NewClear Vision (Home - wherever the heart is)

As 2006 comes to a close and I have returned 'home,' I'm reminded why this 'war' is so necessary. Aside from the wars, indifference, greed, jealousy, closed-mindedness, etc....one flip through the TV cable channels reveals an endless stream of junk ideas and emotions invading our minds. On top of that, junk enters our thoughts through computer video games, junk print mail, recycled news stories, bad emotions recycled in music - even more so with digital players glued to the ears, and all the diversions that come over the Internet. And all this is created by people with --- sick minds. Sick with pride and too often manifesting itself as a....

Powerful PROFIT/PROPHET motive. Too many PROPHETs these days. (That's why I'm only a tour guide) Recent headline -- Record bonus of US $54 million to a Goldman Sachs (US Investment Bank) honcho. He must be quite a PROPHET (and Golden Cow worshipper). For people only get that kind of money when they can see the future correctly! You know, anticipate the wild markets. Yeah...what a PROFIT! No wonder - so many worship people like him. All those lusting MBAs full of envy among a few. He's at the top of his own pyramid. Damn...and you thought those were only in Egypt, and Central America - if you remember, they aren't as iconic.

I mentioned I visited the pyramid dig in Bosnia but, there are also pyramids in Japan with a little more imagination. Yah...the castles they built. Pyramidal structure of power. Shogun / daimyo / etc...at the top. Visit the well preserved Himeji-Jo. (Check Google Images - or my travel photos). Is it clear yet - the pyramid (Corporate. political, or otherwise) DOES NOT work? Now the dominant pyramid is in OUR MINDs.


War clarification:

Nuclear War - war designed to target one's enemies. Powered by fear, hate and revenge.

'NewClear' War - war designed to terminate pride and get everyone on the "same page." The targeting will be very different than one imagines. Also designed to remove alot of the ugliness that plagues our current world. There are NO boundaries. (Note: I did not know this back in August 2006...but, hey, I evolve and learn! Will you evolve?)

WE WILL have NEW vision. WE WILL have CLEAR vision.

WE WILL see clearly again. WE WILL have NewClear vision.

Happy (Western) New Year 2007!

A great idea for Christmas! (Planet Earth)

In an earlier blog, I noted how I visited 28 UN World Heritage Sites during this recent voyage. That works out to almost 1 site / 4.3 days (120 days). On further reflection, now I know why I had to come home early. Sensory and knowledge overload. But not every place I visited was a UN WH Site, which makes the notable site / days ratio even lower. One of those sites was the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem.

I spent a few hours wandering through this compact museum. There was copious amounts of information dating back to Mesopotamia and a little further back. Fortunately, I was able to gloss over the Egyptian sections as I had just gotten my fill of Egyptology a week earlier. My studies of other eras also helped in absorbing other sections of the museum. It wasn't until I neared the end that I read the most profound thing in the museum.

Paraphrasing the text panel: (No photographs allowed)

***For ~150 years after his death, there were NO DEPICTIONS (Or Christian art in general) of Jesus Christ. One reason for this was due to early Christians remembering the prohibitions from Judaism. Also, fear of reprisal from Romans may have been a factor. There were also only a small number of Christians. ***

Then for some reason, this changed and depictions / Christian art started around 180 CE. This took off in the 3rd century. This culminated in today's crosses, artwork, sculptures, etc... you see all over the world. Whether if be of Jesus or Mary, or otherwise. If you've been there - think of all the depictions in the Vatican Museum, or any major museum around the world - Uffizi, Hermitage, Louvre, etc...

So my point - what does Jesus look like? NOBODY FUCKING KNOWS. So why are there so many fucking i-CONs? If we think about a lower average life span back in those days, the likelihood of anyone knowing 150 years later is even lower. Is Jesus a white guy? An orange guy? A purple guy? I already told you his skin color (Age of Light - Minority Report) - but I DO NOT KNOW what he looked like.

Scholars have a CONsensus image of what he looks like - far different than the image most people associate with him - but even that is just an educated guess. So, even if you don't accept my statement, then you also have to fend off a bunch of biblical scholars. Either way - your image of Jesus is a LIE. Any image is a LIE. White or black.

Top 10 Jesus Movies (Christianity Today Magazine) - all these movies are LIEs.

People ideaLIZE things. Boyfriends idealize girlfriends and vice versa. Husband and wife. Travelers and vacation spots. Employees and new jobs / companies. 'Cult' figures. Heaven. God. At a low level there is little harm, but all too often - things don't stay at this low level.

So for Christmas - I would advise burning any image, video, cross, or book with these lies in your possession. Throw them in the Christmas fireplace or bonfire. But don't BE CONvinced by my musings. KNOW why this is so and make it YOUR CHOICE.

Here's a helpful hint: Read Exodus 20:4. Given what I just said above, you shouldn't even need this passage from the Bible to tell you that any images / artwork are a LIE.

Merry Christmas. BE the message and make it your last!

BE the message (Planet Earth)

If we stopped wor-shipping the other horsemen and just BEcame their message, history and today would be very different. We might not even remember someone named Jesus or Buddha. Instead they have been elevated to mythical proportions. Now we have a holiday (For the J dude) that has turned into a CONsumer extravaganza. Let me not spoil the good cheer. North Korean nuclear talk breakdown...no worries. Request for 2nd US carrier group to intimidate Iran and Syria...can't be bothered. US-Iraq quagmire increasing...meaningless news. Princess Diana's death was an accident, isn't that what the report said? Party on Garth!

Don't make too much of a mess in my sacrificial altar after your feasting. My words seem CONfusing? My altar is in nearly every home around the world (Not the mud huts). I even have an altar at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. My altar is in every church. I'm so popular. They don't give me credit in North America. But, everywhere else in the world I think I am recognized. Oh - the glory of it all. Do you know my initials?

How many Colosseums? (Prague, Czechia)

My final evening in Czechia and I just saw a story on a new US $1 billion stadium being planned in Texas - one of the heavyweight states of imperial hubris. What are they thinking? Oh - I know, that P word. For the glory of the human animals!

Excerpt from Dec.13.2006 AP Article -

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/295720_nfln13.html

...Bob Costas was the master of ceremonies and his hyperbole-filled introduction included calling the stadium "the most extraordinary athletic facility ever conceived ... a 21st century, supersonic setting." A video leading to computer-generated shots of the interior referenced the Pyramids in Egypt and the Colosseum among other architectural wonders.....(Yeah....reference COLLAPSED civiLIZATIONS)

The Cowboys initially projected the stadium to cost $650 million. In November 2004, Arlington voters agreed to pay for $325 million of it as long as the club paid for any overruns....(Presumably, this means higher ticket prices to the 'DRUG'-addicted FANs)

The skyrocketing tab is worth every penny to Jones, a former oil wildcatter-turned-billionaire who loves making a splash as much as he loves winning championships. "No doubt about it, I want our fans to have the PRIDE in a building that is recognized in a quality way," Jones said.
- End of Excerpt

HELLO?

When this age ends - how many Roman Colosseums will we have to reflect upon? Take a guess...so many large stadiums all over the world...all near large CONurbations. Yeah...more places to avoid. I'll even tell you where they will be, well before the final hour. I'm trying hard to be a GOOD tour guide. For those who pay attention, there will be few, if any surprises. My last corporate job wasn't in the PRODUCT PLANNING group for nothin'.

Texas and Jesus...hypocrisy....

When I was a young puppy dog (Prague, Czech)

After seventeen (16 of them 'NEW' to me) countries (Vatican City as a country - silly!) and twenty-eight (28) UN World Heritage Sites, I am ready to go home. My last stop before heading to Copenhagen, Denmark for my return flight is in the Czech Republic. I'll call it Czechia, even though that isn't really an official word. It sounds easier and less geeky to say than - I'm in the Czech Republic!

Vital information for you:
(The wonders of instant information)

Where I just ate Chinese food: www.fu-long.cz (Much cozier than photo would suggest)
Where I am typing this blog: www.grial.cz - great Internet cafe. No Microsoft Windows! All Linux!

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The last time I was in Prague, Czechia was during a 3-week 'Europe' trip in 1998. I arrived a serious puppy dog. My mental condition was not strong after a week+ or so of travel. The whole solo travel idea was wearing on me. That and the unfamiliar sights and sounds. I was intimidated and scared a bit. After that trip, I said I would never go on a solo travel trip again. A few business trips later and some life events, and well you know how the story goes more or less. I'm not a puppy dog anymore. I'm not a big dog either. I'm just trying to be a human BEing!

The following is a list of some recent places I've stayed in the last few countries. There was a comment about how I am able to afford travel. I don't know if this is general or specific. Regardless - here is a list of places I've stayed recently. There are plenty of websites talking about budget travel. Just pop up www.hostelworld.com and enter in a city and one can see many choices and prices. Make the time, find a few places to go, get a cheap airfare, and book a few nights in a hostel. Easy as PI. One key is to make the trip longer - 'stretching out' the cost of what may be a pricey airfare.

Don't know who is reading this...but even the below prices may be alot (They don't get much lower) for some - in say a very 'poor' country. My answer then....maybe you are in that predicament due to some poor choices you made in a past lifetime. I'll prepare a table of what souls get put where sometime in early 2007.

Expensive countries on this trip: Scandinavia (Hostel - $25-$35), Baltic States, Russia, Italy


Czechia
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Prague, Czechia - www.czech-inn.com - 350 Kc ~ US$17

Olomouc, Czechia - www.hostelolomouc.com - 300 Kc ~ US$14

Cesky Krumlov, Czechia - www.travellers.cz - 240 Kc ~ US$11

Israel
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Tiberias, Israel - www.aviv-hotel.co.il - 40 NIS ~ US$9 (4-bed dorm)

Tel Aviv, Israel - www.hayarkon48.com ~ US$14 (8-bed dorm)

Jerusalem, Israel - Lutheran Guesthouse - US$50 - (Single room) this place rocks! Worth it!
http://www.guesthouse-jerusalem.com/start_e.html

www.hashimihotel.com (Didn't stay, but another option in old city - rates are $28 - $35)

Jaffa Gate Hostel - $20 (Single room) - Tolerated 2 nights, not recommended though - dirty and management isn't so friendly.

Egypt
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Money spent on temple / museum entrance tickets over ~ 2 weeks - US$100+

Cairo, Egypt - Paris Hotel - US$18

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt - 36 Euro ~ US$47 (Not expensive by Sharm standards)

Luxor , Egypt - www.luxorhappyland.com - 55LE ~ US$10 (Single room)

Luxor, Egypt - www.nefertitihotel.com - 45LE ~ US$8 (Single room)
(Right by the Luxor Temple - one can see many lions from the rooftop!)

Aswan, Egypt - www.keylanyhotel.com - 63LE ~ US$11 (Single room)

Dahab, Egypt - www.bishibishi.com - 6 Eur ~ US$7.80 (Single room)

So..except for the occassional move upmarket, I am certainly in the budget-budget category most everyday of this trip. Sightseeing, (5) regional flights, (4) overnight ferries, trains and buses all add up though. Maybe I will post a more detailed report - but who really cares? Check out a guidebook at your library or bookstore. That's not why one reads this blog.