is anyone really better off when people spend their lives trying to find new ways to prove other people wrong?
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All Faith is false, all Faith is true:
Truth is the shattered mirror strown
In myriad bits; while each believes
His little bit the whole to own.
-Haji Abdu El-Yezdi (Richard Burton)
Generic Idealistic College Activist Group
Type:
Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
Description:
There are a lot of bad things in the world: AIDS, poverty, famine, Republicans. We, the bright-eyed bushy tailed college students of America, will be the ones to fix them!!!! We realize that the problems of which we speak are infinitely more complicated than our Introductory Sociology reading syllabi could ever have anticipated, and that scores and scores of the world’s leading “progressive” thinkers have tried and failed to use other pipe-dream solutions to make the world a better place (as we define it). But never you mind!!! We’re college students. We know things. Who needs real-world experience and common sense when we have petitions, bumper stickers, and Noam Chomsky?
The mission of this group is nothing less than revolutionary, and the ideas expressed in it are fresh and innovative! The mission includes:
1. Social justice, social tolerance, social freedom, social rights, social society, and social studies
2. Universal education, universal healthcare, universal health insurance, universal housing, universal employment, and universal happiness!!
3. An end to war, poverty, hunger, AIDS, hate, discrimination, genocide, famine, disease, intolerance, racism, sexism, classism, nationalism, heterosexism, religionism, ethno-centrism, socio-eco-classo-sexo-nationalism, unilateralism, quadrilateralism, pollution, inequality, terrorism, crime, bad weather, anger, fear, sadness, heartache, death, fatigue, general human disatisfaction, disagreement, uncertainty, meanness, pain, and inconvenience!!
4. Peace in the Middle East!! This can be a reality, people. Jimmy Carter has a book about it, and the suicide bombers WILL sit down and read it!!
5. A return to international law and the United Nations!! Specifically, we’d like global peace and prosperity, and the UN is the only conceivable way to achieve it!!
6. More foreign aid!! We’ve given billions to third world nations already, but for some reason, the citizens of those nations never see it (because we’re not giving enough!). Thankfully, however, the leaders of those countries have reminded us that we need to send more - and it is our duty to do so, and their right to our money!!
7. Fair and free elections in Disputed Northeastern Congo Section 17-B
8. Free Mumia (we’re not sure what he did but according to various Web sites which we’re predisposed to agree with anyway, he’s innocent!)
9. A more equitable and just distribution of the wealth!! We have to make free market capitalism work by shackling it with suffocating and arbitrary laws, regulations, activist judges, centralized state control and ownership of all means of production, and think tank policy papers
10. Gay rights, women’s rights, black rights, workers’ rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, foreigners’ rights, intergalactic aliens’ rights, atheist rights, poor people’s rights, homeless rights, and one-armed Alaskan battery dealers’ rights
11. Fairness, equality, love, peace, and brother/sister/non-gender-specific-hood, forever and ever, non-religion-specific Amen!!
We are the world, be the change you wish to see, and other motivational slogans!!
to anyone who is interested in this, i have just posted a forum on my “M” page. go add your two cents.
Instructions:
1) follow this URL: http://myimn.com/forum/topic/show?id=609359%3ATopic%3A5223
2) If you dont have an “M” account, get one
4) Watch Video
5) Comment
all oppinions welcome.
i have also included a copy of the 99 names of allah
Michael
the batizado (baptism) at my capoeira school (ginga mundo) started yesterday. we had a lecture on the word mandinga in capoeira. then after we had a class and roda led by mestre nenel, a son of mestre bimba (the guy who invented capoeira regional the most widely spread type of capoeira) its really cool, im taking my camera today so i can film some of the capoeira angola. i cant wait. im very very excited.
here is an article on mandinga and some interesting concepts in capoeira (taken from http://www.capoeiramichigan.com/Mandinga.html ):
“Different than the literal translation given by the Brazilian Portuguese dictionary, the word Mandinga has its own meaning in the capoeira world. The Aurelio dictionary translates the word mandinga as a “magic” or “spell.” In some sense that meaning applies to capoeira, but in a different context.
Mandinga in the capoeira environment means, amongst many things, the hidden power that one has to disguise their real intention and to trick the opponent. It is a way to invoke some forces to blur the opponent’s vision of reality almost like hypnotizing him/her into a trance-like state so that they can’t see what is coming. It can also be magic, like a trick that confuses and distracts the opponent. However, much more than any of the above meanings.
The word mandinga has a very special meaning as a way of referring to capoeiristas that are very expressive in their game and know how to embellish their jogo* with beautiful and impressive gestures. These gestures are sometimes very theatrical, sometimes like a primitive dance, and sometimes imitate all kinds of animals (e.g. monkey, jaguar, snake, eagle, bull, and many others).
When a capoeirista is reffered to as being a “mandingueiro” it can be considered as one of the highest complements that could be given. It implies that one is experienced and mature with a good sense of humor and yet dangerous and not to be fooled by appearances. Sometimes the word mandinga is also used to imply that someone put a spell on a player and for that he/she can’t play well or is not doing well in some sense. For example, a person might make a comment after realizing that he/she is not having a good day by saying “Jogaram mandinga em mim” meaning “someone put a spell on me” (that’s why I am not succeeding with my endeavors). This meaning is metaphorical but used frequently in a positive way as when we say “ele tem mandinga no jogo” meaning that he has mandinga in his game. In other words, his game is rich and expressive, difficult to figure out, but easy and great to appreciate.
I would risk saying that besides the word capoeira and ginga, the word mandinga must be the next most used word in capoeira songs and literature. This word is intimately related to malÃÂcia** and axé*** which are also words of exquisite and intriguing meanings. However, malÃÂcia and axé are qualities that can be separated from mandinga, but mandinga can not be separated from them. For in order to have mandinga, you have to have malÃÂcia and axé. On the other hand you could have axé or malÃÂcia but lack having mandinga. To have mandinga incorporates having axé and malÃÂcia as well.
Mandinga is a powerful, meaningful word that helps to rescue the essence of the spirit of capoeira and for that reason, after doing extensive research to find out if there was any group using this name, I decided to use it for our group because to my surprise there were no other Capoeira Mandinga groups in the world. Since in the capoeira world we try not to copy anyone else and instead choose to be creative and unique, the name Mandinga gave us the honor to be associated with the biggest interest I have always had in capoeira, which was to rescue the expression and the spirit of the art.
Axé, MalÃÂcia, and muita Mandinga!
Mestre Marcelo
*jogo is the capoeira game
**malÃÂcia means among other things having the street smart experience that gives the capoeiristas the cleverness to realize tricky situations that are not very evident yet. It also implies that someone having malÃÂcia could be a difficult person to figure out and a potential dangerous opponent.
***axé signifies the life force. It also symbolizes the force we can give or pass on to someone and for that reason we often say axé to people as they are leaving as if we would be saying go with the life force or be with the life force that surrounds you.”
“it is said that what is called ‘the spirit of an age’ is something to which one cannot return. That this spirit gradually dissipates is due to the worlds coming to an end. In the same way, a single year does have just spring or summer. A single day, too, is the same.
  For this reason, although one would like to change today’s world back to the spirit of one hundred years or more ago, it cannot be done. Thus it is important to make the best out of every generation. This is the mistake of people who are attached to past generations. They have no understanding of this point.
  On the other hand, people who only know the disposition of the present day and dislike the ways of the past are too lax.”
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure (the book of the samurai)
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Half Moon
“They say: ‘Become Jews or Christians if you would be guided (to salvation).’ You say: ‘Nay! (i would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah.’ You say: “We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord: and we bow to Allah (in Islam)*”
-the Qur’an, Surah 2:135-136
*islam means submission
Half Moon
Tonight im going to see the lake house with some friends (natalie (my girlfriend), katelyn, and maybe some other people) has anyone seen it? what did you think?
i bought a book yesterday about northern shaolin sword and it recently struck up some questions on the exsistence and nature of chi.
Chi according to google:
The vital force believed in Taoism and other Chinese thought to be inherent in all things. The unimpeded circulation of chi and a balance of its negative and positive forms in the body are held to be essential to good health in traditional Chinese medicine.
in my searches on web forums and martial arts books iv been exposed to many differing oppinions. this article might interest anyone who thinks chi is interesting:
http://www.yiquan.org.uk/art-zz.html
what do you think?
Half Moon
wow! i just finished my last discusssion of all insight (and my last class). all thats left is finals. i hope i do well! we had a great discussion with a coupld big debates. one centered around this:
what is a lie?
what is the difference between “deception” and “lying”?
are they both wrong all the time?
what do u guys think?
the other debate we had was about evil.
what is the difference between evil and demonic? is there a difference?
what do u think?
Half Moon
To ride abroad redressing human wrongs,
To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it,
To honor his own word as if his god’s,
To lead sweet lives in purest chastity,
To love one maiden only […]
And worship her by years of noble deeds….
– credo of the Knights of the Round Table
Half Moon
http://nationstates.net/
Half Moon
in·ad·e·quate (ÄÂn-ăd’ÄÂ-kwÄÂt)
adj.
Not adequate to fulfill a need or meet a requirement; insufficient.
can someone be inadequate as a person? is there some kind of requirement or sufficiency to be a person that we need to fulfil or meet? what is it?
Half Moon
so todays lesson was on marx and communism.
what is your oppinion on marx’s vision? on communism? socialism? capitalism?
what would be your perfect utopia?
do you consider yourself idealistic? if so why? and what is (are) your ideal(s)?
Half Moon
the definition of religion:
“[to] care for orphans and widows in their troubles”
this defines our relationship and attitude to others, for the follower of christ this is namely, one of servanthood.
“and [to] refuse to let the world corrupt us”
this defines our relationship and attitude to ourselves and god. for the follower of christ this is manifests itself as:
to ourselves: self-denial, piety, discipline.
to god: subjection, sincerity, to not let the world corrupt us means to dwell in him and him in us. otherwise we have no hope and we will be overcome
Half Moon
