Holder, the nation's first black attorney general, said Wednesday the United States was "a nation of cowards" on matters of race."
- The Beatles played their first U.S. stadium concert in 1965 at Shea Stadium. It just got demolished.
- "Key hawk endorses Netanyahu for Israeli premier... all but guaranteeing that Netanyahu will be the country's next leader." This is bad news for the world as Netanyahu is a fanatic bigot. He is a man of war not peace.
- Mad doctor works from before roosters sing till late night - she just came at 10:30 pm.
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18 Feb 2009 - Fast Runner, Great Bass Player; Beatles Last Official Concert
- In 3rd grade she was a faster runner than her teacher.- She started running to the bus for 400 meters every morning in first grade so she got used to it. (I also think she's wired differently -- she's an angel!).
- Girls would complain competing against her so she ran against boys and beat them too.
- She was younger than her class but her class didn't want her in sports and so she had to join one class older -- she became champion there too!
-------
- The Beatles Candlestick Park concert (their last), must be their best performance. And people went absolutely nuts, e.g. during Baby's In Black. John did his best vocal ever on Rock'n'Roll Music.
- At night, played guitar for long time and watched Titanic. What a great movie!
- Feeling good today - 2 days had warm water and lemon+water before eating - liver likes it.
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18 Feb 2009 - French Decadence
The movie, Emmanuelle
(1974) is the epidemy of moral decadence. Artists have social
responsibility and that is not to spread decadence like this film does.
It pollutes minds. The movie has a great song and that's why I bought
it but was disappointed by the promotion of promiscuity for example
which is simply moral decay. It speaks about the sign if times, post
60's sickness of the world, trying to find freedom in sex and drugs,
which is impossible. Freedom is a state of body-mind-heart, and it can
not be induced. It can only exist when that which denies it is removed.
The French influence on the world society by making a film like that is
a pity. I was very young then but not too young to see, and I saw how
this kind of attitude effected and corrupted the Iranian society as
well -- a dead-end road that led to only misery. This kind of crap is directly responsible for making sex so important.
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17 Feb 2009 - Vegetarian Glucosamine; Journalists in Pocket of Hedge Fund; Switzerland at the mercy of Tobacco mafia; ...
-
Dr. Vogel scientist confirmed Glucosamine Plus is 100% vegetarian and
said given my weight and condition to take 3 a day and swore by Rose
Hips as being fantastic. She said because you're young the tendons and cartilage regenerate...A double-blind study done on 178 Chinese patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee found that 1,500 mg per day of glucosamine for four weeks was more effective and much better tolerated than the conventional drug ibuprofen. Several recent review articles have also concluded that there is promising evidence that glucosamine can both control pain and slow down or reverse the progression of degenerative joint disease.
- Took another day off from guitar because to give middle finger a break. Inflammation of joint due to overuse must be taken seriously and best remedy is rest. So it was a last minute change that came from dialogue -- instead of watching file & playing guitar at night, going for an epsom-salt bath at friend's - shops closed to buy salt but realized i have bittersalt as Germans put it at home.
- The physiotherapist, Sarina did magic with tendons.
- Awareness, even if unspoken, can bring change. X stopped drinking "pepsi stuff". Y just attended to it.
- Another sad story of a smoker enslaved to the Tobacco mafia. Every bit of the story is sad, boring and pathetic. I am tired of talking with smokers, specially older ones. But I tried -- the main theme being: attention. It's a sad vicious circle of cig making the body feel miserable and then smoking to combat the misery which is disgusting and hopeless. And this government, oldest democracy in the world, is not doing anything fundamental about it -- they must love the cigarette tax. Yesterday, walking into Balgrist in Zurich, world class hospital, it stunk from cigarette smoke. Go shopping in Coop in Tagipark, huge supermarket, and you have no choice, whether you're young or old, sick or healthy, child or adult, to inhale poison gas upon entering the store, and the pathetic explanation of the company has been: when it's mandated by law, we will make our restaurant non-smoking. Hello!? Migro's, another chain, already made their restaurants non-smoking. Why can't Coop? Fear of losing the revenue of coffee or whatever that the slaves of the Tobacco mafia consume? Even the Green party bats for smokers. What could you expect from the Conservatives then? [copied to smoking file, smoking-swiss file, Green party members, the fine gentleman CEO of Coop, and a few other members of Coop].
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16 Feb 2009 - Thoroughbreds
- Examined by a excellent Italian doctor (Swiss born) at Balgrist. He said good news for you is the AC joint is not damaged.- "khoda paaye kasiro be bimarestan va daadgostari nakeshooneh :)"
- It's important to ask impossible questions. Can't do is never good enough. She said it can't be done. A few minutes later she did it just because I asked (to change autopay date without a fax).
- Swiss apprenticeship system seems like slavery -- a very talented young person works for 5 fcs/hour or so for 3 years. Apprentices are put on real jobs with virtually no training delivering poor quality service -- e.g. in Schlieren station -- the guy couldn't even sell a ticket to Zurich.
- Got mesage in dream re injured shoulder that it's alright -- after throwing the 3 year old in the air forgetting the hurt shoulder yesterday.
- M left hand finger inflamed from repetition yesterday. It needs quietude. So, played guitar w/ 3 fingers.
- Finished figuring our fast melody to I Will Survive. Easy. Slowing down the tempo helped.
- Grown skeptical to soy. Looking into it. I miss other beans.
- Yesterday she said they have 2 horses - brown - work horses. They're being mixed with thoroughbreds to add elegance to them. What happens when thoroughbred people mix with not-so-elegant ones? It's important not to lose sight. And interesting how in some regions there are more thoroughbreds.
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15 Feb 2009 - English is a Swiss National Language
I've
worked for several large organizations in Switz -- they all speak
English as the language of business. I guess more people speak English
in Switzerland than any other language. At lunch met 2 x over 90 year
olds who spoke fluent English. They were so cute - just as the 3 year
old.----------
Band rehearsal was great -- the girls are singing and it's powerful. Did a voice training session before the rehearsal. And good status meeting w/ the girls -- told Rosa we like her a lot and she's an important part of the band and adds so much -- so it won't be like we can get another drummer -- we don't want the band to be stress for her in this last 4 months of school. We pay attention to details and it's magic. We sound really really good.
A's new position of the bass looks much more ergonomic. She plays great. She had a good teacher :) but did the work herself.
--------
Came across this by chance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY8rQWSROCE -- it highlights some of the works of of this talented composer, Hassan Shamaizadeh. I am only familiar with his work from pre-revolution. Here's one great song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkL_iXHV_jE&feature=related
--------
Dad saved Jahan's $4,000,000 garden from the hands of the crooks.
----------
“Air pollution in Tehran has reached a crisis situation and the number of days that fit with the standards are very few, ....
Tehran Air Control Quality Company has estimated that automobiles in Tehran produce at least 4,400 tons of pollutants a day, and 1.6 million tons a year, according to Fars
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14 Feb 2009 - Who Cares About Valentine's Day?; Kissing Helps Stress
-
It's just another day. If you're in love, if your love is fresh, new,
not burdened by thoughts, the past, memories, then every day is
Valentine's Day. - Snow has colored the world with peace and mystery.
--------------------
- People in the shops congratulate each other on valentine's day - like christmas - it's silly - but it's good - why not? goodwill is good.
- science of kissing — philematology : new research indicated "Both men and women had a decline in cortisol after smooching, an indication their stress levels declined."
- My mid-life crisis was witnessing 8 years of Bush presidency and dealing with all the idiots he got the license to act in shadow of Bush's stupidity.
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13 Feb 2009 - Work At Home
-
It's amazing how more productive I am working at home than to sit in a
huge busy office with conversations, often loud, going on in multiple
directions. Worked a long day (and night till 1 a.m.) and got a lot done.- Hedge funds have journalists in their pockets and that's why I don't trust any journalist who writes negative articles about a company that's heavily shorts, and oh, the article happens to be poorly researched and has false information. A formal legal notice made them clean up their act and post a correction. Still not as well as I expected but the company was too weak in taking a hard stance and demanding a proper retraction/correction.
- Many consultants want to drag things on to continue their engagement, to make them appear indispensable. I never do that. My customer's interest is first priority and I am there to get their job done, at highest quality, shortest duration and lowest price as possible.
- "Baccara sold more than 16 million copies of "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" and featured in the 1977 edition of the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-selling female musical group to date. "Yes sir ..." was an enormous pan-European hit and was a prime example of the phenomenon that is known as the "summer hit". The song was heard everywhere over the summer of 1977 and it is still evocative of that moment in time. It is also one of the best known examples of the Eurodisco genre." (source: Wiki). German, Rolf Soja was the mastermind behind the Spanish duo Baccara.
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12 Feb 2009 - Mad Doctor; DOE Loan Guarantee
-
Mad Doctor's friggin alarm went on at 5:25, 5:35, 5:45 and she was still sleeping. No more Mr. Nice Guy.- It's important to never act out of fear. Fear, however minute & minor needs to be understood and ended and action without fear is one of dignity. Action out of fear is slavery. God is in the detail. Understanding brings its own action which might be a surprise as true action is born out of the new, the unknown, true understanding of the known.
- Beacon Power mentioned in min 76: http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.LiveStream&Hearing_id=3e5bbb28-ae11-75e6-3270-3112e03faaca
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11 Feb 2009 - Gentle
-
Doctor said: "you're a gentle person, Swiss people ... [not so]"- First day physiotherapy, jaw making noise, related to general misalignment?
- Good intense long meetings. It's all about relationships, and eagerness to cut through the unessential to get things done.
---------------
- It stinked in the mini-bus. They said they all smoke - even the dog.
- She said she has stress at her job and in her mind so she started smoking again. "Stress in the mind needs to be resolved; It's often related to stress in the body -- good eating, exercise, rest will set the right foundation. Cigs don't help stress of body mind or job and just make life more complicated.
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10 Feb 2009 - Mission Accomplished
-
A young family have been referred to live there and take care of dad
too. Still undetermined but mom said God sets everything up right...
God puts the way in front of one's foot. She's by no means a fanatic
but highly connected -- a true "karma yogi" -- one who is connected
through selfless work, through being honest, through being correct,
loving, intelligent, etc. She is such a delight.- Rusteen called Liverpool "Kife-pool" : "maman, kife-pool gol zad" -- Tara said Liverpool scored but it was Manchester playing against another team :)
- Tara: come eat. He: not hungry. Later he wanted food. She: you said you didn't want it. He: "tagire agideh dadam". (as in taghiire (change) aghideh (idea)) -- not bad for a 2.5 year old.
- Woke up with mad doctor's stumping her high-heels at 6 a.m. - it beats 5 a.m. .
- Something is helping with the pain and recovery - maybe thermal water and yoga.
- A very talented fast learner fast acting apprentice in Switzerland earns around 5 fcs an hour -- that's less than you earn flipping burgers. It's slavery if you ask me. So the apprentice doesn't have to have so much initiative -- and take the time to educate herself. And meditation in action.
- Mission accomplished. Got the signature that removed the major risk of a scope creep.
- Talked with Maria-Christina - lawyer and singer, after years.
- Physiotherapist wanted to learn from the patient not the other way around: about alex tech, protein, etc.- she was surprised that the patient knows so much about anatomy, nutrition, etc. -- why not ? why should I just be a specialist in one area? Go back to Renaissance and see what some people were like.
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9 Feb 2009 - Energy
-
Back to back meetings - worked on weekend too.- Woke up with pain at night.
- Now there's sense of dignity. It's important to not expose the brain to pity fears when one has quashed big fears of life that come e.g. from eating meat or being victim of psychological time.
- Boston Monday Blues
------------
To: US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Dear Respected committee members,
Beacon Power Corp. has been a finalist awaiting for DOE's loan guarantee for a very long time. It has met all the qualifications but DOE has been dragging its feet for months. In this age of tight credit, Beacon relies heavily on this loan guarantee which could make a difference of night and day. Beacon's clean-energy solutions are shovel-ready, approved by NY, CA, and other major grid operators and will reside at the heart of a new intelligent grid, and it's more efficient, faster, cheaper, and cleaner than coal burning plants, and has zero emissions. Please encourage the DOE to expedite the loan guarantee to Beacon power.
Kindly note that in October 2007, of 143 pre-application submissions, Beacon's project was one of just 16 invited to submit an application for loan guarantee consideration. Of these 16 projects, Beacon's is the only one selected in the "Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability" category. They've been waiting 16 months. Please. Let's get things moving.
Kind regards
Reza Ganjavi
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Feb 2009 - Trump on Bush
-
Donald Trump called Bush the worst president in history.- Re: Iraq war, he said: I don’t think we did it for oil. I think we did it because Bush was embarrassed about what happened to his father.
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Feb 2009 - Bush's Useless SEC (some great videos)
-
Markopolos: I gift wrapped and delivered the largest Ponzi scheme in
history to the SEC -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw_Tgu0txS0
-- and the SEC ignored it. What a bunch of morons the Bush era
SEC was.- Congressman Spencer Bachus questions at Madoff Ponzi Fraud Hearing -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5nNXi0jbZw
- Rep. Speier on Madoff Fraud -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmAAY64Yrl4
- Rep. Ackerman on Madoff Fraud -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOKSkaQoF_I
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7, 8 Feb 2009 - Fox News: Arrogance of Stupidity; More Bush Screwups Surfacing; Day in Life in Baden; Rezangela;
-
Fox News is sickening. It touts stupidity. It targets the stupid
elements in people and caters to it. And it's arrogant in its ignorance
and stupidity which makes sense. Fanatics are arrogant about their
stupidity.- Marouni Maestro is from Ticino.
- Listened to Martin Schenkel, a great Swiss rock artist - lots of good songs - he died at age 34.
- Anoter stroll in town, we met Bob G., great singer -- he is funny -- and laughs at himself on how he always sings sad slow ballads -- but we got him singing some fast songs - and I played too - and we sang together and it was fun. Met Roman again -- my God he's grown -- knew him since he was 3 or so - now he' tall as a tree at age 15. His mom remembers the photo I sent them from him playing the drums as the king of the church courtyard. He's still mad about football which we used to play together. Also mete Michael who used to live here, and also Manuel who used to live here -- funny that I thought of him recently and he thought of me listening to the CD just recently. We may perform at his birthday. He's getting married soon, at 33. That's the magic of small town living -- you go out and meet so many people you know. Oh, we also met Thalma and her two kids - her daughter has grown so much. A "nuclear blast" nearby clouded the conversation.
- We missed the snake feeding session. Marcel's friends brought a dead rat heated on their heater for 5 hours and the snake checked it out and once it's determined it's food, it went for it in a sudden move. The poor thing had not been fed for 6 months due to its irresponsible drunk smoker owner who finally got kicked out of their apartment.
- R. is very musical, is a sweet loving person, likes performance, likes the prospects we offer, enjoys the songs - and if there's something she doesn't like we don't play it, and I believe she's a perfect fit for our band. She's beautiful too - I'd rather have her in the band than a better drummer but fat ugly guy. She's under extreme stress at school and we don't want to pressure her. Next term she's here too - got a local job - so everything looks promising for our relationship to continue. There is no dependence which is nice, but she's an integral , strong part of the band, a good friend, a good person... what else could we ask for. We like her so much that we will wait for her , even 6 months, to have more time. Meanwhile our repertoire is growing. A. is playing great bass. We may start on regular classical guitar lessons. Cherishable relationships.
- "The Bush administration overpaid tens of billions of dollars for stocks and other assets in its massive bailout last year of Wall Street banks and financial institutions, a new study by a government watchdog says."
- There's a bed in my heart -- and it's so comfortable for one who lays on it.
- Watched "An Inconvenient Truth" - great movie - and a slap in the face of the idiot George Bush and his stupid policies that have ruined the country, the world, and the planet.
- Nominated Angie to be the band's manager. Her sale of the cat tree proved her marketing flair -- more things we have in common. Two good sales people -- watch out world!
- Lovely to get sms came from x. I believed it but she didn't. So she now owes me for losing the bet.
- There is love.
- Worked on harmonies for a long time.
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5, 6 Feb 2009 - Kids; Amaranth; Chiropractor
-
Anklin said while 5% of chiropractors are good, only 1% of osthepaths
are good. He's an excellent chiropractor. Got him to sit down (and slow
down), and he did a good treatment.- Eduard, moved from warm dominican republic to new jersey which today is 14 degrees Fahrenheit!
- Work is fun. Suddenly something that was taking weeks and lots of emails and can't do's, got done immediately after one escalation. I work with a very competent team - wonderful people. It's also fun to bring the best out of people, even the most stressed ones, by use of right phrases, rooted in kindness.
- Friend helped remodel room back to warmer configuration. I really love kids and I really don't want to have my own. Befriended baby on bus from distance waving with finger and it waved back and smiled. On the way back also saw it and it recognized me (under 1 year old). Another kid at coop was so enthusiastic about the food varieties on the shelves and approached them with such freshness. Something communicates itself - love, appreciation, of that spirit of freshness, non-burdened mind, delight, and spirit of joy and exploration. His mom and grandma also noticed our "friendship" and appreciate it. They knew someone else adoring their kid like they do is perfectly natural. Kids are adorable. But to have one's own is a different story. Not for me.
- On way home met old friend after years. She: how many kids have you produced? I said: many songs!
- Amaranth was heavenly. What a gift this grain is. Made it with curry and miso.
- Some gentle yoga brought new life. 3rd eye explosive.
- Sweet love rules.
- Linda Thomsen of the SEC should be fired if for nothing else for failure to catch Madoff's 50 billion dollar fraud after repeatedly being warned. Shame!
- Dr. Chu's nomination hearing, very interesting:. So good to have sense and sanity and intelligence and science is back to Washington replacing dogma stupidity.
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.LiveStream&Hearing_id=a71a3a1f-a497-7c36-a9f4-b4b37844f1fb
- The 4th result returned from googling "philosophy teachings" is rezamusic.com
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5 Feb 2009 - Medication; Mediation
- I hate taking medications.- Friend agreed that I mediate between them. Wrote this letter:
I am a friend of < > and just trying to mediate this unfortunate situation. He has authorized me to talk with you. I am not a lawyer but have had plenty of legal education and experience that includes training police detectives, working for courts, and prosecuting litigation in two federal courts, and my dad had a stellar legal career. I am just trying to help out both sides to end this conflict. Nothing in this email should be considered legal advice but just my non-professional opinion.
I've seen the contract and accordingly you owe < > some $....... . He can sue you for this amount. It will cost you a lot of headache, time, and money. Money can't buy time. At the very least he may be a thorn in your back until you pay him what you promised to pay him. Why not get rid of him -- pay him and finish this chapter? Do you like conflict? You know how much energy is wasted in conflict?
Your threats to him about defamation being a federal crime and your overture to the AG are all baseless -- this is a civil matter -- even if it was criminal, you'll have a hard time convincing FBI. The guy who called you an idiot had a legal right to do so under the first amendment -- you can threaten < > but can't sue him for defamation for being called an idiot by a subscriber. These are just my opinions based on my experience.
He will release the domain name < > to you as soon as the payment is made.
Why not stop this whole saga? What is it going to take? Do you expect to never pay him? Forget it. Or do you want to close this chapter and move on peacefully. I guarantee a litigation will be regrettable. As my dad used to say, even winners in a litigation are losers. < > is a man of principles. He will fight this to the end. Please be wise and let's work at bringing this chapter to a close.
If you accept to talk to me, what phone number can I reach you on? Let's find a solution together. I am not going to charge you for my time. This is a friendly, free service.
Best Regards,
Reza Ganjavi
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4 Feb 2009 - Natural Adjustment
-
The jaw adjusted itself in sleep - it must have gotten thrown off by sleeping side-ways in awkward position in the train.- Pranayama (deep breathing) strengthen the psychic protective shield and cleanses the aura of influences of e.g. close contract with someone who just had contact with a smoker.
- Still can't believe the cousin's family who destroyed my diaries from age 14 to 21. But there's no sense to get upset about their vulgar act. What's done is done.
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3 Feb 2009 - Legal Advice; Virtue of Gratitude in Morally Rich Cultures
-
My dad did it all his life -- to give people legal advice and help
people. Even to this day, being retired, his recommendation helped save
cousin's assets from being taken by crooks who were out to take his
property by fraud. Mom is so wise. She said when one does
something good for someone they don't forget it. Out of 10, 2 may
forget but 8 won't. I think in the West it's a different story. The
virtue of gratitude is not abundant but in morally rich cultures. - In my case, I am not even a professional but get calls after what I went through with the cyber stalkers for some advice -- why not help friends if one can?
- Acupuncture. Certainly not out of the woods yet. Angel says sitting crossed legged for long periods is not healthy for hips. Maybe the right chest effected left jaw!
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2 Feb 2009 - Movement of Healing; New Administration
-
Mild yoga in the train was a new life. Hit elbow against the rail again
this weekend - same spot as previous injury and it hurts a lot on
contact. Gave shoulder mild massage and movement in bed. I am
optimistic regarding recovery.- Friend started first day of work. "not nervous", but up since 4:30 a.m.!
- The new US administration gives one some comfort that the super power is in sane hands. For eight years, during the dark era of George W. Bush, we heard idiotic nonsense from the White House. Now sense is back in Washington.
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1 Feb 2009 - Recovery Of Data; Rezangela Sounding Hot!
-
This weekend migrated to new disk. Mistake was to have 600GB external
connected during setup. But was able to recover the missing folder off
the formatted disk. Alles ist guett.- Rezangela rehearsal sounded really good. It was something special and magical despite Rosa and I being under the weather. The girls are both very musical. Rosa's Spanish blood helps her feel the Persian grooves. Angela's playing the bass like a pro. They're both such delights. We always have philosophical pointers that come up that help refine the performance. E.g., how the listener connects through rhythm and that it's very important to have a very steady rhythm which is a more challenging job for the drummer as she changes configuration. If there is no tension in shoulders etc., one flows with the inner dance – else, tension cut one off from that flow. When that flow is there and one feels it, steady tempo becomes a natural consequence. It just takes awareness.
- We worked on subtle things like being a nanosecond late on the last section of Watching the Wheels - a song which we played so well it was a religious experience, a spiritual orgasm, Nirvana, or whatever you like to call it.
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31 Jan 2009 - Recovery Of Young Person From Eating Disorder
-
Eating disorders are very common specially
among young women so their relationship to food changed to an
adversarial one: in a disorder, both love and hatred for food leads to
conflict. In the process, the gastrointestinal system gets shot,
constipated, and in pain. After one recovers from the disorder, and
frees oneself through insight from the pain and misery of for example
pursuit of pleasure and relaxation through food, and eats
intelligently, the gastrointestinal system recovers and learns to work
properly. In the process one may recognize for example, improved
metabolism or whatever else -- the important point is this: there may
be a habit in making a problem out of food. One has to be careful not
to do that and let the system takes its course -- already constipation
and pain are gone and your system finds new life after years of
abuse and getting kicked and ignored. - K was saying there are 3 factors that prevent seeing (paraphrasing): a) force of habit b) dominance / acting out of thought c) desire to become... Makes sense.
- One tree gives enough walnuts for the whole family and many friends. "People are not interested because it takes time to break the walnuts, people don't have time and patience".
- X grew up in 15 degree house -- I don't know how people can live in such cold houses and then say they hate it -- well, warm it up! What's money for? Cold house and cold heart can make your child turn to destroy her/him-self.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 Jan 2009 - Another Terrible Movie: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Despite
what the reviewers wrote, this was one lousy movie and a waste of time.
I have nothing against homosexuals but why is it that often there is
such a need for some to promote it like a cult? The writer of this
movie obviously tries to steer the culture towards one of "learn to be
a homosexual" -- not so much the scene itself but the cheap words of
the script writer in trying to promote "learned homosexuality" as an
accepted way of life -- excuse me, this is simply decadence - and the
decadence didn't stop there -- a shallow-minded American women
lost her values on the flip of a coin (some wine) and lived in misery
of choice and compromise. The life of the loose American blond airhead was no surprise. What a waste of time. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 Jan 2009 - Use of "I" in communications; Medical Update; More Bush Screwups
-
It's nice in communication, written and verbal, to use less "I". It
automatically, subtly implies a division (e.g. vs. "you") and creates
reactions in the receiver of the communication that can filter
the perception. It's easy and fun to do such revision specially in
written works.- over 90% certainty that there's no fracture of shoulder or ribs. I will go back on anti-inflammatory for 3 days or so. Such a relief, despite the pain, knowing the contusion didn't lead to fractures. Doctor may prescribe acupuncture or other therapies later. A psychological cloud is lifted. I don't want to go to chiropractor for this for now. At least 10 minutes of reserved silence a day is the premise, and pranayamas for health and protection.
- Two news items side-by-side:
a) Economy shrinks at 3.8 percent pace in 4th quarter - The economy shrank at a 3.8 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, as the deepening recession forced consumers and businesses to throttle back spending.
b) Exxon Mobil sets record with $45.2 billion profit: Exxon Mobil Corp. on Friday reported a profit of $45.2 billion for 2008, breaking its own record for a U.S. company, even as its fourth-quarter earnings fell 33 percent from a year ago.
- Customer support agent was shy to say he was in Texas. After 8 years of Bush nightmare, I believe it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28 Jan 2009 - Penetration of Silence Through Sound
The Swiss civility always impresses me. It's related to their early education. --------------
Last night it was hell - 1 night cold - caught and now it's gone - but brought misery for the few hours it lasted - couldn't breath from nose and mouth was dry and...........
--------------
It finally feels good after some misery. Nice to have the opinion of doctors you trust, a lovely friendly voice on the phone, a bed in a warm room while outside is dead cold, but even the cold was pleasant. Pleasantness was a state of mind/body/heart. The breeze and the orchestra of sparrows brought the Otherness as one turned the corner behind the acupuncture clinic and that quietness that embraced all sound penetrated the being, deep, like a needle.
--------------
The chap who got kicked out from a friend's apartment returns to take his animals, as though nothing has happened, reeks of alcohol and smoke, and says it was his personality not to pay the bills on time. He didn't think he'd get kicked out but we cleaned out his stuff -- everything out except his animals. It took my friends putting a "rocket up his ..." so they can be free from his irresponsible polluted presence.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 Jan 2009 - Talk with 4 young smokers, etc.
-
At Dr. A's office the cheap music (radio) is irritating.
Unbelievable how many junk songs are broadcast on the radio as pop
hits. Junk, period. They're even paying a Persian song! Another junk.- We sang for the birthday girl. She smokes 15 cigs a day and all her friends smoke, so we had a long talk. They understood. Another view, another way of life was conveyed. You do stupid things like smoking, lose energy, then drink "energy drink" (caffeine).
- A warm meal is a blessing. May all those who can not have it, have it.
- So sick of the cold in Switzerland. And so many people are sick in the train.
- There is no way you can compare some Swiss guys with a Persian guy when it comes to relationship with women. These are both heavy generalizations and as such not accurate at all. There is plenty of jealousy to go around here, just as in the rest of the world, so that's not the point of comparison. And it's not about possessiveness -- there is plenty of that everywhere too. True that some cultures are more chauvinist than others but individual members can break from those aspects of the traditions, as I have. There are also differences in education and upbringing in relationship to the opposite sex. But essentially a common difference is about spice, pepper, turmeric, cayenne, and other hot items that make a difference about whether you care if your partner spends massive amounts of time in intimate settings with another man as in X and Y's case after years of marriage. How about complementing the partner, or a bit of poetic pet names or simply, "i love you?" Can't compare -- each person is different.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 Jan 2009 - "Think on These Things"
- People at Zurich are really nice - it's a great place. - Anklin said Flector (ibuprofen pads) kill hamsters. He said I don't have to take ibuprofen pill anyway and by end of week he will get rid of the pain. He took x-ray which did not show fracture but it's not for sure -- a guy who was there recently had to do a CTScan to see fracture but he had blood...
- Tom had a good insight - just like a good accomplishment lifts one up psychologically, an illness drags one down. But we are survivors. Now that I can stop taking medicine it's time to strengthen the body chakras and aura. There are plenty of reasons to do pranayamas least of which being protection against D. curse! I feel sorry for people who have to take medicine all the time.
- Helped friend clear the stuff of the irresponsible lazy bum "guest" they had. Another curse broken - not fully but almost. Another help arrived from the sky. M's dad brought a new lock !!
- I take a risk of sounding superstitious when I talk about this subject. It reminds me of Persian saying referring to "eye of the jealous" which can jinx. Surely jealousy is very common but also those who can think for themselves and are not afraid to stand alone are not the norm of tradition.
- Friend loves the book, Think on These Things -- updated: jk_ref.html
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 Jan 2009 - Grandpa; Pascal; ...
Thought of agha-joon the other day.His deep meditations (prayers with no words), order, etc., ready to go w/ no attachments. He melted in the otherness
I like to write his life story. What a life he had. I always admire people who emigrated – what they went through – and the glasses of habit they had to break.
---------
- Free Pascal "ansistring" type allows reading strings of over 255 characters from a file. The program works like a champ.
- Haircut - corn pasta + spinach - light movies. Did not take the ibuprofen. pain is there now. before there were periods of no pain. depends on position. Periods of deep contentment and gratitude.
- Helped friend write eviction letter - action plan is now clear for them to get rid of that irresponsible spoiled punk who expects strangers to buy his lies stories and illusions and somehow have sympathy for him and tolerate him. Yesterday he knew the cat had done it on the carpet but left it there till today. The poor cat gets abused by him. But that will end soon.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 Jan 2009 -
-
No
pain at night without internal medication but had to take it again.
Friend said rightly to take it a few more days till clinic appointment.
Depressing. Amazing how the medication gets rid of pain. I want my
shoulder back, and to be free from medication and detox from it and do
yoga/exercise...- Planned out the options with friend to get rid of the irresponsible chap. I can't believe how some people live in such utter disorder and irresponsibility. Did cost-benefit analysis of various options and it became clear to friend her flat-mate has to go.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 Jan 2009 -
A hit ended up on the website with someone searching for "how long does sperm survive in the virginia" :)and another: "can men sense when a woman is ovulating". In the elephants movie it showed male elephants examining the females to see which ones are ready.
--------
Better for the stopping to come out of seeing than as an act of will. when you see yourself eating lips for example, don't stop it, just see it first. That seeing may bring a change which is different than the act of will which is conditioned in itself.
--------
Told X the debtors will want to bring excuses and win sympathy. It's already proven he will say any lie to defer payment and take the niceness of creditor as sign of weakness. So it's important for creditor to stay on course and not move a millimeter from the ultimatum of "pay or leave". And to provide proof of payment else checking the bank takes another day and ultimatum is moved.
---------
Angie finished at top of not only her school but her class. She got 2 tickets to cinema from the school. Her and I performed at her graduation party with a drummer and banjo player.
--------
Walking is helpful to the shoulder. I am so sick of ibuprofen. Took it for 4.5 days. That's more than enough. I will stop and see what happens. Arnika might seem to have helped. First day a ray of light came that it might be getting better - but not out of the woods yet.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 Jan 2009 -
A
professor friend from Michigan wrote: "On the day of President Barack
Obama's inauguration, I remember the words of our late President Gerald
Ford: 'Our long, national nightmare is over.' "------------
"Cleaner air over the past two decades has added nearly five months to average life expectancy in the United States, according to a federally funded study."
----------
Angel thinks the shoulder will be ok again. A bit of stretching hurt a lot. There is always a place for superstition because our knowledge is limited but a scientist, unlike a fanatic always leaves room for doubt.
Hard time - no yoga no work out - medication. Doctor sent letter to shoulder clinic today.
-----------
Talked to lawyer to help friend with evicting the poisonous roommate.
------------
Several very nice emails came.
------------
the big boss said here in the UK we listen to your CV and envy your background, no wonder you're external...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21 Jan 2009 - School or Prison?
She
looked awfully depressed. The girl I know who's full of joy love and
creativity was on her way to school in morning bus. She dreaded it. As
though she was waiting for the question, "how's school", she steamed
out in her gentle way: School is shit, it sucks, every morning same
shit. She's not the only one, M also feels this way. They say they're
behind and bad but they're both very talented. "You're good, the
(educational) system is bad". "I'm bad in this system, I hate the
system" she said. "Take a sad song and make it better" seemed to
resonate deeply.They looked like prisoners going back to their cells instead of students going to joyfully drink from cup of learning.
Mary is cool. She reminds me of Kelly - quite energetic and artistic.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 Jan 2009 - The Idiot is Gone
I
waited for this day for 8 years. Bush is back to Texas. Goodbye
Georgie. Your team, under your stupid leadership managed to ruin the
world. Now we pick up the pieces and move forward. Shame on all those
who voted for you and did not see the obvious terrible consequences of putting
an idiot in the White House.Congrats to Obama. The eyes of the world are on you.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 Jan 2009 - Last Day of Bush Nightmare
"Just 23 percent said they trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle the main problems facing the nation."Gallup: "Americans Expect History to Judge Bush Worse Than Nixon... Bush fares worse than Nixon on the basis of his "below average" and "poor" ratings: 59% for Bush vs. 48% for Nixon."
Can we conclude anything about the mentality of those who fought so hard to get Bush in office and those who voted for him?
This is a closure of a very sad chapter in the history of the Western Civilization. Bush will go down in history as the worst president ever.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 Jan 2009 - Why does it have to take escalation to CEO's?
-
Got a call from Swisscom. They say they're sorry, they made a mistake
in handling the case. Why did it take a letter to the CEO for them to
admit this stone-age customer service?- Got a call from a COOP area manager who oversees 26 stores. He said they were very sorry. Why did it take a letter to the CEO for them to admit this stone-age customer service?
- Luckily the shoulder is not broken - anti-inflammatory, ice pack, and a week of quietness - no push ups, no nothing.
- Told friend it's important to keep the heat on the debtor. Certain principles matter: Don't leave today's work for tomorrow. Without giving the guy a notice of his late payment he assumes being late is tolerated by the ecosystem and formulates his world accordingly. Writing is a good way specially for a passive person for whom being very assertive may be difficult. The world is full of crooks but with enough, consistence persistence all debt can be collected. In this case the message is clear. Only if one has ears to listen.
- One of the most important ingredients of project management is to see the end result and envision the day the project delivery is signed off. To get there, a clearly signed off scope is critical.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
18 Jan 2009 - Music; Psychology
-
Told A&R I want them to be free to experiment with musical ideas
that may come to them - not to feel inhibited to try an idea of feeling
even if the end result is not clear -- the rehearsal place is a
safe place in spirit of friendship which means we can try things, make
mistakes, and it's ok -- like
in a conversation -- we don't have to have every idea finished and
worked out before it's expressed -- we express with a close friend what
comes to our mind, even if it's not great - and examine it together --
it's all tentative. Performance is different -- even then, element of
creativity and spontaneity is there. A&R sounded really good. Music is so therapeutic.- It's a blessing that the shoulder moves despite the fall but I can play guitar so that's the good news, and was able to do almost a full set of yoga stretches. But the pain has been terrible upon the wrong move.
- Psychologically complicated people do not understand simplicity. Simplicity is a virtue. Psychological complexity arises when thought enters where it does not belong. X said every time she left the psychologists' office she felt worse. Some psychologists and psychiatrists like you to be confused. It gives them business. So they poke. It's important to be mindful that poking is not the same as going to root of things. The root shows itself upon looking. It does not take analysis. Psychological analysis is paralysis. Memory is there, dormant, it does not mean it's unresolved. Like an external disk where a file is orderly placed in. But if there is disorder, and that memory was never attended to, then it shows up as part of the so called sub-conscious, in daily life. It's all there for the eyes to see and for the ears to hear.
- Special energy deserves care.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
17 Jan 2009 - Monkey's Last Days
- Monkey
is bragging about his accomplishments in the last 8 years after ruining
the US and the world. He'll probably go down in history as the worst
president in history. Bush is not to blame for being stupid, but the
people who voted for him.- Got new idea for a complex algorithm -- but nothing seems to be too complex. I still love programming computers, after all these years, but now for my own needs and not for money. The management consulting side has strong demand. They like independent people to go in and look at what is. I have no difficulty dealing with difficult technical people because I understand their minds -- been there, done that -- and when they see that this guy is one of them, they chill out :)
- Smelling the trees and snow, sliding downhill, good friend, such lovely time. Sledging is actually quite fun and I got a hang of it quickly, not having done it for a long time, until a stupid mistake made it flip. IMAX elephants show was over priced, enjoyable, interesting. I adore elephants and as a kid, was so eager to have a baby one as a pet. Speaking to God and expressing gratitude is a part of my background which I have not discarded. It's beautiful anyway - to some it may not make sense - to speak to an entity "out there" but it brings humility, subservience, and it's healthy when you do it out of affection and joy and not necessarily do it when you need to beg for something.
- So much for liver cleanse. Birthday took priority. Now I know what Beatles meant by it being your birthday and my birthday too yeah :)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
16 Jan 2009 - Friendship
Tara & Bella: friendship and love of an elephant and a dog: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4696315n____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15 Jan 2009 - The Self
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4696315nKnowledge doesn't help when it comes to the psyche.
Seeing, quietly, without judging, may bring change. it's in the nature of understanding. like you wrote -- that writing was therapy because you got to see... seeing is magic.... and acts itself, instead of the self acting. The self is strengthened and emphasized everywhere - in our education and upbringing -- even these so called self-help books are all about strengthening the self. But the self is the problem. Its very existence negates love. And a crystallized, glorified ego is still ego. It creeps into every corner of life because it's been over-emphasized by culture, by education, etc., it's the all-dominant process in our minds. It is made from thought, therefore this subject deserves deep attention into how thought comes into being -- it's all there -- how it unfolds -- what's the root of it -- and how, when it's applied to the psyche only brings confusion and misery. But even psychologists know nothing more than thought: so they poke, dig deeper, and as long as the movement is within the field of the known, which is what psychological thought is, it is bound to just to further perpetuate the self, which blocks the other kind of movement. Of course, mixing with polluted energy doesn't help either.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14 Jan 2009 - Sick of Smokers in Switzerland
-
You just can't get away from them. They inhale the last puff of balsam
from hell only to exhale it as they enter the train. Go in bathroom in
train station on emergency basis and smoker is puffing away at the next
stall. The "non smoking" waiting room at the train station is
infiltrated with smoke from the people smoking on the steps leading to
it. Even the Green party seems to be on the side of smokers.- Grand idea: instead of massaging Excel, I will move columns in a text file and massage them using Pascal ! Not rocket science but saves a lot of time in administration.
- The night flew by - sports - guitar - laundry - food - admin - & worked a long time on I Will Survive solo.
- Was kind of sad that someone so close to this other energy hangs out so much with a cat of a liar, smoker, polluted person which is bound to bring some of that crap energy into the being.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 Jan 2009 - Peace; Worn out CD;
-
Meditation in deep hour of night came naturally with awareness and
there was peace and a non-induced, non-mechanical quietness that came
like a gentle breeze by itself, due to awareness of that which was not
silence.- After 2 hours of playing it the guitar is juicy, brimming with balsam of sweet colorful radiant sound.
- I am never surprised to see a Brit backbite somebody. It's disgusting that it's so tolerated in the British culture.
- Dad talks so freely about prospect of him dying at some point in the future. That's part of his greatness: no fear of death, which is not the same as the stupidity of those who go blow themselves up for some ideology.
- Got a wonderful email from a school that they played my CD so much that it wore out and they need another one. " The CD of yours that we currently have on our phone system seems to need replacing. I thought perhaps it was the CD player, but I purchased a new player and your CD is still skipping. We’d love to have another one. If you’d be so kind as to let me know how get one, that would be great."......... immediately organized. "Reza, Thank you so much for your generosity of gifting us with one of your CDs! I will look forward to it’s arrival. And, yes, I do believe it wore out from too much playing."
- It cracks me up how "the Swiss" [a large category with lots of exceptions] are so heavily into planning every little thing in life. Where's the spontaneity? Got an email from a girl who wants to play music together in June. This is January.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 Jan 2009 - Swisscom: the epidemy of Swiss dark-ages-customer-service Mentality
- What a bunch of dorks are running this company Swisscom. Straight out of dark ages!____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 Jan 2009 - Wet Guitar
- What could be nicer than coming home to find a home made organic mixed bean strew in the mailbox?- Had some mixed grain flakes afterwards (left over from yesterday's breakfast). Together with the beans it must have been such nice protein. Anyway, garbanzo beans always seem to give large leg muscles comfort.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 Jan 2009 - Do You Still Eat Dead Animals?
-
If you still enjoy your stead, hamburger, sausage, or whatever other
form of dead animals, or if your stupid doctor tells you that you MUST
eat meat (because he doesn't know there are ways to get meat
replacements from less cruel ways) then have a look at this
slaughterhouse and see the pain and misery that meat-eaters are
sponsoring. Be careful because this shot of reality may be
painful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvn7iBckxZo- Misery of an animal being killed for food -- I can kill a carrot but not an animal and I refuse to sponsor someone else to kill for me, which is what most meat-eaters do.
- Slightly steamed broccoli is so delicious.
------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b2k98YLSnk
Devour the Earth -- By European Vegetarian Union. Narrated by Sir Paul McCartney. Soundtrack includes music by Reza Ganjavi.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 Jan 2009 - No Surprise 2008 Worst Year Since Great Depression
-
You put a fool at the helm. Eight years you end up with disaster. No
surprise. He inherits a surplus and leaves behind a massive deficit,
lost lives, polluted environment, corrupted Wall Street and a useless
SEC, dying cancer patients and a useless FDA, and do I need to mention
FEMA? The core of the blame goes to fools who voted for him.
Stupidity comes in all flavors including rich and educated ones
as well as fanatics. Anybody who didn't see Bush is a fool and voted
for him out of fanaticism, desire for personal gain, or any ideology,
is responsible for the mess Bush created in the world, economically and
politically. And when I say Bush, I also mean Cheney, who is not as
dumb as Bush but a weasel, and some people believe:
http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=cheney+crook&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8- Answered a ton of emails received in response to the the New Year message I sent. A quiet Sunday. Nice set of yoga. Guitar.
- John Dowland music is so boring even when played by a capable guitarist like Marisa Minder. I also can't stand most of R. Dyens compositions.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 Jan 2009 - SMTP blues
-
I looked at everything else. Qualcomm retired Eudora. Bat charges for
upgrades. Read negative reviews on Opera mail. I'd rather keep Outlook just for calendar as changing views
is too unfriendly. Outlook Express is just fine except one major bug
that as folders grow compacting them can corrupt them. Solution:
regularly migrate to Thunderbird which I will use as the main email
archive. But wait! OE is also having issues with Tele2 SMTP bug. So
clearly the problem is not on the client side, so back to Thunderbird I
go using each server's own SMTP instead of Tele2's till they get it
sorted out. Computers save us time but they also suck our time in
troubleshooting. - The Swiss really have an amazing ear and appreciation for music. The detect the shortest note from farthest distance and react with a smile. Singing "Good Morning" must have caught the attention of a lady across the street who kept smiling.
- Did an if-then-else on friend's situation -- good dialogue in which several action items came out, depending on the 3rd party's acts. A socialist system has a lot of advantages but one of its biggest disadvantages is it makes some people lazy -- they rely on welfare and know they'll never have to sleep in the street, so they become irresponsible, careless, reactive (or rather, non-active). But I believe at some point a lazy person will have to pay the price. Sometimes it's much cheaper being proactive than reactive.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 Jan 2009 - Goodbye Thunderbird? (not so fast)
-
Hard night in bed - cold and hot - but looks like the cold is now shaken off.- My favorite email client has a serious bug - it says it's sent but Yahoo mails have problem. Others have same problem. No resolution seem to exist. If no answer by tomorrow unfortunately I have to go back to Outlook Express. Operamail is cool but i don't want to learn a new environment and it looks too much like Lotus Notes that I dread. But I'll use Thunderbird as an archive - OE import is easy. OE's problem is its files get corrupted when they get big.
- Jobless rate jumps to 7.2 percent in December. "Mission Accomplished" your axx Mr. Bush.
- Downgraded to TB 2.0.0.17 -- the save/all and delete/all for attachments works unlike the latest version.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 Jan 2009 -
-
Met Angelrosa & Angelanna in bus by chance.- Yoga in train all the way -- in the vestibule of first class where there is nobody to see you.
- Let's put it this way: IBM Lotus Notes sucks.
- An old friend who now claims to be Jesus, wrote claiming that another "claim that he knows it all" while such claim was never made by another. It's ironic that he himself does make such a claim, in promoting his book which he touts as the successor to the Old and New Testament, which he calls the Final Testament: "Trust me. If you really want to know what's up, I have put together a book revealing all". "Education is definately not the answer" he asserted. I never argued with him about whether he is Jesus or not but did ask him, if he is Jesus, what does he say to all the people who were killed in his name. I am sure Jesus nor any other religious figure would ever approve of that.
- Guitar was therapeutic.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 Jan 2009 -
Added: Rezangela: An Intro: Just For Fun
- Made it to the train station in 9 minutes (jogging). Yoga in train. Some smokers come in and exhale their smoke in the train. And I avoid sitting next to disgustingly smelling smokers. Funny how the body felt the pain of the bar where people abuse themselves in with smoke, alcohol, coffee, just standing outside its door to avoid the wind.- In college my lunches were pimmecan bar and sugarless fruit yogurt from the healthfood store nearby - eaten in the Honda under a tree shade. This week lunches has been 100% organic, a wonderful pre-washed mixed salad from Coop and sprouts and veggies and tofu.
- Ran down the ramp not knowing the street was completely icy so I fell and landed on the guitar case -- nice thing is the guitar case is like a snowboard so it kept sliding down and I was on it and it was cool because I didn't get dirty or hurt or anything.
- Angelanna had a spare piece of mom-made pizza -- how could one avoid it? And pumpkin soup was sweet.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 Jan 2009 -
-
Floor poses and headstand at home. Standing poses in the train. Orange
juice, organic apple, organic mix berries as sporadic breakfast.- It's a real pity, this war between Israel & Palestine. Not only it is catastrophic, it is boring as hell. It's been in the news for as long as I remember. I just turn a deaf ear to the news because I'm bored to death about it but do feel sorry for the violence. What I can do about it at the most fundamental level is to live in peace with myself and others.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Jan 2009 - Response to Roland Vernon
-
Here's my response to Roland Vernon's email. Funny how his only comment
about my 12 page letter which includes a critique of his lousy book was
to pick on literally a few words of intro I wrote, and nothing at all
about the substance of the points of I raised about his book - not a
single response, except the attitude that Diane White, Radha Sloss, et
al have had: discredit the message by shooting the messenger. Also,
his use of the terminology reminded me of Sloss, a clueless author, who
used character attack to discredit K, missed the boat, and had nothing
valuable to say in critique of his teachings. My reply to his email:"Hi Roland. I'm not surprised that you objected to literally few words talking about what I'm doing in a letter that was 11 or more pages long -- it's typical to resort to character attack in order to avoid the subject / the content, which you could have instead objected to. I guess you did the same thing with K. Is it possible to not have an image of another's image of themselves? Here, you're making an image of my image of myself which may be real to you but it's far from what-is. But you're of course free to have whatever opinion you like to hold. The only shadow that is worth addressing is that which is made by the self standing in the way of love.
...
Good wishes to you
Reza"
- Understanding of a problem is critical in finding a solution. Far too many people and companies spend lots of time circling around issues looking for answers when the question is not fully understood.
- I've heard of lots of horrors having been in the software industry for so long but there's always new ones. Latest saga I heard about was when executive management orders a software to go in production while project and technical people say it's not ready: recipe for disaster.
- Sometimes companies tell employees : if you lose this secureID company has to pay 300. And there is a box of 30 of these sitting on the table and each is not worth more than 3. "Good business... huge profit margin :) -- clearly done to motivate people against losing it.
- Survived a massive computer mis-behavior (maybe due to the cold). Lesson: copy the backup files off line daily. Pranayama may have helped :)
- Moved bed away from the cold wall. Playing even a bit of music was like a gift from heaven.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 Jan 2009 - Coding !!
- Marouni(chestnut)-man gave 200 grams or so of chestnuts out of goodwill for new year. Typical Swiss generosity of heart.- Offline archive is 147187 files, 7624 folders, 546 GB, 586,442,606,634 bytes. Took all night to copy it to a disk that I had to reformat due to an error (chkdsk/f complained about not enough diskspace for repair even when all files were deleted. Properties showed 500Meg of lost files).
- Wrote 42 lines of Pascal code for mailing list cleanup. That was fun after all these years of not programming. And it works. And wrote another utility afterwards. I still love programming and this kind of code is wonderful because it's 100% deterministic, unlike html etc that looks different each place and when you add a bunch of nonsense it still runs but the source code itself gets changed by editors sometimes and so on. With Pascal for example, once you get the syntax and the logic right it just runs. Part of getting the logic right is to do boundary check and thinking out exception handling.
- She showered one with love and well wishes and went on and on praying for one’s happiness health wealth etc. - nice Persian way...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 Jan 2009 - Email Storm; Living Without Confusion Over Choices; Neda; Dreamweaver; Guitar;
Classical guitar is such a great therapy and joy to play.---------
There are very few instances in life where you have to sit down and decide should I do this or not. For many people there are many such instances. Some consult the holy books or throw i-ching. The other way of life is to let things unfold naturally -- a life in which choice has no or minimal role, where you don't make a choice until you have to, and in the process of understanding the alternatives, seeing what-is, the right move shows reveals itself.
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Received about 700 emails yesterday - the entire day emails came - from so many kind people. Answered all the emails that needed an answer. Clean inbox again - but it was like a challenging baseball game - the ball came coming and I hit them one after another, and then came another bunch.
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Chestnut man gave "a big 100 gram for Bama" (since we had a discussion on Obama once :)
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Talked with Bamdad -- what a refreshing talk -- he went out with Neda after the revolution and described all the details. So cool to hear. I imagined it, re-lived it. That, from a man who values living without images as essential was strange - but a trip down memory lane and I wanted to review every detail -- it was some sort of a cleansing. I felt somehow ecstatic. Never really felt how unfair the whole had been until now - just took it as a given - a romantic fool, a sensitive virgin young boy, a fool for beauty, for green eyes, for a mesmerizing smile, fell for a city girl who had a thirst for having many guys around. The story is long and the friendship was sincere and I take responsibility for having been (and still being) a romantic fool, and not listening to her mom who said on day one she has "broken glass". Broken glass is nothing for a fool for beauty who is getting teased to death to provide attention, be an orbiter. There were so many orbiters that unless you were some sort of an aggressive jerk, like some of her English friends, you had no chance. It's very difficult to judge -- I'd rather have events speak for themselves (e.g. record talking on phone for 3 hours and 12 minutes or whatever it was that I logged in the diaries which got destroyed by my lame cousin's family) and this whole thing is dead any way, but the significance is how it effected the psyche of the young boy that I was or did it?
It must have been a tremendous shock to have all her bumblebees suddenly disappear after the revolution. She must have gone from hero to zero. All the admirers gone, and even those guys whom she chased who were not romantic fools. Typically, she seemed to like jerks, like some other beautiful girls in high school. Dumb, insensitive jerks who don't pose a threat of loving too much. Then she met my buddy at my goodbye party and they got together. It feels so good to hear the story. I do feel a bit of resentment about her and the kind of person she was, specially now that I have more life experience and know what kind of angels, what kind of woman, can be out there, though not many and not frequently, but those women do exist who love and are not afraid of being loved, and don't have this major psychological complex of wanting to use guys to fulfill their gaps. And at another level I feel affection for her and with that, sorrow for her condition. I think her dad died when she was young. She had not dad when I met her. And to be a gorgeous 1/2 Persian-Azari, 1/2 English, green-eyed gorgeous woman in a dominantly dark-eyed, dark-haired nation meant every guy would fall for her. In shomal , the summer camp at Caspian, Mahmoud Abad, every man loved her, young and old, for themselves or their sons. And she had great social skills. She had a sweet heart but a complex mind. I wish her well and I absolutely have no grudges.
Time changed. She met my friend who gave her a special experience. I didn't jump into anything. Years later, we grew up, and I met an angel who was unafraid of loving or being loved.
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Talked with Stefano, Brockwood student - he's good at website development. Dreamweaver, apparently, like other WYSIWYG editors puts all the tags on each line which makes the source code a mess. The entire webdev world seems like networking in the 1990 - cumbersome.
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Note: the personal update and message for 2009 just sent had a phrasing error. Correct version is here: New Year Message 2009 and Personal Update
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2 Jan 2009 - Unreleased/unpublished Personal Update From Sep 2007
[THE NOTES IN THIS SECTION (2JAN2009) WERE WRITTEN IN SEPTEMBER 2007 AND WERE MEANT FOR A PERSONAL UPDATE WHICH WAS NEVER RELEASED]
And ever grateful. I go to bed at night, no matter what, thanking God – not out of habit but out of the same motive that the bird sings its song of praise.
The mind has a tremendous power to free itself from darkness and pain of conditioned response/
Mind and body are very much related as the brain is physical and its bio-chemical state very much depends on that of the body. My body does not consume alcohol, cigarettes, drug (including caffeine and sugar), meat, artificial ingredients, and tries to eat organic food. It exercises regularly (yoga, feldenkrais, walking, hiking, swimming, etc.). Sleeping enough and regular hours has been a challenge but it is one my goals to sleep early and at the same time every night. I tried it for a while and it felt really good and easier on the body/brain. Having just started a new life I have plans to give more to this area and do more of good things for the body. The body sometimes suffers from pains associated with laws of physics.
The mind is clear as day. It is free from hurt, anxiety, suffering, fear, etc., not that freedom is a final event in time. Freedom, enlightenment is often conceptualized as an ideal, a static state to be reached, and this model has grossed massive amounts of money for those who teach methods for achieving enlightenment. It seems to me that freedom is moment to moment, with its key being a mind that has learned and is learning its own limitations and is capable to free itself from its own temporal bondage not by the act of will – which implies division, duality, friction, and therefore loss of energy that is necessary for change – but through the magic and power of understanding, seeing, observing, without the seer as a separate entity from the seen which means there is unity inside, oneness, al-oneness, and therefore this observation occurs in a spirit of friendship and not coercion.
Children have tremendous energy and one of the challenges in life for me is to not stop being a child. I was telling a relative this morning who kept putting the concept of “me” in a young child’s mind that that same “me” produces so much psychological division and pain that people spend lots of money on psychologists trying to be free from it, and often fail if they don’t grasp the truth that the controller is the controlled, that “I” am everything that is going on in my mind, all the obvious and so called hidden stuff. Some psychologists have not grasped this concept and perpetuate this fictitious division between the observer and the observed which is guaranteed to negate happiness.
The heart is healthy – it feels deep love for simple things of life. I am very happy without a particular cause. Singing is instant joy, and joy is contagious.
Travels [since this writing I had several trips which are not included here]
Note: I try to mitigate my carbon dioxide footprint by contributing to about nine different environmental organizations. I also do not own a car and try to minimize environmental impact in my daily life.
Since the last general mailing, I’ve been to Portugal, France, Italy, Iran, Greece, US, UK, Germany, Spain, Canada, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.
Montreal is a lovely city (except the winds) that synergizes European life style with North American. Great Indian food!
Lisbon is a great city – it’s a large European metropolis but does not suffer from the pollution of other capitals as it is by the ocean.
Vietnam is fantastic. In the North especially you can still find traces of ancient ways of life. I had many Vietnamese friends and coworkers in California and have always had an affinity for the culture. My lawyer in Chicago is Vietnamese-American, and my lawyer in California is of African-American decent.
In Thailand I visited among other places the Stream Garden retreat in the South which is really a beautiful and well managed place. I taught yoga daily to a group that were there on a seminar and played concerts and made a lot of new friends. The meals were great, cooked from scratch, and quite contrary to western diet or western Thai food (e.g. they don’t eat tree leaves in the west). After some time I got tired of spicy breakfasts and widely used unnatural soy sauce. Afterwards, made a second trip to Vietnam and then to the massage capital Chiang Mai, prior to returning to Europe via Tehran.
Last three Julys I spent a lovely time at Brockwood Park during the work-party. Pictures are on:
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/workparty.html
Recently I was in Formentera, the smallest Spanish Islands, with my dear friends Elio, Bea, and Daniele who is a Brockwood Park student (http://www.brockwood.org.uk). Elio and Bea took the amazing hospitality of Southern Italy to Spain and started a restaurant. I did a concert there as well as playing elsewhere in town.
I was in Sardinia, Italy for a short trip recently. A very soft, beautiful place. Sardinia’s great gift to the guitar world is Cristiano Porqueddu (www.cristianoporqueddu.com) who has recently recorded a wide collection of Angelo Gilardino’s incredibly beautiful music (www.angelogilardino.com).
A few months ago attended Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and best-selling author Dr. James Christian’s 80th birthday party in California. He was one of the big influences of my life and is truly an honorable human.
Many of these travels occur on special deals or free tickets. If you ask me how, I’d say, it’s related to the “Art of Possibilities” which is a working title of an article I’m working on. In a nutshell part of art of living is to be open to possibilities which means not being afraid to ask seemingly impossible questions. Too many people close themselves to possibilities by assuming it’s not possible. But you never know and in the unknown lies magic.
Anyway, a free ticket to Alaska showed up and I visited a couple of wonderful beautiful and highly creative families who live in harmony with their environment in what I can describe only as a dream. It was an amazingly enjoyable time.
Charity
Finally, after getting out of a financial quagmire I was able to support a bunch of charitable non-profit organizations that are close to my heart and hope to be able to continue to do so. Their list is here and if one or more resonate with you, consider supporting it: The Alliance for Climate Protection, Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), The Southern Poverty Law Center, Global Fund for Women, Inc., Los Angeles Police Foundation, United Negro College Fund, Room To Read, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Friends of Africa Foundation & Africa Foundation, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Oak Grove School, Brockwood Park School, The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, Conservation International, and The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF).
For more information see: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/charity.html
Future Projects
I have a lot of dreams still believe it or not though sometimes it feels teenagers etc. are full of dreams of “one day”. My main dream is, paraphrasing the great female guitarist Ida Presti, “to make my life so simple so that God can fill it with music”. Thanks to great teachers there are lots of symphonies playing in my daily life and relationships are brimming with sweet notes and nectars of harmonies.
I want to record another CD and play concerts. But it’s not an ambition. I have no ambition. No craving to fulfill. I am happy 100% now and don’t need to become anything to be happy and have peace.
The most important objective seems to be to end all suffering and disorder in oneself and thereby around oneself.
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1 Jan 2009 - Economic Forecast; New Year's Message (on Kid's Age); Smoking Dangers; Murren 2008 Article; New Year Message; etc.
New version published: On-work-around-k-work-2008.html----------------
Switzerland is calm slow and quiet on any day, imagine what January 1st would be like. It’s lovely. Snow on ground. Friend around. Good meal. Good nap. Good stretches. And walk and sports to come.
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Sister's Christmas message includes:
Our kids show a lot of talent in playing; pretending; drawing (on the walls, furniture, what-have you); singing in English and Persian; being silly and all the things kids 2.5 and 4.5 do and like. (I'm sure all medical schools are looking for applicants with a great talent in singing and pretending!) We were fine with the age thing for a few months right after Tara's birthday. But with the schools in session, we're back to: How old am I today?! What has changed from last year is the answer she provides herself: "I'm 4 and a half, which is almost 5. So, tell my grandma to come here in May for my SIXTH birthday!" Rusteen on the other hand uses his age to get "more" of everything. His favorite line these days is: "I'm 2, I should have 2." And if whatever it is that he is getting is to his liking, e.g., cookies, then he says: "I'm 2.5, so I should get THREE." Oh yes, our kids have a great gift for math!
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2008 was a terrible year for world finance. The S&P 500 tumbled 41%, for example.
From Bloomberg:
U.S. Stocks Post Steepest Yearly Decline Since Depression, Dow Plunges 34%
Commodities Boom Turned to Bust as World Economy Crumbled in Second Half
Yen, Dollar Post 2008 Advance Versus Euro as Recession Spurs Safety Demand
Treasuries Rally Most Since 1995 as Recession Forces Fed to Reduce Rates
From CNN:
By the end of 2009, however, analysts expect anywhere from a 10% to a 25% improvement in the S&P 500 (SPX). Experts forecast the index finishing an average of 135 points higher to about 1,025 on Dec. 31, 2009. The Dow (INDU) is expected to close up 900 points at about 9,500, and the Nasdaq composite index (COMP) is predicted to gain 160 points to close out 2009 at about 1,700. In the second half of 2009, most analysts believe the market will begin to rise more consistently, as economic indicators start showing improvement in key areas of construction, housing, retail sales and credit.
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Updated with a lot of new research on dangers of smoking and second hand smoke (and sent it to Swiss Green party too who should be lobbying against Big Tobacco instead of showing sympathy for smokers.
Tobacco and Marijuana Facts - the latest research on smoking, plus statistics.
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Talk about impressive titles, check this one out (from email signature of a friend).
Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, Director, Behavioral Perinatology / Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California...
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New Year Message 2009 and Personal Update -- First mass mail in years
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31 Dec 2008 - On the work around Krishnamurti's work
Published: On the work around Krishnamurti's work - 2008The responses I got from the K-related letter were interesting. First was from a member of a foundation. Very positive. All the others were positive too except one lady, whom I think had a romantic relationship with a guy whom she thinks I refer to in the letter (who was only mentioned only to demonstrate a bigger concept). She just did not know that some of the facts stated are actually facts that she just didn't happen to know.
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The bus ride to band practice is so beautiful as it goes through farms and fields of green and different colors in different seasons. Band practice is so energizing. There's such great synergy.
Heavy snow made small village look right out of a story book. We made videos and a new setup of the studio. We're so lucky to have this practice space. Viva Gonzalez!
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30 Dec 2008 - Mad Doctor; More Economic Bad News (thanks to Bush's idiotic leadership)
The mad doctor's frikin alarm clock went on for 1/2 hour today, again, at 5
a.m., a combo of alarm and vibration. She'll get a friendly letter with
some positive suggestions. She leaves home at 5:30 a.m. and returns
after 7:30 pm.-----------
A young person wants to experience everything for themselves. The smart one uses the experience of others. If everyone had to find America on their own it'd be a lot of work. So we use Columbus's learning.
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The grim outlook for the economy was affirmed Tuesday by separate reports showing consumer confidence and housing prices have plummeted to all-time lows.
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30 Dec 2008 - Vertel Pump & Dump
Had
a nightmare of Cyrus Irani, the last president of Vertel before it
folded. He was a good guy but you never know. He did have a part in the
whole event but up to the last days he bought stock himself. Was he a
fool, a puppet, a con artist, or honest?. You never know if that was
just a way of misleading people or not. His predecessor Bruce Brown
with his buddy Gordon Almquist eventually landed at Strix
Systems. Vertel
ran into the ground and the IP for e*orb was sold off. The market crash
had something to do with it but many believed it was a pump-and-dump
scheme. Bruce sold tons of stock and made, I don't remember, over $20M
I think. The press releases were full of things that never came to
fruition. Lesson is, when a company executive sells, watch out! And
never trust safe harbor statements.Then Bruce left and Cyrus took over. Poor guy. Or was he a poor guy? If indeed it was a pump-and-dump scheme, they still needed an ax-man to close the shop, but I am not sure if that last part was all planned because Cyrus did seem sincere. I never forget the conference call in which Cyrus was asked about how imminent e*orb's rollout was - then the analyst praised him and asked for a tape of the conference, and then the stock slid to nowhere. Analysts who want to dump don't tell you in the conference call. They say, how great, congratulations, and the press the sell button.
You can see Bruce Brown's ugly face at this link: http://www.twst.com/pdf/vrtl.pdf
Here's the press release announcing resignation of Brown after he made a truckload of money from dumping the stock:
http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/software-services-applications-network-software/6032525-1.html
Check out this one: Compaq, wow!
http://www.vertel.com/news/pr_020300_2.asp
Here's an example of Bruce pumping while he dumped -- he had 75% to still dump:
(Link: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-27670068_ITM)
"e*ORB will run on every server going forward. That's hundreds of thousands (of units), and Vertel gets royalties every time e*ORB is deployed," said Brown.
Sure!!
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29
Dec 2008 - Syncopation
New Article posted: SEC
Must Urgently Disclose Large Short Positions to Help Protect Small
Companies Against Predator Financiers & Toxic Financing----------
News of extreme air pollution in Tehran. I feel so sorry about those living there.
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"The ongoing recession and global economic shock pummeled stocks this year, with the Dow Jones industrial average slumping 36.2 percent. That's the biggest drop since 1931 when the Great Depression sent stocks reeling 40.6 percent."
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Rosa and I spent a lot of time working in preparation for the video, e.g., the 5/4 measure in Across the Universe and other fine details that deserve attention. What's really fun about playing in a good band is the non verbal communication between musicians. It's a level of communication that non musicians can't conceive how cool it is.
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28
Dec 2008 - Another Letter to the SEC; American 4-wheel Culture
& Lack of Sympathy for Classical Musicians -- Joshua Bell; Swiss Pro-smoking Green Party!
An
early morning push to write new letter to SEC in response for their
call for response. It's clear predator financiers love to be anonymous
if they hold a short position and are covered by warrants. Finished and
sent for review.------------
Last night finished the chapter on the "nobody got it" myth.
Today, will attack the long standing chapter on the untrustworthy trustee. Goal is to take it from 30 pages down to 2 pages!
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Two new videos on rezatv.com
Omid Kordestani, Google's SVP for Global Sales and Business Development -- Commencement speech at SJSU. (Omid is Iranian).
America's Lack of Appreciation for Classical Musicians -- Violinist Joshua Bell plays at a metro station and hardly anyone stops to notice (or give a coin).
Today, will attack the long standing chapter on the untrustworthy trustee. Goal is to take it from 30 pages down to 2 pages!
An excellent musician friend from Iran sent this video link. In response I wrote:
Americans are just as bad as Iranians in their appreciation of classical music. At least Iranians have an excuse: it's western classical - it has harmonies (Iranian classical has virtually no harmony but instead complex rhythms and melodies (quarter note) - it's no lyrics - but despite all these excuses, the bottom line is education and exposure. In Eurpe, kids are taken to concerts, and they're taught to give money to musicians. This does not happen in the US or in Iran. Street musicians are actually more respected in Iran than in the US. In the US, street musicians are considered at the same level as the homeless. The culture is simply not there : streets are for cars in a "4-wheel-culture" and some places don't even have sidewalks. Oil, Tire, Auto, etc. industries managed to destroy public transport in many places which contributed to the isolation and alienation. This Christmas, a guy who lost his job and was going through a divorce decided to kill a lot of people then himself. On the news today: "a man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm". These stories are not that common in other societies -- mall shootings, high-school shootings, post-office shootings -- these are all symptoms of loneliness. May God bless all people of all countries.
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Geneva (AFP)
The US embassy in Switzerland has complained to the authorities here about Swiss soldiers smoking joints and urinating against its mission's walls during their guard duty... one soldier had left his rifle against the embassy's wall while he wandered off to urinate.... a passer-by found two loaded assault rifles outside a building in Zurich where the US honorary consulate office is located, but the two soldiers responsible for them were missing, the paper said.
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Wrote to the pathetic
Green Party in
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Good practice w/ Angie.
Certain
musical ideas are much easier to learn by ear -- if someone feels it
then it's much simpler than having to learn it through music
mathematics.
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Sent:
Problem of smoking in Switzerland
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27 Dec 2008 - Cleansing; Swiss Stone-Age Customer Service; Beatles Japan
The consciousness is still cleansing from the intensity of Tehran.--------
Touching the smoker brought instant bad luck. First off Hans Juerg broke my tremolo bar by error. I still paid for the service since we are friends. Then the GR-20 was not working at all. Maybe that was good luck (saved me 900 Fcs). The I was faced with stone-age customer service at another shop -- Switzerland is great if you don't have to deal with customer-service. And every time, every single time, when you escalate it the company, whoever it is, looks at it and determines that they were wrong. But the default is that the customer is wrong ( see 22 Dec 2009 entry).
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Regarding Japan Concert
"I Feel Fine"
I feel fine sound is in F# but on the video they're playing it in G.
Did they tune 1/2 step lower?
Any ideas...?
--
"Paperback Writer"
John really messes up the harmonies and George gives him a dirty look
everytime - it wasn't a mistake - he just didn't know it or for some
reason kept hitting the wrong notes (backup on multiple iterations of
the verse).
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"Car bombs in Iraq kill at least 25, wound 64"
Didn't Bush brag "Mission Accomplished" a few years ago?!
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26 Dec 2008 - Feng Shui; Pumpkin Soup;
On
the wall of the goldsmith there was a sign, an old Persian mystical
saying: "He who brings and counts the fault of others to you, without
doubt, will take your faults to others."I wish the Brits knew this!
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Major remodeling.
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Markus Aurelius came - one of the few supermen I know. He brought pumpkin soup. I made a combo of chickpeas, black lentils, and quinoa, with tomato sauce and massive herbs and spices. He had a good idea: If I can line up 10 songs for using the guitar-synthesizer then I'll buy it.
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I am happy. I have a warm room, broccoli, ginger, etc., a nice movie to watch, articles to write, guitars to play, songs to sing, and there is light in the mind to dispel all its darkness. The body is tired but a long walk in the hills was a blessing.
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soaking quinoa or rice is different than over cooking them. Soaking give time for the grain's intelligent, sprout, to move which makes it easier to digest and nutritionally more available.
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25 Dec 2008 - Quiet Christmas; Band; Extreme Drum Set Techniques
The world is asleep - even birds are refusing to make a sound in their respect for the power of quietness.----------
Practiced with Rosa in preparation of making videos of 27 songs. I love Keith Moon but our version of The Who is a bit tamer in drums and therefore less hard and more musical. She played the best fill ever on Can't Explain. The Complete Scores book really helps as the drum parts are written and we can play Beatles true to the originals. Rosa's rendition of Free Bird is better than Lynard Skynard's whose drummer is not too musical. Rosa and Angie are both very musical. It's amazing how far our band has gotten in this spirit of love-for-music, respect and love for each other, and no pressure, coercion, conflict, ambition, and other diseases that plagues so many bands. Angie's new bass strings have given us a lot of nice harmonics.
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Reviewed all 2008 hits - Chris Brown, et al.
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The less one is "educated" the more one's bound to tradition.
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In a traditional marriage where images dominate, intentions rooted in love can be seen as otherwise when seen through an image. Images dominate when there's lack of attention due to stress, tiredness, disorder, etc.
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K does use the word "heaven", therefore to say he doesn't is false. He uses it to say, for example, doors of heaven open when thought understands its own limitation.
posted in response to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paQ3dloN3j4
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Randy Van Patten's DVD "Extreme Drum Set Techniques" is absolutely brilliant !!
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Santa comes to Switzerland early December. So where do all the Christmas gifts come from on Dec 24/25? No explanation given! :)
[Dec 26: Markus said it's baby Jesus who brings the toys, in Switzerland. In Germany as in US, it's Santa Clause who does. And that traditionally Christmas was on Winter Solstice which many cultures celebrate, but who knows what the truth of it is, if any.]
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He said KFA's investments went down big time and that's why they laid off and downsized. Back then I told them they should not have gone with UBS!
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Rez has 20 guitars. He enjoys looking at them and keeps buying these vintage guitars and doesn't even play.
He said NY's Jewish merchants say the economic turnaround will take 2 years.
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Great chance to catch up with a lot of old friends in process of verifying old emails.
Took long time to clean up small subset of DB but one more task off the plate.
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One of my 2 mirrored backups, one got corrupted (probably due to USB pull out) - 1 directory, but to be safe, copying the entire disk (516 GB).
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K-related update letter is consolidated to over 50 pages ! Will get it down to about 10 maybe.
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24 Dec 2008 - Rituals; Enlightenment; Xmas
Rituals
are entertaining but they have nothing to do with that movement which
is beyond time, beyond the limits of the mind. Candles light up the
room but they don't light up the heart and mind. They dispel darkness
in the room but don't evoke the divine. Music can.--------
A friend wrote some time ago: "i am glad to let you know that i have reached the state of enlightenment since a few weeks."
Is enlightenment something to be reached? Who is the reacher? Is enlightenment a final event in time? No. It's moment to moment.
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I used to send lots of Christmas cards. it withered away as communication became more electronic and I lost interest for special dates -- every day is special, a glory, a gift, a treasure to be cherished with every breath and every blink of the eye.
I respond with season's cheers to every one I receive, but sent one message of its own to the rezamusic team, who helped make the two CD's. I remain eternally grateful as they helped touch so many lives.
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The rapper in first class was restless. Everytime he wished to sleep they'd make his bed, with new sheets, and that happened several times as every 15 minutes he'd get up to eat. Asked friend who got a upgrade to first class for being the hostess' doctor: was the rapper happy? - "I don’t know – he was all tattoos – I couldn’t see his face." The table was larger than his office's, and the bed was over 2 meters long.
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When the winter is very cold the ticks sleep well and conserve energy and the following season they’re bad. If winter is warm they're active and next spring they're tired and not strong. They sometimes stay in root of xmas trees and in the warm house think it's spring and get active. That's why there's an outbreak of tics after xmas.
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23 Dec 2008 - Can We Live Without Images?
Is
it possible to live without any images of yourself, of others, of their
image of you and of their image of themselves, and so on? Image making
is such a basic process in the mind that its annihilation seems out of
question but if we question it then all kinds of psychological walls
drop -- walls that are made out of thought and thought is the building
block of images. One may have an image of another's image of
themselves, but that is often completely wrong. Psychological
conclusions just strengthen this movement. There is another movement
possible altogether, but only when the movement thought as the dominant
process in life, finds an end, quietude, and gives space to the other
movement. The entire line of "who does he think he is to say these
things" is where thought does not belong. He is nobody, he doesn't need
to be anybody, but the movement of the society is so much geared
towards being somebody, becoming, that it has a hard time
understanding those who don't dance to the same beat, for whom becoming
is uninteresting.------------
Added section on beans Health and Nutrition
----------
It is so much easier to make conclusions, images, judgments, assumptions, guesses, illusions, than to check facts. Sometimes checking the facts means the end of those assumptions and well tailored illusions of thought -- that is a demotivating factor against checking facts. People are free to their opinions and conclusions but when they try to push it onto another as a matter of fact then it's easier not to deal with them. I always try to talk to people who write as long as it's possible to maintain a sensible civilized productive discussion but when they cross the line there is no point but waste of time. The guy made at least 5 statements of conclusion which were absolutely false, and he was convinced they were all true! Just when you think you've seen all that the internet has to offer...
on the contrary, nice message came from the greatest concert guitarist, Eduardo Fernandez : (cited with permission)
Queridos amigos – Dear Friends – Chers amis – Cari amici – Liebe Freunde
Feliz Navidad y todo lo mejor para 2009!!!
Merry Christmas and all the best for 2009!
Joyeux Noël et tout de bon pour 2009!!
Felice Natale e tutto il meglio per 2009!!
Fröhliches Weihnachten und alles Gute für 2009!!
Feliz Natal e todo o melhor para o 2009!!
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Great article on garbanzo beans. ....
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=58
The dinner was about Mexican food and power of beans again -- we like and are really getting into beans. It saves a friend from the claws of doctors who promote eating dead animals.
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Nice walk in the heavenly hills.
Movie Shrek 2 is not as good as Shrek 1.
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22 Dec 2008 - Another Type of Energy; Smoker's Negative Energy
Most people have no idea what it takes to be a vessel for that other kind of energy to flow through. Everyone seeks the power and comfort of that other movement but the big is not to be found in the little although the little contains the essence of the big.
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- Last thing I need in my life these days is the negative energy of a smoker transmitted via his cat. Some people totally ignore the fact that our bodies and auras are conduits. They think: if X touches Y and Y, Z, it means X's energy had no bearing on Z's. This is false. I can not prove it scientifically but to me it's clear as day. Her aura felt polluted by having spent a lot of time with the smoker's cat. At times like these, you just have to swim forward, avoid fights and dodge bad luck which come when auras are polluted with negativity which every smoker puffs. We can put on rose colored glasses and say not, it can't be, it isn't, but to me it's clear as day but of course I have no intention to argue the point. You just hope it just passes away but the lifestyle of living with a smoker and a smoker's cat spending time on you, sucks. Glad I don't have to live like that.
- It was a perfect holiday day, unstressful, nice long set of stretches in the morning, good food, guitar, catching up with chores, rest, good exercises, and good walk. I felt clean and strong and energetic, but now my aura feels polluted and enervated as a result of the contact above. Some deep breathing and stretching or whatever will help, before sleep.
- The subtle thing about this kind of contact is that it's sometimes invisible (and sometimes visible to a sensitive body and nerves which have not been dulled by pain and chemicals and intellectual or emotional attachments) -- you may feel perfectly at peace -- but you get the stab from the back when you least expect it -- in the form of bad luck, lost things, conflict in relationship, etc.. Sometimes exposure to this kind of energy has a delayed effect. I know it sounds strange but to me it seems clear as day, and keep in mind my scientific background and that I am not one for settle for conclusions and dogma without enough experimentation. But in this field the scientific method is not enough because there are movements you experiment and experience and observe which are impossible to prove to another. This is about as unscientific as I can get but it's clear as day to me and it makes sense: a smoker inhales poison. A smoker is bound to be in conflict -- if they dull themselves psychologically, still, physically they're in conflict. That poison in the blood and cells makes one susceptible to negative psychic forces. A smoker is miserable no matter how much smile they put on. We can see them as perfectly happy but that's just because of rose-colored glasses, it's not a fact. You get in touch with that kind of energy and you pick up on it. It picks up on you too. If you have an angelic comfortable aura, all creatures want to be near you, touch you, seek comfort, smoker and non, animal, and humans, but meanwhile they pollute you. To be aware of this is the first step. Then we can shake off the pollution. The greatest of sages wrote about this and lived this too -- I don't care for them -- for me, it's a fact.
- I found out today that www.rezamusic.com was nominated as "Best Sites"
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22 Dec 2008 - Swiss Customer Service
- Life
in this small town seems perfect, specially around Christmas when the
whole region turns into a story book. It seems like a given but clean
air here, after a week in Tehran seems like a blessing.- Watched Leonard Cohen documentary. Great poet. His love for wine was disappointing but some great Persian poets also wrote of wine. No thanks. It makes me tired.
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It's almost always frustrating getting in a phone conversation with a customer support line in Switzerland, specially if the person is Swiss French. The culture is not geared at all towards customer support. In the whole country the default attitude is "customer is wrong until proven right" which is totally different than the US and countries that are catching up with that attitude. The reason for it is historical. Here, historically, vendors did customers a favor. In the US the customer is the reason the vendor exists and due to fierce competition the customer has the upper hand. Also more advanced markets recognize it costs more to gain a new customer than to keep an existing one. That idea is foreign to most Swiss organizations. But the landscape is changing and global competitiveness is making Swiss organizations reconsider those attitudes, but it is deeply engraved in the culture and education and it will take a lot of education and feedback for it to change.
Best example., Swisscom person said, if you heard no ring, we can't give the money back. It was only after getting her name, and asking to talk to a manager that she apologized saying she didn't mean to say that and that what she meant to say was that we will investigate it (which is also a waste of time for them and me vs. a quick refund of the call that never went through). But what stood out loud and clear was the "can't do" attitude -- the easiest and lousiest of customer service responses. Ms. Rion, in Setton, re: 2 calls on Dec 19 - 21:37, 21:39.
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21 Dec 2008 - Beans
- A is really a delight. She has such an open, learning mind. - Beans are an integral part of many cultures' diet - South America, India, Middle East, Far East, even in UK they serve beans for breakfast. Beans are a good source of protein as part of a balanced diet and my body always enjoys them. It's important to drain the water after first boil so beans don't produce gas.
- Some doctors are so stupid -- they quickly suspect, without even having examination results that maybe the person should eat meat. That's crap. I've known numerous people of all ages who live without meat and even without soy in case there is soy allergy, and even without dairy, who live happily on a non-dead-animal diet.
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20 Dec 2008
- Oil
is at $33.87. Unbelievable -- it rallied to 140ish and back. Lower
demand could hint at weaker economy than expected but I remain
optimistic. - Edited and uploaded singing buskers in Tehran video (www.rezatv.com)
- Mid- to northern English accent specially on women is beautiful.
- Got a bottle of apple cider vinegar for xmas :) -- in Yoga Universal days we were into it but it existed my life till recently finding out that like lemon juice and unlike other vinegars it has alkaline effect.
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19 Dec 2008 -- Flight Back; Zimbabwean dollars...
It's
a cold, frozen Friday morning in Tehran. Taxi driver praised dad
for abundant kindness, khande-roo, shad (smile-faced, happy), nazanin..."If you're not careful you get hit (by these drivers)". He complains about the situation but there are things to be thankful to -- crime is a lot less here than many big cities. These people are not crazy and have a long tradition and are peaceful and calm. There are very rare cases of gun use, car jacking, armed robbery, etc. -- there certainly are these cases but far fewer than in Los Angeles or South Africa.
Farsi is so loaded with kindness it melts your heart. Just ordinary conversation are full of devotion and kindness to fellow human beings, familiars and strangers.
Tehran is so big, the east side of the city had snow, not the west. Now, the north is frozen, the south, there is not a trace of snow or ice.
This chap is so stinky. Fat and sweaty -- I nicely asked (begged) him to move since he was not sitting at his assigned seat - I'm about to vomit from his smell. He's from a low, uneducated tier and being fat and lazy he must not have taken a shower for a long time despite all the onion and meat he's (over-)eaten. Luckily he moved away.
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I have 1 carryon that fits perfectly well under the seat. All airlines I've traveled with allow that. The hostess wanted to put it overhead. I was curious why so I asked the head hostess. Check out the rationale:
- SAFA (?!) part of IATA, 6 months age said so.
- How could it be that Lufthansa, Swiss, and other international airlines allow a handbag stowed under the seat. Are they all breaking the rules?
- US has sanctions against us and will penalize us but it won't penalize Lufthansa, etc.
- What's US's role in this? Isn't IATA international?
- They send their own inspectors to check flight safety.
Ok!!
It was a friendly discussion. I said it's more work for him to put it up, and he reacted with the typical very friendly Persian taarofs to wish one a good flight.
---
At the end of the flight he came back calling me his teacher and asked how I was and if everything was fine. We exchanged kind words including my line "may you not be tired".
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This time I requested a veg meal for the flight. As usual, like 10 years ago, on the flight, the old-timer hostesses still ask for a telex. I said, it's not important, if it's there I'll take it if not, no worries. They are also not used to E-tickets yet, which Iran Air now utilizes. The same guy remarked: "it's not possible to request a veg meal by phone" :)
OK!!
They always argue about veg meal not being on board and somehow magically it shows up. I told them up front I will not discuss it. Guess what: it showed up. Generally, flight food sucks anyway, and I specially don't take Iran Air food because they still use aluminum containers. On the flight from Geneva they used modern containers. On this flight they use the old fashioned toxic aluminum ones. But a few of the veggies are ok - I eat the ones that didn't have contact with the base or top.
Found out that from Switzerland, a Swiss company loads the meals and that's why they use modern safe containers. Learn something new all the time.
-----------
This time I didn't bring any food from Tehran. I miss the Swiss bio-food and I need to detox from the air pollution. Brought a few "sweet lemons" (limoo shirin) which are gorgeous.
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It takes 642,371,437,695,221,000 Zimbabwean dollars to purchase 1 US dollar. Most Forex traders have given up tracking the fall of this currency. To give the reader an idea of commodity prices in Zimbabwe, an egg cost 35 billion Zimbabwean dollars! The German firm that prints currency for Zimbabwe has refused to print more money for them. The economic chaos in Zimbabwe is blamed on mismanagement by President Mugabe.
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It's so nice to take short trips. I feel deeply concerned about loved ones who live in Tehran's ultra polluted air. I am concerned about dad not being well and how this great man sees himself that he's not well and how it must be effecting him. Health is the most previous thing in life.
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18 Dec 2008 -- New SEC Chairwoman; Akbar the Plumber; More Microsoft Mess; How Grandma died; Funny Shoe Shine
Thank God, SEC's Cox will leave office. The SEC, under Cox's direction, was another facet of how Bush messed up the country. "If
confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Schapiro will take over an agency whose
reputation has been tarnished by its failure to detect Bernard Madoff’s
alleged $50 billion fraud and to prevent the collapse of investment
banks Bear Stearns Cos. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. The SEC’s
relevance and competence will be scrutinized as Congress weighs
overhauling market regulation."“What the agency needs right now, more than ever, is leadership. She is going to be exactly what the agency needs.” McLucas said. Good luck Ms. Shapiro. Bring the crooks on Wall Street to justice. Days of SEC's hands-off approach and rein of hedge funds, shorts, and naked shorts, may soon be over.
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Cox's "criticism of his own agency marks only the latest instance in which federal regulators have overlooked clear warning signs of possible fraud.
Its oversight of the Wall Street investment houses drew significant criticism. A review by the SEC inspector general determined that the agency's monitoring of the five biggest Wall Street firms, which included Bear Stearns, was lacking."
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Called Akbar-the-plumber (with rhyme of Joe-the-plumber) about the singing Grohe faucet. His father was our plumber for decades.
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"Thousands of Web sites already have been compromised by criminals looking to exploit the flaw. The bad guys have loaded malicious code onto those sites that automatically infect visitors' machines if they're using Internet Explorer and haven't employed a complicated series of workarounds that Microsoft has suggested." I don't like IE and don't use it unless I have to. Go Opera :)
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I drank black tea today after years for the anti-oxidant effect but it revved me up which was not cool. I prefer a life without any chemical stimulants (nor emotional or intellectual). Love is the being's own stimulation.
---------
Grandma was injected with corton under Dr. Hadavi's care, but he over-did it. Dr. Alimohammadi used to come visit her every day due to his friendship with dad, and said this much corton can blow up a cow. She had ulcer and an internal lump. Dr. Hadavi was known to be very bad tempered (bad-akhlaagh) and nobody had the guts to tell him anything. Dad told Aji, the eldest child but her husband, a friend of Dr. Hadavi, and her, didn't tell Dr. Hadavi. Sure enough she died. Dad was so outraged he wanted to due him for medical malpractice but didn't due to Aji and her husband's relationship with Dr. H. Grandma died at a young age.
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X said he bought his shop for $150k, now it's worth $700k. I don't believe it but Tehran real estate has kept pace with astronomical inflation.
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One eyed shoe-shine man sitting in cold air with a pleasant accent from far away villages. I addressed him as dadash (informal for brother, less classy but more affectionate and juicy than "baraadar").
- How much is it? I was set to pay him more than what he asked.
- 1500 for the glue, 2000 for the wax, 500 for cheese (chiz) (chiz means "thing"), anotherwoords, 500 padding for nothing, or goodwill.
- I counted 4000.
- How about a nice 5000 bill for the cold?
- (sure man!)
he was thankful and said prayers for one's health etc, which is customary for this beautiful language.
---------
- Lovely talk w/ Haj Agha Khaloghli -- he's such a sweet man, always brimming with love, abundance, and laughter. His wife had a Moloody, for Eide Fetr -- a gathering for women only to celebrate the occasion with food, and entertaining music, etc. We joked that if there is a event that men could also go, I'll bring the music.
- Mohammad Hossein, mom's cousin, passionately insists that we go visit them in Tabriz: "do I have to put it in writing?" -- I'd absolutely love to as that entire Azari region is full of love and joy, and I adore the language. Maybe next time. A day ago, talking with Shams-Ali who used to work at Grandma's and now is a engineer, we said let's go to Azarbayejan together.
---------
- Deep talks. How true responsibility dictates that we live in harmony within ourselves first. Only then we can be happy. Happiness is contagious. If that balance is missing the doing good is an escape.
- Acts of love sometimes don't come across as such when there is image making, lack of attention (which also comes from being out of balance), and lack of good communication. After decades of marriage it becomes too easy to have images. Sometimes all it takes is listening: is his question loaded? Often not, and when he gets an answer he lets go. When there is no attention one assumes the question is loaded, takes it personally, etc. etc.
- Conflict should be viewed as poisonous and nothing less.
- Mom's voice is the first voice I heard in my life. It is sweet as spring breeze and touches the heart deeply and makes one cry of beauty. But when it gets high-pitched, it drills my head.
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17 Dec 2008 -- Lots of Love & Laughter
Waking
up was once again painful as the nostrils are shot from the air
pollution and the long walk yesterday from Tajrish down to Golden Lux
Restaurant to stop by friend's party did not help. Traffic was
horrendous last night in every direction as nobody seemed to stay home
on the night of a major holiday. The holiday brought some relief to air quality. Father and I went to the park for some walking and exercise and conversation. At one spot there were 15 cats - and one wet kitten which a woman tried to dry but the thing was still shivering.
Part of the therapy and what keeps people going in this city of pollutions is laughter -- humor is a big part of this culture although a few of the jokes can be foreign to foreigners.
Finally had time to make social calls. Going to Mansour's house at the other end of the city to meet his family and guitar playing kids.
Got Valedeh to scan some papers - she finished first grade and her dad pulled her out of school as in their fanatic village girls were not supposed to get education. She speaks Farsi with a thick Azari accent and very poor grammar. Found an old letter which I sent to Kamiar asking him to get me an I-20 from Ithaca High School, and many other precious things like a friend's confession about being in love with Sara.
Another taxi tried to overcharge. It's getting old. It was a delight at Masoud's. Taught guitar lesson to him and the kids and shared a good meal company and conversation before taking off before the snow gets too heavy. Luckily a taxi came - and he's a nice guy. 24 year old. Engaged; under a lot of economic pressure he works 2 jobs and sleeps 4 hours a night. He feels obliged to marry because being friends or engaged for long is not a possibility due to social pressures; people around – the bride’s families – keep intervening. These pressures are even higher in lower economic classes. I will pay this taxi driver more than he asked for which is less than what the first guy wanted which I didn't.
It's nice that people still think one's biological age is less than calendar age.
The roads to Caspian, Rasht and Chaloos, are closed due to snow.
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16 Dec 2008 -- Respiratory Revolt; Persians' Amazing Multi-Tasking Skills; A Day in the Life in a Persian Bazzar
I
can think of better ways to get old or destroy the body than to breath toxic air. Got kicked out
of bed with exhaust. It's one of those days where inversion has made
Tehran into a massive gas chamber. I hope this was the last night
in this air pollution hell. Tomorrow is a holiday and TH the schools
are out. The respiratory system lost the battle and has stopped
smelling the exhaust. I have hard time breathing with the nose but I
don't have a cold. It's blocked by industrial pollution. How cold and
sad.------
Persians are very good at multi-tasking. A clerk or shop keeper often handles multiple clients at the same time with precision while at the same time being aware of everything else that goes on. Iran is also a highly flexible culture although reading the news media doesn't give you that impression. Iranians are generally warm, affectionate, friendly, peaceful, and very hospitable people.
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"President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday said that building energy efficiency is central to his administration's economic recovery plan". An aide told the The New York Times that the green collar portion of the stimulus plan could be $100 billion over two years.Go Beacon Power (Nasdaq: BCON).
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- For $4.5 a taxi picks you up to take you to the north-most part, Tajrish to cousin's jewlery shop to find replacement for grandma's ring stone that got lost in Baden Bahnhof one night. The driver's doing the traffic-fighting and maneuvering in the lane-less 5-lane jumble of cars while I'm getting some work done in the back with earplugs and headphone. No ordinary nose-mask can keep away the air pollution so why bother?
- It just started to snow. The city quickly gains elevation as you move north, approaching the huge, majestic Alborz mountains. There are two Bazzars in Tehran - one to the farthest North one to the farthest South. They're both very fun to hang out in -- you can find everything from "chicken-milk to life-of-human" and it's all about wheeling and dealing that this culture has traditionally been engaged in due to it's location as the gateway between East and West. The best part is the Azari speakers and the Bazzars are full of Azaris. The spirit is something that is hard to find in the West's structured markets and malls, and it seems no transaction takes place without a bit - or a lot - of bargaining, and respect and credibility goes a long way. Credits are not monitored by Experian, Equifax or TransUnion, and you don't need a credit card to get credit and trust plays a big role here. "Trust is necessary for this life - but calculated trust... we sometimes miss but rarely (giving credit to a non credit-worthy person)" said cousin. He day trades Gold on both long and short side and has become a respected jewelry dealer in this bazzar.
- The hairdresser at the bazzar was bizarre!
- Today's rates of Rial: $: 9933, CHF: 8616, Euro: 13644
- A tea seller came in the shop - very funny man - and he sang - took video (see rezatv.com soon).
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15 Dec 2008 -- Tehran Air Pollution; Toughness vs. Strength
After
only 2 days in Tehran, I feel disgusting, miserable, filthy, polluted,
poisoned, toxic. The air pollution creeps in from every corner. My body
is deeply unhappy. I have not been able to do my daily exercises
because doing so in this toxic tank probably does more damage than
good. I am reluctant to take deep breaths. And this is late night or
early morning; let alone rush hour where the city air's toxic levels
jumps to even more unbearable levels. You see cars, motorcycles and
buses drive by leaving a thick cloud of smoke. Imagine waking up with
the ugly smell of exhaust. After a while people here must stop smelling
it otherwise how could anyone is willing to live here? Those of us who
come to Tehran occasionally and their noses are not used to it, they
can feel the pain of living in such air acutely. This is a marvelous city, spread graciously at the bass of majestic mountains. But from mountain lookouts what you see on most days is a thick brown blanket of poisonous particles hovering over the city. Wind is the blessing we pray for: if it comes it blows away the pollution to less fortunate places, otherwise, we are caught in this curse which there is no getting away from -- breathing is not a matter of choice.
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I feel stupid. Stupid for not running away from this polllution. Once again I woke up in utter misery. The nose has practically lost its sense of smell and can barely breath. I don't think I can last another night here.
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After a few hours of hanging out downtown I feel totally toxic. It was fun going to some shops and picking up, e.g. a toy for a friend that's 25 Fcs in Switzerland for 2.5 Fcs.
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The air pollution makes me want to run away from Tehran. It's a pity after all that money I spent on the ticket and the loveliness that could be had in spending time here. Leaving on the next flight.
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- Had invitations to 2 different parties tonight. I canceled both. How could a body poisoned by toxic exhaust / air pollution go to a party? Plus, it seems here, parties are used as a escape from imbalance. The social networks are strong and socialization is all good but when harmony is missing then socialization is just another escape from imbalance.
- Found a sample of early writings - from pre-revolution, and it's quite touching reading it. Too bad my lousy relatives in California destroyed my early diaries.
- Walked dad to where used to be the Karate Academy I used to attend. Passing a big street in Tehran is playing with your life. The key is to make sure you connect with each driver's brain and make sure s/he sees you.
- Plans to go to Caspian got canceled since doctor said dad should not travel yet.
- Doctor praised dad for having saved him at a very difficult time (from hands of charlatans). He said had dad nit have been a correct man, he would have been a billionaire.
- Taxi driver was very upset at the economy and cursed the situation strongly.
- In a big city you have to be tough, and now I realize how it toughened me up outwardly despite being soft inside and there was always a little discord in putting out a tough act. Toughness and strength are different. The soft blade of grass has tremendous strength against the fierce storm. My defendants must have learned that I do not give up easily and can be a vicious fighter but peace is my way and preference, always.
- Neda is helping do massive scanning of old diaries.
- Bootleg business is sprawling. One sidewalk vendor had CD's containing MP3 of almost all Persian singers inside and outside Iran for a $1 a piece.
- The strong social network means a lot of "have to attend" events for those in it.
- Went to buy handcrafts for Angela Rosa Ana Christian and Hanna but things I used to pay 20,000 for are now 60,000. Forget it ! The inflation is absolutely ridiculous.
- A nice hot shower to wash the pollution off and peaceful dinner at home. Affection Rules.
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14 Dec 2008 -- Spontaneity!
- Just as expected the second day the nose started acting up. When rush hour starts then air gets specially toxic.- It's regularly a joy to interact with most merchants such as today's taking cables and headphone for repair - Farsi is such a powerfully affectionate language.
- The taxi agency was not happy that the driver overcharged. He came back today refunding 2000, the 50% markup he tried to get away with.
- It's possible to buy tofu here and I have brought organic tofu before but so far, just getting the protein from wonderful other non meat sources.
- Talked with Dr. Mo. He is here from the US to speak about conferences about their CERN's CMS project. We said how upon arrival in Tehran the intensity takes over and time flies. Tehran is like a magnet - once you're here it's hard to leave (but I am trying to escape to the Caspian Sea and uncle Akhlaghi already gave the green light to go to his villa.
- Shahrbanoo came. She was a worker at grandma's as a child and now, 65, she still comes and visits and there is immense love. She is not educated but very wise in every way. I call her Archimedes.
- Called cousin Sirous - he showed up 5 minutes later! And he's coming to Caspian sea with us! Talk about spontaneity!
- Cousin Shahnaz called. She has a thick Azari accent when she talks Farsi. It is so sweet. And a very warm personality.
- X and his bride got into a fight the day before the wedding. They proceeded with the "aghd" and then separated (crazy). It cost the groom $50k to get out of the legal contract but only paid half of "mehrieh" since they didn't have sex yet. The bride's family had it planned but goofed because of impatience. It could have cost a lot more. He said "the radio keeps saying "Here's Tehran", you really have to watch out here!"
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13 Dec 2008 -- Heavenly Fruits
-
It was a blessing to be able to sleep long, despite the air pollution.
The day started with fresh cut, peeled bundles of Pomegranate which was
amazingly beautiful and refreshing. Later had wonderful washed dates.
Lunch was vegetarian stuffed red and green bell pepper and rice and
salad etc.- She said we've become like foreigners - too busy to visit each other.
- Lunch day 1 was already busy - aunt was there - uninvited and unexpected - she just came because she had nothing else to do and hung out. That's not so strange here and doors of hospitality are always open.
- Deep talks at end of lunch. Aunt talked of will ("Erade") - it was a bit challenging finding every philosophical word in Farsi but I managed and they found it powerful. There was a deep sense of attentiveness because we talked about issues that are burning. Can we like without will? Will implies friction, duality, conflict between what is and what should be, and in that there is loss of energy which is necessary for change. The key being to see and understand what is, and seeing is an art - to see with a quiet mind and without judgment, and seeing what is beings its own change. Talked about this in context of stress and weight management.
- Didn't feel like bargaining with the cab driver - so jumped in for 3000 to see Mansoor, my old class mate whom I haven't seen since we were 15. He was a sharp kid, a diligent student, and his English grammar was better than all of us. I am sure he's a good dentist now. Told the taxi I didn't feel like bargaining but 2500 is fair because he has asked high to settle lower. He accepted.
- Rush hour traffic is specially miserable in a place where it seems like rush hour all the time. Walking back if felt like walking in a gas tank. Limo-shirin (sweet lemon) was another gift from heaven which refreshed the petrol tortured inside.
- Eight cousins are gathering at Arash's new home. Will stop by. The taxi driver complains of inflation. He wants 6000 but offers to "pay whatever you like or don't pay at all". It's common for taxis to blame politicians for inflation with nasty words (happened 2 out of 3 rides today). He is a crook. The rate I found out is 4000 so his complaint about inflation is crap when he's the one raising the prize 50%. He did feel insecure at the end of the ride but I will spend max 3 minutes to talk with his agency about his inflating the price yet complaints about inflation, trust, fair business, etc.
- The food was delicious - specially the barley aash (thick soup). Lots of goodies, all vegetarian. And Leila, Arash's new bride handed one 2 boxes of food to take home. Economic downturn is a cause for concern for many.
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12 Dec 2008 -- Journey to Tehran
Train Life--------------
Pristine sights of snow covered fields. Followed the guitar along the platform. By minutes later when the train came acquainted Bernie, a guitar teacher carrying a Honika guitar for his student. Played the guitar till he got off. It's amazing how guitar is a little corner of life where instant beauty lies. It is sometimes so different than complications we are faced in today's world - the economic chaos, etc., but surely, as joy is contagious, as a flower permeates its fragrance, the beauty created through this instrument travels and touches other hearts. I forgot how lovely train-life is.
Slept from Lausanne to Geneve in upper deck of the train where there are a couple of benches in every wagon.
Silent Observation
--------------------------
Pretty relaxed passage through checkin, security, etc.. Geneve Airport had a bunch of developing countries' airlines bundled together in one long line. I could have used the time to read etc., but just stayed quiet, paid attention, observed. There is immense energy in observation without an observer as a separate entity, without friction, without inner noise.
Good chat with the CEO who called for advice.
British guy had 2 kids (1.5 and 3.5) and he was in utter misery.
The flight is moving and some people are still standing chatting, but they will be seated before take off. Generally the in-cabin rules are relaxed but safety is not compromised. The A/C already kicks in the Tehran pollution gathered in the filter.
Didn't bother requesting veg meal on the flight because Iran Air uses these ancient aluminum containers (oops, looks like they've just upgraded to modern containers). But having emptied the fridge it's not problem. As usual, over loaded with things, almost all, archival material and things to give away. The checked luggage was exactly at the allowed level (30 kg) and a bulky hand bag of books (e.g. Einstein) accompanied. Now as people enjoy their chicken and meat rice-kebabs, I enjoy my raw carrots. The nice hostess brought a plate of vegetable. I am really looking forward to great Persian cooking in Tehran.
I love the fact that it's a relatively short flight. You can work all throughout and not be imprisoned by over 15 hours of flying. Iran Air's time is good. It arrives at midnight and leaves late morning. Most other airlines arrive and leave between 3 and 5 a.m. which impacts the body.
Next to me was a gentleman from Oroomieh with a beautiful Azari accent. In front, there was a man from Wisconsin, visiting with his Persian wife and kid.
Lots of kids on the flight – nourished in the highly affectionate upbringing which is a hallmark of this culture. One little munchkin walking by, pressed the laptops’s key and ran away :).
Friendship & Persian Culture
----------------------------------------
This culture is about kindness, warmth, love and emotions. That's a face of Iran that many foreign media do not capture. If you do not know the language you can not hear how devotion, loyalty, gratitude, love, friendship, and all those wonderful things are tightly knit in the language itself, in every day conversation.
Economy
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"Iran's oil income has dropped from $300 million to $100 million a day, and if oil prices stay in the $30-$40 a barrel range, the country could see more than $70 billion in expected funds evaporate — and with it a significant chunk of Iran's gross domestic product, economists say." ... "However, the reforms, which will be painful and unpopular, seem certain to be postponed until after Iran's presidential elections in June.". Sounds familiar?
Arrival into Tehran
--------------------------
The new airport is world class -- huge and modern -- only drawback is it's 40 km's from the city, not surprising, given how huge Tehran has become. Passport control was fast (they scan the passport number). Recharged the laptop while waiting for luggage. It's a non smoking airport but a guy sneaked in a cigarette which always seems to happen, and I always remind them of the regulation. The lower paid staff, collecting carts etc., seemed to have joy and a zest for life which is often the case for people in this culture. Each culture has its own characteristic and beauties. If I could characterize the Iranian one, joy and zest for life is a part of it.
All luggages are x-rayed upon entry. I asked the last checkpoint which is there to not allow people enter the arrivals about transport. It was friendly warm funny exchange. Later the cop came and asked to see my passport. They had gotten suspicious about my puffed jacked. Three fanny packs does that! No problems.
Taxi
------
There are many taxi companies and it's a gamble - some are by meter, some fixed price, and there is fierce competition between the companies. I was quoted 17000 first - another company quoted 14000 on the spot but the driver asked 3000 for the luggage but his boss said he should not and he said he will not do it for 14000 and his boss said he has to because he was in line and it's his turn. To put out the disagreement that was escalating I offered 15000 and took the guy out of that situation - but paid him 16000 - now he's listening to music and driving in peace. He did offer to not take the money at all (out of Taarof (offer of kindness)) but I insisted :) -- insistence is part of Taarof: "you HAVE TO eat some more food".
The Air
----------
Tonight, the air is lovely. That loveliness of climate of this region somehow renews itself at night when industry sleeps. I feel good about being here. Let's see what tomorrow will bring.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 Dec 2008 -- Physical Joy
I am almost sure the joy was more physical (happy body) than also psychological, related to dream of being in Tehran.The body felt amazingly good during sleep. Always interesting to know why - what was different about the day?
- I had hummus and bean sprouts (body always feels good after beans)
- and lots of raw food
- and lots of fruits
- and more protein than usual
- and did a lovely late night walk home singing
- and was dreaming I was in Tehran - it almost felt lit I was feeling good because I was there -- an old friend who spent years in the West said he sleeps like a baby in Tehran. Fact of it is I sleep miserably bad there because of the air pollution -- on the days when there is inversion which happens a lot this time of year -- but I know what he means - there is something gorgeous about the climate, the nature... which humans have ruined by their industrial pollution. Technology was supposed to help us, now we are slaves to technology.
- had contact with my dear angel - I was telling her how I used to feel in my childhood bed - an energy that used to expand - I could feel it so clearly the energy body, aura, the wheels of energy that would intensify at night while laying in bed - with brain very still just observing and feeling the intensity.
Our world as a child living in First Alley... and to tell the story
There was no sense of regression or nostalgia.
The air here is so lovely - a snow filled early morning glory. No wonder there is resistance to flying into a smoke filled city, but late last night I discovered some new UNESCO sites - so I'll be out of Tehran in a flash in search of adventure, and cleaner air.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 Dec 2008 -- More Demise Under George Bush's Watch
- New unemployment claims surge unexpectedly to 573,000 for the week.- U.S. trade deficit rose unexpectedly in October as a spreading global recession dampened the once-strong sales of American exports and the volume of oil imports surged by a record amount
- Senate rejected auto-makers bailout. Unions are playing hardball which is unwise in this climate. Legislators are between a rock and a hard place. Bail out would mean throwing good money after bad, and no bailout means increase in unemployment. It's a dangerous situation that could worsen things exponentially. I wonder how all those people who voted for Bush 2 times in a row and totally had their priorities wrong feel. Foolish constituents elect foolish leaders. Foolish leaders ruin the land. It's a real pity. Is there hope? Yes, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting dimmer and the tunnel getting more dangerous in the last weeks of presidency of this fool.
- AP: The physical and mental abuse of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was the direct result of Bush administration detention policies and should not be dismissed as the work of bad guards or interrogators, according to a bipartisan Senate report released Thursday.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 Dec 2008 -- Greenhouse Gases
The
new Energy Secretary of the US, Lawrence Berkeley Labs' Dr.
Steven Chu shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics and is a former
chairman of the physics department at Stanford University. He was
an early advocate for finding scientific solutions to climate change
and guided the laboratory on a new mission to become the world leader
in alternative and renewable energy research, particularly the
development of carbon-neutral sources of energy."California Energy Commission Applauds Beacon Power Upon Reaching Research Goal" press release: "In addition to the environmental and transmission benefits of flywheel technology, current research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories indicates that 10 megawatts of fast-responding flywheel energy could provide the grid with the equivalent energy of 20 megawatts or more of traditional slow-responding power plant energy. Flywheel technology also serves as a method to reduce electrical fluctuations and helps regulate the even flow of power (frequency regulation) on the grid."
"I believe that the selection of Steve Chu suggests that President-elect Obama is quite serious about reordering the energy sector and executing his vision of a green economy." Jerry Taylor
"If I were emperor of the world, I would put the pedal to the floor on energy efficiency and conservation for the next decade." Dr. Steven Chu
"He is that rare combination of distinguished scientist, accomplished manager and savvy advocate." Dan Weiss
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Got call that an air pollution warning was issued. Do I really want to go? The emotional pull is there and emotions are rich there. Here, the air is clean but emotions are dry, generally speaking. It seems the further west you go, the farther the distances. And the richer the countries, the more cases of neurosis.
A "Can do" attitude is a great asset but it can also be a liability if one is not willing to admit those things we can not do. We are limited by our abilities, even those tapped into the power of the unknown.
-----------
When Googlebot visits your website every day you know it cares :)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 Dec 2008 -- Tehran air pollution; Supply Management
I
was dreading going to Tehran for 2 weeks because of the air pollution
but next week's flight is full. People who live there are used to it
but for those who don't it's very hard specially if they have a
sensitive system. I might still stay a week or maybe following week
will go to the South with friends. Supply Management always tries to squeeze contractor rates - they've been successful at it for years. This time, after getting the offer and having a sealed verbal agreement I got a call that they want to drop rates on all contractors 15%, something I could not accept. We settled on 15% of 15%!
Landlord bought a new washing machine for the house - around 2000 francs! And the guy had a robot that took the over 100 kilo machines up and down the stairs!
Lots of animals are slaughtered every year due to certain religious events. So many animals are killed every day anyway, it's all around us, it's in the air, but the religious slaughter is in the minds of people more as many witness it, and the pain and suffering of those animals are also in the air and a sensitive person can sense it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 Dec 2008 -- Contract
Got the contract with large insurance company to do project management in enterprise content management (Filenet P8 based).____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 Dec 2008 -- On Intercourse
It's
true that intercourse takes the energy to lower chakras - the 2nd one - if you
believe in that system (I do not believe in the chakra system per-se
because it's a system and all systems are abstractions. There is truth
to it however.) All animals have intercourse and have the lower 3 chakras, they
all eat, have intercourse, and are on this planet. So intercourse is in a way an
animalistic act. However, the important thing is to have energy flowing
in all chakras clearly smoothly and without obstruction. Stupid ways of
life, poor diet, smoking, etc, disrupt a healthy energetic system and
body and mind and heart and being. According to that theory energy can
get caught in a chakra. I know people who are lonely and are longing
for intercourse and are consumed by it. Some say, they're stuck in second
chakra.It is possible to have intercourse with all senses alive, all chakras in balance, like other actions in life. Why separate intercourse from the rest?
Selflessness is important in intercourse as in everything else in life. Sex has become so important in society for various reasons such as how a person can lose oneself in it. Why not move through life without psychological ego? Another reason is it is a way of communion. I know husband and wives who argue and fight but have intercourse and intercourse is their only communion. Why?
Some view intercourse as an ugly thing. Some religions do, they condemn intercourse. I've seen that people who condemn intercourse are usually those who can't get it. Go to the Krishnamurti mountain gathering (which has nothing to do with Krishnamurti) and you'll see. Any organization of people where some get it and some don't. Those who don't get it condemn it. It's an old Persian saying: "the cat can't reach the meat it says it stinks". Yes, it can be done without love but we're not interested in that. And when done with love, it's an extension of that love, not separate from it.
Some are traumatized by it, it's forced on them. A woman tried to rape me once so that she could have my baby so that she could own me. I fought back. It wasn't as traumatic of other rape cases which can be horrific and leave a terrible mark on the psyche and body of the person. An African girl was on CNN, she was raped by multiple men who even stuck a piece of wood in her, and then threw her away like a piece of garbage. She survived but was very traumatized at every level. Psychological trauma can be relatively easily repaired through attention, emptying of consciousness of its content, which is meditation, awareness, in daily life.
It's good to approach everything in life with playfulness, with cheer.
--------------------
I was on stage in Mexico with this keyboard player (George Duke) and sang for a huge crowd on an evening beach concert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0YNehAz7FY&feature=related
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 Dec 2008 -- On So-Called Power of Thought; Repetition
There
are too many people who believe thought is the ultimate source of
power. Books and films have been made and millions of money made by
promoters of this idea, that just imagine things, put your mind
into it, and you will get it -- the perfect partner, a house by the
beach, etc.. This nonsense is the core of self-glorification: it gives
importance and continuity to the self, and it simply does not work. I
am not downplaying importance of dreaming, visions, objectives, etc.,
but it's critical to understand the limits of thought.Thought's power, outside the technological and practical field is in causing fear, suffering, sorrow, anxiety, etc., simply because it is limited and it tries to apply itself to areas of life where its limits fail it. Confusion is the natural consequence of mis-applied thought.
On the other hand it's important to realize the power of thought in our lives. Words and thoughts have tremendous power on our lives, on the body, the brain, relationships, etc.. Thought often applies itself and dominates our life through the words. Seeing this, seeing its own limit, thought can become quiet. To fly through life without unnecessary thought is an art, and a key to happiness.
-----------
Sometimes we connect different events in our brain. The whole notion of a "bad day" or a "good day" is just in our minds. We connect different events and abstract the day as good or bad for example.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 Dec 2008 -- Wisdom of Phil Maynes - On Strage Presence, Future of Hiphop, etc.
Even
his mom doesn't think he's a genius but I know he is. Phil has an
amazing ear, a very well educated and bright mind. He's helped me a lot
with music and other things in life. We've been friends since we were
15-16. He got me into the high school band for international club with
Tim Reppert (bass), Ted Rogers (saxophone), and phil and I played
acoustic guitar. He taught me how to play better.Called him to get his blessing before buying the GR-20 synth guitar module. We talked for an hour or so. Here are some key points him and I made in our conversation (posted with his permission).
GR-20 - YES - he thinks it's good for us especially given my interest in classical music.
Sequencer - NO - he agrees with me that the use of sequencer really sucks, that it's cheating, that if you play live you should play not the computer or else you might as well let the computer play everything.
Should one still make CD's? - YES - digital download is fine but for live shows CD's still sell. People still want CD's for their car, etc. -- and like Angelo Gilardino said, a CD these days is like a visit card.
In-ear monitors - YES - everyone uses them. Have them custom made. He met the guy whose job in life is to adjusts Bono's in-ear monitor. "He's not a towel-man. He's the most important person in Bono's world". You can virtually completely control the volume - could be playing on a loud stage but hear it and yourself at room volume.
Regarding reservation some new musicians may have to stage presence: Basic elements of good stage presence: move and have eye contact. Have people come to rehearsal and be passive. You move and they don't. You move which is against what is socially going on. Have drummer rise up when she can. Levitate like Keith Moon used to. Actually I think it's also cool if bass player is still.
Band promo package should be simple. Repertoire, bios, history, recordings, how many sold, listener comments, site,
New, youth music has to be challenging -- it's threatening so it separates generations. Like Rock did to Swing, Hiphop is trying to do with Rock. People don't move to rock but they do to hiphop so in a club where coming together is objective of some, they play hiphop and not rock.... "can't seduce if can't move". To me it seems rap and hiphop is mostly about rhyme which is going back to when rhyme was important before it lost its importance. I disapprove of the criminality and darkness associated with rap and hiphop. The emphasis on good rhythm is good. Will what happened to Disco happen to Hiphop? What's going to be the threat to hiphop? Well, some of the more creative rappers are using live bands now (instead of just records) and they're mixing the genres.
"Best part of yoga class is the beautiful women" :) he said.
When saturday night buzz is there many people go on drinking too much. After a few drinks there is no end in sight. But in the process they lose precious brain cells which are needed for living holistically, specially at an older age.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 Dec 2008 -- Fear & Dependence are not Love
The cold that descended yesterday is now mutated. Got to keep on the high dose of Vitamin C.----------
He talked about men who are so much under the thumb of their wives. I am sure there are many cases of the opposite too. Any relationship based on fear and dependence is better not having.
----------
"the bridge was about 15 feet high and then down a path along the gorge was a flat rock that we jumped off which was about 30-40 feet high...called "lovers leap" "
----------
We often fall slaves to words. Some cultures are more wordy than others - more thought-dominated - more control freaks. Too many words inhibit action which can be born out of silence.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 Dec 2008 -- OJ Simpson; Decadent Amsterdam; Economic Blues; Intellectual Property Rights;
Finally.
A lot of people who followed his trial for killing his wife and her
friend felt he was guilty but he got away with it in a criminal trial
but got convicted in a civil trial! Years later justice seems to have
caught up with him. Like most stupid people, he refused to admit his
mistake until it was too late. "O.J. Simpson is headed to prison for at
least nine years, but a prosecutor says the former football star could
have spent less time behind bars if he had accepted a plea deal before
he was convicted." I think Judge Jackie Glass was fair and just----------
Amsterdam will close brothels, marijuana cafes, etc in its old city center as part of a major effort to drive organized crime out. It's about time this decadent lousy place get its act together. There are many wonderful things about The Netherlands but Amsterdam's terrible energy of drugs and crime is not one of them.
----------
As of today, 23 banks have failed in the US this year. Way to go Mr. Bush!
"Three-month bill rates lingered at 0.01 percent, the least since January 1940.... Rates on Treasury bills are near zero as investors sacrifice returns to ensure the safety of their cash...."
----------
Satriani is suing Cold Play for copying "substantial, original portions" of his 2004 song, "If I Could Fly." And he seems to have a good case if you hear both songs! Big bucks ahead for big Joe.
---------
Good talk w/ Cousin in Italy. What a deep contact. What an amazing and open mind he is.
He said no place is not worth going to. To stand on the banks of the river there and see how the people live, even for 1/2 hour is worth it.
He said "at the end we arrived at your word... she found cure in acupuncture after months of medical treatment had no effect.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Dec 2008 -- Rewarding the Irresponsible; Most Jobs Lost in 34 Years; 6.7% Unemployment
CNN:
"Many Americans are outraged that their money is being spent to rescue
irresponsible mortgage borrowers. Still, that probably won't stop
government officials.""All these idiots who bought homes they couldn't really afford are going to be rewarded with loan modifications, but what about those of us who didn't make stupid decisions?" asked Jay Black, a CNNMoney.com reader who rents in Queens N.Y. "I could have purchased two years ago using an option ARM, and now the government would be paying to reduce my balance. But I didn't. What the hell do I get?"
------------
Employers in U.S. Cut 533,000 Jobs, Most in 34 Years, as Recession Deepens
I won't be surprised if unemployment hits 10% due to 8 years of Bush's disastrous presidency.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 Dec 2008 -- Interview; Travel as Cure for Bigotry; Boring Guitar Festivals
The
manager from the giant firm spent an hour interviewing me - well, he
practically didn't ask me any questions - just explained their very
complex organization, the politics, the functional and dysfunctional
areas. I think he already made up his mind during the phone interview
and wanted an in-person one to see what the candidate looks like. Met
the next candidate afterwards. A pleasant person but according to the
agent he wasn't as qualified as I. The manager told the other guy he's
got more interviews tomorrow. All signs look as though the offer will
come by Monday. I feel very confident. Not confidence of ego but of probability.It's important in a job interview to tell them how you think your skills fit the job description they're giving. It's not being arrogant or egotistic. If you don't present those points how are they supposed to know it?
Vier Linden was irresistible. I wish I could buy the baked goods for all loved ones. Ended up buying 2 vollkorn gipfels, 1 corn bread (whole meal with raisins), 4 pretzel style gipfels, 2 cherry pies, 1 apricot pie. All, bio, and with no added sugar.
In First Class there are more stressed people. It seems the richer are the more stressed. I almost told this one guy to try yoga or something. He was miserably stressed just sitting there.
--------------------
I regularly get invitations for guitar festivals. They're so boring. Just a bunch of competitive people hoping to be better than others to win a prize and judges measuring artistry with inadequate tools and losers who suffer their loss. The music and guitar has turned into a circus at these stupid competitions. Being a good guitarist has nothing to do with this. And all this comparison makes people go nuts and start harassing other guitarists online.
--------------------
He's lived in many places. His brother is still in the little village and is very racist. He said people, including his brother, should be forced to travel for a year. "Travel broadens the mind" is a British saying.
--------------------
- The most annoying thing about Microsoft Internet Explorer is that it ignores Alt-Tab. It must be by design: "software ego". "You are in my window, you can not leave easily".
- Lack of sound was due to unknown device - had to update Broadcom Trusted Platform Module (TPM) driver. Very strange. What's even more strange is that reinstalling the system from scratch, and reinstalling a working image did not work. I guess some things survive death!
-------------------
The synth price is 1300. I did the calculations and decided I'd be willing to pay 880. First shop gave quote of 1000. Second one 1050. Third 950 and brought it down to 880! I forgot I had 880 in mind till I looked back. This now matches the price in the US. Very unusual. Typical Swiss client pays the list price or gets a small discount. I got a 32% discount.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 Dec 2008 -- Swiss Generosity
I am constantly touched by the Swiss generosity and gentleness of spirit. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Dec 2008 -- Psychiatric Problem Among Youth; GM; Casatschok; More Bush Screwup
"Counting
substance abuse, the study found that nearly half of young people
surveyed have some sort of psychiatric condition, including students
and non-students... For many, young adulthood is characterized by the
pursuit of greater educational opportunities and employment prospects,
development of personal relationships, and for some, parenthood,"
the authors said. These circumstances, they said, can result in stress
that triggers the start or recurrence of psychiatric problems."---------
Casatschok, one of my first beloved songs is now part of Rezangela's repertoire. Vigen sang a Persian version. Uncle Yusef used to play a version of it to which we used to march as a tiny kid.
---------
"General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it needs $12 billion in government loans to keep operating, telling Congress in a bluntly worded report that its collapse could have "severe, long-term consequences to the U.S. economy." That's $12B US can be sure to be flushing down the toilet, and these gas-guzzler makers' rationale makes no sense. Throwing 12B at them now just means delaying their downfall. Let GM go bankrupt now.
----------
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown, according to an Associated Press review of regulatory documents.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Dec 2008 -- Keys to Successful Stage Performance
Regarding
factors and implications of stage fright and stage performance. The
most important aspects of performance is lack of ego, death of the
psychological self, and spontaneity. Some cultures are very
non-spontaneous. Some performers just wished they were more
spontaneous. Some try to plan it all out. But the key is to really
prepare, and then let it play itself out. Of course, knowing the
material is very important, is the first step. And for an
instrumentalist it's important to get fingers playing what the
mind-heart want comfortably. What can boost "confidence" is to perform
in some favorable environments. We recently played in a couple of very unfavorable settings. One, in an intolerably hot greenhouse in middle of summer where I had to take the guitar to the cooler from time to time to keep it from melting :) - and Sonafe which was incredibly noisy. We make music, sound, vibration, and heavy external noise defeats your sound. And our sound system was poorly run, and we used other people's amps, and the list of why it was a very difficult setting goes on.
On the other hand, a favorable performance, like eating an avocado, can not be described to someone new till they've had it and tasted the sweetness of
a) playing what you feel comfortable with and like
b) people starting a fire of interest
c) that fire fueling your fire and yours, theirs
d) and that music touching people's lives, and yours
e) and you're not there. There is no you, the performer. There is a instrumentalist on stage through whom music flows. Freedom from ego is essential for good performance. That means there is no outside and in. In and out are one and the same movement. There is no wall. You are the people. There is no I-vs.-audience. I am not there.
f) and there is no image or conclusions about one-self which are only limiting and against anything new coming into being. It may be true that someone does not feel comfortable in front of people, most are, even Elvis said he got nervous, and it's true that some people are more extrovert than others. Still, any remark, any words, any thought, and image (these are all the same thing), prevent exploration of the power of spontaneity. So what do we do if we have those barriers: see / hear / understand the mental noise, the little voice of thought in the head that is building internal walls, don't judge it as bad, but just see it -- and see its limits -- and if the brain can be quiet. That quietness is the key. You walk and move around, sing and play, from that quietness, that space, spaciousness, order, peace, deep peace.
Once this avocado is tasted, one can be ready for bigger stage. I have played for thousands before. The fire is bigger. More heart-touching.
A nice meal is always more delicious with a good friend.
Pop music is much easier to play than classical. So, a new pop instrumentalist can comfortably play if they keep playing. The best practice is playing and playing. Singing and singing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Dec 2008 -- Windows Blues
We need
to throw away Windows and design a new OS from scratch. Please don't
mention Vista. XP Professional is the best Windows has to offer and
even that, is a patch work evolution from DOS. Wasted hours with
Windows devices blues. At least got to the bottom of the problem and
Dell admitted they're stuck.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 Nov 2008 -- Reading Drums Notes; Food Combining
Read
drum tabs and worked out parts with Rosa. Amazing how every beat of drums,
every cymbal, every note on every instrument of every song that the
Beatles played is written out. We can sight-read drum music and
pronounce it (chu-cha). She learned I Feel Fine's complex drums easily. Power of collaboration.
Music is magic!--------
Since shifting from left handed to right handed guitar, Al can't play guitar while driving! Some people try to pretend to stay young. Some people stay young by continually learning and Al has a learning mind. A try artist.
--------
Cy got the lead role in a major play in Berkley.
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The risotto was delicious but I think they had put cheese in it and it turned into cement (poor food combining).
--------
I know I'm not going to live this lifestyle for the rest of my life. I will start kissing the morning glory soon.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
29 Nov 2008 -- Understanding and Uprooting Sorrow -- Advanced Psychology
Recently had a long discussion with a friend who was suffering from stresses of
life, a stupid educational system that treats the student like slaves,
and various other causes of sorrow, significant or not, ,puled up in
her head, enough to make her cry.- There are specific causes of sorrow (e.g. for an average person, when loved one leaves) and general (habitual process of mind which falls into default state of sorrow).
- Emptying - when things are not piled up in the head, instead, written or talked about with a good friend, we can see them more clearly.
- Thought/time's role in creating sorrow and fear
- Thought's role in perpetuating sorrow
- All you can do is to understand what you are, what is happening
- 6 months left till this dreaded "education" is over. Hang in there and find the most practical way to get through.
- This so called education with its stress, pressures, and stupid competitions, is so contrary to the nature and flowering of a sensitive beautiful intelligent person
- Keys to success are Stress management and Enthusiasm.
- Enthusiasm. comes naturally when we love what we do.
- Stress has 2 sides: physical and psychological.
- Regular long walks is one of the best way of trimming physical stress. Good diet, enough sleep, gentle (not power) yoga, avoidance of caffeine, smoking, etc. are all essential.
- Thought is limited because it's physical (chemical) and because it's based on experience.
- Experience is limited because you've had it !! And because there is always more.
- When there is limitation there is division. Limit is the boarder.
- Being limited, thinking divides, which is an important function for dealing with natural world, development of technical practical scientific aspects of life.
- Our educational systems are too thought dominated. They train us to be thinking machines, good problem solvers. Switzerland for example is extremely thought dominated. Every little detail is thought out and planned which leaves very little room for the unknown, for spontaneity, for otherness, for the unconditioned, unplanned, in most people's lives. I know people here who even have their death planned out.
- Being trained to always have problems (in this case, French, Psychology, Math, and nine other subjects that are piled on a poor young student), and to be problem solvers, we make like into a problem, we create problems, so we can solve them. It gives the self, the ego, the sense of being something, being somebody, continuity.\
- Our brains have a habit of being in a state of sorrow given humanity's thousands of years of wars, natural disasters and misery.
- It's important to be a light to one-self.
- It's important to not carry the burden of others and the world. That's not not caring.
CONTINUED.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
29 Nov 2008 -- Selected among 300,000; Formentera
Ya,
the agency said in his 300,000 person database I was the only one who
had the qualifications....... but........... there were other people
too who were presented. I don't think everyone had all the
qualifications........... they are looking for God.Anyway, the hiring manager said I made it to the second round and he'll know by Wednesday - he's trying to get another requisition opened in which case he said I'm in - else, he has to choose between 2 people........ harche-peesh-aayad-khosh-aayad...........
Kind Regards
Reza
----------
Talked to Elio-e-Bea. They just arrived in Formentera.
- How did you know we are here?
- we have connection.
I called because I felt gratitude and love - and expressed it - and the love was reciprocated.
And out of it was born a new possibility: Open Air Concert there next summer! Yes!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28 Nov 2008 -- Integrity of One's Words
It's
very important to do what we say, what we promise. There is too much
cheap talk in the world and it would be a better place if people
delivered on their promises and expectations they set.----------
Angela is really very talented. She learned All My Loving's bass line in a flash.
----------
Angelo's journal is at: http://calatrava.livejournal.com/ and it contains a lot of interesting writings by this great composer/guitarist/philosopher/pedagogue.
Good luck Angelo. I'm sure your new composition will be fantastic. I wish we could get more and more recordings of your great works.
Flowers: do they know how beautiful they are? They just are. They bring beauty. They are beauty. They bring fragrance. They are fragrance. They have no sense of pride. No sense of self. They just are.
--
By the way, if you don't mind, I'll post my online journal url here since your page is popular and well indexed by Google Robot, and having it on a popular page helps the indexing of a new page. Sorry to take the space.
http://www.rezajournal.com/
http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/rezajournal/
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Nice blog promotion list: http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/blog-promotion/99-ways-to-promote-your-blog-for-free/
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America's poverty threshold just moved up. More people are standing in line to get a free meal for Thanksgiving and charities are decrying reduced donations. Even the richest of countries, mismanaged, will lose their riches.
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 Nov 2008 -- Village People City People; Dad;
DISCLAIMER: This paragraph contains generalizations and stereotypes which are inherently faulty.Simplicity is a great quality. Not in Los Angeles where sometimes superficiality is more respected and simplicity is looked down upon. A village person has the great quality of quietness and simplicity, two attributes that are rare in the city. In the big cities they sometimes make fun of village people. In some cultures, they look down on village people as naive and out of fashion. But that ignores the good qualities that a life in a village, a small place, close to nature, bring. Simplicity and silence are great virtue in an increasingly complicated and noisy world full of psychological monsters.
While some village people, just as with some city people, can be wise, deep, honest, and highly intelligent, a simplistic view, while a virtue, may also become a liability in this mad world. That's why, as an example, many village girls who go to the cities become corrupted - they fall victim into the people whom they trusted out of their simplicity and goodness. They're taken advantage of, used, abused, at any level, financially, physically, emotionally, energetically. That is the nature of the mad, ugly world we live in. Therefore the village person can not call the city person's views as nonsense, and the city person can not call the village person naive. They both can learn from each other.
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My dad, having spent a stellar career in law, has an amazing insight into people. He reads people like an open book, in terms of credibility and integrity. How and why? Of course, he is very very intelligent and he's had a lot of experience with all kinds of people for decades. He's amazed us on occasion calling out someone as a crook when we would least think so, and sure enough the guy turned out to be a crook. He can see it in a flash.
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Personal Portable Angel Heaters are rare!
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She divorced her husband because she got tired of waiting for him. He was a gentle fellow she said but was not decisive, spontaneous, enthusiastic.
A highly gifted youngster feels so lonely -- those who consider her a genius stay away, and those who consider her arrogant stay away. The stupid and the gifted are both lonely. It takes a lot to be alone but not lonely, or does it? A well tuned instrument plays pretty.
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Finished watching ""Take the lead" -- pretty predictable. Rating 2 out of 5.
In a dance class one's energy gets totally mixed with everyone else's. Like being in a crowded bus.
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The guitar brought so much beauty and healing to a difficult night.
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Yahoo Bot seems more powerful than Google Bot. It indexed Rezajournal.com quicker.
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26 Nov 2008 -- Morning Glory
I can't live with
conflict. It got me out of bed. The disequilibrium. The wrong move is
to withdraw though it's often considered as an option: division is easy
but it's not my cup of tea this morning. There was thirst for contact
but it wasn't a craving. So I went. It was a nice walk. Mornings do
something special
to the aura and I've been missing it. I used to be a morning boy but
due to demands of special situations late nights come and go. I will
change. Not in the future but working on the change now by making life
simpler instead of more complicated, and taking care of things that
need to be done. A few years got wasted over the conflict brought by
the guitarists who attacked me on the internet and having to find and
deal with them - it was not my choice - maybe it was a forced way of
learning internet law and how to fight a federal civil case pro-se. Now
it's over but it is still consuming energy by some small open
tasks. And the chaos brought about by Bush's stupid leadership consumes
so much energy - just following the news, and tracking what's happening
in the world, in the US and the corrupt elements in its financial
markets.That was a long detour to explain not sleeping early. But when I don't have an office job I can catch up during the day but it's not the same as being out in the morning glory.
Finding the fig bread was nice. Followed by wholemeal croissant - and a white one which was warm just out of the oven: it was irresistible. And the walk back accompanied by singing was healing. There is so much self-healing we can do. It takes inner space, and attention. And without being a light to ourselves, any search for light is futile.
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The Commerce Department reported that consumer spending plunged by 1 percent in October, even worse than the 0.9 percent decline that had been expected. Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of total economic activity.
Dr. Nariman Behravesh, a Iranian-American economist at IHS Global Insight: "We are in the early stages of one of the worst recessions in the postwar period, even factoring in a massive stimulus program."
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25 Nov 2008 -- Google Magic, Empathy, Power Interview
I am recently amazed at how fast Google finds and indexes new material
-- it's a mind blowing speed. I put something online - a couple of days
later it's full text indexed by Google... and my material is one of
billions of web pages and millions of new pages.Google has become the almighty computer we used to dream about as kids - you go to it, ask anything, and it will have an answer. It provides great opportunity but also great dangers. Laws are slowly catching up. Yesterday, there was a 800 million dollar judgment against an abuser.
Talking about Google, someone googled: "jackson, mississippi singles naked" and the second search result was: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/SEC_Failure.html
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Opera 9.62 sometimes crashes often when a search string is typed in the address bar without the preceding "g".
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After some years of doing this, an interview is an enjoyable and easy experience. Sales skills become so handy. Sales skills are rooted in empathy : to see the world through another person's eyes.
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Good contact, good partnership is so uplifting and healing.
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Slightly cooked the rest of raw dish. It came out great - and easier to chew.
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24 Nov 2008 -- Second Big Letter to the SEC
She advised every woman, and every person,
to stand on their own feet, to not depend on a spouse to support you,
don't let your skills get outdated.Completed comments on SEC new rule docket: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/SEC_Sympathy_For_ShortSellers.html -- faxed to many Congressional leaders, and others.
X thinks Zurich has too many people - can imagine her reaction to London or ... Tehran!
It took more calories to chew that giant salad than the salad had.
Dark Monday cloud in the bus but attention brings light to it. So disgusting when a smoker just finished a cig and walks in the bus. I try to get as far away as possible since they stink. Big Tobacco promotes that smell and taste as pleasant. What crooks they are.
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23 Nov 2008 -- Economy; Genesis; html
The amazing earth gives "nussli salat" even in the winter. This wonderful herb grows even under the snow.----------
"After using the economic expansion of the 1990s to bring down government indebtedness, the US made a serious error in allowing deficits to rise over the last eight years. But it would be compounding this error to override what economists call "automatic stabilisers" by seeking to reduce deficits in the near term." Lawrence Summers
Wrote another hot letter to the SEC to stop their sympathy for short sellers, be transparent, and release names of large short sellers.
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It's important to check the disk for errors if a laptop ever falls, even if it appears to be working well.
Chkdsk /f. Log file is under EventViewer/Application/Winlogon
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Genesis' The Lamb was added to repertoire.
FollowYouFollowMe deleted and re-added. Tony Banks playing the vocal melody was a turnoff since I first heard this song the year it was released. They wrote this song to attract females since then they usually just attracted male audiences. It's a nice love song and proved they can have a hit without Peter Gabriel, Steve Hacket.
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html and editing it these days is like networking in early 90's: a pain in the back. Took away this journal's control from Word and all the junk it was adding to the html source. I wish I had a better choice but for now Wordpad seems the only tool that doesn't flood the file with control characters. Tried WYSIWYG editors – Seamonkey, Amaya, Trellian WebPage. They all mess up the source code. Will stay with KompoZer (=Nvu). The solution to changing | to %7C is to check: “Don't encode special characters in attribute values”. It even does realtime spell checking. Guess it beats Wordpad. Literally, at the end of the day, I found a good solution. Perseverance pays.
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22 Nov 2008 -- 800 Watt Amp
Saw Martina(Mary) at the station.- do you play classical?
- "no, I play Trash Metal", she said!
Played her bass guitar on the train. She has a 800 Watt bass amp!
Met Anina by chance. She went kick boxing in Thailand, now she will be a police woman, and she still plays great classical guitar.
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21 Nov 2008 -- IP & Cyber Law
News of settlement is always good news. Beacon Power settled their patent litigation with Arete today.----------
A parent who denies their teenager's wrongdoing and tries to cover it up, will only help that teenager get further corrupted. A good parent calls on the kid to stand up and face his wrong actions. Otherwise the kid knows he can get away with more later. In this case, the neighbor's 17 year old was busted with a lot of pot. His rich parents are denying it. I was asked to write an affidavit to help his landlord evict him. I gladly did, because a) I hate drugs, 2) I already talked to the kid and educated him about choosing his friends carefully and not using drugs. I support the landlord however, in that one can never count on another changing, and in this case, specially if they have stupid parents.
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Opera is a the best we browser, and IE is the worst. Add New Tab Button on right side of Tab Toolbar disappeared. It wasn't easy to find the GUI solution which I once found but found a low-level, undocumented solution: Add "Button, SI_NEW_PAGE_BUTTON_TEXT=New page,1" to file: C:\Program Files\Opera\profile\toolbar\standard_toolbar (2).ini - section [Pagebar Floating.content].
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Spent hours finishing this: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/misc_filings.html
Archived thousands of cyber law related files off the computer. Big load is off my shoulders.
The darkest chapter of my life was the litigation I had to pursue against a few guitarist attacked online: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/litigation.html.
Looking back, it had a positive side. Aside from the personal level of having put an end to those abuses, and the reward in having caught the offenders who tried very hard to remain anonymous, other victims of cyber stalking and online offenses know they don't have to be victims, and other offenders, specially those who abuse their rights to speak anonymously know they can be caught, and for people in general to know that the internet is a very dangerous place, and for legislators to know they still have a lot of work ahead of them to make internet a safer tool.
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21 Nov 2008 -- Do Pets Transmit "Energy"?
I don't know anyone who talked about this let alone any
metaphysical theories around it. Contact with smokers, specially
physical contact, hand shake, hand holding, hugs, making love, etc.,
can transmit the smoker's negative energy (from inhaling hundreds
of poisons and making themselves susceptible to negative psychic forces
as a result) to a person who is sensitive. To me, this is a matter of
fact, from so much experience. The sensitivity is the key. If someone
is already miserable and works in a smoky café, the smoke
probably won't effect him much more. But for someone who is
moving to a different beat than the stream of mankind's
suffering, such exposures may be costly. Now, what happens if a pet -- a cat or dog for example, has close contact with a heavy-smoker owner, e.g. spending the night in the owner's bed. And a sensitive person has contact with that pet. Will the pet transmit that negative energy? My guess is yes, and it can bring negativity. One can still love the pet, but physical, energetic contact is best minimized in such a situation.
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20 Nov 2008 -- Idiot Ruler Ruins The Land
We'll be lucky if the US doesn't go bankrupt in the last 2
months of this stupid idiot as a President. He is not to blame, but the
voters who put him in office. It was clear as day that he was an idiot
yet many, blinded by fanaticism, fear, selfishness, wrong priorities,
and simply, a narrow mind, didn't see it. Since ancient times
it's been common sense that an idiot ruler will ruin the land.
Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and all the other so called
"conservative" broadcasters who lead the herd should be
ashamed of themselves. There is nothing conservative about being
stupid. Stupidity leads you to recklessness. Bush's cowboy
diplomacy put the whole world at greater risk.Oil closed below 50. BCON at 0.54 (best bargain in town). GM rose despite talk of bankruptcy. GOOG is down to 259 from 724. C closed at 4.71. It urged the SEC to ban short selling. SEC needs a major overhaul under Obama. What a shame of an organization it's been: a joint venture between the government and Wall Street, as Patrick Byrne puts it. All short selling for all stocks need to be banned for at least a year. Naked short selling should get outlawed as in several other countries. The world is so inter-connected that America is pulling the rest down too. And I put the entire blame on the leadership and those who elected these leaders. I guess Cheney was ready for all this. Have a look at how he positioned his portfolio: http://home.datacomm.ch/rezamusic/cheney.html
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Henry Waxman, a California liberal, became new head of U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. He said the new committee leadership would help "to get important issues passed in health care, environmental protection, in energy policy." Waxman's immediate priorities will likely be passing legislation to promote alternative energy that would help create the millions of "green" jobs that Obama has called for. He is also expected to seek to clear a bill that would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and prepare America to be part of an international agreement to fight global warming. "Waxman's victory is a breath of fresh air -- of clean air. It was a stunning defeat for the corporate lobbyists on K Street," said Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch. "It shows that a majority of the House Democrats are ready to work with the incoming Obama administration on effective global warming legislation."
The Bush Administration has had a terrible record on Global Warming.
(partly quoted from Reuters & AP)
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20 Nov 2008 -- Cleansing Attention
Sometimes a trauma can last years. Even when it happened when the baby
was in the mother's womb. For example, if the mother was drowning
when she was pregnant and was rescued, the kid can carry that trauma in
his/her consciousness for years. Or if the kid was yelled at. At some
point as the body gets more sensitive by more intelligent ways of
living, eating, etc., and the person gets more in harmony with the
universal music or otherness, that, tao, or whatever you wish to call
it, etc., and his/her energies are not consumed with petty problems,
then there is enough space to look. And when one looks, that trauma
shows itself in waking hours and more likely in dreams. In the first
example above the dream may be about floods or drowning, and in the
second, the voice of the mother shouting. Looking artistically, i.e.,
with a quiet mind, is an act of emptying, and a trauma can end forever.
Attention is also necessary at the physical level as traumas are
sometimes carried in body cells. Gentle attentive stretches can help as
well as other bodyworks.----------
I learned some time ago -
that sometimes we come across something -
or it comes across us -
and we see it, hear it -
and if there is any truth in it, that truth can work in our lives -
and if none, we can let it go -
it's a nice, non-traditional approach.
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19 Nov 2008 -- "Jus Luv"
MRR's motto is: "jus luv". P-retty cool!----------
CEO's of GM, Chrysler, Ford got grilled again today in the US Congress about making wasteful vehicles, their fat salaries, private jets, etc., and tax cuts they requested to make gas-guzzlers.
"Inability to get credit has caused the crisis."
Another dark day in the markets -- bloodbath. They're already talking about a non working banking system and "the most intense financial crisis since the Great Depression". I hope the country doesn't collapse by the time that idiot leader leaves. 2 months left.
Beacon Power connected to live grid, marking start of world's first 100% emission free, renewable energy, frequency regulation solution.
The more I get done, the more mental space I have.
Email is a powerful yet dangerous tool and should be avoided for any sensitive communication because it's almost bound to be misunderstood.
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18 Nov 2008 -- 444444 visitors
Today rezamusic.com had its 444444th visitor !----------
It's good to deal with slow people sometimes -- like the old lady cashier today who was quite slow. It helps bring the speed back to the human level, down from the CPU level. People don't respond in Gigahertz.
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Arrangement of Across The Universe came out good.
We practiced tonight. I think we should forget all relatively new songs for a couple of weeks till we learn the old ones really well. Sent you the new list. Only 36 songs to review (down from 57) :)
Sound of the Vietnamese guitar was one of the sweetest parts of the day.
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Walking sneakers in the rain are not proper for flying to the bus.
The mad doctor is back.
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Paulson is speaking. There is deep discussion on current economic crisis and he is talking about lowering corporate taxes and giving them tax breaks overseas which sounds like a one-track-minded/partisan statement. A respondent pointed it was out of place. Giving big companies further tax breaks will not fix the problems. But Paulson's decision to not buy toxic assets of the banks was the right move. Government is not a trash can!
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18 Nov 2008 -- Auto industry bailout (again)
Auto-industry bailout hearings in the US Senate today. It's
obvious that these fat gas-guzzler-pushing-pigs (i.e., the Big Auto)
are going to be back begging soon for more funding from the government.
Debbie Stabenow, Senator from Michigan, representing the Auto industry
at all levels (including her massive excess fat), is arguing wish-washy
lines like, we need to decide if we will use cars in America, and
instilling fear: give us 25B or else unemployment will go up, or else
national security will be affected, etc. Big Auto is broken. To just
give them money makes no sense without an effective fat-cutting
restructuring and transformation to green energy and responsibility
towards Global Warming which Bush & company have turned a blind eye
to. $25 Billion is just a band-aid that should not be applied without
commitment to fundamental change.A top economist, Dr. Peter Morici of University of Maryland's Logistics, Business and Public Policy department, is saying the same thing: you give them the money this month, they will be back. He thinks they're better off going through chap11 re-org, and one of the Detroit-3 will go that route sooner or later. Bottom line: these guys have to get their costs competitive with Japanese auto makers. He said: "American is over-car-ed just as it's over-housed... People buy cars because they get tired of them not because they break down."
Senator Shelby is spot-on. How could they successfully restructure if they haven't done so far after spending billions. Dr. Morici: "if you're going to downsize all the time, you'll have special charges forever (because the Detroit-3) are burdened by history (in terms of labor agreements etc.).
After the meeting people yelled "No Corporate Welfare", "We want Green jobs", "They killed the electric car now they want it back", "They're blaming it on the workers", "No more SUV's, no more gas guzzlers".
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17 Nov 2008 -- Healing Insight
Monday blues is in the air and she must have felt it -- it can be
a knock out for a sensitive person -- the darkness of all the
people going to work who hate their jobs -- unhappy etc. --
it's typical for Mondays. To me, rain or shine, Monday or Friday,
makes no difference.The important thing is to understand what you are. If you seek pleasure as an escape you are that -- the object of pleasure is not at fault. It's important to see the ingredients of what makes you feel bad, both psychological and physiological, and that understanding and emptying brings light, not the movement to run away from the escape. understanding and emptying can be done by oneself. Talking to good friend or writing can make it easier. It's important to be a light to oneself.
Habit can be at many levels -- in the very working of thought -- as conditioned response to certain situations. Physiological imbalance just takes a bit of time to adjust. Psychological release is instantaneous.
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Told him a male-chauvinistic culture thinks of the woman is for man -- he said he is not like that but I don't believe it -- marriage is not one-way: that the woman serves the man -- No! -- it's two way -- she needs as much care if not more than him -- and the least he could do is to give her love and kind words -- money is not love.
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For years, she's been having problems, giving, outer movement, ignoring her own health, etc. -- not there is no reason for such movement. She could attend to her own well being, to have a problem-free state of mind, which is not much to ask for! Beware of force of habit.
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17 Nov 2008 -- On the economy
Last year, Goldman's CEO Blankfein received total compensation of
$54.0 million on salary of 600k, according to AP calculations. I don't think a GM bailout makes sense. They make business selling gas guzzlers. That old mentality needs to change. A 25B bailout just makes them come begging for more later. They need to shift their strategy completely and a reorganization under chapter 11 might be the best way. Either way, the mess George Bush has made out of the economy seems endless.
Almost 8% unemployment is expected by end of 2009. Many don't realize the impact of reduced consumer confidence. The whole American economy is based on consumer spending. The new capitalism is consumerism. George Carlin has a great, funny piece on consumer capitalism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy4Tg_uR_Bg
Slow down on consumer spending spells disaster for an economy which is based on consumerism. On the bright side, the American economy, one of the most innovative in the world, has shown incredible resilience over the last few decades to all kinds of storms. But will it survive the aftermath of 8 years of Bush/Cheney storm, is yet to be seen. The world is very much interconnected, like the human body. One ailing part will make the rest ail. I hope we find holistic health for the whole world and all nations and people.
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Added a George Carlin section to www.rezatv.com
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16 Nov 2008 -- Rezangela, the band...
Band practice was great. The new bass drum to R&R Music makes all
the difference. End of Watching The Wheels for examples was soooo
musical. This is a band I always dreamed of having. Has nothing to do
with being a leader -- those things don't matter -- it
has to do with the talent of the band-mates, that we love the same
music, etc. -- we have soooooo much fun playing music.We decided to freeze ca. 45 songs till we refine them.
Rosa & Angela & I are all vegetarians.
Talk in the bus about attention vs. concentration -- a basic subject any newcomer understands but some old timers get so confused about.
So glad to hear he quit smoking. As a gift from parents to send him to drivers-ed class. It's good him and good for the band.
There are so many bad drivers here despite thousands spent on driver education and importance given to driver's ed which is good. Maybe the reason is, defensive driving is to predict the unexpected, which to the culture here is a strange notion since every attempt is put into knowing, and removing the unexpected. I know a woman who even has her death planned. Planning is very big in Switzerland, and it's perfect for practical things, and how it's been able to create this wonderful, near-utopia structure.
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16 Nov 2008 -- Rezajournal.com
This is the longest lingering cold I've had in a long time.
Considering putting this online journal in hibernation again till after
I catch up with the backlog. Regarding its name, Rezaworld or
Rezasworld, which was an idea of a German girl I met years ago in
Hamburg who said I should write my life story and call it Reza's
world -- that was at the time Sophie's World was released
-- I asked Rib and he wrote beautifully: "Yeah, agree. rezajournal is best. Easiest to say, easiest to read, easiest to understand, nicest to hear. The vowels combine into a nice sounding linguistic Cmaj7"
Those kinds of lines makes it worth keeping this journal awake, but it won't be that active. Ok, name change coming today: www.rezajournal.com
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15 Nov 2008 -- Love
Love keeps getting stronger. Perhaps it effects the heart's
physiology -- must be in a good way. It's amazing how
powerful it is.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14 Nov 2008 -- Smokers bring bad luck
I saw a dark polluted aura around him. Doesn't say whether he's a good
guy or not, a nice guy or not. It's just a natural law, a law of
physics and metaphysics and energy: when you take in poison you attract
poison and your vessel gets damaged and you become susceptible to what
some school calls "negative psychic forces". I have no intention to
argue about this or prove this point to another. For me it's clear as
day. Have seen too many cases of bad luck that comes in association
with smokers, direct or even indirect contact. When you live as long as I have lived and have observed, the correlation is too telling to ignore. A young person may say, no it is not so. Fine, experience it, find out, if you want. The lessons for me were expensive, and when I was younger, if someone had told me about it, I might have listened and saved me some pain.
Is it true for all smokers - the polluted aura? Yes, but to different degrees, depending how much they smoke; and add marijuana to the mix and you get a real piece of work.
[to talk about it is to invite it]
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14 Nov 2008 -- The Cat
The quality of their apartment went downhill since the cat came. It's
ignored as its owner is often gone. It wants to be outside but it's in.
It's a strong male cat that wants to run around. It's imprisoned in
where seems to be such a poor fit for it. And it often seems to be
hungry. Its sound is as strong as itself - more like a baby tiger than
a cat - and you feel pain in its sounds: pain of hunger and
confinement. And when it gets food it gets the cheapest ones - probably
a bunch of dead critters which makes a disgusting fume come out of the
closet where its tray is. I felt like vomiting from the smell but
another can get used to it so it's not disturbing - what a pity though,
to get used to something like that - I've seen worse. At least the
issue may deserve to be addressed. The wonderful underlying Taoist
approach in the heart of Europe is that status quo is good. Set the
poor cat free. Take him to your mother's who has a back yard or
whatever or make a cat window so it can go roam outside and put his
tray outdoors. A vet told a friend that more expensive cat food can
improve the smell quality. Anyway, I'd rather have no pets --
songs are enough ;)[Maybe the memo worked. Now it has enough food and it's not hauling anymore but the place still stinks like toxic fumes of dead animals if you open the closet door and if you close it the cat does it anywhere. Glad I'm not living there.]
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13 Nov 2008 - Can't Wait for January 20th, 2009 when Bush leaves office
Walking home singing late night by the brook suddenly the sound came: "schoener Gesang", from a girl on the bench. The renewable energy industry's Obama wish list: Good article: http://greenwombat.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/11/13/the-renewable-energy-industrys-obama-wish-list/
Can't wait for the day when I don't have to hear Bush's noise on CNN. His rationale is irrational, his head seems empty, his morals seem missing, his voice echoes all that he is and all that he is not, and the mess he made out of the world in the last 8 years of one failed policy after another. Today he was babbling about regulation and touting lack of regulation. It is exactly the lack of regulation, his and his buddies at the SEC's hands-off approach that let Wall Street wreck havoc of so many companies and the economy. It was his rush to go to war based on false premises that... oh, please don't get me started... I do not hate the guy. I hate no one. I wish him well but can't wait for him to step down on Jan 20th. I do not fault him as much I fault the voters who put him in power.
He may be dumb, but what about all those who voted for him. The consequence was so clear but they had their priorities all mixed up and didn't have the intelligence to discern between what was important and not, and to see that a fool at the top would ruin the country and the world. Why didn't they see what was so clear? Lack of education? Selfishness? Bigotry? Idiocy? Partisanship? Tribalism? Lack of intelligence to see your good is not separate from the common good? It's indeed a sad song but it's almost over. 8 weeks left before the 8 worst years are over. Newspeople were saying new rating puts Bush at an all time low in job approval rating, so clearly many of those who voted for him are now disapprove of him. I could have told'ya.
Palin is another nightmare. Mrs. Bush is a good nickname for her. She was on the media today. Unbelievable how these fanatics hold on to their dogmatic way of thinking. I liked her looks first but now her mind disgusts me. Now they're talking about her running for presidency in the future. After 8 years of Bush nightmare, Mrs. Bush Alaskan has no chance.
CURRENT JOURNAL ENTRIES: Rezajournal.com
2011 JOURNAL ENTRIES: 2011_Reza_Ganjavi_Journal
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