Monthly Archives: November 2011

Solar Filament

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GRAND FILAMENT: A filament of magnetism more than 700,000 km long is curling around the sun’s northeastern limb. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the vast structure during the early hours of Nov. 12th:

The filament is weighted down by solar plasma. If it erupts–as such filaments are prone to do–it could fall to the stellar surface below, setting off an explosion called aHyder flare. Or it might fly upward, hurling fragments of itself into space. Amateur astronomers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor the region for developments.

fr/spaceweather.com

Post Glacial Rebound Effect

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Hang On! Earth’s Surface Moving North

Andrea Leontiou
Date: 27 September 2010 Time: 01:05 PM ET
Earth from space.

As you read this, the Earth’s surface is shifting right underneath you, creeping very slowly toward the North Pole. Scientists say the shift is greater than they expected, but other than some minor effects on satellites, life will go on.

Researchers have found that the shift of water mass around the globe, combined with so-called post-glacial rebound, is shifting Earth’s surface relative to its center of mass by 0.035 inches (0.88 millimeters) a year toward the North Pole.

Post-glacial rebound is the response of the solid Earth to the retreat of glaciers and the resulting loss of the hefty weight. As glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, the land under the ice began to rise and continues to do so. Therefore, models predicted, the solid crust at the surface should be moving northward, in relation to the planet’s center of mass.

Now there’s hard data to support the model’s prediction.

To calculate the changes, scientists combined gravity data from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites with measurements of global surface movements from GPS and a model developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that estimates the mass of Earth’s ocean above any point on the ocean floor.

Study researcher Xiaoping Wu of JPL in Pasadena, Calif., thinks the shift of Earth’s surface is largely due to the melted Laurentide ice sheet, which blanketed most of Canada and a part of the northern United States during the last Ice Age.

“The new estimate of shift is much larger than previous model estimates of 0.019 inches (0.48 millimeters) per year,” Wu said. “The motion of the center moving upward is not going to affect life on Earth. The motion is only less than one millimeter a year, so it won’t have any impact on life, but if it were something like one centimeter, then there would be a huge amount of changes,” Wu said.

While this movement will not have an impact on our day-to-day lives, it could impact spacecraft tracking and tell us more about how the Earth deforms under stress and the history of deglaciation.

“Satellites in space orbit around the center of mass record information from space and our corresponding instruments are located on the Earth’s surface, so this movement may affect how we track spacecrafts,” Wu said.

from:   http://www.livescience.com/10119-hang-earth-surface-moving-north.html

11:11:11 — It’s Synchronicity

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11/11/11: How Friday Is Tied to the Mayan Apocalypse

Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer
Date: 10 November 2011 Time: 02:30 PM ET
the mayan long-count calendar
Some believe the end of the Mayan calendar, Dec. 21, 2012, will usher in a new spiritual era or even a doomsday. And it so happens the timing of next year’s winter solstice may have led to a link between 11/11/11 and this Mayan apocalypse.
CREDIT: Morphart | Shutterstock

Friday’s numerical date is written out as 11/11/11. And for some people, that number sequence is more than a coincidence or inevitability — it’s a spiritual signal linked to 2012 Mayan prophecies of both doom and spiritual renewal.

Nov. 11, 2011 mythologies are pervasive on New Age corners of the Internet, with believers suggesting that 11/11 numerical sequences are signals from angels or numbers with hidden meanings. Even people who think little of numerology are finding meaning in the day: The Orlando Sentinel reports that Walt Disney World will host 11 weddings on 11/11/11.

But perhaps the most intriguing 11/11/11 mythology to pop up is the number’s link with the supposed 2012 Mayan Apocalypse. The ancient Mayan long-count calendar ends on Dec. 21, 2012, and some people believe that this date will usher in a new spiritual era, or even doomsday. Nov. 11, 2011 most likely became linked with Dec. 21, 2012 when believers noticed that the U.S. Naval Observatory had set the exact time of the 2012 winter solstice for 11:11 Universal Time on Dec. 21, according to John Hoopes, a scholar of Maya history at the University of Kansas.

It’s essentially based on the notion of synchronicities,” Hoopes told LiveScience. Synchronicities are meaningful coincidences, he said. And while everyone has a psychological tendency to find minding in random patterns the subcultures that believe in 2012 mythology tend to be those that dabble in psychedelics and cannabis, drugs that increase feelings of synchronicity.

“If it seems like the 2012 mythology was thought up by people on drugs, it’s because it was,” Hoopes said.

The meaning of 11

Indeed, the U.S. Naval Observatory now lists the official time of the 2012 winter solstice, when Earth’s tilt is angled as far away as possible from the sun, at 11:12 Universal Time on Dec. 21. This has not stopped 2012 believers from focusing on the 11:11 time.

In part, this is because 11:11 mythology has been floating around online for some time. The website 1111spiritguardians.com holds that noticing a clock when the time is 11:11 is a signal from “1,111 fun-loving Spirit Guardians, or Angels.” Other times, such as 12:12, 10:10 or 12:34 are messages, too, according to the site.

These numbers may seem special to people because they stick in our minds, Hoopes said. No one remembers looking at the clock when the numbers don’t make a pattern.

“People are more likely to remember 11:11 than they are, say, 4:29 or 6:53 or 3:17 or something like that,” Hoopes said.

Psychologists call the temptation to find patterns in random data pareidolia. This phenomenon is also responsible for visions of the Virgin Mary in toast or other objects.

Once you accept 11 as a meaningful number — whether because it looks so symmetrical or because you keep seeing it on your digital watch — it’s easy to find the number everywhere. One article on the website 2012rising.com ties together the Mayan calendar, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the average length of polarity reversals of the sun’s magnetic field, and the author making post number 1111 on a 2012 message board.

“The sun having an 11.11 year cycle, the winter solstice of 2012 falling at 11:11 and people all over the world finding themselves bombarded with 11’s [sic] just as science is predicting some kind of majestic solar event at the peak of this current cycle seems more than coincidence,” the author writes.

(Solar activity does indeed peak about every 11 years, potentially disrupting satellite communications, but according to NASA, there is no special risk associated with 2012 and the peaks are not expected to be different than previous historical peaks.)

11/11/11 Predictions

With all these 11s to pluck from, 11/11/11 predictions are flowing fast. New Age adherents have predicted everything from end-of-world scenarios to the ushering in of a new spiritual era.

“The buzz on the net and on Twitter and elsewhere is that 11/11/11 is the unofficial start of the 2012 metaphysical year,” Hoopes said.

Even moviemakers are cashing in on the action, with a horror/thriller movie titled “11-11-11” set for release on the date. The plot of the movie centers on a scary, mysterious force that will enter the Earthly realm at 11:11 on 11/11/11.

Non-commercial predictions tend to be more positive than doom-centered, however. The number 11 is seen as a signal that all people are one, for example, and the date is more likely to be seen as an end to greed and disconnection than as an end to humanity. That puts 11/11/11 prophets in a different class than those such as Harold Camping, who predicted a Biblical doomsday in late October.

What the Mayas would say

to read more, go to:    http://www.livescience.com/16979-11-11-11-mayan-apocalypse.html

11/11/11 — 11:11

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11.11.11.11.11

Sarah-Jane Grace
a message from Sarah-Jane Grace
Friday, 11 November, 2011

The 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year of the 21st century. How often can we have a moment like this is our lifetimes?!

There is a great deal of focus and energy being placed on this moment in time; a great deal of hope and expectation. What does it represent? What does it mean? There are lots of theories and ideas bubbling around the globe, from portals opening to a shift in DNA. In essence though, perhaps the most significant focus of this day is to simply bring together like minded souls who collectively share a vision of hope, healing, love and evolution.

The more people that come together and unify, the more we can truly understand the nature of all of the cosmic shifts, twists and turns that we have witnessed and will continue to witness. Unity is one-ness, the Uni-verse is one-ness and the more we connect to, and live, this one-ness, the more we realise just how magnificent we truly are.

The nature of being human sees us define ourselves by the sum of our past; what happened before shapes us, moulds us and makes us whom we are today. We look back to spiritual knowledge and to the wisdom of the past to give the present (and the future) meaning and purpose; we seek a full awakening from our seemingly long dark nights of the soul.

Yet, can the past truly shape and define us? Have we not reached a point in our evolution where we need to define ourselves by the present moment? Can we always find an answer from the past? In some ways, of course we can, but if we are truly evolving now surely we need to stop looking backwards and start looking forwards!

In essence, it seems to be a time to stop seeking meaning from the outside world and to go within in order to find the answers and solutions to our lives. We may not have ‘all the answers’, but no one has, not on this earth. Yet, if we are to grow and evolve, isn’t a part of that making ‘mistakes’ and learning from them? Like a baby finding its feet; it will fall and bump, but after each fall comes not only a determination to try again but an evolving learning process to make the next attempt a step closer to its goal.

We are being re-born now, and it is time to have trust and faith in our own abilities to learn and to find our own ways forwards. This is not about isolation, but it is defining ourselves from within not without. Groups are a powerful way to manifest change and transformation, healing and love, but in order to find Truth, we need to go within our Selves and not define ourselves through the collective.

11.11.11.11.11 is a special moment, perhaps mainly because we decide it will be. This may sound twee or a little light-hearted, but it is not. At the end of the day, it is our intent that is the most important gift that we have. Intent and personal power are our guiding lights and are the forces in our lives that can transform, destroy and create. Imagine what we can do personally and collectively if we believe that we can. If we can make 11.11.11.11.11 special, then we can do anything!

Portals may open and our DNA may change, but perhaps the most significant things we can embrace is unity, self-awareness and the power of intent, for once we have these, then life can be truly wonderful…

You are encouraged to share articles as long as copyright and contact information are always included.  Thank you for your courtesy. Sarah-Jane Gracewww.theplanetwhisperer.co.uk

Copyright © 2006-2011 Sarah-Jane Grace. All Rights Reserved

from:    http://spiritlibrary.com/sarah-jane-grace/11-11-11-11-11

Astrology of the 9th Wave

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MAYA’S COMPLETION: The Astrology of the 9th Wave

By Salvador Russo

An awakening is taking place upon planet Earth that will forever change the course of our future as a civilization. At long last mankind will begin to fulfill its Divine potential and create a world of peace, prosperity, and ever-increasing achievement. Central to this collective ascent is that human consciousness is evolving in revolutionary fashion. Although darkness blankets the nations a great cosmic truth is dawning: that cycles and order are inherent in Creation and that on October 28th, 2011, as the 9th Wave of the Mayan Calendar completes, humanity will have finally become qualified to receive Cosmic Consciousness.

 

The Mystery

For millennia, the Mayan priesthood has kept a powerful secret. This secret is encoded within what today is loosely called the Mayan Calendar which the average citizen aptly equates with impending catastrophe. An agenda of insidious design has deceived the populace as to what the true nature of the Mayan Calendar is: a sacred system that reveals the relationship between the evolution of human consciousness and Creation itself.

The Mayan Calendar emerged during what is called the Mayan Classic Period which extended from approximately 250AD to 900AD. During this time the Maya most notably distinguished themselves from neighboring civilizations by conceptualizing two remarkably advanced calendric achievements: the Long Count and the Great Cycle. These concepts form the crux of the Mayan system and permit one to understand the evolutionary nature of Creation since its advent.

 

The Cycles

The Long Count is in essence a system of cyclical increase which culminates in what is called a Hablatun. The Hablatun is a cornerstone in the Mayan Calendar and it corresponds with what is referred to as a Heaven. A Great Cycle, also known as a Wave or Underworld, consists of 13 Hablatuns, a number that is very sacred to Creation. Furthermore, and of vital importance, exists the Sacred Round, also known as the Tzolkin, which is a 260 day calendar comprised of an interrelating sequence of 13 and 20. It becomes evident upon study that the Maya were intimately aware of the harmony that exists between the cosmos and our Solar System.

Before one can appreciate the synergy between these cycles, one must first understand our own. In doing so we must first travel back to ancient Greece and become acquainted with the work of their finest astronomer, Meton. His name graces the Metonic Cycle, which is one of our most important cycles and is defined as follows: the number of lunar cycles, otherwise known as lunations, required for a New Moon to return to its exact astronomical point of reference, to the precise degree. Though Meton’s estimations of this cycle are admirable he was disadvantaged by the lack of modern telemetry systems that we enjoy today. His estimation of the lunations required to complete this cycle fell short; he theorized 235 when in truth the count is 260.

The mystery of Maya unravels with Meton. Consider that the length of one lunation is 28 days and that there are 13 such lunations in each Solar Year. If we divide the Metonic Cycle’s lunation count of 260 by 13 we are left with 20, meaning that it takes 20 Solar Years to produce one Metonic Cycle. Our luni-solar math perfectly mirrors that of the Mayan Sacred Round which consists of 13 Tzolkin Trecenta Cycles and 20 Tzolkin Day Cycles which permute to produce 260, the same number of lunations in a Metonic Cycle. The Metonic math parallels the Tzolkin math.

 

The Reckoning

This connection has remained hidden because the true length of our year has been long corrupted. As was given to the great prophet Enoch by the holy angel Uriel a year is comprised of four equal 90 day quarters which are partitioned by the four equinoxes. The seasons combine for 360 days and when the four equinox days are added the result is an eternally perfect solar year of 364 days. Without dispute we understand a lunar cycle to be a perfect and eternal 28 day period. Wouldn’t the solar cycle also be perfect and eternal? See that 28 by 13 is 364 and not 365! Is Creation not perfect? Has anyone ever lived a partial day?

 

Mirrored Math

Further correlation can be seen between the lunation count of a Solar Year and the Hablatun count of a Mayan Underworld – mysteriously they are both 13. Further still our seven day week corresponds to the seven day Mayan Creation Cycle. Our 52 week Solar Year matches the length of the 52 year Mayan Calendar Round. Our 13 lunations per Solar Year parallel the 13 Trecenta Cycles in the Sacred Round. The 20 years in our Meton match the 20 Days in the Sacred Round. The 260 lunations in our Meton pair to the 260 Days in the Tzolkin. While the parallels are striking they don’t end here.

Remarkably there is also an extraordinarily synchronistic display that occurs between the sequence of the Metonic Cycle and the aspect ratio between the Mayan Underworlds – they are perfectly equivalent. The sequential reduction of time between each subsequent Mayan Underworld is always a divisible of 20 and a multiple of 13 which you will recall are the core numbers that formulate the Metonic Cycle. The planets in our Solar System also play their part; our cast of nine compliments the nine Mayan Underworlds. As well, another connection is uncovered, hidden in the synodic cycles of our planets. A synod is the time that elapses between successive planetary conjunctions from our Earthly point of reference. When we sum the mean synods of our planets and divide by the sacred number 13 we arrive at 260, the count of the Mayan Sacred Round.

 

Universal Alchemy

By far the most staggering parallel that exists between the Mayan Calendar and our own Solar System is revealed when we compare our equinoxes to the Mayan Great Cosmic Cycle. The Great Cosmic Cycle represents the evolution of consciousness from creation to cosmic, from Zero Point to Ninth Wave, as well as a way to measure eternity. The number of this cycle is 819 and its factors are seven, nine, and 13, numbers that correspond to the seven day Creation Cycle, the nine Underworlds, and the 13 Hablatuns. To the Mayans the 819 cycle represented a quadrant of the universe. Naturally, this would mean that their cycle for the entire universe would be 819 by four, leaving us with the sum of 3,276.

Our Solar System’s microcosmic relationship to the universe becomes exceptionally clear when we divide the Mayan Universal Quadrant Cycle of 819 by our Solar Year Quadrant Cycle of 91 – the answer is nine, as in, nine levels of consciousness. When we divide the Mayan Universal Cycle of 3,276 by nine we are left with 364, the precise day count of our reckoned Solar Year. What we are seeing is alchemy on a universal scale, the above being the universe and the below being our Solar System! A rational mind is left to conclude that only an unfathomably resplendent power could be conducting such an ineffably majestic celestial symphony. This power is none other than Adonai, the Most High GOD.

 

Cosmological Constancy

The true nature and operation of the universe has been long contested by the great minds of times past. These minds searched for an irrefutable pattern that could prove that the expansion of the universe is intelligent and orderly, a theory called Cosmological Constancy. I humbly present through my analytical discoveries that Cosmological Constancy not only exists but that it is exemplified by the mathematical correspondences found between the cycles of the Mayan Calendar and the cycles of our Solar System. The synchronicities are undeniable and serve as a testament to the truth that there is order in Creation, Cosmic Order. After all, cosmos is Greek for ‘order.’

 

October 28th and Beyond

On October 28th, 2011 the world will shift. A deathblow to the false paradigm will be dealt and as it collapses a new, spiritually brilliant civilization will begin to emerge. As these Divine energies cascade throughout our planet profound personal and societal changes will occur. It is important to understand that there is nothing to fear, that the changes should be welcomed, and that fear of these changes will sabotage one’s ability to succeed in the coming world. Now is the time to align with the Order that one may grow instead of dwindle. Now is the time to cast off ways that obstruct ascension that one may embrace the opportunity of enlightenment that dawns. Remember always that the end of the Mayan Calendar is a reason to rejoice!

As sure as there are cycles in the cosmos there are death and rebirth cycles here below. Accept that the death of the world we have known all our lives is a necessary and infinitely beneficial part of the Divine Plan; welcome it wholeheartedly as it leads to the Kingdom of Heaven. As some are more advanced than others now is the time to come together as a human family to help one another through this process. As the dynamics of social power become cosmically aligned new leaders will emerge. Spiritual power will lead to public power, as was always intended. Remember that we must show compassion for those who are maligned because in truth it is only they who will suffer; lead by example. For those who are awake this will be an era of personal and public glory unlike any other where increase will be experienced in all ways, within and without, above and below.

Mother Nature will also prosper as she will begin to be healed and come alive in ways never before seen as a result of this energy. The rise in consciousness will prompt benevolent extraterrestrial intelligences to view humanity as equals instead of subordinates. They will begin to select ambassadors to serve as intermediaries between races. Like all things, diplomacy will soon go cosmic.

 

My Message to the World

If there were one message I could deliver to the hearts and minds it would be this: look to the Heavens as there is great wisdom there! The life of the cosmos mirrors our life here below. The greatest mystery I have ever discovered unfolds for us all, eternally, each day, perfectly, and invisible to naked the eye. Raise your minds to the celestial sphere and your eyes below will change. You will begin to see perfection in all directions, purpose behind every problem, and opportunities to ascend at every angle. Astrology is the science which enables us to perceive the Order. It is a gift, a treasure, the language that translates above and below. A language kept hidden and ridiculed for long, a language I’ll deliver as sweet as a song. To the best of my ability you will see what I see, my work rests in humility, repeat after me.

In service to Our Father who art in Heaven,

Astrologer Salvador Russo

Copyright © 2011 Salvador Russo. All rights reserved. This article may be shared freely so long as it is mirrored exactly, cited in full, and linked back to TokenRock.com.

from:    http://www.spiritofmaat.com/nov11/mayas_completion.html

Greece – Earthquake near Patras

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(Strong?) shallow earthquake in Greece, near Patras

Last update: November 11, 2011 at 1:46 pm by By 

Earthquake overview :  The earthquake hit at 19:25 local time. The epicenter was very close (27 km) to Patras. As the hypocenter was very shallow there is possibility of some damage close to the epicenter area.

 

Location Map (USGS)

Keep this page open or return regularly as we will be back with more details when they become available 

UPDATE: The epicenter of the earthquake was very close to Lepanto, only 2 km NW from the location.

UPDATE: ​It is a good sign that we don’t have any information about serious damage or injuries at this point. This new lower magnitude given by the Institute of Geodynamics may change the outcome of this earthquake.

UPDATE: The earthquake was very well felt in Nafpaktos and Aigion. The Institute of Geodynamics from Greece gives a magnitude of 4.6 and a depth at 17 km.

The earthquake hit at 19:25 local time. The epicenter was very close (27 km) to Patras. As the hypocenter was very shallow there is possibility of some damage close to the epicenter area. There are already reports of some minor damage, falling rubble and  bricks.

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 5.2
UTC Time : 17:25:40
Local time at epicenter :19:25:40
Depth (Hypocenter) :6.9
Geo-location(s) :
27 km (16 miles) NE (34°) from Patras, Greece

for more information, updates, etc., go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/11/10/strong-shallow-in-greece-near-patras/

Alexandra David-Neel in Tibet

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The Amazing Tibetan Adventures of Alexandra David-Neel

n 1965 Lawrence Durrell, on assignment from a popular woman’s magazine, interviewed the 96-year-old Alexandra David-Neel at her home in Digne, in the south of France. Famous for her earlier adventures in India, China and Tibet, and the books recording these, Alexandra is best known for her daring journey to Lhasa over the Trans-Himalayas in midwinter 1924. Accompanied by her adopted son Lama Yongden, she was disguised as a beggar/pilgrim and eluded soldiers, brigands and officials of the British Empire. David-Neel became the first European woman to reach Tibet’s forbidden capital, and she remains the most accurate, extensive source on the arcane Buddhist practices of a nearly vanished world. Durrell called her “the most astonishing woman of our time.”

When we interviewed the renowned novelist in a Greek neighborhood in the South Bronx, while researching our biography, “The Secret Lives of Alexandra David-Neel,” he fondly recalled her eternally youthful air. Although worn down by the hardship of her travels, Alexandra kept a radiance that had drawn countless admirers, including generals and heads of state. She was born Alexandrine Marie David (a distant relation of the artist David) in Paris in 1868 to a left-leaning father, a publisher and a puritanical mother. Alexandra began her career as a lovely opera singer, complimented by Massenet. When her voice broke, she became a strongly feminist writer, while her interest in Eastern philosophy matured. In 1904 she married Philip Neel, manager of the French railways in Tunisia. It was a marriage of convenience for both parties, and Alexandra soon took off for India. Her one significant love affair, with Sidkeong Tulku, the young, handsome, reforming Maharaja of Sikkim, ended tragically when he died in pain, poisoned, in 1914.

Alexandra, for solace and enlightenment, turned to the Gomchen of Lachen, the Hermetic master of a small monastery in a mountain village near the Tibetan border. Stout and ugly, the locals believed he could fly through the air, kill men by a glance and command demons. But the British authorities respected him, and with this wizard Alexandra seemed to magically learn Tibetan. His occult knowledge formed the basis of her “Magic and Mystery in Tibet,” translated round the world. The practices the Gomchen taught her — such as tumo, breathing to create heat to ward off the piercing cold of the snows — permitted David-Neel to succeed on her journey via unexplored country to Tibet’s capital. Her “My Journey to Lhasa,” published in New York, London and Paris in 1927, became an instant classic of travel and adventure.

Above Lachen was the Gomchen’s cave, at 12,000 feet, where he spent most of his time in meditation. Along with her adopted son, 15-year-old Lama Yongden, Alexandra took up residence in a nearby, sparsely furnished cave, to which she adjoined her tent, cooking utensils and her bathing tub. She agreed to become the Gomchen’s disciple and promised him obedience. For the next two years, in cave, tent or cell, she studied tantric Buddhism with the Gomchen by conversation, reading texts, practice and telepathy. The Gomchen and Alexandra would sit together in silence, focused on the imagined aspects of a deity — perhaps Vajrapani, the protector — their goal being an entirely unified mental state. Afterward the Gomchen would quiz his pupil, who became sufficiently adept that in her trek to Lhasa she could receive messages “written on the wind.”

Alexandra became adept at tumo breathing, involving meditation on the fire within. For a final exam she bathed in a mountain stream on a moonlit night, then sat naked, meditating until dawn. She caught a cold, but tumo would save her life on the journey to Lhasa. First, she visited the Panchen Lama, second in the hierarchy to the Dalai Lama, at Shigatse, Tibet, crossing the forbidden border. She was impressed by the Panchen’s erudition, and she realized that in Tibet she was coming in contact with a wise, civilized people. In contrast, the British Political Officer, Sir Charles Bell, despite being a Tibet enthusiast, had Alexandra expelled from both Tibet and Sikkim.

Undaunted, Alexandra headed for Kum Bum monastery in Eastern Tibet via China. The Manchu dynasty had collapsed, China was in turmoil, but Alexandra pushed on past brigands and warlords and immersed herself in the monastic life and the study of rare manuscripts at Kum Bum. She observed the practices of Bon, an ancient faith, and she engaged in some of their occult practices. In August 1922, with the help of another learned British official, Sir George Pereira, Alexandra began her zigzag journey to Lhasa. Alexandra was 55 when, along with Yongden, she defeated the fierce Himalayan winter and rugged terrain to achieve her goal.

The epic story of Alexandra and Yongden’s reaching Lhasa is too incredible to summarize here. Victorious, Alexandra descended to India, flaunted her triumph before British officials, and sailed for France. She made her home at Digne at the foot of the Basses-Alpes, which she joked were “Himalayas for pygmies.” She stocked her villa Samten Dzong (fortress of meditation) with a collection of tankas, masks, prayer rugs, manuscripts and photos — a miniature Tibet. She even brought home a necklace of gold coins, a gift from Sidkeong. She had refused to spend even one, no matter how desperate her need.

to read more, go to:   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-foster/alexanda-david-neel-adventures_b_1082451.html?ref=religion

Bowser Beer for Dogs

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OK, so maybe your pooch likes to hang out on the couch and watch the game, now there is something for the thirsty guy:

 Bowser Beer For Dogs Earns World Record

First Posted: 11/8/11 06:49 PM ET Updated: 11/8/11 06:49 PM ET

If ever there was an achievement that deserved a toast, a beer for dogs would certainly be it.

And the makers of Bowser Beer, a brand brewed specifically for pooches, have double the cause to enjoy a little hair of the dog: Their achievement has been officially as honored as the first beer for dogs by World Records Academy, an online database of offbeat achievements.

Bowser Beer, which unlike human beer has no hops, no carbonation and no alcohol, has been around since 2007, but the honor still gives spokeswoman Jenny Brown a reason to hoist a glass in celebration — even as she’s trying to comprehend the complete magnitude of having official recognition for making the first beer specifically for dogs.

“I’m surprised it didn’t show up in my Google alerts,” she told HuffPost Weird News when informed of the honor.

The concept of a beer brewed for dogs sounds potentially dangerous since hops, alcohol and carbonation are all bad for canine tummies, but Brown insists her pooch pilsners and labrador lagers are safe for dogs and their owners.

“Hops are toxic, so our beer is flavored with a sweet malt barley,” she said. “It’s human grade, which is good because some people drink it by accident.”

The beer is currently made near Phoenix, but the whole brouhaha first began four years ago when Brown was living in Washington, D.C., and created some pretzel treats for some dogs for a holiday party.

After so many customers scooped them up, she decided to offer them at a Pet Expo. Then it hit her, “What goes better with pretzels than beer?”

The obvious answer was “nothing,” so Brown and family brewed up a beef-and-malt-barley-flavored non-alcoholic beverage that she gave to her dogs to sample.

After four prototypes, there was a clear winner and that became the basis of Bowser Beer. Since that auspicious beginning, Brown and her brewing brood have added a chicken flavor called “Cock-A-Doodle Brew.”

Bowser Beer is currently available in more than 40 states and Brown has a team of taste-testing terriers — among other breeds — to ensure quality control.

“Some dogs like it straight from the bottle, others like it over food and others like it frozen,” she said.

Although Brown makes sure to inform potential customers that her hound hooch won’t get schnauzers soused, she admits some people are disappointed by that.

“Some people say, ‘Oh, I’d like to get my dog drunk,’ and I say, ‘But who’s going to walk you home?'” she said. “There was one guy who told me, ‘My dog prefers double malt scotch to single,’ and I thought, ‘How sad that he knows the difference.'”

for the video, go to from whence the article came(th):   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/08/cheers-bowser-beer-first-beer-for-dogs_n_1071762.html?ref=weird-news

CME Alert

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fr/spaceweather.com

INCOMING CME? Yesterday, Nov. 9th around 1330 UT, a magnetic filament in the vicinity of sunspot complex 1342-1343 erupted, producing a M1-class solar flare and hurling a CME into space. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded the progress of the expanding plasma cloud:

Although the eruption was not squarely aimed at Earth, the CME is likely to deliver a glancing blow to our planet’s magnetic field on Nov. 11th or 12th. This could add to the impact of another CME already en route. The earlier cloud was propelled by a filament eruption (movie) on Nov. 7th and is also expected to deliver a glancing blow on Nov. 11th.

Analyses of these events are still preliminary, and the forecast may change. For now it is safe to say that high-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on Nov. 11-12.