Sammy's Smorgasbord

[Gio]

rant over.

I spent years providing useful helpful data on PA for the benefit of the members, the public. Thousands of helpful posts to bring some data which was obscured or not taught - I posted personal experience, technical information and help..

Malcolm and Aragorn, I understand a lot more now of what it means to be used and abused by someone and tossed under the bus for being one who cares..

Hang in there Bob,
I know it's not easy to find yourself on the outside looking in.
Especially after being a loyal and excellent contributor at PA ...

Just remember all those that have recently left there with you...
Consider yourself lucky and fully awoken to the future.

Though TOT is a small forum, it is a mature platform and the
community's standard-bearer now, and your always outstanding
posting with be greatly appreciated here.

Blessing and thank you for being with us !

[Emil El Zapato]

Part of my family is from Texas. It seems like almost all Americans must have a connection to Texas.

It's a big state...In truth, my brother lived in Texas for 25 years before I moved here, he's the one that got me in this part of the world....he's back in Kansas now though...

[Dreamtimer]

Sammy mentioned climate change. Here's an interesting study:

Paraphrase:

Glaciers in the Himalayas are melting at twice the rate they used to, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances. Why? In short: Climate change.

A team of scientists used satellite images taken across four decades (including during the Cold War, from spy satellites) to make the comparison. In layman’s terms, scientists converted the satellite images into 3D images and used those to compare the thickness of ice in different (650, in total) regions.

The study encompasses a wide area, from India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan, and even includes Mount Everest. Unfortunately, the wide area has a consistent bad result: Lots and lots of loss. There’s been a loss of 8.3 billion tons of ice per year since 2000. In the years between 1975 and 2000, the average was 4.3 billion tons. To put this another way, according to researchers, less than three-quarters of the ice that existed back in 1975 still exists today.

Abstract:

Himalayan glaciers supply meltwater to densely populated catchments in South Asia, and regional observations of glacier change over multiple decades are needed to understand climate drivers and assess resulting impacts on glacier-fed rivers. Here, we quantify changes in ice thickness during the intervals 1975–2000 and 2000–2016 across the Himalayas, using a set of digital elevation models derived from cold war–era spy satellite film and modern stereo satellite imagery. We observe consistent ice loss along the entire 2000-km transect for both intervals and find a doubling of the average loss rate during 2000–2016 [−0.43 ± 0.14 m w.e. year−1 (meters of water equivalent per year)] compared to 1975–2000 (−0.22 ± 0.13 m w.e. year−1). The similar magnitude and acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas suggests a regionally coherent climate forcing, consistent with atmospheric warming and associated energy fluxes as the dominant drivers of glacier change.

[Dreamtimer]

The conclusion is followed by Materials and Methods.

Conclusion

Our analysis robustly quantifies four decades of ice loss for 650 of the largest glaciers across a 2000-km transect in the Himalayas. We find similar mass loss rates across subregions and a doubling of the average rate of loss during 2000–2016 relative to the 1975–2000 interval. This is consistent with the available multidecade weather station records scattered throughout HMA, which indicate quasi-steady mean annual air temperatures through the 1960s to the 1980s with a prominent warming trend beginning in the mid-1990s and continuing into the 21st century (23–26). We suggest that degree-day and energy balance models focused on accurately quantifying glacier responses to air temperature changes (including energy fluxes and associated feedbacks) will provide the most robust estimates of glacier response to future climate scenarios in the Himalayas.

[Chester]

Can Humans Directly Observe the Quantum World? Part I

By William C. Bushell Ph.D. and Maureen Seaberg

Some of physics' remaining secrets may actually relent through the human senses.

A profound movement is underway in physics and related disciplines, one which has been accelerating. The public has not heard much about it, nor has the wider physics community. It is a groundswell of research focused on the discovery of the human potential for directly perceiving key aspects of what can genuinely be referred to as the “fabric of the universe.” What is astonishing about this news is that science is moving toward a day when human direct, sensory perception of the quantum may answer lingering questions about physics.

That's right — human direct sensory perception. Not machine.

Read the rest here

I hope this can kick up a discussion

[Emil El Zapato]

Hi Sammy,

This might not be your cup of tea but I get the feeling that you are open to anything that addresses THE 'questions but there are medieval sources of info that are relevant even today...

"The Cloud of Unknowing" by anonymous and Meister Eckhart, a 'heretical' Christian mystic from whom Eckhart Tolle took his name. Meister Eckhart is now considered a 'mystic' but not a heretic.

His major thesis was that it was possible to access God as God without a physical context of any kind.. semantical, physical...no mind connection at all...simply consciousness as unity, a.k.a. quantum reality.

Something to consider, anywho.

[Emil El Zapato]

Actually, this article dovetails nicely with Gio's post of Teal Swan and the 'Mandela E/A ffect' One thing may be obvious, it would take a very clear mind to perceive things at that level. Or some human property that doesn't seem ubiquitous among the species. Perhaps 'unconscious' animals are better at it which is why they seem so damn weird. In 'End to Upside Down Thinking' the author alludes to evidence of 'better sight' among those showing less 'brain activity' than among those that are classically considered 'conscious', e.g. showing robust brain activity.

[Emil El Zapato]

This also touches on the nature of some natural phenomena such as the light effect of underwater objects. One author has suggested that this 'behavior' is precipitated by a 'nearly conscious' decision on the part of light to behave in the fashion that it does. With this newer research the suggestion emerges that it might be the human eye and the eye's consciousness that is making the decision with or perhaps even without the auspices of nature and its manifestion of light. It feels better to me that there be a cooperative activity rather than one taking precedence over the other. One over the other just doesn't sit well with me be it common human interaction or at the lofty level of nature/God.

One last thought: I wonder how they were able to measure human capability to the levels reported...at the quantum level all bets are off?

[Chester]

Its too bad that unless you are a member of PA and/or a Retired Member that can read member posts, folks can't read a post made by a recently (re)retired member Onawah.

The post is Post #67 in a thread about the recent shakeup at PA for those who are members.

I can't do justice to the post by attempting any form of synopsis... but how can I make this post and not try?

The post covers areas such as cyber-relationships, bringing together "disparate groups of people," addiction to technology, how the internet can be a great tool to "fight the NWO" it is also used by the NWO "and darker forces," forums can become an unwitting tool of disruption manipulated by third parties with agendas, emphasizing living in the Now and connected with Nature, Spirit..., mentioning the addiction aspect again with regards to support groups for internet addiction (if there was one here in Dallas, I would go)... that many internet addicts don't understand they are addicted, in denial...

Things getting down to the "end game" (darkness and light), the importance of PRESENCE (the Now moment) in a direct connection with others (not the cyber route but real "in the flesh" interaction with others), wishing Avalon well (and I read this through my own filter where I see TOT and perhaps some other forums in the group I also wish well for but I am not retiring from TOT)...

The end is Onawah's expression of appreciation of the service provided by PA (I read "all these forums") and a declaration to (re)connect with "real life" (my words, "real life," not Onawah's)... to break out of the cycle.

On another note but very related -

I have disabled the PM feature here at TOT and have chosen to remain Retired at PA. I have realized all the shitstorms I found myself in always involved PMs and then the movement to other forms of private communication. This has exposed me to situations where I either played a proactive role in a meltdown OR where I found myself feeling "held hostage" by a single relationship or a group or clique I found myself a part of. Because I accept I am no "master" of this type of "online maneuvering" I must accept my limitations and draw the line. I have done so - no more PMs - ever.

I have proven to myself I am vulnerable and have yet to achieve the level of sovereignty I feel I need to remain out of these back-channel shitstorms.

[Dreamtimer]

Research into the human olfactory system has also recently been undergoing revolutionary progress, as it now appears to be part of a larger, organism-wide chemo-receptor system containing cells distributed throughout the body.

Human memories are strongly tied into smell.

...the ability to discriminate between actual external sources of light and light spontaneously produced by the body, especially by the visual system itself (internally produced light phenomena known as phosphenes or biophotons).

Very interesting.


From the meditative study mentioned:

A “framework” is presented for understanding empirically confirmed and unconfirmed phenomena in the Indo‐Tibetan meditation system, from an integrative perspective, and providing evidence that certain meditative practices enable meditators to realize the innate human potential to perceive light “at the limits imposed by quantum mechanics,” on the level of individual photons.

Such capacities may also allow advanced meditators to realize the innate human potential to...in toto [attain] the perception, as well as sophisticated understanding, of the “moment to moment change or impermanence” universally characteristic of the phenomenal world but normally outside untrained attention and perception according to Buddhist doctrine.

[Dreamtimer]

Sammy,

You have affirmed my long-ago choice to avoid PMing. Thanks.

I saw how conversations would just stop in the middle. I saw how people would suddenly seem to have changed perspectives without any dialogue.

And as a moderator I decided to keep it at moderator level stuff.

Which means I don't PM much.

So, good decision, imo. It's worked out well. Most people who have PM'd me have received a reply. One or two messages were inappropriate and were left to wither.


Do you do meditation?

Funny thing, I recall that a former New Age popular writer, Mary Summer Rain, came up with something she called Quantum Meditation.

[Chester]

Sammy,

You have affirmed my long-ago choice to avoid PMing. Thanks.

I saw how conversations would just stop in the middle. I saw how people would suddenly seem to have changed perspectives without any dialogue.

And as a moderator I decided to keep it at moderator level stuff.

Which means I don't PM much.

So, good decision, imo. It's worked out well. Most people who have PM'd me have received a reply. One or two messages were inappropriate and were left to wither.


Do you do meditation?

Funny thing, I recall that a former New Age popular writer, Mary Summer Rain, came up with something she called Quantum Meditation.

I am always striving to improve (and I mean this from the perspective of others). I have decided that at age 61, I need to take up meditation. I was planning to go tonight to a place I have never been before that features meditation. Something tells me this would be an important thing to do.

Again, with regards to the PM thing (and I am fortunate that I can keep myself away from "doing it" because I am not a mod, I can actually turn off PMs - and I have done this. This is because I likely would be impulsive and reply OR send one in a heated moment. Sadly, I need to apply these types of things that are features enabled for members here at TOT and also at PA (as of now at least).

Another feature I think is excellent is the "Ignore Thread" feature though I haven't used that one yet.

I also appreciate that I can chose to ignore posts from a member that may not be a bad person but that I find "triggers me." I really emphasize that I see the "triggered" thing to be "my issue / my problem" but in cases I am unable to work that out, the Ignore List is an appreciated feature.

[Chester]

I am also "studying" non-duality again. I used the quotes because "studying" is not the right word... But I am heavily into it again.

A funny thing I came upon... just a thought for ya'll to consider and perhaps respond. I know what dualism means but I realized I am unable to express it in words. In fact, it seems like we go from One to three (skipping two and thus 'duality'). "What?" you might ask.

This is because if I am focusing on duality, that "I" is actually a third part of the dynamic. This is not a new consideration of mine but it is a consideration I buried deep within and long ago. That this came up again is thanks to a true wizard I am grateful to know and someone I love and cherish... someone original and who remains a "thinker for her/himself. And ironically, someone who answered the very first PM I was brave enough to right. And who replied in the kindest and most thoughtful way. That if it were not for this reply, I may have bailed on the whole "forum thing."

I am now feeling guilty that by turning of PMs, I may be blocking someone who might be in the position I was over 7 years ago. Geeeeeez, what a conundrum for if we can't give away what we have received... how do we even keep it? Maybe this is what I should meditate upon first (though I know classic meditation is like achieving an empty mind). Clearly my never ending posts show that this will be quite a challenge.

[Chester]

This will be the first class -with regards to meditation.

[Dreamtimer]

Sounds good.

Even small amounts of meditation are good. You can slowly increase the amount as you go. It's easier to make it part of your day that way.

Possibly.