I went down to Fry's this afternoon to look at the laptops personally. Their sales help were not often too helpful. They were more acting in the capacity of the pitch man than the helpful salesperson. When they (one by one) figured out I wouldn't be a sale that day they left me to my own. The last guy was actually helpful. He pointed me to the HP Livestrong notebook. I was hoping to find something I would like in the Toshibas. I have a better idea of the size I want and the necessary components.

OK, here are the excerpts from Jane Roberts' "The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events" I thought would shed some light on the working behind the curtain. They can be found between pages 12 and 33 of the book.

"Dying is a biological necessity, not only for the individual, but to insure the continued vitality of the species. Dying is a spiritual and psychological necessity, for after awhile the exuberant, ever-renewed energies of the spirit can no longer be translated into flesh.

"Inherently, each individual knows that he or she must die physically in order to survive spiritually and psychically (underlined). The self outgrows the flesh. Particularly since [the advent of Charles] Darwin's theories, the acceptance of the fact of death has come to imply a certain kind of weakness, for is it not said that only the strong survive?

"To some degree, epidemics and recognized illnesses serve the sociological purpose of providing an acceptable reason for death - a face-saving device for those who have already decided to die. This does not mean that such individuals make a conscious decision to die, in your terms: But such decisions are often semiconscious (intently). It might be that those individuals feel they have fulfilled their purposes - but such decisions may also be built upon a different kind of desire for survival than those understood in Darwinian terms.

"It is not understood that before life an individual decides to live. A self is not simply the accidental personification of the body's biological mechanism. Each person born desires to be born. He dies when that desire no longer operates. No epidemic or illness or natural disaster - or stray bullet from a murderer's gun - will kill a person who does not want to die."

...


"The physical world that you recognize is made up of invisible patterns. These patterns are "plastic," in that while they exist, their final form is a matter of probabilities directed by consciousness. Your senses perceive these patterns in their own ways. The patterns themselves can be "activated" in innumerable fashions. There is something out there (humorously emphatic) to observe.

"(Long pause, one of many, at 10:04.) Your sense apparatus determines what form that something will take, however. The mass world rises up before your eyes, but your eyes are part of that mass world. You cannot see your thoughts, so you do not realize that they have shape and form, even as, say, clouds do. There are currents of thought as there are currents of air, and the mental patterns of men's feelings and thoughts rise up like flames from a fire, or steam from hot water, to fall like ashes or like rain.

"All elements of the interior invisible environment work together, and they form the temporal weather patterns that are exteriorized mental states, presenting you locally and en masse, then, with a physical version of man's emotional states. Period."

...

"Now: The physical planet is obviously also ever-changing while it is operationally or realistically or pragmatically relatively stable. The physical matter of the planet is also composed of literally infinite hordes of consciousnesses - each experiencing its own reality while adding to the overall cooperative venture.

"(Long pause.) Natural disasters represent an understandably prejudiced concept, in which the vast creative and rejuvenating elements important to planetary life, and therefore to mankind, are ignored. The stability of the planet rests upon such changes and alterations, even as the body's stability is dependent upon, say, the birth and death of the cells.

"(10:20.) It is quite obvious that people must die - not only because otherwise you would overpopulate your world into extinction, but because the nature of consciousness requires new experience, challenge, and accomplishment. This is everywhere apparent in nature itself. (Pause.) If there were no death, you would have to invent it (smile) - for the context of that selfhood would be as limited as the experience of a great sculptor given but one hunk of stone (with quiet dramatic emphasis).

"The sculptor's creation is pragmatically realistic, in that it exists as an object, and can be quite legitimately perceived, as can your world. The sculptor's statue, however, comes from the inner environment, the patterns of probabilities. These patterns are not themselves inactive. They are possessed by the desire to be actualized (with a hyphen). Behind all realities there are mental states. These always seek form, though again there are other forms than those you recognize."

...

"It is easy for you to see that seeds bring forth the fruit of the earth, each [of] their own kind. No seed is identical to any other, yet generally speaking there are species that serve to unite them. You do not mistake an orange for a grape. In the same way ideas or thoughts form general patterns, bringing forth in your world certain kinds of events. In this respect your thoughts and feelings "seed" physical reality, bringing forth materializations.

"You operate quite nicely politically, living in villages, townships, countries, states, and so forth, each with certain customs and local ordinances. These in no way affect the land itself. They are designations for practical purposes, and they imply organization of intent or affiliation at one level. They are political patterns, invisible but highly effective. There are, however, far more vigorous invisible mental patterns, into which the thoughts and feelings of mankind are organized - or, naturally, organize themselves.

"Each person's thoughts flow into that formation, forming part of the earth's psychic atmosphere. From that atmosphere flows the natural earthly patterns from which your seasons emerge with all of their variety and effects. You are never victims of natural disasters, though it may seem that you are, for you have your hand in forming them. You are creatively involved in the earth's cycles. No one can be born for you, or die for you, and yet no birth or death is really an isolated event, but one in which the entire planet participates. In personal terms, again, each species is concerned not only with survival but with the quality of its life and experience.

"In those terms, natural disasters ultimately end up righting a condition that earlier blighted the desired quality of life, so that adjustments were made.

"Am I going too fast?

('No, ' I said, although Seth-Jane's pace was pretty good as far as my writing speed was concerned.)

"The 'victims' choose to participate in those conditions at spiritual, psychological, and biological levels. Many of those who are counted among the fatalities might otherwise die of extended illnesses, for example. At cellular levels such knowledge is available, and in one way or another imparted, often in dreams, to the individual. Conscious comprehension need not follow, for many people know such things, and pretend not to know them at the same time.

"(11:44.) Others have finished with their challenges; they want to die and are looking for an excuse - a face-saving device. However, those who choose such deaths want to die in terms of drama, in the middle of their activities, and are in a strange way filled with the exultant inner knowledge of life's strength even at the point of death. At the last they identify with the power of nature that seemingly destroyed them.

"That identification often brings about in death - but not always - an added acceleration of consciousness, and involves such individuals in a kind of 'group death experience,' where all of the victims more or less embark into another level of reality 'at the same time.'

"Those people were aware just beneath consciousness of the possibilities of such an event long before the disaster occurred, and could until the last moment choose to avoid the encounter. Animals know of weather conditions ahead of time, as old tales say. This perception is a biological part of your heritage also. The body is prepared, though consciously it seems you are ignorant.

"There are innumerable relationships that exist between the interior environment of the body and the weather patterns. The ancient feelings of identification with storms are quite valid, and in that respect the "realism" of feelings is far superior to the realism of logic. When a person feels a part of a storm, those feelings speak a literal truth. Logic deals with exterior conditions, with cause-and-effect relationships. Intuitions deal with immediate experience of the most intimate nature, with subjective motions and activities that in your terms move far quicker than the speed of light, and with simultaneous events that your cause-and-effect level is far too slow to perceive.

"(Long pause.) In that regard also, the activities of the inner environment are too fast for you to follow intellectually. Your intuitions, however, can give you clues to such behavior. A country is responsible for its own droughts, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes - and for its own harvests and rich display of products, its industry and cultural achievements, and each of these elements is related to each other one.

"If the quality of life that is considered spiritually and biologically necessary fails, then adjustments occur. A political problem might be altered by a natural disaster if political means fail. On the other hand, the rousing creative energies of the people will emerge.

"Excellence will show itself through the arts, cultural creativity, technological or sociological accomplishments. The species tries to fulfill its great capacities. Each physical body in its own way is like the world. It has its own defenses and abilities, and each portion of it strives for a quality of existence that will bring to the smallest parts of it the spiritual and biological fulfillment of its own nature."

Seattleites are getting ready to retreat to the dry environs within their walls in advance of the coming rains. They were buying books at the twice yearly book sale at Magnuson Park this weekend, put on by The Friends of The Seattle Public Library. I got three of the cat books by Cleveland Amory. The first two were about the cat. I know this because I read them years ago. Those I gave to Lee. The third, I just found out, is about Amory himself. Pity, I like it when he writes about his cat. The other books I got are metaphysical (as usual) in nature. I've started Marianne Williamson's candid "A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of 'A Course in Miracles'". It brings me way back to when I used to live in 'Hamp. I read "The Course" when I lived there. I certainly hope there has been some progression since that time. It seems like a world ago. I picked up a book by Sayana Roman and another about Edgar Cayce, both dealing with the subject of communication.

I thought this fall would be my time of preparing for a marathon, but perhaps my course of study was brought home by me in the saddlebag of my motorcycle yesterday. I couldn't run today because the pain in my right knee has shifted to the right outside area of that joint, the lateral tendons of the muscles of the femur and maybe the lower leg. I don't feel like looking them up in my anatomy & physiology textbook. That also reminds me that I'm not in school this quarter. I seem to be playing this blind.

I had intended to quickly write a little bit about the booksale and then go into the Seth quotes about The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events. I ran out of time so now I need some sleep. Y'all have a great week.

Arianna Huffington, of The Huffington Post, on the current state of American journalism: "The unquestioning regurgitation of administration spin through the use of anonymous sources is the fault line of modern American journalism."

I almost bought a new laptop yesterday. Nevermind that it wouldn't have been a very fiscally sound move. After adding in an exta battery, some software, a 2 year warranty etc... the price climbed. I think the deciding factor, other than it was getting late, was that the wireless card would not have been built in and the machine would not have been much smaller than the monster I have now. So I'm still stuck with this Windows 98 SE with a dead battery and a screen that is held up with cardboard and duct tape. It is really pretty.

I haven't forgotten about the disaster-related excerpt I found. I want to get it in here. It really is insightful. We have a poor understanding of what we call the universe and how it works. We make our own reality, and that includes the weather. We die on our own schedule even though that may not be consciously evident. And we don't really die. Ultimately, nothing is really destroyed.

I'm getting use of the bicycle purchase though and I'm getting my bike legs back. I nearly lived on my bike while I was in Florida. It gives my knee a break. A break for me would be some sort of direction for myself. My tea-leaves reading friend, Lilia, says she sees no romance for me, still. So, no romance and no solid direction. This is getting old. Perhaps once I start writing, then the computer will materialize and I'll have something to do. Have a nice week.

Sorry kids, but more name calling; Google "asshole" and click "I'm Feeling Lucky." For that matter, Google "failure" and also click "I'm Feeling Lucky."

Read the timeline to the Katrina disaster. Really, ya gotta read it.

Goodbye Bob Denver (Gilligan). Gilligan's Island, along with Hogan's Heroes and The Brady Bunch kept us entertained in the afternoons after school. From reading this article, he was also a really nice guy.

I was only off my best half marathon time by a minute and three seconds this morning. I must have read the clocks incorrectly as I crossed the line. That makes me feel better. I thought I did a 1:36 or so. It was a 1:34:26. I started out fast and I thought I could hold it. The first hill on the UW/Bothell campus threw me and I couldn't get back what I needed. I might have done too much last week trying to get ready for this race. For the first time I think my legs gave out. I know what I need to do now. Oh yeah, so far so good with the knee. Thanks for asking.

I have a passage from Seth/Jane Roberts which may put the Katrina event in perspective, if there can be such a thing. That would be better than name calling. I'm glad to read that the Louisiana officials are sticking to their guns. Here is the print version (you might not need to join their NYT club). I need more time to type it all in. I'm finally feeling better after the race and the sun is out. I can't ride the bicycle (I'm beat), so I'll take the motorcycle out. Have a marvelous week.

Via Atrios, "BEHIND THE CURTAIN." It was all staged. They really are fuckers.

Here is an excellent (in my opinion) column from Howell Raines I read in The Seattle Times Today. It's Title is The Crescent City blues. Here is an excerpt:

"Certainly, the sacrifices of New Orleans need a kind of national reckoning, one that would enable the people to see the president who forgot to care for what he is. Every great disaster — the Blitz, 9/11, the tsunami — has a political dimension. The dilatory performance of George Bush during the past week has been outrageous. Almost as unbelievable as Katrina itself is the fact that the leader of the free world has been outshone by the elected leaders of a region renowned for governmental ineptitude."

Here is a sample taken from The Rude Pundit's latest entry:

"Nah. Fuck him. When he told Diane Sawyer that "I don't think anyone could have anticipated the breach of the levees," someone should have taken him, flown him to New Orleans, put him in a tiny pirogue somewhere off Claiborne Avenue, and sent him merrily on his way."

Read the whole thing.