June 2013
Monthly Archive
June 21, 2013
Posted by Madhava Gosh under
Thomas Merton
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“For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda, or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s footprint. param padam, or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuntha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.”
Srimad Bhagavatam (10.14.58)
“…If we are called by God to holiness of life, and if holiness is beyond our natural power to achieve (which it certainly is) then it follows that God himself must give us the light, the strength, and the courage to fulfill the task he requires of us. He will certainly give us the grace we need.”
Thomas Merton, Life and Holiness (New York: Image, 1963) p.16
June 20, 2013
From Appalachian Power
When the summer heats up, staying cool can be a challenge. While air conditioning provides relief, these units generally use a significant amount of energy. Natural or passive cooling is an environmentally friendly alternative where unwanted heat is reflected, blocked or removed. While new homes can be designed for passive cooling, you can use passive cooling techniques in your current home to live more sustainably and reduce your summer energy costs.
Reflecting heat
Roof. Your roof becomes really hot in the summertime and much of this heat filters into your home. Reflective roof coatings can reduce summer energy use and make your home more comfortable. These products, which can be applied over most existing roofs, block the ultraviolet rays of the sun, extending the life of most roofing materials, and reducing surface temperatures by as much as 80ºF. If you are considering a new roof, make sure to install ENERGY STAR rated cool roof products. ENERGY STAR products can reduce your cooling energy use by 10 to 15 percent.
Windows. Much of the unwanted heat that builds up in your home on hot summer days enters through the windows. Reflective window films deflect up to 97 percent of infrared heat away from the inside of your home, while reducing the fading of furniture, draperies and carpeting.
Blocking heat
Landscaping. Leafy trees planted on the south and west sides of your home will provide cooling shade in summer, blocking heat gain through your roof and windows. A six- to eight-foot tree planted near your home will provide shade for windows during the first year. Depending on the species and the roof, a tree will provide roof shading within 5 to 10 years. Shrubs and ground cover will help shade the ground and pavement around your home. This reduces heat radiation and cools the air before it reaches your walls and windows. For more information, see Landscaping from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Shading devices. Exterior shading devices—awnings, louvers and shutters—block direct sunlight, reducing solar heat gain. Installing awnings on windows with a southern exposure, for example, can reduce solar heat gain as much as 65 percent. Interior shading devices—draperies, blinds or shades—are also effective at blocking solar heat gain.
Removing heat
Natural ventilation. A cool breeze feels great on a hot day, and it is a great way to force warm air out. Open windows during the coolest part of the day or night and seal off your house from the sun and warm air during the hottest part of the day. Ventilated attics greatly reduce accumulated heat, and are up to 30°F cooler than unventilated attics. Properly sized and placed louvers and roof vents help prevent heat buildup and moisture in your attic.
Heat generating sources. Often overlooked is the heat buildup from lights and appliances, such as water heaters, ovens and dryers. Conventional incandescent bulbs give off much of their energy as heat. Replace them with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs); not only are CFLs highly efficient, but they emit 90 percent less heat. Avoid using heat generating appliances during the hottest part of the day, and seal off your laundry and mechanical room from the rest of the house.
While passive cooling methods can provide cost-effective relief from the heat, most homes require some supplemental cooling. Ceiling fans create air circulation in a room to make it feel cooler, reducing the need for air conditioning. A whole-house fan draws cool air into your home through open windows, while pulling hot, indoor air to the attic and exhausting it outside.
Appalachian Power offers great rebates toward the cost of keeping your system in tip-top shape so you’ll stay cool and comfortable and save money, too. Without regular servicing, heat pumps can waste
energy and are likely to break down more frequently.
Did you know that many issues are caused by just dirt and dust? A heat pump system tune-up may include services such as:
Test system starting capabilities and safety controls
Clean and/or replace standard air filters
Tighten electrical connections
Clean condensate drain
Clean condenser coil
Monitor cooling cycle
Inspect evaporator coil
Examine equipment condition area and clearances
Your heat pump worked hard all winter to keep you warm – don’t forget to make sure it’s ready for cooling season. Appalachian Power customers who complete a FREE home energy assessment qualify for these great rebates! Visit http://www.aeprebates.com or call 888.446.7719 for more information and to schedule your home energy assessment.
June 9, 2013
Posted by Madhava Gosh under
Liver Transplant
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by Domingo
When you are on dialysis you live a double life. You are like a bat who goes flying around for a while and then you return to the dark quiet cave where your blood is recycled, away from the eyes of those who know you. It is like keeping a secret. Some people regard you as a mysterious entity, not quiet human, because you spend a lot of time hooked to a machine in order to survive, and that makes you a little subterranean: a little subaquatic, rather. Those on dialysis are like a school of fish, emerging into the light after a stay in the cold chill water at bottom of the sea.
When I lay in the metal bed with the tubes driving the blood slowly into and out of my veins through long needles, the deep, monotonous gargling sound of the machine cleansing the blood in my ears, I fall into a sort of trance. My mind wanders. It frees itself from the flesh, somehow, and travels places and sees things from the past, and sometimes from the future. People like to think of disease as a physical state, yet it is largely a journey of the mind, the spirit. At all times the mind dances on the tight rope and senses the possibility of death. It is not impossible to perceive, as if out of the corner of one´s eye, flowing of specters nearby.
The supernatural is involved in everything that happens to a person. We refuse to admit it, for the sake of solidity in life, for the sake of sanity, but then there are those moments when a fleeting shadow crosses before our eyes and leaves us trembling with an undefinable sadness, a fear, because we have been tapped on the shoulder by a cold hand, the hand of someone no longer in the physical world, or when we have dream which cannot be explained by any form of reasoning. For some weeks before I was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure, I had a reoccurring dream, in which I saw a large, very healthy looking vampire bat sucking the blood from a cow with a sort of dumb relish. Its fur had an amazing copper luster. I know now that the beast was a symbol for the machine which would soon be ingesting and regurgitating my altered blood, my treacherous blood.
June 8, 2013
Posted by Madhava Gosh under
Liver Transplant,
Poetry
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Give the fear back
to the sun
give the fear back to the man,
to the earth and to the god,
give the fear back
to the teacher
to the doctor
and the shrink
back to whom put it in you.
to the father, to the mother
and the door you could not open,
and the house of the suicide
and the dog
foaming at the mouth
hold nobody´s hand when walking,
love no one and hate nobody.
be alone.
be alone through life and death
and fear nothing
give the fear back to your blood,
give the fear back to your mind,
to the man who gave it to you
long ago
give the fear back to the book
to the knowledge in the book
which is nothing,
to the temple and the truth
which is a lie, give the fear
back,
and remain empty,
empty of thought or expectation,
empty of guilt and of redemption,
turn away from shades of angels
and be alone,
be alone until the wind
that comes out of the great sea
may for nothingness mistake you
and upon its currents take you
to the End
give your fear away forever
today
June 7, 2013
From Bloomberg Businessweek
June 5, 2013
Vegetation helps sustain life. We eat many plants, herbs and so forth in our daily diet. But, we must remember to be choosy. Some plants, trees or shrubs are potential killers of man. Some part of the ornamental plants or flowers in your yard may contain deadly poison. Many poisonous plants are so common and seemingly innocuous you do not suspect their toxic qualities.
For example, who would expect that the beautiful oleander bush-grown indoors and outdoors all over the country-contains a deadly heart stimulant, similar to the drug digitalis?
It is easy to be deceived by plants…one part may be edible while another is poisonous. The following chart lists some of the more common poisonous plants.
June 5, 2013
Dry Wall Raising
60th Birthday Party
Saturday, June 8th. from 11 am to 5 pm.
(Rain Date Sunday, June 9th)
My house (yellow house at the end of Peaceful Lane)
Please do not bring presents.
Rather bring prasadam dishes, drills (with phillips head bits), and razor knives.
Donations of 1 hour of dry wall raising: measuring, cutting, raising and screwing in drywall will help me complete my part in finishing this house.
Please let me know if you will be able to participate. Thank you very much.
Any questions about the details, please call me at 304-843-2334.
Gratefully, Sukhavaha d
View From a New Vrindaban Ridge 