View From a New Vrindaban Ridge

The huge doll of my body
refuses to rise.
I am the toy of women.
My mother

would prop me up for her friends.
“Talk, talk,” she would beg.
I moved my mouth
but words did not come.

My wife took me down from the shelf.
I lay in her arms. “We suffer
the sickness of self,” she would whisper.
And I lay there dumb.

Now my daughter
gives me a plastic nurser
filled with water.
“You are my real baby,” she says.

Poor child!
I look into the brown
mirrors of her eyes
and see myself

diminishing, sinking down
to a depth she does not know is there.
Out of breath,
I will not rise again.

I grow into my death.
My life is small
and getting smaller. The world is green.
Nothing is all.

Bill Clinton became a vegan, lost 24 pounds, healing himself by not ingesting any cholesterol.

Former US President Bill Clinton recently confirmed that he is indeed eating a mainly vegan diet. In the interview, the former president explains the reason behind his decision to go vegan.

“I’m trying to be one of those experimenters,” said Clinton. “Since 1986, several hundred people who have tried essentially a plant-based diet, not ingesting any cholesterol from any source, has seen their bodies start to heal themselves — break up the arterial blockage, break up the calcium deposits around the heart. 82 percent of the people who have done this have had this result, so I want to see if I can be one of them.”

Clinton decided to adopt the diet in the early part of May 2010. While he does occasionally eat fish, the former president otherwise follows a strict vegan diet.

What made him go vegan? Clinton has read many books on the topic, including books by T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish. Although losing weight was a benefit of the dietary change, the choice to go vegan was about more than just losing weight.

With time, Clinton could become the most outspoken proponent of a complete vegan diet.

The following is something that came through my Inbox several months ago that I meant to post but spaced it out. They are real and sounds like a worthy project to me.  You might want to contact them to get an update on where they are at now.

Greetings!

We are writing from our organic family farm presenting an opportunity for any person or organization concerned with the welfare of Earth and her inhabitants. Read on to learn about the present challenge we have accepted. Pray this topic will win your interest and impel you to involve your self accordingly.

Gir breed Cows date back at least 5000 years as one of the few original Zebu or Indus breeds. The Gir have been nearly cross-bred to extinction. In South America, limited numbers of Gir have been kept pure. Our goal is to maintain the integrity of this amazing breed.

Soon a few of these remarkable cows will be brought for sale to the U.S. We are in urgent and immediate need of financial contributions in order to realize the preservation of this amazing species of milking cow. This is a rare opportunity to protect these cows.

Our farm project, situated in the fertile foot hills of North Carolina, is devoted to protecting pure bred animals. All our animals become our named family members, protected for life, never to be slaughtered.

What’s so amazing about these animals? Veterinarians rate Gir among the best because they are hardy and can endure all kinds of weather and are known to ward off attacks by lions.

Research sources note: Gir cows have the longest intestines in the world, (aprox.180’) thus yielding high quality milk having the richest mineral content compared to crossbreeds and exotics.

Their milk has highly curative powers. Studies prove that their dairy products can be helpful in curing 111 diseases.

A local  non-profit organization is allotting us acreage valued at $57k to support our project for maintaining these cows.

Sexing Technologies of Texas is offering Gir at $10,000., per cow.

Five cows as well as pure bred Gir bulls are coming into availability for a short period of time.

We are prepared to open our facility to Gir as we have for our other animals.

We are asking for financial assistance in order to purchase these rare cows.

Please help us create and maintain a diverse genetic pool to perpetuate and preserve the purity of this versatile and robust breed of ancient milker.

Contributions, large or small, are gratefully appreciated.

Your gift will bring opportunities to these animals and to the public to experience the age old ways of cow protection.

Desire more information about the wonderful Gir? Feel free to communicate with us at any time.

Thank you so much for your attention and prompt participatory action. Please make checks payable to Sexing Technologies and mail to

Snow Creek Family Organics
3359 Moir farm rd
Sandy Ridge, NC 27046

If you wish, include contact information so we can keep you posted on the progress.
Citra and Mathura
336-593-2550

Schools are a black hole for energy consumption. The buildings, which often serve as the hub of communities, are open from early morning to late at night. With air conditioning or heating systems that run continually, it is not unusual for a single building to use hundreds of thousands of gallons of fossil fuel each year. While this energy consumption is a major concern to students, teachers, administrators and the community – who all wish to lessen dependence on fossil fuels – school systems are moving at a glacial pace when it comes to making environmentally conscious decision regarding what technologies should power their facilities.

One of the primary reasons why school systems get cold feet at the idea of going green is the perceived cost of deploying renewable energy systems. School budgets across the United States are incredibly tight, a situation that is exacerbated by the nation’s current economic condition. As a result, school boards are faced with having to lay off teachers and cut core programs just to remain financially viable. Now is not the time, most seem to believe, to be introducing major infrastructure projects such as solar-or wind-power systems that have large price tags attached.

These perceptions, however, are far from reality. Schools can go green by deploying rooftop solar systems or tapping into wind energy projects by using a model that requires little to no upfront costs and can result in annual savings related to powering a facility. More importantly, though, these green projects can become a showpiece for the community to see how to successfully implement a renewable energy system.

For instance, they can provide value environmental education opportunities for students. In addition, they can serve as an example to other public facilities, private buildings or even homeowners of how to effectively invest in green technology. And finally, they can serve as engines of job creation and innovation not only in their city or county, but throughout their state and across the United States.

Leveraging a Public/Private Partnership – One Successful Partnership

When faced with the prospect of electricity costs rising 4-8% annually, the Northwestern Regional School District No. 7 in Winsted, Conn., began investigating what it would take to put a solar array on the roof of its 250,000 square foot high school building. While it could technically be done, the question of how to finance such a project loomed large.  The school board considered three different ways to fund it:

• Outright Purchase – The school system could pay for building and maintaining its own solar infrastructure.  This model was rejected because it required bonds, which were impossible to secure at the time.
• Lease/Purchase Arrangement – Instead of bonding the full project, the school district could lease the system from a company that would finance and build the system. This model often comes with higher upfront and monthly costs and down the road would require the school district to own and operate its own solar array.
• Public/Private Partnership – With this option, the school district could find a private company to install and maintain the solar facility on its rooftop, and through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) pay a discounted rate for only the power produced onsite.

Ultimately, the school district concluded that the most financially sound option was to enter into a public/private partnership with MP2 Capital. MP2 provided the financing for the project and contracted with groSolar to build the system, which is comprised of almost 2,000 panels spanning 40,000 square feet of roof space. (See image below, right.)

Because MP2 is a private, for-profit entity, it could take advantage of numerous tax benefits and incentives that resulted in building the system more cost-effectively than the school district could had it attempted to do so on its own. With this agreement in hand, the school district sought and obtained a $1.72 million grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, which significantly offset the costs of the solar project. The arrangement with MP2 also allowed the school district to have the benefits of going green without the risk and complications that can come with implementing a solar solution of its own.

By initial counts, the PPA arrangement will save the school district approximately $25,000 in the first year. Those savings could grow if electricity rates in Connecticut continue to rise faster than the fixed escalating rates established in the PPA.

The savings are not the only resulting benefit. The school district received a grant from a large corporation with a local office, Alcoa, which has made a goal of investing in sustainable energy projects through grants. With the Alcoa grant, the school district was able to hire a part-time teacher, who built a curriculum centered on green science and technology, including classes that even utilize data generated from the rooftop solar panels as part of the lesson plan. That teacher also leads a “green schools” group of students, who meet to talk about ecological conservation and renewable energy issues.

Another favorable outcome is the partnership that has developed between the public school district and neighboring Northwestern Connecticut Community College.  This partnership resulted in plans for an associate’s degree in Green Technology and Science at the college. Students from both the high school and college campuses take part in these shared classes, which can lead to green jobs for graduating students at a variety of entry levels. This “workforce” initiative is a key spinoff of the implementation of renewable energy programs at Northwestern Regional School District 7. Additionally, because the school district relied on contractors and suppliers in Connecticut, it was able to positively contribute to the local economy in the near-term.

Northwestern Regional School District No. 7 is not alone in leveraging this public/private partnership model for renewable energy projects.  Schools across the country – including many in California and Colorado – are utilizing their rooftops and PPAs to go green in an affordable and socially responsible way.

Schools Have a Unique Opportunity

While all of us in the United States should be considering what we could do to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and end global warming, school systems have a unique opportunity to serve as a textbook example for promoting use of renewable energy.  Not only can school buildings serve as a showcase for solar or wind projects, the lessons learned by students and the community are perhaps even more valuable when it comes to sustaining interest in and expanding the use of renewable energy resources.

California:

The Governor of California is jogging with his dog along a nature trail.   
A coyote jumps out and attacks the Governor’s dog, then bites the Governor.

1.  The Governor starts to intervene, but reflects upon the movie “Bambi” 
and then realizes he should stop; the coyote is only doing what is natural.

2.  He calls animal control.  Animal Control captures the coyote and bills the 
State $200 testing it for diseases and $500 for relocating it.

3.  He calls a veterinarian.  The vet collects the dead dog and bills the State 
$200 testing it for diseases.

4.  The Governor goes to hospital and spends $3,500 getting checked for 
diseases from the coyote and on getting his bite wound bandaged.

5.  The running trail gets shut down for 6 months while Fish & Game conducts 
a $100,000 survey to make sure the area is free of dangerous animals.

6.  The Governor spends $50,000 in state funds implementing a “coyote 
awareness program” for residents of the area.

7.  The State Legislature spends $2 million to study how to better treat rabies 
and how to permanently eradicate the disease throughout the world.

8.  The Governor’s security agent is fired for not stopping the attack.  State spends 
$150,000 to hire and train a new agent with additional special training re: the nature of coyotes.

9. PETA protests the coyote’s relocation and files a $5 million suit against the State.

We recently added a small addition on our house for overflow purposes. One is the overflow when Vidya is painting birdhouses in the winter and needs a place to put them, and the other is if all 5 kids, significant others and grandkids were to visit all at one time(we wish!) it can serve as a guest bedroom.

It is going to be an unheated space though it was built so it could be insulated later if some successor owner were to desire to do so. We got the windows at a local nonprofit that accepts donations from window companies and then distributes them to locals at their cost making them very cheap, cheaper even then the builder’s surplus type places, so we went nuts and got lots of windows for it, including the two shown which would have otherwise been prohibitively expensive.

When they were installed, they made me think of eyes and in devotee culture between the eyes is tilok, a marking representing God, so on a whim I had Vyasasana, the builder, put tilok on the wall.

You gotta have some fun!

“The yogis who practice such breathing exercises are very soon freed from all mental disturbances, just as gold, when put into fire and fanned with air, becomes free from all impurities.

“PURPORT

“This process of purifying the mind is also recommended by Lord Caitanya; He says that one should chant Hare Krsna. He says further, param vijayate: “All glories to Sri Krsna sankirtana!” All glories are given to the chanting of the holy names of Krsna because as soon as one begins this process of chanting, the mind becomes purified. Ceto-darpana-marjanam: [Cc. Antya 20.12] by chanting the holy name of Krsna one is cleansed of the dirt that accumulates in the mind. One can purify the mind either by the breathing process or by the chanting process, just as one can purify gold by putting it in a fire and fanning it with a bellows.”

Srimad Bhagavatam 3.28.10

“God is a consuming Fire. He alone can refine us like gold, and separate us from
the slag and dross of our selfish individualities to fuse us into this wholeness
of perfect unity that will reflect His own Triune Life forever…

“As long as we do not permit His love to consume us entirely and to unite us in Himself,
the gold that is in us will be hidden by the rock and dirt which keep us separate
from one another.”

Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation. (New York: New Directions Books 1961)
p 70.

We sacrifice quality for convenience.