Gauracandra

This is a nice little story about Srila Gour Govinda Swami from the back of his "The Embankment of Separation". I can just see him doing this. One of the things about Srila Gour Govinda Swami that disarms you is his voice. Actually he seems like he would have a very booming and deep voice if you saw his picture. But actually his voice is very high pitched. I heard the story of how this came about from a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Gour Govinda Swami actually had a much deeper voice. One day he was singing before the deities and fell into a state of ecstacy for Krsna. He fell unconscious to the ground and remained unconscious for several days. His servants continued to take care of him during these days. Finally, he came back and his voice had completely changed several octaves. From that day forward he had a rather high pitched voice. Gauracandra

I just wanted to clarify a statement I had made regarding references to corn in the Bible. Actually, corn is the most referenced crop in the Bible, with between 15-20 references in Genesis alone, and well over 100 throughout the Bible itself. Here are just a few verses with regard to this: Mathew 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. Deuteronomy 23:25 When thou comest into the standing of corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor’s standing corn. Joshua 5:11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. Exodus 22:6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. Deuteronomy 16:9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. Judges 15:5 And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. II Kings 19:26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. Isaiah 17:5 And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim. Isaiah 37:27 This verse is exactly the same as II Kings 19:26 as seen above. Joshua 5:12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any ore; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. So these are just some examples of how the word corn in scattered throughout the Bible. So shall we conclude that the Bible is wrong? Or that the Bible is simply a modern interpolation? The answer is no and the reason deals with the evolution of language. Language is fluid and constantly changes. The King James Version of the Bible was first published in 1604. At that time the old English word corn referred to any generic form of grain (very often wheat). But over the last few hundred years, language has changed. Today most people think of corn as that New World crop that goes great with butter, or eaten popped at the movie theater. But that is not what the Bible is referring to in these passages. Now the reference to pumpkin is even more rare and only found in some versions of the Bible. This is more likely just a bad translation rather than language evolution. Gauracandra

Satya said: JNDas said: Just for the fun of it I actually went and did some research on these various vegetables and their origins. Here are some of my findings: Radish – There are two views of its origin. Some say it comes from South Asia, others from the Mediterranean. It was used extensively during the days of the Pharaohs in Egypt, but didn’t reach England until 1548 A.D. So the radish is possible to have been in India. Cabbage – Its origins are around the seacoast in various parts of England and continental Europe. Other vegetables from the same genus include Collard Greens, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, and Brocolli. Collard Greens – See Cabbage. Lettuce – Native to the Mediterranean; it was cultivated principally by the Greeks. Cauliflower – See Cabbage. Bell Pepper – A new world vegetable that grew throughout the West Indies, Central America, Mexico, Peru and Chile. First made its introduction in Europe after the return of Columbus in the 1490s. Chili – Same history as that of the Bell Pepper. Was first brought to Europe after Columbus’s return from the new world. Asparagus – Native to Siberia and Southern Africa. Tomatoes – A new world fruit thought to have been first domesticated in Mexico. Also found in Peru. The tomato was first introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the early 16th Century. Satya said: He is not corroborating any such thing. As JNDas said: If you can provide evidence that these vegetables were listed then please do. Simply saying the Puranas say so, but with no verse is not enough. Second, it should be pointed out that language is very fluid. Meanings of words change over time. It is entirely possible that people today take certain sanskrit words for vegetables and interpret them to mean modern words. This happens all the time. Like in many modern versions of the Bible it talks of corn and pumpkins. But both of these are new world products. So was the Bible a modern writing? No. The words are the same, but someone has incorrectly interpreted the verses to say corn and pumpkin. Finally, Satya said: I fail to see where he is being intollerant or proselytizing. Someone wants to discuss this issue and he does. Just as you are now. The issue has nothing to do or not do with whether vegetarianism=bhakti or any other such diversion of the topic at hand. Simply here are some points. If you have the evidence then present it. That is all. Gauracandra

Very funny. Just goes to show never cross a woman. For every one hit we get in, we get back one thousand fold. Gauracandra PS This proves my joke that girls=evil. How can you argue with the science of mathematics? Just tryn ta egg her on I suspect I'll be blasted for this

This is interesting. I also remember a program a few years back about a man made island. I don't remember exactly where it was located, but I'm thinking around Thailand, or Malaysia...I just can't remember. Anways, the entire island was said to have been inhabited by several thousands of people, but the entire island was made up of piles of stones slabs (from the ocean floor up). It was kind of odd looking. The manmade island was big. The program was also trying to figure out how they did this. A few interesting points were that the rocks could have only been quarried at a location hundreds of miles away as those kinds of rock were nowhere to be found in the area. The other point is as you mentioned about this South Indian temple. The native story is that the priests of this land would recite mantras that made the stones as light as air, then moved them to this location. Kind of odd that two separate cultures have this same principle. If I remember correctly they believed in Ocean gods who gave them their knowledge (don't recall the details though). Gauracandra

I wanted to get any of your thoughts on this subject. Certainly the architecture of churches, mosques, temples and synagogues have a lot to do with cultural ideas of aesthetics. But very often, on a subtle level they reveal the philosophical conclusions of that particular religion. Here are a few thoughts on this: Catholic Churches – The Catholic faith is one steeped in tradition. In medieval times, they built grand cathedrals as a way of attracting the poor peasant. If you were poor, but heard about the kingdom of God, when you stepped into a Catholic church you would feel that power. Grand arches and columns. Beautiful stained glass windows. They approach God in a mood of awe and reverence, hence the rooms tended to be very subdued, and respectful. Their philosophy is based on the blood and suffering of the crucifixion and so their crosses show the image of Christ nailed on the cross, with stab wound, a crown of thorns, and blood trickling down his face. Protestant Churches – The Protestant faith came about as a revolt against the Catholic church. They didn’t want all these layers of spiritualists (Bishops, Archbishops, Deacons etc…). Their churches tended to be fairly simple and “down with the people”. A Baptist church is more or less a very nice building. The simplicity speaks to their desire for a religion of the people, rather than of spiritual bureaucracy. They also use symbols of the cross but without a physical image of Christ because they feel that the image of Christ was a deviation by the Catholic church in that it was violating the commandment against creating images. Mormon Church – Mormons have no crosses either on the inside or outside as part of the Church design. To them the most important part of the story of Christ was not the crucifixion but rather when Christ prayed to God in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was at this point that Christ began to sweat blood as he took on the sins of others. They also believe that man can evolve spiritually to become a God in his own right. Thus in their temple designs, you will find that there is a spiral path in every temple going from the lower level to the upper temple room level. This represents man’s evolution to different levels of Godhood and exhaltation. They also have sharp needle like points that pierce the sky outside as part of their architectural design, perhaps symbolically representing this drive to Godhood. Mormons are thus henotheistic, believing in a plurality of gods. South Indian Sri Vaisnava – As temples to Visnu, these tend to be very grand and the mood is one of awe and reverence. The Gopuram represents the gate into heaven, guarded on both sides by the deities of Jaya and Vijaya. I have been told that the temple design is actually one representing the body of God. Thus the Gopuram gate represents the feet of God. The stambha represents the genitals of God. The length of the temple, with its room represents the body of God. The deities in the small compartment of the temple, represents the heart of God where the deities reside (or perhaps the head of God I don’t remember exactly). And the top of the temple, above the deity, is often made of gold, and represents the crown of God. Thus symbolically the temple takes on a certain architecture. Gaudiya Math – This style is very colorful and playful and thus represents certain philosophical conclusions about how to approach God. Rather than a mood of awe and reverence, the Gaudiya philosophy stresses other aspects of God’s personhood. The Gaudiya Math style has blues, greens, yellows, reds, with carvings of peacocks, elephants, lions. Dioramas of Krsna and Caitanya. They tend to have a simple entrance gate and then a simple, but beautiful temple. Again, the look and style represents the philosophy. Buddhist – I don’t have a whole lot of experience with Buddhist architecture so perhaps someone could fill me in on this. I do remember that at the temple I went to a few weeks back, the main temple was filled with 10,000 little statues of the Buddha (hat’s the number they gave). Each little Buddha was like 4-5 inches tall, and covered every inch of the interior of the temple room. Perhaps this represents the infinity of time and that there is a Buddha in every corner of the world. This is just my guess. I’d be curious about any ideas on Buddhist architecture. I also don’t know much about Islamic and Judaic architecture or how their philosophy would tie into them. Please share your thoughts on any of these or other religious systems and how we can see that philosophy in their temple designs. Gauracandra

Hey Maitreya, We actually had a similar conversation several months back in these forums. Here are a few thoughts I've cut and pasted from JNDas and Shvu from that time. JNDas said: Then Shvu said: Hopefully this helps. Just remember with every action comes a reaction (Karma) so offer all foodstuffs to God and make it prasada. Gauracandra [This message has been edited by Gauracandra (edited 05-27-2001).]

Hi Leyh, I won't argue your point that there are meat-eaters that are really nice people, and vegetarians that are jerks. However, I do want to clear up the myth that Hitler was a vegetarian. This is what is called an 'Urban Legend' kind of like the Kentucky Fried Rat, or the story of the Kid who died after eating Pop Rocks and drinking Coke at the same time. Hitler was not vegetarian. Its easy enough to search the web for information against this myth. Here is just the first one that I found that I figured I'd post for all: Hope this clears it up. Take care. Gauracandra

A few days ago on PBS (Public Broadcasting System in the U.S.) they aired a program where various people were trying to determine how to engineer the raising of the obelisks similar to those found in Egypt. Of course these stone monuments were much smaller than the originals, but they wanted to try to do is from a theoretical angle. One thing that was funny was an engineer who kept criticizing the other team's approach. He developed this complex pulley system based on his modern engineering education, and honestly thought thats how the Egyptians did it. His approach failed. The other team slowly descended the obelisk on sand, then scooped the sand out from around the object. I also remember seeing a program about a year ago on a temple in South India. Apparently the top dome of this temple is made out of 1 solid rock weighing many tons (don't remember the exact specs). So this team was trying to analyze how this could be done since it was way high up. There was a cliff off in the distance, perhaps 1 mile. They concluded that the Indians filled the entire 1 mile stretch from the cliff top to the temple top with sand, then rolled the Stone to the temple. Personally I just don't see this being done. For one thing, where was all the sand to come from? Its one thing in the Egyptian desert, but South India is another story. Needless to say they didn't try it out Gauracandra

I've always been curious about the history of the photo of Srila Gaura Kishore Das Babaji. As far as I know thats the only one ever taken of him. And considering that cameras were not so readily available in the early 1900s and Srila Gaura Kishore Das Babaji was often difficult to get a hold of, I would be real curious if anyone knew the history of this photo. Gauracandra [This message has been edited by Gauracandra (edited 05-26-2001).]

Animesh, I think it should be noted however that the quote above is separated from context (who is he speaking to, what is the conversation about, at what time is this occurring etc…) Kailasa for instance gave a very lengthy quote from Srila Prabhupada about what he considers bogus. He doesn’t care if you call God Krsna or whatever name you may choose. For instance, suppose I just gave this quote from Srila Prabhupada: You might get one impression. But suppose I gave this quote from Srila Prabhupada: If one reads all of Kailasa’s quote, Srila Prabhupada is being very open minded to other religions. I remember a story I was told in which Srila Prabhupada was in Tehran. In the background, he heard a loud chanting of ‘Allah’ and he asked what it was. His disciple, told him it was the muslims chanting the Namaz (I think that is what it is called) in which they call out to Allah. Srila Prabhupada simply sat there and shook his head and said “Very nice”. Then another disciple came in (Atreya Rishi) and said “But Prabhupada, its not as good as chanting Hare Krsna”. Srila Prabhupada sat there for a moment with eyes closed listening to the Namaz and then said “Now you are asking me to be sectarian”. There aren’t many Hindus who would say something positive about Muslims. This reminds me of what bad movies do for reviews. A reviewer will say “This is one of the finest examples of movie making gone awry – Roger Ebert” and the producers will put in the newspapers “This is one of the finest examples of movie making… - Roger Ebert”. This happens all the time. So I think Kailasa has given good background on Srila Prabhupada’s mood in context with regard to other religions. Haribol. Gauracandra

I understand this point, but I also think we can only take this so far. I'll give an example. A few months ago I was watching a program in which a professor was saying that Christians should not be against abortion. He basically used the same line of reasoning "Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say one should not have an abortion. In fact Jesus who was a social reformer probably would be pro-choice" or something like that. The moderator sort of sat there with his jaw on the ground (as was mine). There are a number of Christians these days who are saying that Jesus was vegetarian. I don't know all the particulars but I do remember one interesting point that I was told. Apparently there is a tribe called the Nazarenes which if you believe what these Christians say were vegetarian. As I understand it (and I could be wrong) this is not considered controversial, but rather established fact. There is also a place called Nazareth. So these Christians say that there is a mistranslation of Biblical wording. Its not Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus from a place called Nazareth) but rather Jesus the Nazarene (Jesus belonging to the Nazarene tribe). Again, I don't know if this is true or not, but a vegetarian Christian explained this to me once. As for other Christian books being left out, this has always been very interesting to me. Apparently there was a Gospel of Mary Magdalene that was left out. It is believed by some to have been done because it would have placed women at the forefront of the Christian movement. After all Mary Magdalene (a woman) was the only person who did not abandon Christ. I have always thought it would be fascinating to wander through the Vatican. They've gotta have so much accumulated world treasures it would be incredible. I wouldn't be surprised if they had every one of these other Gospels, as well as treasures from around the world. I don't remember the details, but there was a very sophisticated Indian tribe in Mexico or Brazil (somewhere in South America) which had libraries with thousands of books explaining their culture, medicine, history etc.... When the Spanish Conquistadors came they burned and looted the library. But, interestingly enough, several years ago the Vatican returned one of these books (called the Codex I believe) to its country of origin. So if they have one, who says they don't have them all, plus so many other treasures of the world. Something to think about. Gauracandra

I don't want to reopen the whole "Siksa vs Diksa" debate but I do have a question. Actually I asked this question during that debate but never got an answer (unless I missed it). But could someone show me verse from Caitanya Caritamrta or Caitanya Bhagavat in which Mahaprabhu actually gives pancaratrika diksa? I would be interested in any information in this regard. Haribol. Gauracandra

I don't want to reopen the whole "Siksa vs Diksa" debate but I do have a question. Actually I asked this question during that debate but never got an answer (unless I missed it). But could someone show me verse from Caitanya Caritamrta or Caitanya Bhagavat in which Mahaprabhu actually gives pancaratrika diksa? I would be interested in any information in this regard. Haribol. Gauracandra

It is interesting to note that a number of Judeo-Christian faiths accept that God’s original plan of peace on earth included vegetarianism. I have spoken with an orthodox Jew at work about this (he wears the yarmulka, wears the Jewish tassles, doesn’t cut his beard, follows all kosher laws etc…). He accepts that in the Garden of Eden all were vegetarian, but that after the flood God gave Noah permission to eat meat as a way of sustenance. Other groups accept this as well. The Seventh Day Adventists, one of the fastest growing Christian churches today, accepts that a vegetarian diet is the way to go. One of their founders was a woman named Ellen G. White who had a vision from God saying that His original plan was for all to live off of fruits and grains. Once I had a conversation with some Jehova Witnesses about this. They showed me a picture of God’s restored heaven on earth. In it there was a picture of a lion sitting next to a lamb. I asked them about the lion eating the lamb and they said that in God’s restored heaven on earth all creatures would live peaceably with one another. I then asked is that how it was in the Garden of Eden and they said yes. I followed up with, so all creatures in the Garden were vegetarian then. And they said that was true but they added that after the flood God gave permission to eat meat. So I asked wouldn’t it be appropriate that if we knew God’s original plan was vegetarian, shouldn’t we try to follow this? They said it all depended on the individual’s decision but since God gave permission to Noah, then it was all right. I would also point out that the Cathars, a medieval mystical form of Christianity, were strict vegetarians. These are just some points to consider on this topic. For your pleasure I have put together a quick listing of quotes from the Bible regarding abstaining from the eating of flesh. The quotes all come from the King James version of the Bible. Gauracandra “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in that which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherever there is life, I have given every green herb for meat; and it was so.” – The Bible, Genesis 1:29-30 “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely YOUR blood of YOUR lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it” – The Bible, Genesis 9:4 “Saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are full of blood.” – The Bible, Isaiah 1:5 “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man” – The Bible, Isaiah 66:3 “For that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts, even one thing befalleth them: As the one dieth, so dieth the other. Yes, they have all ONE breath. So that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast – for all is vanity” The Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:19 “Take care not to destroy God’s work for the sake of something to eat” – The Bible, Romans 14:20 “Moreover, ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings” – The Bible, Leviticus 7:26 “We the Christian leaders, practice abstinence from the flesh of animals to subdue our bodies … the unnatural eating of flesh-meat is polluting” – Saint John Chrysostom A.D. 345-407 “And the flesh of slain beasts in his body will become his own tomb. For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills himself, and whoso eats the flesh of slain beasts, eats the body of death” – The Essene Gospel of Peace

From Nectar of Instruction verse 4: Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one's mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasada and offering prasada are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.

Hi Kebm, I agree with you. Personally I believe if one is really sick one should use standard healthcare as opposed to Holistic approaches. Its possible these holistic medicines can be good as preventitive medicine, or even in conjunction with traditional medicine. But I do think its important not to go to anti-biotics everytime we feel a tingle in the throat. Alot of germs are becoming immune to antibiotics because of a casual approach to their use. Still theres gotta be a better tasting alternative to apple cider vinegar Gauracandra

I love my job, I love the pay! I love it more and more each day. I love my boss, he is the best! I love his boss and all the rest. I love my office and its location I hate to have to go on vacation I love my furniture, drab and grey And piles of paper that grow each day! I think my job is really swell There’s nothing else I love so well. I love to work among my peers I love their leers, and jeers, and sneers. I love my computer and its software I hug it often though it won’t care I love each program and every file I’d love them more if they worked a while. I’m happy to be here. I am. I am. I’m the happiest slave of the Firm, I am. I love this work. I love these chores. I love the meetings with deadly bores. I love my job – I’ll say it again I even love those friendly men. Those friendly men who’ve come today, In clean white coats to take me away!!!!

Nothing JNDas said here was racist nor judgmental. The letter was clearly judgmental against non-Christians by saying that unless you follow his views then you are in bondage. I thought it was funny. Gauracandra

I use free internet providers. When connecting through Juno it appears that there aren't any new postings to the forums for the last day. But when I go through Bluelight I can see new postings to these forums. So it appears the forums people have been split (and most probably won't know unless they are being redirected to this new server). Oh well, I guess it will all be reconnected in a few days. Kinda weird though for a site to be on the internet in two places at once Gauracandra

I think I know what you guys are talking about now. I remember seeing a big old fleshy mushroom suspended in a jar of brownish liquid once. Ewww....I agree I don't think I could drink this (much less explain how it got stuck in my toilet Gauracandra

I was wondering if anyone could explain the symbolic nature of Indian women who part their hair and put the red ointment across (I think it is vermillion). I understand it is a symbol of chastity, but does anyone have an understanding on how this developed? I have heard one story but it doesn't seem real reasonable to me. No need to repeat it. But if any of you have an answer please share. Gauracandra

I have always wanted to learn more about the Zoroastrian faith. From what I understand they more or less controlled the Arab world prior to Mohammed. Then when Mohammed came he killed them all off, or drove them into India. Its interesting that in the story of Mohammed there is a point at which he and his men ride into a temple and destroy hundreds of idols. I have heard a few stories, though I don't know how real they are, that his family were in fact Shaivites. There are a couple points given for this. First, supposedly his grandfather wrote poetry to Mahadeva that still exists, also the stone in the Kabba (the most holy site for Muslims) is one of the idols that was not destroyed in Mohammed's attack, it is believed to be a Shiva linga. Also, the symbol for Islam is a crescent moon (which is what Lord Shiva wears in his hair). And Alla is another name for Durga in Sanskrit. There are other similarities as well. I read this in an essay by some Indian lady once. I don't know how real they are or if it is just Indian propaganda against Islam. Never can tell. But I found them interesting. But it makes sense to me that prior to Christianity and Islam, the whole mid-east was more "Vedic". Certainly Zoroastrianism lends to this, also in the Bible it tells of how the peoples worshipped many Gods. Any thoughts on this? Gauracandra

There has been a lot of talk in the U.S. lately of an “energy crisis”. Gas and energy prices have steadily been creeping up over the last few years. So I thought it might be interesting to discuss what are some possible solutions to this problem. There are two general ways I see for the U.S. to fix this energy problem. First, we can use less energy. This can take many forms: more fuel efficient cars (perhaps smaller vehicles instead of monster SUVs), better city transportation (buses, commuter trains), better insulation for homes, more efficient light bulbs, and just less use of electricity (like turning off the TV once in a while) etc… The second approach would be to find and utilize other sources of energy. These can be solar, wind driven, water dams etc… I have always thought that dams were an effective source of cheap, pollution free energy. But there is an environmental cost to dams because many fish can no longer swim upstream to spawn. Personally I have never thought that wind power would be very reliable and have much impact. Solar seems good to me, though I don’t have any practical experience with it. Does anyone here have practical experience with Solar panels? For instance, suppose the roof of a house is covered in solar panels, will that be enough to take care of the energy requirements of that home? And how much would solar panel siding cost to install and maintain on a home? Is this cost effective relative to a general home electric bill? One source of energy that I do believe in is Ethanol. Several years ago I put together a 25-30 page report on ethanol: its historic use, production, capabilities etc… I have since misplaced that report but do remember a few things from it. For instance, in WWI almost all of the German vehicles ran off of potato alcohol. Once alcohol reaches 150-200 proof (75-100% alcohol) it becomes good as fuel. Also, I believe Brazil utilizes ethanol or gasohol (ethanol mixed with gasoline) as a way of combating its dependence on outside energy sources. Perhaps Satya could fill us in on this. There are several benefits to ethanol. First, it is pollution free. Once it is burned all you get is water vapor. Second, it can be a good way to maintain agricultural prices. Right now in the U.S. the government purchases thousands of tons of agricultural products to KEEP OFF the market. This is a way to keep prices of corn etc… high so that farmers can make a living. The economics of agriculture are such that because they are a commodity product the prices and profit margins often get razor thin. What does the U.S. do with all this excess food? Do we give it to poor countries? No. We dump it in the ocean so as to maintain the world price of grain etc… at high levels. Its completely stupid, I know. Anyways, we could just as easily take that excess grain and develop ethanol to fuel our cars. Another idea I thought of a long time ago that I have read is under development is the use of human waste as a source of ethanol fuel. My idea was since there are 300 million Americans, each one produces biological waste every day. We have transportation for this waste to common sites for processing. Right now there is sewage treatment, but there is no other benefit. Recently I have read that some scientists have been developing bacteria that will eat these waste products, and as their waste product, will release alcohol (that’s all brewers yeast does with grain). So we could utilize the waste products of millions of Americans as a way of fueling our vehicles. These are some ideas. Please chime in with any thoughts you may have or practical experience with alternative sources of energy. Gauracandra

This was a test developed by Anderson Consulting. They gave this test to top level executives around the country. Their findings were that 90% of the executives could not answer a single one of these questions. They gave the same test to kindergarten kids and most got two or three right. The idea is that we often overcomplicate simple problems. Due to our conditioning we can’t see outside the box. Thus simple children can solve simple problems, but complex adults have difficulty with these same simple problems. Here are the answers to the test: 1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door. This question was designed to test whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way. 2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator? Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This question was designed to test your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions. 3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference, all the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend? The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator. This tests your memory. 4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it? You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending the Animal conference! This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.