The litter box contains the thoughts and ideas that visited me while I was sitting in it.

    Legal disclaimer: All 'grammatic' errors and dead links are intentional. However if you find one e-meow to val@ghost-cat.com

    2-27-2003

    Oh-oh! I smell troubles.

    1-23-2004

    Oh, you filthy thoughts,
    Oh, you evil thoughts,
    Did I welcome you
    Or requested you?

    Nor as I recall
    I invited you
    To my pure heart
    With unwashed feet.

    1-22-2004

    A tale about the fool on the hill

    fool on the hill
    under the tree
    under the sky


    Once upon a time, in the village not far away but not too close either, there lived a fool who spent his days sitting on the top of the hill and playing his flute when the weather was nice. And it was nice almost always, every day and every night. The people in the village were also nice in general, they were kind by nature and compassionate by heart, and they felt sorry for the unfortunate fellow, even if sometimes they made fun of him and told the jokes on his account.

    'I am not a very smart man but I know my way around the hill' , - a local joker once said and the whole village was laughing for days. And the fool smiled too. He always smiled though. No one remembered him being blue however, once in a while, a melancholic motif was heard from the top of the hill in the village. I guess if he ever felt sad it had always happened there, on the top of the hill, and that's why nobody saw him like that.

    So he sat on the hill for years and years and years and it never occurred to anyone down there that he had so much better view from up here of all what was happening down in the village and he saw a lot for all those years. Almost everything. And the thinking was good on the top of the hill, a bit closer to God.

    The years went by. The village grew big and prospered. The people grew old and died. And the fool grew old and passed away too one day. And then the good times passed away as they always do and the bad times came as the always do. The clouds went elsewhere and the rains followed them. The gardens stopped bearing fruits and the fields stopped producing the produce and everything else that was lavishly growing before. The horses got skinny and weak, they could not haul their share, the cows got almost transparent, they could not give any milk, the people went hungry and angry and then they became desperate. Bad feelings have spread from one neighbor to other for no good reason and for no bad reason either. And the time came when the neighbor raised his hand on his neighbor and the brother raised his hand on his brother and the son raised his hand on his father and the arid soil was ready to drink the blood of the people something has changed and everyone stopped and everyone shook their heads. Did you hear that, - they asked each other, - or is it my mind playing tricks?

    And they ran to the hill all together and they could not believe their ears and they could not believe their eyes. High up there on the top of the hill some fool was sitting and he was playing his flute. Who is that, - people asked and looked around and found that everyone they knew was here. And then they remembered, years ago, the boy was born in the shepherd's family whose house was just outside of the village, not too close to be in, not to far to be out, when the times already bad and nobody felt like partying and celebrating the birth of another child who would have to be fed. And something else was not right, they remembered also, the rumors were that something was wrong with the boy. Quiet he was, or slower to learn, or something. Kind of a fool.

    1-10-2004

    It is not easy to find a place
    Which is not on the map yet,
    Without setting your foot off
    The path walked by everyone.

    It is not easy to find the door
    Which has not been opened,
    Without a crowd in front of it
    Waiting to cash in on a sale.

    It is not easy to see the things
    Which no one has pointed out,
    If one keeps wearing glasses
    That someone else has made.

    But it is easy!
    All one has to do is -
    To stop breathing at someone's neck,
    To stop looking at the neon signs,
    To stop listening at the loud voices,
    To stop repeating the wise words,
    To stop the world...

    1-5-2004

    The Lord is my shepherd, therefore he must have a whip.

    1-4-2004

    When we seek great things we naturally tend to focus our eyes on a great distance. That's why we can not see them. And trip over so often.

    1-3-2004

    In general, I believe that the automation is going to mature in this century, with many people realizing that it is not always profitable. Sometimes manual labor produces more value. The trend to automate everything on the internet will go down eventually as the business people will realize that it is more beneficial to hire people instead of firing them and replacing with software. Mail order companies with people taking orders by the phone made profit while Amazon does not.

    Somebody has to look into it someday and do the real world math. For now more and more American manufacturers are looking for market for their products overseas because the Americans have less and less money to buy American products. Everyone is looking forward to some new automation software and no one is looking forward to hiring people. Everyone is looking on technology to do everything from cooking your dinner to catching terrorists. No one has noticed that the former communist countries benefited little from the instant access to the western technology. One would think that their economies should skyrocket given such infusion of productive tools but instead they all fell. The core of any technology are the people whom this technology was designed to serve. If one takes the people out of this equation even the best technology becomes a useless pile of junk. And that's what happened with the internet technology. So many entrepreneurs took the people out of equation and... surprise, surprise! Their business projects failed and the famed internet economy became a passing joke. A niche for die-hard losers.

    1-2-2004

    If the queen uses a fake sword does that make the knight also a fake? Well, at least the queen is real.

    12-31-2003

    I am looking for what is missing.

    12-27-2003

    99% of all microbiologist do not remember how much one bacteria weights.

    12-26-2003

    On Michael Chrichton and the state of philosophy in general.

    It is one thing to believe in Jesus but being nailed to the cross is a completely different experience.

    Michael Crichton is a philosopher, a bit amateur, but good at it nevertheless. The philosophy is in decline since the WWII if not since the industrial revolution began. It has been confused by public with the ideology and blamed for all the terrible things that happened in XX century. Soon we shall see the rise of the philosophy because the lack of morality and ethics, and they are the subjects that the philosophy is most concerned with, represents a serious threat to the human civilization. The terrorism will not go away by itself, and it will not be defeated by the means of technology, so it is just a matter of time before we start asking the question, "Why is it happening?", just like we asked it after 9-11. The person who sent anthrax letter will remain an unsung hero. Unfortunately we have not learned much from those events so the worst is yet to come. Perhaps if hundreds of thousands of people died as a result of sending those letters we would start thinking. But the person who did it probably did not have the heart to inflict the greater harm. Only time will tell if it was the right thing to do or not.

    Crichton's articles are the philosophical essays, and as such they are not concerned with displaying the facts, but rather with offering an observation of patterns and trends. So the "critique" of his essays by many comes from ignorance reinforces by the religious bigotry. The philosopher looks at the world from a great distance and tell you that he sees a forest. Saboteurs will ask him to count the trees and to prove that so many trees make a forest. Such people should be ignored as fighting them is impossible and disputing with them is a waste of time. Wasting your time is the very purpose of those saboteurs.

    One of the things that Michael Crichton forgot to take into the account is that the nature of the human beings is to deceive and to be deceived. Our whole culture is based on deception, our civilization is built from bricks of lies held together by thin layers of trust. No other being on this planet seem to have advanced the skill of deceiving other living being as we have. This is were our strength lies but also our weakness. We can not just get rid of deception by a decree, by outlawing it, because the deception is a natural way, the deception works. The truth might set you free spiritually but it will land you in jail.

    Everything that you believe in is a lie. Everything you know is a lie. Every thought in your head is based upon a lie. And every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie, believe it or not. The true wisdom lies in understanding and accepting it as a fact of nature, and not in taking sides with either "truth seekers" or "deceivers", scientists or crooks. Science, the horse that Crichton is betting on, is a lie too, as much as everything that have been created by humans. He is mistaken in his views of science as a salvation for a human kind. The science can be and is manipulated by crooks. He is naive in his belief that creating an independent, anonymous funding for public science is a solution for a problem. How exactly he is planning to control the pool of "free money" in a society full of crooks? By mere creating such fund he gives the crooks an address where the honey is and rest assured that everyone, from fruit flies to bears will be there, doing their best to get their share of the pie.

    The only horse worth betting on is an individual. The society is only as good as the individuals it is made from. You can arrange aluminum atoms any way you like but still you will not make a diamond out of them. You'll need carbon atoms for that. And that's where alchemy comes to help. We call it a philosophy nowadays. The alchemy was never about chemical substances, and the philosophical stone they were looking for was a way to convert a plain material (thought) to a noble one. This was the reason why alchemy books were so encrypted. They were dealing with the most dangerous subject known to exist - the truth. They were not prosecuted by the church for mixing and boiling chemicals, the church and the governments it controlled were eliminating the possible competition, the people who dared to investigate the very foundation of their power. The truth will set you free...

    The internet now offers a very interesting opportunity to a humankind. It gives a power to an individual and it removes the means of controlling the competition. It is not a surprise that we see the raise of violence everywhere in the world as the internet spreads. It is a reaction of those who hold the power over the people's minds to the upcoming change. They want to wall themselves out from the outside world or, at least, to delay the change as much as possible. They will lose eventually. It is a matter of time and a question of how much we have to pay for it. How many people would have to die. Thousands? Millions? We just have to see. These are interesting times we live in.

    And each of us, as an individual, has his own garden to tend, his own philosophical stone to find, and use the power that it holds to master the greatest tool ever invented - a deception. Once you master the art of deception you will become free whether you choose to use this skill to destroy or to create.

    There are two ways of gardening - you can do it in the darkness of the night or you can do it in the light of the day. I am not interested in the first one, organic or not. I already know from my own experience that the harvest is much better if there is a plenty of the sunlight. And it tastes better.

    12-21-2003

    On lying to Children about Santa Claus.

    Dear Editor—I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?- Virginia O’Hanlon

    Yes, Virginia, Santa exists but not as a fat man who lives rent free in the North Pole. Santa exists as a thought, a combined thought of millions of people. And you do know, Virginia, that thoughts are real. They can change people lives. Without the thoughts our lives would be mere existence. So think, Virginia, think good, and the good will come into your life.

    12-19-2003

    On the acoustics and its application in the society.

    Any group is defined by the people with the loudest mouth. Those who are capable of organized action are running the world by any means they deem neccessary. When they need to to take someone's land, the country or the whole continent, they just do it. When they need to imprison, enslave or kill millions or tens of millions of people they just do it. And they do it by your hands. They can trick you into doing anything by a slight of hand. They can make you worship them, they can make you kill each other, they can even make you kill yourself. If you can not control yourself, someone else will.

    11-27-2003

    If you can't hug a wet tree you are not a natural woman.

    11-25-2003

    A traditional Russian drinking song.

    Go cash you paycheck, have a six-pack,
    Cattails are whispering to me,
    How can I leave this pretty woman
    Who sleep so sound in my arms?

    How can I leave this pretty woman
    Who sleep so sound in my arms?

    The cattails bow with understanding
    As if they know what love is like,
    They are just grass, for crying out loud,
    In which we hide from prying eyes.

    They are just grass, for crying out loud,
    In which we hide from prying eyes.

    11-21-2003

    Yet another version of American hymn.

    Oh, say can you see
    Or are you freaking blind?
    All you liberties are being
    Taken from you one by one.
    Very soon we'll have no rights
    All replaced by the fear
    Of the tyrants we've elected
    So we'd have cheaper ride.

    And the rockets' red glare,
    And the bombers in the air,
    Gave a proof through the night
    That we are not who we were.

    Oh, what does it say
    Of whom we have become,
    From the land of the free,
    And the home of the brave?

    11-18-2003

    I once had a beautiful girlfriend. She looked like an angel. Her name was Lucy Fair.

    11-09-2003

    I only scream when no one is listening.

    11-07-2003

    Soul does not have a nationality or a race. It is neither Jewish nor British, neither black nor white. Nationality and race is the illusion created by our mind.

    10-21-2003

    On Importance of Ethics in Dreams
    or
    An essay concerning the origin of the moral law within us.
     by Ghost Cat, PHDD

    "Two things ever fill me with wonder; the starred heaven above us and the moral law within us." - Albert Einstein

    About a year ago I already touched this subject in one of the Yahoo groups dedicated to lucid dreaming and was advised "to get a life". I could not find better words to explain my idea at that time but now, with the help of one very practical guy, I think I can give it a try again.

    Among inorganic beings and scouts your mind is also populated with so called phantoms. Many think that phantoms are not important and should be ignored or can be treated as a garbage of the mind. It may surprise you that that 'garbage' are your other personalities. We create countless many of them, in fact we create an image for each person we meet in our life, and it is through those virtual personalities we communicate with other people. It is through the creation of the copies of other people and objects, and integrating them into our psyche, we develop an ability to feel for others. It is what makes the compassion possible. It is the source of our conscience. It is the source of the moral law within us.

    All the people that you met, including the characters from movies and books, continue to live in your head as reflections of those persons and they are your other personalities at the same time. Some of them get abandoned and remain not developed or possibly even die and the others evolve in almost independent personalities and can even overthrow the dominant personality when it gets weakened by a trauma. In this case we can see either amnesia (a birth of new person) or a varieties of schizophrenia (multiple personalities disorder if there are many equally strong candidates for a throne) or the autism in case if the king goes into hiding and there is no one strong enough to replace him.

    The dominant personality is necessary for the functioning of your body in the society. And there can only be one. If today you are John, an outgoing shift supervisor at Starbucks, and tomorrow you are Sam, who thinks that she was born in man's body, unemployed and miserable, your life will be pretty difficult. Most likely your only friend will be your shrink.

    When you fall asleep or when you are daydreaming your main personality is interacting with the other "you". That's where all creativity comes from. Call it a "brain storm" if you wish. Those other personalities can cause you problems also, some might not feel good about you for being abandoned or mistreated in the past, however without them you will be the dumbest person alive. Some of you probably noticed that the main you is not as bright in your dreams as in the waking state. That's because you are totally separated there. In waking state you have a support of an invisible army of friends who are also interested in your body's well being, and they help you in spite of some bad feelings toward your dominant personality, which they sometimes call "a higher being". If fact you will be shocked when you remember how badly you treated them all their lives.

    Whether you want it or not, you are a leader of a small community (may be not so small, as no one knows the limits for sure) and you have to learn how to be a good king otherwise you mental and physical health will be in jeopardy where no one wins. Besides of the help from very expensive professional friends you can help yourself by dealing with your other "yous" in dreams. You already know something about dealing with other people. You don't have to be a psychologist to do well, although the knowledge of the basics would help a lot.

    By helping those other "yous" to evolve you can make a genius out of yourself in just a few years. You can heal yourself from mental and physical illnesses and even transform your body with their help if you learn how to be a good king and earn an admiration and a support of your subjects. Teach them how to fly, teach them how to change themselves, help those who are miserable or malformed, it is your doing that they came to be that way. They are your mistakes, your unfinished projects, your failed relationships, your sins and crimes. You were bad and you better repent or you will keep living in hell you call your life without knowing that you could live in paradise all that time.

    There are no known limits to what an army of you can achieve. You can teach them math, music and arts. You can teach them biology and assign duties to watch over your kidneys, or heal your sinuses. Maybe they can even grow new teeth and new hair for you. You never know what might happen if you allow a little magic in your life.

    One of my guys turned out to be a decent haiku poet, the other is good in writing children stories, and yet another likes to write songs and is very unhappy that I never learned to sing or to play any instrument. He also wants me to learn to dance. About a dozen of "mes" voted for tango and handed me a petition. The other dark and unhappy character who looked suspiciously Jewish has told me that he is really hurt by my anti-semitism. I told him that I can not help it but I'll try to be a ray of light in a dark world of anti-semitism. A little compromise but it made his day. And a huge gift followed next morning. A little guys kept himself busy all those years since I neglected mathematics as a fake science and he discovered the hidden name of G?d.

    Someday I might even reveal it to you but first I have to learn to tango.

    Tired sun wishes sweet dreams
    To the ocean and shore
    At such moment you told me, -
    Love is no more.

    I feel it is a beginning of a beautiful friendship.

    10-13-2003

    Next time you feel like taking ride.

    The west is where I was born
    And fed and bred until the horn
    Has told me that it's time to go away.

    And so I went to east from west,
    And now I'm stuck in sweaty vest
    In bloody desert somewhere between.

    The guy in front is blown to bits,
    What's left of him is a giant pit
    In which I lie and breathe what once was him.

    I left my leg in those damn sands,
    Along with legs of many friends,
    I'm sure they will turn to oil some day.

    They'll pump it all and sell to us
    So we can turn that oil to gas
    And sell to you so you can drive to work.

    Next time you feel like taking ride
    In that which is your biggest pride,
    Remember, pal, that you are burning us.

    10-9-2003

    The senators are not your enemies, they are your errors.

    10-8-2003

    eBay feedback song

    You bro-o-oke my hea-a-art today
    With your mean feedback on eBay,
    I will never be able to sell a thing
    Without thinking of you-u... oh yeah!

    You bro-o-oke my hea-a-art today,
    Not to say, you were late to pay
    And requested that overnight
    I must ship it to you-u... oh no!

    You bro-o-oke my hea-a-art today,
    I had only seen green up to date
    And now I have only red in my eyes
    When I'm thinking of you-u... oh yeah!

    You bro-o-oke my hea-a-art today
    And my feedback is on its way,
    See, you left me no other choice,
    Was it worth it for you-u-u... oh no!

    You bro-o-oke my hea-a-art today
    With your mean feedback on eBay,
    I will never be able to list a thing
    Without thinking of you-u-u-u-u...

    8-10-2003

    A tale of the alien tree

    Far away in a distant galaxy there was a bright yellow star. It had a little blue and green baby planet. The planet had two countries, Amar and Aram, separated by the deep oceans. The people in those countries looked about the same and walked about the same but they spoke different languages, different birds sang different songs in the same boundless blue sky and different trees grew up under the same sun. Some people learned each other languages and came to visit friends and brought gifts and traded stories about their lives.

    One gardener brought a seed of a beautiful tree that produced very tasty fruits from Amar and planted it in his country garden. The seed liked there, it was warm and cozy, and the seed fell asleep and when it woke up it was already a little tree. The tree grew up very fast and very tall. Everyone could see it. The birds loved it. The people loved it. The young people often arranged to meet their dates around the tree because it was so different that no one had to explain which tree they meant. It was the tree. And so the tradition was born and even after many years passed and many such trees grew up in every town young people still arranged to meet their dates around the tree. Only now they had to be more specific because there were so many of such trees. Some people thought - too many. And many more sprouted every year because the tree produced many tasty fruits, and each one had many seeds inside it, and the people liked it, and the birds liked it, and the critters liked it so they spread the seeds everywhere, and everywhere where seeds liked it they gave birth to the new trees. Something must be done about it, - those people shouted. The whole country will soon look like the other country. We will lose our identity. And many people got worried, especially the poor people because they did not have anything else except their identity. They got used to it and while it did not seem like much it was all they had and when they were told that they are about to lose the only thing they had it suddenly looked like something very valuable. And the scared people started cutting down the trees, and drowning the fruits, and burning the seeds, and killing the birds, and trapping the rats, and even arresting the people for dropping the seeds on the ground. But nothing helped because the seeds liked the soil, and the roots liked the water, and the people liked the fruits, and the birds liked the fruits, and all the critters liked the fruits, and they kept spreading the seeds all over the country and over again. And the young people liked their dating tradition, and the young people liked to be in opposition, so they kept spreading the seeds and planting the trees secretly. And it was fun. And the angry people and the scared people just could not do anything about that but the angry people have a lot of power and the scared people are desperate, and they kept fighting and fighting until the whole country was littered by the chips of the trees, and the ashes of the seeds and the feathers of the birds and the bones of the rats and the millions of people were in jail and the other millions were soldiers and policemen. But the nature is stronger than any army, and smarter than any government, and the people just can't blame the nature, and after there was no one else left to blame in the country except the government itself they decided to blame ... the other country. And they sent their planes, and their ships, and their armies, and their bombs across the ocean.

    And in the other country the similar thing was happening. One gardener brought a seed of a beautiful flower that gave birth to a little boy plant and a little girl plant. And the people loved them as much as they would love their own children. They even gave them names, Mary and Joshua, and cherished them, and spoke to them and even did not go to work when the plants appeared to be sick or sad. Some people even did not want to have families, and some families did not want to have children because they already had baby plants to take care of. And Mary and Joshua responded in kind, they liked the people, and the seeds liked the soil, and the roots liked the water, and they grew everywhere. Soon not only in every window you could see pots with beautiful flowers but in every garden, and in every forest and even in the public parks. That's just too much, - some people said. Something has to be done about it. The economy is falling, the population is falling, the children are not being taken care of, and soon no native plants will be left and we will look like the other country. And those people got angry and demanded that the government should outlaw the invasive alien plant and called it dangerous. You are not making any sense, - the happy people said. The other country has twice as much people, how come their population did not fell, and they seem to be even happier than us in spite of their economy being smaller. Don't worry. But the angry people had louder voices, and the rich people had more influence, and the government passed the law. And the angry people started pulling the plants out of the pots, and out of the gardens, and out of the public parks, and even out of the forests. The happy people watched their baby plants being killed, and their hearts were broken, and they became bitter, and they were no longer happy. They sneak out at night and planted it again and again and again. The angry people sent more people, and more planes, and they sprayed the plants with poison, and they burned the pants with naphta but nothing helped, and the air got poisoned, and the water got poisoned, and all trees got sick, and all other plants were dying everywhere in the country, and the millions of people were in jail and the other millions were soldiers and policemen. But the nature is stronger than any army, and smarter than any government, and the people just can't blame the nature, and after there was no one else left to blame in the country except the government itself they decided to blame ... the other country. And they also sent their planes, and their ships, and their armies, and their bombs across the ocean.

    Far away in a distant galaxy there was a bright yellow star. It had a little blue and green baby planet...

    This is a sad story, - little Samantha said.

    This is a funny story, - little Samuel said.

    This is a stupid story, - little Shamil said.

    This is a wise story, - little Chen said.

    This is a boring story, - little Samba said.

    Tell us the one about the car that stole children.

    So-o-o, - the storytellers said, - you want the scary story?

    Yes! - the children cried. - Scary! Scary! Scary!

    5-26-2003

    The essence of existence is seven-dimensional. Within those seven dimensions there are two four-dimensional Universes, with one of the dimensions shared. You call that "fourth" dimension time but we prefer to call it "mirror" because it is easier to visualize "mirror" than "time". And time is of a bit different nature. The substance of material Universes are basically the vortexes in seven-dimensional essence. Each vortex is two "atoms", one for each Universe. The "flow" of the seven-dimensional essence is what we call "energy" and the "direction" in which the vortex rotates is what we call "time".

    Well, this is the product of my morning constipation. I was waiting for quite a different product and I kind of dozed off while sitting in my litter box and when I woke up I had that. Took me a while to write it down because it was difficult to pick up the most suitable words and then I had to look up spelling for most of them. Maybe I rewrite it later. There was much more to it but I still can not make sense of it. That was the part that I understood. Just how exactly my brains comes up with things that I myself don't understand? That's the question. I'll think about it next time I eat something bad.

    4-26-2003

    It was a dark and stormy night couple of days ago. Today is a fine weather and I should be outside. Having nothing better to do I was sitting and thinking, - Why we have to work so hard? We even have a cult, the true common religion to almost all humankind - "work hard and you will live well." Everyone, and I mean everyone, is working hard. From minimum wage employees to billionaires. Why so? We, humans, possess enormous power compared to animals. Our productivity exceeds theirs thousand times. Nevertheless you won't find an animal that has to work eight hours every day to sustain itself.

    And I finally found the answer. The same power that makes us so efficient is the problem. It also makes us very dangerous to each other. In order to protect ourselves from each other we have to maintain the lifestyle that will provide us with the best weapons and the biggest economic influence. If any nation fail to do so they will end up like Third World countries or Russia or US "allies".

    The result is that no one is happy. Third world countries are unhappy because they have to take it up their ass from US and "allies" (it's either that or bend over before thy neighbor), Russia is unhappy because they envy US and don won't to be one of the "allies" which are also unhappy because they are as civilized as the US but don't get to be in a driver's seat. You know, - "There can only be one."

    Everyone is working against everyone, and working hard. And their children will be working hard, and their grandchildren will be working even harder. No one is happy with the situation but everyone is holding on to the dogma of working hard or things will get much worse.

    So is there any solution to this problem. I believe so. I believe that we need not the World Government but the World Police. One army under the collective command which will eliminate the need for "arms race" and the "balance of forces". If many countries will provide a little of their resources to maintain such army, it will be much stronger than any individual power.

    Just like in our society we came to understanding that having all citizens well armed is not the most efficient way to maintain security, our governments have to come to understanding that having all countries well armed is not the most efficient way to maintain peace.

    So called World Government is very hard to achieve. Too many conflicting interests have to be ironed out. World Government is unrealistic without One World becoming a reality visible without a telescope. Let's be realistic. There is a long long way to the One World.

    However the World Police is a realistic goal. We already have working models, UN forces, NATO forces, Interpol and others. Right now things are going in a direction of the US Army to be a World Police but even the blind hawks in US Government can see that it is a very costly proposition. Even if all other countries would not mind, one country, even as powerful as US, can not afford it. And many countries do mind. So not only the US will have to carry overwhelming weight but it will have to walk against the wind.

    Just think of it, people. Maintaing many armies is about as smart as buying multiple insurances for your house. You know that only one will pay. So you better get one good insurance. If you think about Earth as our common home, and with the modern weaponry you better be thinking this way, then it makes no sense to pay for so many armies. For Chris sake, with all our intellect and progress we have most of the population of the planet still living in poverty. From the point of view of the person who can not afford medical insurance you can take your genome project and shove it. And while you are at it add there your space station, the mission to Mars, electric cars, fission reactors, superconductors, smart alloys, artificial intelligence and all the rest of our achievements. Leave only the computers and internet so you can read this.

    Bye, bye for now. I need to get a drink.

    4-12-2003

    Earlier today I asked God how should I plant seeds in my field. I wanted to plant a variety of crops in the same small field. Should I assign different spots for each crop or should I plant them in rows or should I mix them randomly? What would be the easiest way to find the right place for each crop.

    And the God said, - Take a lot of pebbles with you and throw them evenly on the field. Then plant the seeds at your heart desire where the pebbles fell. Pick a pebble, plant a seed.

    Praise the Lord! Can I use the same method to find the best place to dig the well or to build the barn?

    No, stupid, - the God said, - the pebbles are needed so you won't plant two seeds in the same place.

    4-10-2003

    The way our civilization works puzzles me. The guy who works at the DVD factory must make 1000 DVDs to earn enough money to buy one DVD. The farmer must grow 1000 pounds of potato to earn $4, enough to buy 10 pounds of the same potato in a supermarket.

    50 years ago my grandma paid to the doctor two dozen eggs and a loaf of fresh bread or a gallon of milk. Now she would have to load the trailer with produce only to have her teeth cleaned. Good god!

    4-2-2003

    Good conspiracies are unprovable. That's why I don't believe THEM.

    Is it conspiracy or conspyracy? Cons-piracy? It can't be true.

    4-1-2003

    Sticky black goo and other tacky things

    One of the "ancient greeks" once said, - "Do not break up the fighting sides, most probably they are like-minded people."

    Some say that this war is for oil. I really hope that this is true. What I am afraid of that even if it is true it will not hold for long. War for material reasons has limit - a potential loot. War for Great Cause has no limits. The problem is that it is very hard to drive people to war for oil or even gold so each side has to use "magic" to dupe people into killing each other.

    Especially the side with the smaller sword will have to rely on word more and more. If they succeed then the side with the bigger sword will be forced to tap into the ancient reserves, and in addition to the stars and stripes of patriotism and the banners of the moral values of our civilization the cross will go up. Then it will become the War for Greater Cause, the true war of civilizations. The war of ideologies.

    The soldier who came to fight for economic benefits might kill a child accidentally. The soldier who came to fight for Greater Cause will pretty soon see no difference between killing one child or a hundred. He will do it casually because he has an ideology to justify it. We, humans, were not born with built-in instinct preventing us from spilling each others blood like predators have been. We had no need in it. We were not dangerous enough for each other. Until we learned how to use weapons.

    To prevent self-extinction we had to rely on flimsy things called compassion and conscience. They are much younger and weaker than instinct. And when they are disabled with ideology we turn into the nightmare of the animal world. A beast with the enormous destructive power and nothing to stop it. A tanker truck with failed brakes filled with explosives.

    Just look at the history and compare the number of people killed for gold to the number of people slaughtered for Greater Cause. You don't even have to go far back in time. Take a look at the communism. The private property thing did not kill tens of millions of Russians. The ideology did. Just like the guns do not kill people. It what makes you to pull the trigger that counts. The thing that is in your mind. The enemy within.

    When you look for a fish in this giant bowl of soup you will find it very amusing that the word Islam means "peace" and the Christianity was named after the man who taught to "love thy enemy" and to "turn the other cheek". Both religions have a very violent history, both swept through the world with fire and steel, worse than plague. We really have to develop the immunity for such social diseases or if we have one we must find out what weakened it. We desperately need Social Diseases Control Center or we will perish as species.

    For now, my advice to both sides would be to stick to the oily thing. Don't threaten each other with true weapon of mass destruction - the ideology. Do you really still believe that you can control the use of fire in the middle of the pool of gasoline? Don't do it or soon you will have no oil whatsoever. All that will be left is a charred corpse of the Great Cause.

    So far I like how our government is handling the war thing. They try to minimize the casualties and avoid the religious issue like a plague which it is. But I don't think that they are capable of controlling it for long. Mind the other side. The Arabs are stupid enough to use Islam as their weapon and eventually we will have to either back off or make a hard choice between the nukes and the Cross. I don't even know which is worse.

    I'd rather go to war for oil than for "moral values of western civilization." And for you, stupid Arabs, I will say this, - If you don't wanna die then let's do business. And if you feel lucky, punks, then reach for your Koran. Make my day.

    The Earth will do just fine without both of us.

    3-31-2003

    Itchy & Scratchy Goes To War

    For many years I had a pleasure to observe various forums and newsgroups and came to unmistakable conclusion. At least 90% of all people suffer from chronic physical and mental illnesses. And the worst part is that it is considered a normal healthy state of being. Most likely it is caused by the food we eat, clothes we wear, the informational overload, etc. In other words it is a direct result of our lifestyle.

    The food is a major thingy here. After all, when you actually think of it, most of the food that we eat today comes from unhealthy sources. Even if you only eat fruits and vegetables most of them are cultivated, i.e. incapable of surviving in the wild on their own. Many can not even reproduce. Genetically speaking, we eat the very weakest food.

    The result of all this is that we feel all itchy. When you observe people in a real world you notice how often they scratch or rub against something. And that in spite of all our hygiene. Then there is a mental itch, the one that does not come out on the surface. The physical itch is just a tip of the iceberg. It is only a tiny visible part of what is going on in the deep. The visible part is noticeably bigger in mental patients.

    And that's why we come here. Not because we have common interests or common goals. Not to connect with each other. Not to socialize. Not to have a meaningful conversation. Not even in search of useful information. It's just an excuse. We come here, to the newsgroups, chat rooms, forums and mailing lists, because of the constant itch. We come in search of relief. We come to rub against each other and get scratched in places which we can not reach ourselves. That's why nothing makes sense, nothing constructive takes place here, no initiative is getting support. Only silly fights, mindless exchanges of useless information at best but mostly insults, i.e. rubbing.

    The worst part is that what is happening on the Net is a reflection of what is happening in the world. All bickering, crime and even wars are the result of the population not being healthy. We are in a permanently irritated state. Time from time we blow up. From tiny explosions like giving someone a finger to the big ones - flying a plane into the building or starting a war. The society, of course, mostly concerned with the big ones. No one seems to be concerned with the cause of all this madness.

    3-29-2003

    Even whores deserve more respect than priests because they at least don't think about sex all the time.

    3-27-2003

    Smart is predictable, stupid is not.

    Wake up, guys. Our presidents are idiots, our generals are idiots, and we are idiots too because we obey them.

    Welcome to the Fools Club. I am not just a president but also a member. The first rule of the Fools Club is that we do not talk about Fools Club...

    3-24-2003

    Pictures of dead children will always give a bad taste in your mouth.

    Grateful Iraqis is just the music. And behind any music is business. We are liberating them but they will never be grateful. Well, some of them, sometimes, will but most will be unhappy about one thing after another even if we feed them until the end of days.

    It is about fixing our past mistakes. We supported the guys like Saddam because it was in our "national interests", we were stupid enough to give a gun to a monkey, and now we had to get in back because the monkey has finally figured out that it can shoot at us too and not just at other hostile monkeys. We all helped to form these rogue regimes and we hoped that we could sit it out until they expire naturally. Some did, some we can still wait for, but some became an immediate threat and have to be dealt with now.

    The mistake was made when we sacrificed higher principles for national "interests". The impeccable course of action would be to get over it, do what we have to do, pay the price now because it will only get higher, and go on with our lives trying not to forget the lesson - that trading "power" for "profit" is not in our best interests.

    Anyway it is only one view of the world. A cannibal looking at that picture would have a different view and a different taste in his mouth. And don't gasp in disbelieve, how could you said that about a dead child. We eat babies every day, baby chickens, baby lambs, baby cows, we eat eggs and caviar and seeds, and we ate human babies in not so distant past. Remember what was said about those who forget their past? Well, I don't want to be anywhere near them in the future. I better kill them while they are still little. I gonna call it an operation "Preventive strike". All I need is a virus that kills only those who have the long-term memory problems. If I could only remember high school biology course, especially the part about DNA disection.

    3-25-2003

    George Bush can not possibly be the leader in human rights.

    BECAUSE I AM!

    Who's with me?! Come on, monkeys! Let's all stand up for human rights. They did stand up for our rights when the greedy corporations were destroying our habitat and the evil scientists were torturing our brothers and sisters in their laboratories.

    Humans are not prefect but we owe them and it is our time to return the favor. Let's all march to Washington and show to those politicians who's in charge on this planet.

    Tails up!

    Left... right... left... right...

    3-24-2003

    CNN is not our government. They only SHOWED the election.

    Canada has two problems - French and taxes. And the taxes are half-problem.

    Dude, what do you mean, - 60's are over?

    3-21-2003

    I want you to open your eyes. Life is ever changing. So should you. The word written is a lie. Animals do not have a written constitution, and they are doing just fine without it. Stop being afraid. Open you hearts and your doors to the strangers. Open your windows to the rain. Stand barefoot on the grass and listen to the wind. Sit next to a fire, let the spirit of the dead tree reflect in your eyes.

    We are the humans. Our destiny is to create new, not to preserve old. We have a good teacher. It's all around us. Open your eyes.

    Open your eyes.
    Your sword is all rusty.
    Horse is hungry.

    Open your heart.
    Your door is useless.
    Enemy is within.

    3-13-2003

    If you want to learn what a man has to say - ignore the man.
    If you want to learn about the man - ignore what he says.

    3-1-2003

    Do not question things. You might end up answering those questions.

    Russian wisdom



    2-28-2003

    Heil Hitler!

    Don't mind Hitler. He's here just as a celebrity, to attract more attention to our products. We know he has nothing to do with juice, ovens and books, but so does George Foreman or Oprah or Cher. Relax, enjoy yourself, and be a happy shopper.

    Zieg... Heil!

    Zieg... Heil!

    Zeig... Heil!



    2-27-2003

    God cannot possibly come to earth. God is Earth. And the sky, and all the creatures who fly, swim, crawl and type.

    I am the Light.
    You are the Darkness.
    Let's make Twilight.

    I think the twilight is romantic. Don't you? Come here...

    I think fog and the fog comes. I think rain and the rain falls. I think wind and the wind blows. I think...

    and here I am.



    2-26-2003

    - Teacher, tell me what should I do.
    - Learn to walk right.
    - Where should I go?
    - It does not matter.
    - But I should know where my path will lead.
    - All paths lead nowhere.
    - Then why bother learning how to walk when I don't even know If I should be walking at all?
    - Because you got nice legs.


    2-24-2003

    I had a dream!

    I had a dream of our President addressing the nation and the world and saying things that make sense. If you had the same dream, consider sharing it with as many people as you can.

    "My fellow Americans! Our dear neighbors around the world! We, the people of the United States, finally came to our senses, and have decided the following. From now on, our number one priority will be our own homeland. For decades we have meddled in everyone else's affairs while neglecting our own backyard. Reluctantly we had to admit that equal amount of good and bad came out of it at best. Mostly it was a waste of time, something that is so precious for all of us mere mortals. We decided not to waste time anymore and advise everyone to do the same. Let's cherish that little that our Creator gave us.

    Of course, we will help anyone who asks for our help, provided that they deserve it and that we are doing OK ourselves. Only those governments that threat their people fair and respect their neighbors by being peaceful and not polluting our common ecosphere will be considered for help.

    We will gladly mediate your disputes but we will not meddle in your affairs anymore. However, if any country uses chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, or any other weapons that do damage to our common environment, we will consider it as a direct aggression against the United States and we will use any means necessary to stop them. The pollution knows no borders nor will our wrath.

    Starting this millennium and to the end of the world we will concentrate our efforts on the quality of our life, on education of our children, on learning how to take care of the environment in which we live, and on our evolution as human beings. We invite everyone to join us in this quest and we intend to lead by setting up the best example.

    Thank you and God bless us all."

    1-6-2003

    Seek no evil and you shall find none.

    1-5-2003

    > "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
    > -- Mahatma Ghandi

    Mahatma rushed through and tossed a penny. Some later, slower Cat came by and picked it up, and rubbed it against his fur, - 'Nice coin, a penny, the Indian head.'

    the change
    you wish to see -
    you are it

    for what it worth
    today, my $0.01

    1-4-2003

    Once upon a time a tiny pine tree was growing in the garden in, what seemed to a gardener, a bad location so he decided to move the little tree to a better place in his garden, with more sunshine and more space to grow. And so he did. But the little tree did not do well in the new place for some reason. It became ill, its tiny needles turned yellow on one side and fell off exposing its little trunk to the cold wind and the burning rays of the sun.

    The groundhog was very surprised to find his little neighbor in a new place. He never saw trees move from one place to the other before. The little pine told him what has happened. The groundhog spend all his days sitting next to the sick baby pine, protecting it from the wind and the heat of the sun, comforting and counseling it until the time came for him to go into hibernation. They said goodbye and wished each other to survive the winter. The groundhog went to his burrow and before he fell asleep he asked to see in his dreams the spring and the little pine, green and healthy again.

    And the gardener? The gardener felt very stupid as he should be.

    1-3-2003

    There are things that we wish and there are things that we speak. Things that we wish are the things that are.

    Be careful of what you wish for but be cautious of wishful thinking.

    1-2-2003

    Rude or inappropriate remark is a result of the frustration by the current state of the affairs and are not the preplanned personal attack. It might seem this way, especially to the person whose words is being referenced to, but it is not the case.

    We all know from our daily lives how terrible arguments often arise from minor things like the porch light has not been switched off or the dirty cup was left on the table, and we all know perfectly well that it is not the dirty cup issue that we are fighting over, and the elimination of all sources of sparks will not solve the issue of gasoline smell in the kitchen.

    We live in the comfort of the civilized society and we all are paying the price for this comfort - we became overly sensitive to any inconvenience that comes our way. The comfort is a perfect fertilizer for self-importance and egotism, which are in fact weeds. And while any weed can be put to a good use, and personally I can not help but to admire their vitality and strength, they will take over the whole field unless controlled.

    I am not trying to say that rude comment is the best way to attract the attention to the issue. Some problems can be solved with words, some with the swords, and if one fails to master any of it, he uses the naturals weapons - the foot, for example, and your butt happened to be the closest target.

    My suggestion is that we should all deal with over-sensitivity (in private, not in public, when possible). Everything that is posted on the Net implies C&C (critique & comments) whether requested or not. If you personally do not welcome it or do not like it then try to ignore it or find a better way to respond to it than 'How dare you!' Even if you feel that C&C is of no use for you it might be useful for others in the ways that you might know not at the time.

    I want to stress again that we should always remember that C&C is not directed at the author. It is directed at the words and they do not belong to you, even if you have spoken them you have not created them and neither you invented the language or the poetry. Sorry if I made you feel smaller, such is the truth. The Universe is our background and against it even the brightest stars are just specks of light. It does mean that we are of no importance. After all the first words spoken by the Creator were - 'Let be the Light.'

    I personally have already mastered the sparks. It's a long way to go before I will be able to make a new star shine in the sky but the first step in the right direction has been made. I wish you all the same but, before you all start sparkling, may I suggest that you get rid of that gas canister that you still carry on your backs for no good reason. After all it might have been made from foreign oil and you are just dependent on it. You never know.

    1-1-2003

    > This poetry has strict construction rules - each poem has only 17 syllables;
    > 5 syllables in the first, 7 in the second, 5 in the third.

    Someone has lied to you. Even Japanese often break this rule, which is not exactly a rule but rather a cultural psychological phenomenon. 17 syllables phrase has a unique mnemonic rhythm just like some children's songs and limericks. In Japanese language haiku are written in one line so, basically, they are one liners with a break (sometimes two) within.

    zôkin no hoshi-dokoro nari kado no matsu (Issa)

    In English we prefer to write it in three lines, sometimes two or four, especially if the haiku has more than one break.

    New Year's eve
    two boiled eggs today
    for stray cat

    or

    New Year's eve - two boiled eggs today
    this one is for me - this one is for cat

    One can measure a success of haiku by the ease with which it can be memorized, and, of course, by the number of the people willing to memorize it :)

    But there is something else which I can better describe in haiku.

    the craft -
    good haiku casts
    no shadow

    We call it a "spirit of haiku" and that is what ultimately determines if that short verse that you've wrote is a haiku or not. Forget all the rules and definitions. Seek that which casts no shadow, the spirit of haiku.

    Look, for example, at the following example from the young Russian poetess:

    in the shade of a tree
    shadow of the sparrow
    ... skip... skip...

    You brain will say, - 'This is no haiku. It is all wrong. 6+6+2, what's that? Take one from line 1, add one to line 2..."
    But you heart says - 'But there is something about it, something perfect. I don't feel like changing anything.'
    And that the only voice you should listen to. Apparently Japanese themselves thought highly enough about that haiku, so she won a grand prize - a trip to Japan.

    There will be many who'll tell you that haiku is about the nature (as if we are not the part of the nature) and they will flash fancy words like "kigo" and "senryu" in front of your uneducated faces. Screw them! Silence all the voices but the quietest one, the one that lower than your thoughts. This is the one that knows.

    looking up
    where towers
    once stood

    Who's gonna tell me - 'This is not a haiku?"
    I gonna smash his head with baseball bat.

    Take care, kids.
    Sincerely,
    Ghost Cat

    11-27-2002

    Human mind can not grasp the Infinity. Even if you take away Everything there is still Nothing left. We need that Nothing to keep our grasp on something that is beyond our understanding. Our language fails us when we speak of Infinity. We can only have a glimpse of the Infinity but the direct look is impossible. The complexity of Life and the Universe hints that only the Infinite Being can be behind it. In fact, it is it.

    God, as described in the Book (chose your favorite here), is nothing more than a cartoonish caricature of the Infinite Being. Nothing more that a very very good chess player. One can understand such god. One can imagine such god choosing favorite people, making deals with them, writing them rules and promising rewards for following them. The only difference between religions seems to be when you get those rewards, during your life or after. The first kind is more honest but prone to disappointment, the second is crooky but good to pacify those unfortunate who were disappointed in the first by the shortage of rewards. No matter how you look at it there is always a refuge from coping with the depressions caused by the presence of Infinity. Two blind spots, one for each eye.

    Each of us has it and our intelligence fails us when the subject of discussion located in the blind spot. I am no exception. My intelligence shines until it hits the blind spot. Then I can not see black from white and entertain and irritate my friends with my inability to see clearly, bumping my head against every tree, tripping over every stone and falling in every pit. If we save our old messages we can see ourselves in a role of a clown years later.

    One very intelligent opponent recently made a point that there is a huge number of possible combinations of proteins. So huge that there is virtually no chance that the lucky combination could have originated by chance. It would take billions of billions of billions of years, he said. Being in his blind spot, he could not see the obvious alternatives. What if there are more than one lucky combination? What if every combination is good and we just stuck with the first one? OR what if the lucky combination was determined by the properties of basic molecules? There are only few of them and their chemical and physical properties would direct the selection to the only lucky combination that is possible, that is the most energy efficient one. No need to try them all. After all, without outside interference the pendulum will eventually stop in the lowest point, one of the infinite number of alternative possibilities.

    Ancient wisdom says that the Power is always where you are not. It would be wise to make a habit of switching to the opposite side regularly to claim the Power to See what once was in your blind spot. In fact, time from time, we are unconsciously doing exactly that. By choosing to do it consciously one becomes a Seeker, a Warrior who dares to grasp the Infinity while knowing at all times that it is beyond his reach.

    Failure is not an option, you can not trade it in the future, so give it up and move on. There will be more of it on your Path. Trust me, I've seen it all, except...

    11-21-2002

    Trust your enemies! They know your weakness.

    11-20-2002

    Once I had a conversation with a mysterious dreamer. He asked me what is the most important thing in my business. I said that the most important thing was money which seemed to be true because at that time my business was so underfinanced that it was clear to me that the end is near unless I find some funding.

    'No, - he said, - The most important thing in your business is you.'

    Making living is a minor but mandatory challenge however for many if not for most it turns out to be a major obstacle. Reluctance to discuss it has its roots in the fact that most of us failed this challenge and gave up any attempts to ever overcome this step. Even those who made millions turned out to be controlled by their fortune, their hands were tied up by the corporations they created and the relations with all the dependents and customers.

    10-31-2002

    There is no proof that God created a man but the evidence that man created God are sold in every church.

    Jesus died for our sins but three days later he changed his mind.

    Sense of humor is the only evidence that God created men and the Jews are the chosen ones. God loves practical jokes.

    10-10-2002

    For what it worth, I think the idea of preemptive strike is extremely dangerous. While claiming that he is caring for safety of American people, Bush puts us all in great danger by giving other nuclear powers a legitimate excuse to push their own preemptive strike strategies. If the administration can not show a definite proof of Iraq's involvement in September 11 attack then they are wrong and bad for American people.

    In general, the idea of embargo is not a good one too. There is a wise saying "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer". It was not a military technology only that prevented a war with the Soviet Union but also the fact the United States were Russia's biggest customer. Even stupid Soviet leaders understood their own interests. And radioactive dollars were not in their best interests.

    If the American government really cares about safety of the American people they should outlaw sales of weapons of any kind and the military technology overseas. Even to Canada. Instead they should sell and buy everything else and make it illegal for any American company to put any kind of restriction on export of American products to any country. I had a friend who tried to establish an export company in the USA. He spent three years shuttling between US and Russia, even kept an apartment here to save on hotels. His baby girl was born in USA during one of the last trips. He was given so much run around by American companies and the government officials that in the end he ran out of money, got heart attack and died. His body was shipped back to his wife. The largest shipment he ever made. So much for a free trade.

    The American government was not elected to establish democratic regimes in other countries. They were hired by American people to maintain peace and order here, and to regulate our own economy. If they want to interfere in the affairs of other countries they should do it at their free time and at their own expense. Those should be regarded as extra-curricular activities, not related to their prime job. If Bush wants Saddam dead he can use his vacation to go to Iraq and hunt that nutcase at his own risk.

    9-18-2002

    So man didn't have a good taste. Big deal. At least he had a good appetite.

    9-10-2002

    > Would that mean the Iraq would be left with his lunatic son who feeds
    > women to dogs after he rapes them?

    Oh my Gawd! It just downed on me. He then sells dogs to North Korea! That's how he makes up for embargo.

    9-9-2002

    > For me, the reality I'm looking for is between my ears,
    > whether I'm dreaming or awake. I think that energy spent polishing
    > our link with the spirit is energy well spent. Any ideas on this?


    Your pretty nose is between your ears. The reality is a bit lower. The energy is not being spent, it's being tied up in parasitic loops. Think of it as of your paycheck. The more things you sign up for the less remains free. Or think of it as time. You only have 24 hour in a day. Take 8 hour for sleep, 8 hours for work, 1 hour for that, 1 hour for this. The more time you tied up for all those everyday duties the less time is left for something unscheduled. Just how important is for us all that which is occupying all our time, ties up all our energy? All these thoughts, emotions, relationships, duties, desires, fantasies, worries, hopes. Gazillion of tiny loops in which otherwise would be free energy runs non-stop in circles. Something makes you smoke and you start smoking. One big loop. You hate the fact and you are trying to quit. Another loop. One hand is pulling to the right, the other to the left. No movement but you are working hard. Instead of eliminating the loops, we just add a new one to fight the old one. All people are warriors but most are fighting with themselves. We might coin the term "worriors" for them.

    9-8-2002

    > If you are carbohydrate sensitive, and you continue to eat
    > carbohydrates, your sugar levels will spike. Your mood fluctuates
    > with the sugar levels.

    My mood is always getting better when I get paid. Hmm...

    9-7-2002

    "Vedics" know their texts about as good as Jews know theirs. Arya (or Arians) simply meant a "farmer" in modern terms, the one who settled and cultivated land, as opposed to the "devy" - the bad guys, hunters and gatherers, who naturally grabbed everything they saw including arya's harvest. It's all the same people just difference in lifestyle. Some folk "advanced", and some "vanished". All texts you study came from verbal stories and not from "jewish god". It's all a waste of time. You'll find what you are looking for no matter what you study. You might as well collect old magazines as long as you remember - all I said could be a lie, just like all things you tell, especially those you only tell yourself. Word spoken is a lie by definition.

    To understand the origin of Veda you only have to take a close look at humans. Among the stars one is the brightest. There was the strongest one in every tribe and there was the smartest who often was the weakest. Some tribes have had no mercy for the weakest but some had more compassion and the weaklings lived and were very useful as history tells us. They were good at figuring things out, they had more luck in finding water and water was of great importance at those times. That's where they got their name, VD was "water" and later root for "good" and for "to know". Apparently DV was choice to name things opposite to "good". As time went by, society evolved, the strongest formed governments, and naturally the competition of two most important groups (the strongest and the smartest) resulted in the Church which later hunted independent Vedas in order to enforce the policy "One King One Church". It is no accident that fire was the choice of punishment for being Veda, it is the opposite of water, and in some way the opposite of wood. High priests had sense of humor after all. And so the kings.

    Such was the real history of the humans. Enjoy your beans for now, the punishment will follow.

    PS. Speaking of coincidences. The thing which led to my demise and ruined my business was DVD :) The Creator has sense of humor also. Oh well... I guess I'll live forever.

    9-6-2002

    That word "path" always bugs me. It implies an another, better, path as opposed to the one you are on currently (Christianity, materialism etc). So here is my "sofisticated" look on the simple issue.

    == About "Don Juan", Toltecs and Castaneda and the whole that path thing as told by Ghost Cat. ==

    I personally understood his teaching as A WAY not path (pun stressed and it will become more obvious). Was not he speaking of the venturing into untouched plains, uncharted territory? It's when you stop and ask yourself, - "Why am I following those dusty footsteps? And where am I going? What's in those woods that's on the left and on the right? Why don't I check them out, see what's out there?" Most will advise against it. "Are you freaking nuts? Stay with the rest. Remember all those stories about big bad wolves? That's where all them came, the forest. You gonna die, for sure!" And true it is and there was good reason for Don Juan to say that path (a way) is dangerous, and maybe even lethal, if one remains as careless and thoughtless as he was, while kicking dust on proven track with everybody else.

    And what you did? You put your hands in pockets, and whistling tune, went off to the unknown. Or even worse, you bought the map from "guru". Uncharted territory map?! Ha hah! You kidding?! And what is that? Diploma of achieving WHAT!! I think you have been duped. You haven't even passed first exam. You did? So sure? Well, let me tell you...THERE IS NO FIRST EXAM!

    And neither second chance... but...don't let that stop you. Fools are lucky. I am the living proof.

    Bye, bye.

    Ghost Cat

    9-5-2002

    there are no bad teachings,
    only very bad teachers -
    and no good students

    I have a friend who cares a lot about the environment but his apartment looks like pig barn.

    I have a friend who cares a lot about the war and hunger in the world but he is fat and fights with his wife daily.

    I have a friend who cares a lot about the fate of humanity but he does not know his next door neighbor's name.

    Do you have a friend?

    8-9-2002

    Art of mind control is known for millennia. The original name for it was and still is the art of image making. From fairy tales to modern advertising and election campaigns, it all is based on this ancient technique. The trick is to create an image that will resonate in people hearts and their lives will be changed in the direction you wanted. No torture, electroshock or hallucinogenic drugs are required. CIA added nothing to the science of mind control however the invention of book printing, radio and TV (and now internet) added a lot to its efficiency. Still the talented person is required to create an image. And such person is not necessarily works for the government or religious institution or a large corporation. He could pursue his own interests. Carlos Castaneda was one of such people.

    If you are having doubts about how efficient it could be just think of Christianity and how the image of Jesus has influenced the lives of billions.

    7-13-2002

    > I'm confused about; "The first principle of the art of stalking is that
    > warriors choose their battleground. A warrior never goes into battle
    > without knowing what the surroundings are."
    > It's useful in the world of ordinary affairs, but what about mystery, unknown?

    Dear, Confused!

    "The first rule about the fight club is you don't talk about fight club."

    I am confused about: "A warrior never says never." Actually I am not. It makes perfect sense if you don't think about it.

    Why do you want to fight the unknown? It did not do anything to you yet. That's why it unknown. Try to make friends first. Actually you can hardly find anyone to fight there. One of the biggest issues you'll have to deal in the unknown is the solitude. Only the known is crowded. That's why we fight here all the time.

    One of the most difficult things about writing is to know where to stop. The beginners thinks that it is hard to start but it is not. You can always start with "It was a dark and stormy night..." and change it later if needed.

    When you write you translate unknown into the words, the language of known. No translation is perfect. Especially because the writers tend to think of themselves as the authors. Often that messes up translation pretty bad. Good writers don't edit. But then they go hungry. I know that. The first question they ask: "You got anything to eat?" I like writers and I keep two refrigerators. I get to read what will never be published.

    When you read you have to look beyond words to touch the unknown from which the words were born. Then you may translate it into your own words and see if you do a better job. Good luck with that.

    "The art of stalking is the art of being aware. A warrior often have a choice - to fight or not to fight. The warrior chooses to fight when the circumstances are the most favorable. Even when the warrior has no such choice being aware of being alive gives him a power and thus increases his chances for victory. This is the essence of the art of stalking."

    How about that? Any better?

    7-12-2002

    In the world where everything goes the warrior opts for whatever comes.

    11-2-2001

    I noticed that I get lucky when I am doing something new, going for new experiences, taking chances. When I am settling down safe and secure, and surrender to the routine, things start falling apart.

    3-16-2001

    The most common mistake that I meet is that the people confuse the teaching and the teacher. It is so common among the true believers that instead of giving the impression of enlightment they give the unmistakable impression of "endarkment". It seems that their brains are going into some king of loop and they stop seeing anything at all while claiming seeing "energy as it moves". Somehow they seem to miss the whole point the teaching they are trying to follow. In fact many skeptics show much deeper understanding of the teaching than true believers.Of course both skeptics and true believers have something in common. They all are followers. The difference is that the skeptics have chosen proven leaders while true believers are looking for anybody but the people whom we already trust. None of them dares to go where no man has gone before. You can not follow anybody there.

    It is quite obvious for me that Castaneda tapped into some source of information. I don't want to speculate about the source or give names, After all when the idea comes to your head it comes from somewhere. I just call it the prime source or the first hands without going into much speculation. There is a lot that we do not know about how our mind works, or what intelligence is, or even what consciousness is.

    Once you grasp the spirit of the teaching you can easily see when the teacher contradicts the teaching. Don Juan told many times that there is nothing to teach about sorcery, that one needs no teacher. When you go into unknown you go alone. Nevertheless Castaneda and others started workshops, retreats, seminars, schools etc. It is quite clear that there workshops were created for idiots who are willing to part with their money. Sorry, Dan and others, I am saying this without any intent to insult you or humiliate you. It is a big question what would I have done if I lived in USA at that time and had enough money to go to California.

    As for the personality of Castaneda and other teachers, I will again refer you to the prime source. Don Juan repeatedly said that the sorcerer is not human, that to become one you must get rid of the human form. In order to go beyond human one must master his human part so he can control it. From what I've heard I can tell you that Castaneda have never mastered his human part, and he apparently understood it and on a few occasions called himself a moron and an idiot rather than sorcerer. I can relate to that. Too bad the true believers have not listened carefully. He was very sincere at that time.

    A person like that is no more sorcerer that I am. After all I managed to convince four people to do a simple action - go to the mirror and cite my own poem and to report me their mood and dreams in the morning. Given bigger audience I could eventually convince a few hundred people to start a farming community where I could live at their expense as their leader. And may be most of those people would benefit from it. However the leader who lives at other peoples expense will inevitably degenerate no matter how good he was in the beginning. Eventually I would become as delusional as the people who followed me.

    Influencing other people by using words is the simplest form of magic yet it should not be underestimated. Using your thoughts for that purpose is much more difficult but not impossible. I have met strangers whose sole presence made me feel happy or worried or even scared. I noticed that many celebs have such ability.

    And of course the top magic is to use your mind for creation. When the Book says that God created us in his own image that's exactly what it means. We were given the same ability that God has. The ability to create. And that is why it was necessary to give us free will. So we can create.

    1-

    Who am I?

    I thought that I've been thinking hard about it in early years but then the midlife crisis came, I could not find the answer, it got lost. In fact, I neither could recall the fact of thinking on the subject, if at all, not mentioning even thinking hard. I have to start from the beginning.

    So I was born. A village, so small, so ancient, it did not even have a name so it was listed on the map as village Village. Little known about my ancestors, except the name - Drevl'ane, meaning the Tree people.

    Behind the village was a river, a narrow one, and you could jump right over it, so it was called, yes, you just guessed it, Jumpover river. Beyond the river was a forest. The forest did not have a name. The forest was. And is, I hope.

    I had to move a lot against my will in the beginning. First to Siberia, I think my parents did not plan that move as well, then back to village Village after two years of the freezing off my little butt in snow.

    I HATE THE SNOW!

    Few years passed in the land of my ancestors. I had to move again, this time the opposite direction, to the West. But not too far, just right before the border with the Poland my father found a new home for us. The Poles are nuts but one can learn to deal with them and even to admire the energy they put in every stupid thing. I learned in a while to do the same.

    Then puberty, forget it. Don't even ask me, I don't wanna talk. Then was the milestone, high school graduation. Another milestone, University... oops, gotta go to the Army. This time I moved North and met a bunch of real morons. And I was told that I am real one? Duh! Well, there was a silver lining also, I met the northern people, Estonians. They drink like Russians but are cultured like Brits. They are like Finns, with the exception of the love for tango.

    Two years passed in disguise. I moved South, compared to the place I was, to Moscow, where I burned through my twenties with lots of smoke and little of real fire. A lot of the imaginary fire though. A little of the imaginary smoke. I got myself with troubles with the "law" if you can call it that without jurors and without an attorney, and visited a jail, a cuckoo's nest (what a cool place!) and shortly after the beginning of my final journey I was saved by the devil's angel - Michael the Saint.

    I tried to get back to my imaginary smokeless burning but something was not right, I could not neither burn nor smoke. It was the time for Move. As far as I could get, to the another side of planet.

    Connecticut, September 7, 1990, 6 AM. The smell of Freedom (I skipped the smell of kerosene in JFK). Sunshine, the trees... and squirrels?! I suddenly remembered... at age of nine, or ten, I killed one. I did not mean, I... I just wanted to play... And there was I, crying out loud in the middle of forest for what I've done for thirty three of what could have been my best years. Yes, there is a God! He is a squirrel.

    You'd think I've learned something? Well, just wait. I spent another decade doing NOTHING. Ten YEARS! TEN years!! TEN YEARS!!! ... of doing what I did in Moscow, only this time - no fire and no smoke. Except of chatting on the net under the nick of Cat the Curious. Few haiku, nothing really good. And so it went until...September 10 the Cat has died. He went to sleep and ... next day Ghost Cat was born. Again. Like that damn Phoenix that burns with lots of fire and the smoke. Reminds me someone I forgot.

    I learned something. Finally. In the last two years I learned how to spark. The goal - to make a star lit in the sky. The real one, not published on paper. But first I have to learn to fly. United Nations would not like it if I turn supernova here in Kentucky. And neither will the local farmers. I gotta learn to fly, and not just in the air. So if one day I disappear with no trace and then astronomers will tell that a new little star has just appeared above horizon...

    That's me. That's who I am.

    0-

    In the beginning there was a Word.
    Pretty soon everyone was chatting.
    It didn't take too long before some
    Smart ass has invented Lie and then
    All hell broke loose. Yeap!