Landfill Harmonic

Gina Rinehart Calls For Sterilization of The Poor

May. 28, 2013

Conservative billionaire Gina Rinehart called for the sterilization of the poor today, arguing that the only way to alleviate poverty is to stop the "underclasses" from multiplying.
In a video uploaded to her official YouTube account, the Australian mining heiress said that income inequality is caused by differences in intelligence, and eugenics is the only answer.
"Our nation faces a grave economic crisis as the combination of a strong Australian dollar and falling commodity prices sap our ability to compete globally," she explained, "the only logical solution to this crisis is to strengthen the quality of our most precious resource: human capital.
"I believe that any couple making less than $100,000 a year should be forcibly sterilized through a vasectomy or fallopian tubal ligation. Those earning more than $100,000 a year should be encouraged to have as many as 10 or 12 children.
"Only by eliminating waste and focusing on our brightest, most efficient workers can we hope to see off our rivals in the emerging world."

Inherit the Earth

Rinehart is the richest person in Australia and ranks as one of the wealthiest women in the world. Most of her fortune comes from a mining company she inherited from her father and later built into a leading exporter of iron ore.
Her fortune prospered during Australia's long commodity export boom, but is under threat as China's economy slows and iron ore prices tumble. Adding to her woes is the rising cost of production.
Late last year, Rinehart made a video arguing that Australians needed to accept lower wages because people in Africa were willing to work for $2 a day. But in today's video she seems to have realized that even that won't be enough.
"Paying Australians less is a part of the solution, but it can't be the whole fix. It's no use paying someone at all if they're too lazy, drunk, and stupid to properly operate our sophisticated mining equipment.
"So I'm willing to pay a decent wage, as long as I'm getting the son of a doctor and not the son of a failed bartender on welfare. The problem is that the underclasses seem to be outbreeding the intelligent folks, and I can't find a decent worker anywhere.
"That's where our government comes in. By stopping the poor from procreating, we can create a new class of intelligent, hard-working, well-paid Australians that will forge our economic future."
Rinehart recently ranked 16th on Forbes' list of the most powerful women in the world, ahead of Australian prime minister Julia Gillard. Her fortune is estimated at over $21 billion in U.S. dollars.

Keep it Positive

It all happens to us. That voice, the bad one, that starts to doubt and make you feel like you aren’t capable or that thing you want to happen, just won’t ever happen.
It’s amazing how much we can let this voice get to us, but the reality is, that we don’t have to let it. It’s just a voice…not our true self speaking. Our true self would never talk to anyone, let alone, our-self like that.
For example, if you’re best friend started doubting herself and started speaking negatively, you would never go, “You’re right. You can’t do it”, “You’re right. He doesn’t love you”, “You’re right. You suck”…haha, right?? So why do we talk to ourselves this way?!
Seems crazy.
Just remember you are unique. You are beautiful. You are here and alive for a reason. To give the world YOU. Whatever that is. Stick to it. Be it. Live it. Love it.
Close your eyes…breathe and connect to YOU. Quiet that busy, negative mind of yours and connect with that inner peace, positive, beautiful self of yours. Treat yourself well. Speak kindly to yourself because you’re listening and those thoughts will pay off…giving you more confidence, success, happiness and peace.
You may repeat these positive affirmations to yourself throughout your day:
10 Positive Affirmations

• “I rise above all limitations”
• “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be amazing”
• “I am safe, confident and secure. I feel joyful about my future.”
• “I am worthy of love”
• “I love being me”
• “Today I focus my attention on loving myself and trusting the Universe”
• “I am totally adequate at all times”
• “I am safe and secure in my world”
• “I am whole, perfect and complete”
• “Yes, i can. I have the strength and I have the passion”

And when those negative thoughts sneakingly slip in…simply replace them with positivity.
Your heart knows the truth, not your head…
Namaste ♥

About the author: Danielle Cuccio

Danielle Cuccio, RYT is an LA-based Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Yoga Booty Ballet Instructor, Aesthetician and Ayurveda Practitioner.After receiving her BA from The University of California-

BRAZIL - EXPULSION OF KAYAPO INDIANS

Published on: Thu Apr 4, 2013

Author: Sue Branford

Source: LAB

Kayapó indians, protesting about the construction of the Belo Monte dam on the Xingu river, have been evicted by the military. The eviction has been caught in powerful pictures.

 

Esta foto debe da la vuelta en el mundo

por Yolanda Sanchez Sanchez
La evacuación de la tribu Kayapó –un pueblo indígena de la región amazónica del Mato Grosso, en Brasil– ordenada por el gobierno brasileño, ha comenzado… La construcción de la represa hidroeléctrica de Belo Monte se libera…, a pesar de las numerosas protestas de grupos ambientalistas y de las más de 600.000 firmas recogidas implorando por su preservación y resguardo. Por lo tanto, la pena de muerte fue decretada para la selva y la gente de la gran curva del río Xingú. 
 
Pena de muerte decretada por gente realmente perversa, por tecnócratas maniáticos pero poderosos y los “inversores” de siempre, ávidos de negocios y ganancias. Unos y otros se amparan en la "legitimidad" y el "derecho" que les brinda un tramposo sistema político economista y pseudodemocrático que decidió por todos los habitantes del Planeta (humanos y no humanos) que la máquina vale más que la vida. Pena de muerte o declaración de guerra a la Biodiversidad y al Planeta Viviente, en la que ya no es posible para nosotros mirar para otro lado o permanecer como meros espectadores pasivos, sino que debemos decidir sin hipocresía en cuál de los dos frentes estamos ubicados. Belo Monte, un total de 400.000 hectáreas de valioso bosque nativo será inundado, un área que es más grande que el Canal de Panamá. 
 
40.000 personas de las comunidades indígenas y locales…, el hábitat de numerosas especies animales y vegetales, serán destruidos para siempre. El hombre tecnomorfo hace todo al revés. Se alucina con los espejitos de colores versión Siglo XXI de la tecnología electrónica y digital pero no conoce el sutil y delicado equilibrio ecológico del Planeta, con su complejo entramado de interrelaciones múltiples, en el que todos los seres vivos dependemos mutuamente unos de otros. El individuo de pensamiento tecnomórfico apuesta a la técnica creyendo neciamente que en la misma hallará bienestar y seguridad mientras que es en el orden natural de la Creación terrestre y en el celoso cuidado de sus Pilares Biológicos donde se encuentra la verdadera y única Arca de Salvación. 
 
En el caso del Xingú el tecnomorfo DESTRUYE una parte importante de la Biosfera con la finalidad de producir electricidad más fácil, más eficaz y rentable, producida principalmente por los inversionistas. Todo para sostener una civilización tecnolátrica. Gente supuestamente no tan perversa o incluso presumiblemente “buena” (pero pasmosamente ingenua y, sobre todo, muy mal informada) generalmente por motivos ideológicos justifican por aquí y allá emprendimientos geocidas como la megaminería con cianuro a cielo abierto y el empleo de energías contaminantes, los desmontes y la industrialización tecnomórfica del campo, etc., sosteniendo argumentos realmente insostenibles. Para muchas de ellas, “No se puede ir contra el «progreso»”, dicen. “Hay que alimentar a las personas”. O bien el trillado: “Es el Norte industrializado y capitalista el que nos empuja a industrializarnos también a nosotros y a seguir el mismo camino que ellos… No podemos quedarnos atrás…” 
 
Pero ese camino, se sabe, lleva hacia el abismo de la fractura gaiana, hacia la MUERTE planetaria, hacia la carbonización de la atmósfera (como la de Venus y Martes, dos planetas muertos con una atmósfera de más del 90 % de dióxido de carbono), así como a un calentamiento global que pondrá a la vida orgánica contra las cuerdas, no hablemos ya de salvar a la “civilización”… Entonces, ¿para qué seguir el camino de las malas personas, de los peores, de los dementes? No se puede llamar "progreso" a la destrucción del mundo. La historia de la tribu kayapó debe ir por el mundo y tal vez provocar una reflexión. Una  reflexión profunda, ponderante, fecunda. Lejos de la marcha despiadada de la sociedad capitalista y tecnocrática –siempre justificándose impunemente a sí misma-, hacia seres humanos auténticos, nobles, responsables…
-- Consuelo

Reiki

 

 One of the greatest Reiki healing health benefits is stress reduction and relaxation, which triggers the bodies natural healing abilities, and improves and maintains health. Reiki healing is a natural therapy that gently balances life energies and brings health and well being to the recipient.

This simple, non-invasive healing system works with the Higher Self of the Receiver to promote health and well being of the entire physical, emotional and psychic body. Therefore it is truly a system of attaining and promoting wholeness of Mind, Body and Spirit.

Reiki is a specific type of subtle energy work in which healing is performed by the touch of the hands, allowing the flow of the energy from a limitless source (God Force) to the patient via the Reiki practitioner. It is extremely powerful, yet gentle energy that can be easily channelled to yourself and others, just by intention.
Reiki healing is a pure energy form. When it is combined with the sincere Desire of the Healee, who is willing to effect a cleansing within their emotional and spiritual consciousness, a total healing can occur.



POTENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF REIKI HEALING TREATMENTS When the flow of the "Life Force Energy" is disrupted, weakened or blocked, emotional or health problems tend to occur. Imbalances can be caused from many situations occurring in our lives, such as: emotional or physical trauma, injury, negative thoughts and feelings, including fear, worry, doubt, anger, anxiety, negative self-talk, toxicity, nutritional depletion, destructive lifestyle and relationships, neglect of self and lack of love for oneself or others, from emotions that are not expressed in a healthy way...
Reiki is excellent for healing any physical, mental, emotional and spiritual issues of any kind and it gives wonderful results.


Some Of The Reiki Healing Health Benefits:

Creates deep relaxation and aids the body to release stress and tension,

It accelerates the bodie's self-healing abilities,

Aids better sleep,

Reduces blood pressure

Can help with accute (injuries) and chronic problems (asthma, eczema, headaches, etc.) and aides the breaking of addictions,

Helps relieve pain,

Removes energy blockages, adjusts the energy flow of the endocrine system bringing the body into balance and harmony,

Assists the body in cleaning itself from toxins,

Reduces some of the side effects of drugs and helps the body to recover from drug therapy after surgery and chemotherapy,

Supports the immune system,

Increases vitality and postpones the aging process,

Raises the vibrational frequency of the body,

Helps spiritual growth and emotional clearing



When we are relaxed, stress-free, we are able to restore our natural ability to heal.
Long term practice of whole-body reiki will restore the general condition of the body. It will open the energy channels and this will allow the body to deal properly and naturally with stress and build-up toxins and cope with anxiety and depression.
When a person is in good health, regular therapy will increase the bodies built-in defences. This will manifest itself as confidence and outward harmony in dealing with everyday events. The person will gain a positive outlook on life.
Reiki will also provide additional energy required to recover from illness.
A Reiki healing session can induce an extremely comfortable state of being that can bring alteration in the clients consciousness.
If used with other natural therapies (meditation, crystals, aroma therapy, Bach Flower remedies, homeopathy, etc.) Reiki will reinforce their effect.
It can be used also as complementary therapy, because Reiki is truly a complementary care. It complements and enhances the health care the patient receives in the hospital or from other health care providers.


Reiki healing complements Eastern and Western medicine and everybody can benefit from it.It is beneficial to the health of woman (even pregnant), man, children and it is also excellent to be used on animals (dogs, cats, horses), plants, water, etc.
Reiki healing energy is a tool for use at any moment, any time, any where for on-the-spot stress release, pain relief and quick energy.






ABOUT THE USUI SYSTEM OF REIKI HEALING This natural healing modality originates in Tibet. The name "Reiki" (rey-key)comes from the technique as re-discovered by Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist in the early 20th century.
"Re" means "Universal" and it is a general term for spirit or unseen spiritual quality, which serves as channel for "Ki" or "Life Force Energy" (some call it God, Buddha, Chi, Qi, Prana, Love Energy, or similar). It relates to the superior, all-encompassing cosmic energy from which all other minor energies in the universe draw their power. Everything in the Universe is made up from energy particulars which form the Omniscient, All-Knowing Blueprint for Creation. The Vital Living Energy Force comes in different manifestations of energy and one of these being the frequences in which Reiki was born.
The Usui System of Natural Healing teaches us also the "Secret Art" of "Inviting Happiness" into one's life which can be achieved by working with the Five Reiki Ideals and the Three Degrees of Attunements. The Five Reiki Ideals help us realize that improving oneself is an essential part of Reiki healing.


HOW REIKI HEALING ENERGY WORKS? The body is more than just a collection of functioning parts. Since everything generates a frequency, the body and its organs have their own energy field which is continually changing. All conditions of disease are rooted in this energy system. If our "life force" is low or blocked, we are more likely to get sick. But if it is high and flowing freely, we can maintain our health and well being.
Reiki Healing Energy provides means to balance the human energy fields (Auras) and energy centers (Chakras) to create conditions needed for the bodies healing system to function.
The Reiki practitioner assists the client to heal themselves spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically by a simple laying on of hands. By the use of ancient healing symbols the practitioner channels the Universal Life Force energy allowing it to flow where is needed to bring the energy centers into alignement.
The Reiki practitioner must be a clear vessel through which the healing energy flows. He/She plays an instrumental part in the healing process, but ultimately it is up to the healee to manifest harmony and balance in their own life.

Happiness

 

Un profesor de psicología en la International University of Bonanza se paró ante un público 

en una conferencia y 

contó un chiste y todos se rieron.


Al cabo de un rato contó el mismo chiste y casi nadie se rió. Contó el chiste una y otra vez 

hasta que nadie se 

reía...

Y dijo: "Si no pueden reírse varias veces de una sola cosa, ¿Por qué llorar y recordar lo 

mismo una y otra vez? 


No vale la pena aferrarse a lo que te hace daño o a lo que ya no tiene remedio y ¿sabes 

qué? No hay vuelta 


atrás!

La vida continúa, solo ama, perdona, valora y vuelve a amar.... Vale la pena ser feliz!!!!

300 Years of FOSSIL FUELS

Tupac Amaru II

La muerte de Tupac Amaru II: Una de las ejecuciones más crueles en la historia

El 18 de mayo de 1781 se produjo la ejecución de Tupac Amaru II quien había sido condenado por los conquistadores españoles a la muerte en la horca. Antes de ejecutarlo lo obligaron a presenciar cómo le cortaban la lengua y la cabeza a sus amigos, a su mujer Micaela Bastidas y posteriormente a dos de sus hijos. 
Como es relatado por Baltasar de Ocampo y fray Gabriel de Oviedo, prior de los dominicos en Cuzco, ambos testigos oculares, el inca levantó su mano para silenciar a las multitudes que se habían reunido en la Plaza de Armas de Cuzco para presenciar su ejecución, y sus últimas palabras fueron: "Ccollanan Pachacamac ricuy auccacunac yahuarniy hichascancuta" (Madre Tierra, atestigua como mis enemigos derraman mi sangre).
Luego de ver como torturaban y mataban a sus seres queridos, los soldados cortaron la lengua (por haber hablado contra el rey…) y ataron las extremidades del famoso jefe Inca a cuatro caballos con el fin de descuartizarlo vivo. Esta atroz idea no se pudo concluir por lo que decidieron decapitarlo, clavar su cabeza en una lanza, despedazarlo y enviar sus cuatro miembros a cuatro ciudades diferentes: Tungusaca, Carabaya, Livitaca y Santa Rosa.
Un testigo anónimo describe la muerte del cacique revolucionario indio: "Se le sacó a media plaza: allí le cortó la lengua el verdugo, y despojado de los grillos y esposas, lo pusieron en el suelo: ataron a las manos y pies cuatro lazos, y asido éstos a la cincha de cuatro caballos, tiraban cuatro mestizos a cuatro distintas partes: espectáculo que jamás se había visto en esta ciudad. No sé si porque los caballos ni fuesen muy fuertes, o el indio en realidad fuese de fierro, no pudieron absolutamente dividirlo, después de un largo rato lo tuvieron tironeando, de modo que le tenían en el aire, en un estado que parecía una araña. Tanto que el Visitador, movido de compasión, porque no padeciese más aquel infeliz despachó de la Compañía una orden, mandando le cortase el verdugo la cabeza, como se ejecutó. Después se condujo el cuerpo debajo de la horca, donde le sacaron los brazos y los pies... Este día concurrió un crecido número de gente, de que entre tanto concurso no se veían indios, á los menos en el traje mismo que ellos usan, y si hubo algunos, estarían disfrazados con capas o ponchos. Suceden algunas cosas que parece que el diablo las trama y dispone, para confirmar a estos abusos, agüero y supersticiones. Digo porque, habiendo hecho un tiempo muy seco, y días muy serenos, aquel amaneció tan toldado, que no se le vio la cara al sol, amenazando por todas partes a llover; y á hora de las 12, en que estaban los caballos estirando al indio, se levantó un fuerte refregón de viento, y tras este aguacero, que hizo que toda la gente, y aun las guardias se retirasen a toda prisa. Esto ha sido causa de que los indios se hayan puesto a decir, que el cielo y los elementos sintieron la muerte del Inca, que los españoles inhumanos é impíos estaban matando con tanta crueldad. ...De este modo acabo José Gabriel Túpac Amaru [...]."
Su muerte no fue en vano, ya que las causas que motivaron su revolución fueron consideradas para efectuar cambios en el sistema político/administrativo, traduciéndose en la supresión de los corregidores, instaurándose el régimen de las intendencias. Además, se creó la Audiencia del Cusco, donde se ventilaban casos de abusos en contra de los indígenas.
A pesar de la ejecución de Túpac Amaru y de su familia, los españoles no lograron sofocar la rebelión, que continuó acaudillada por su medio hermano Diego Cristóbal Túpac Amaru, al tiempo que se extendía por el altiplano boliviano, la región de Jujuy y en el Noroeste argentino.   
Tupac Amaru II se rebeló en el Perú colonial contra la opresión y tiranía colonial de los invasores venidos de España. Rebelión que terminó con el genocidio de 100 mil indígenas.

Pepa González  Bonora para LaReserva.com

The top eight anti-aging foods available right now

by Christina Luisa

(NaturalNews) There are certain antioxidant-packed “power foods” that boost, protect, and prime us for a longer, healthier life, both externally and internally.
Here are the top 8 foods with powerful anti-aging properties that are built to better our health and appearance while also encouraging longevity. They should be added to your arsenal of daily health-promoting tools in order to keep you looking and feeling great no matter how many years you’ve got under your belt.

Leafy greens and cruciferous veggies

We’re always hearing natural health experts and nutritionists touting leafy greens – and with good reason. These impressive, nutrition-packed veggies contain folate, calcium and other nutrients that support bone health, protect against cognitive decline and help prevent age-related eye problems (http://chealth.canoe.ca). More significantly, these green veggies boast powerful anticancer properties.
Diets high in cruciferous veggies like broccoli also help reduce the risk of memory loss. Crucifers and leafy greens like kale, Swiss chard, escarole, beet tops and spinach make delicious additions to all kinds of dishes, including stir-fries, salads, stews and soups.

Apricots

This little peach-like fruit may appear fragile but it packs a potent anti-aging punch. The bright orange exterior of apricots comes from carotenoids, powerful antioxidants that help prevent heart disease, reduce bad cholesterol levels and protect against cancer. Our bodies convert the carotenoid beta-carotene into vitamin A, which contributes to healthy eyes, skin, hair, gums and glands.
Years of research has proven that apricots possess the highest levels and widest variety of carotenoids of any other food. They are also excellent at regenerating body fluids, detoxifying the body and quenching thirst (http://blog.everythingantiaging.com).

Berries

Scientists have found that berries have some of the highest antioxidant levels of any fruits (measured as ORAC). Kale and spinach are the only vegetables with ORAC values as high as fresh berries (http://berryhealth.fst.oregonstate.edu). Fresh berries are also chock full of phytochemicals and color pigments called anthocyanins that have been associated with a lower risk of certain cancers, urinary tract health, memory function and healthy aging.
Berries are great sources of quercetin, a flavonol that works as both an anti-carcinogen and an antioxidant, protecting against cancer and heart disease. The anti-inflammatory properties of berries is thought to slow down the loss of mental function that is often associated with aging. Researchers report that blueberries might even help slow down the cognitive deterioration that comes with Alzheimer’s disease. For an extensive list of scientific studies that document the anti-aging properties of berries, visit this site: http://berryhealth.fst.oregonstate.edu

Olive oil

Italians are known for their long lifespan and ability to age gracefully, and this should come with no surprise considering that olive oil is a huge staple in their Mediterranean diet. Olive oil is packed with the best health-forming fats available in the form of omega-3 fatty acids. These necessary fats not only help to keep you lean and heart-healthy by reducing inflammation, they also lower cholesterol and improve skin circulation and digestion. All of these factors lead to a healthier body and a longer life.

Wild Alaskan salmon

The huge antioxidant boost you’ll get from wild salmon will get your skin glowing faster than almost any other type of fish. Wild salmon’s pink hue comes from a diet of nutrient-rich krill; this offers a healthy dose of the beneficial pigment astaxanthin, which has notable anti-inflammatory properties. Another antioxidant in salmon, the mineral selenium, protects healthy skin cells by fighting off free radicals. It also helps the thyroid function properly, which keeps both your weight and overall health in check.

Tomatoes

Eating tomatoes may help protect your skin, according to German researchers (http://alternativeremedies.boomja.com/index.php?ITEM=115590). Volunteers swallowed a daily shot of tomato paste mixed with extra virgin olive oil or just plain olive oil for 10 weeks. After daily exposure to UV light, the tomato group had 40 percent less sunburn than those who consumed only olive oil. The magic ingredient in tomatoes is lycopene, which protects skin from the oxidation that results from sun damage and leads to wrinkles. Drizzling tomatoes with a little healthy fat like olive oil helps you better absorb the lycopene.

Raw almonds

Almonds are packed with hard-to-get vitamin E, and just one small handful offers half your daily dose. Raw almonds are the healthiest form of this nut, delivering a higher nutritional content in a pure, unprocessed form.
When researchers from several leading medical schools looked at the impact of different vitamins and minerals on speed, coordination, and balance in people over age 65, the only one that made a difference was vitamin E. Volunteers with the weakest physical performance had the lowest levels of E, whereas more agile participants had adequate amounts of the vitamin in their system. This power vitamin keeps us coordinated by neutralizing free radicals in both our muscles and nervous system.

Avocado

Brimming with the highest quality omega 3s, avocado is one of the most alkalizing foods available. Avocados are also very high in vitamin E, which is essential for glowing skin, shining hair and keeping wrinkles off your face. Have a raw avocado salad or cover some fresh avocado with lemon and sea salt for a nutritious snack.

Carl Jung

#10 - INFERIORITY COMPLEX

"Wherever an inferiority complex exists, there is a good reason for it."
—Interview, 1943

#09 - COMPENSATING FACTORS

"The great problems of life—sexuality, of course, among others—are always related to the primordial images of the collective unconscious. These images are really balancing or compensating factors which correspond with the problems life presents in actuality. This is not to be marveled at, since these images are deposits representing the accumulated experience of thousands of years of struggle for adaptation and existence."
—Psychological Types, 1923

#08 - DREAMS

"The conscious mind allows itself to be trained like a parrot, but the unconscious does not—which is why St. Augustine thanked God for not making him responsible for his dreams."
—Psychology and Alchemy, 1953

#07 - HIDDEN DOOR

"The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens into that primeval cosmic night that was soul long before there was a conscious ego and will be soul far beyond what a conscious ego could ever reach."
—The Meaning of Psychology for Modern Man, 1934

#06 - SHADOW

"Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other."
—The Psychology of the Unconscious, 1943

#05 - EVERY FORM OF ADDICTION

"Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism."
—Memories, Dreams, Reflections, 1962

#04 - SOLE PURPOSE

"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being."
—Memories, Dreams, Reflections, 1962

#03 - PENDULUM

"The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong."
—Memories, Dreams, Reflections, 1962

#02 - LOWLY SIDE

"If people can be educated to see the lowly side of their own natures, it may be hoped that they will also learn to understand and to love their fellow men better. A little less hypocrisy and a little more tolerance towards oneself can only have good results in respect for our neighbor; for we are all too prone to transfer to our fellows the injustice and violence we inflict upon our own natures."
—Two Essays on Analytical Psychology: New Paths in Psychology, 1912

#01 - THE ONLY REAL DANGER

"We need more understanding of human nature, because the only real danger that exists is man himself . . . We know nothing of man, far too little. His psyche should be studied because we are the origin of all coming evil."
—BBC interview, 1959

Walt Whitman

Bertrand Russell

Anaïs Nin

“Cualquier forma de amor que encuentres, vívelo”

---

“Me niego a vivir en un mundo ordinario como una mujer ordinaria. 
A establecer relaciones ordinarias. Necesito el éxtasis. 
Soy una neurótica, en el sentido de que vivo en mi mundo. 
No me adaptaré de mi mundo. Me adaptaré de mi misma”

---

 "No vemos jamás las cosas tal cual son,
las vemos tal cual somos"

---

"Sólo creo en el fuego. Vida Fuego.
Estando yo misma en llamas enciendo a otros.
Jamás  muerte. Fuego y vida"

---

"Hay sólo dos clases de libertad en el mundo;
la libertad del rico y poderoso,
y la libertad del artista y el monje
que tienen el coraje de renunciar a las posesiones"
"Cuando haces un mundo tolerable para vos,
haces un mundo tolerable para otros"

---

"Somos como escultores,

constantemente tallando en los demás imágenes que

anhelamos, necesitamos o deseamos,

a menudo en contra de la realidad,

contra su beneficio, y siempre, al final,

un desengaño,

porque no se ajusta a ellos"

"Hay dos modos de llegar a mí, mediante los besos o la imaginación.

Pero existe una jerarquía; los besos por sí solos no bastan."

---

“El amor nunca muere por causas naturales.

Muere porque no sabemos rellenar su fuente.

Muere de ceguera emocional, de nuestros errores y traiciones.

Muere a causa de nuestras enfermedades y heridas del corazón,

De cansancio, por falta de riego.

Cuando se vuelve opaco y deja de brillar,

Entonces el amor muere.”

 

Bob Dylan

Colleen Kelly

To Die Twice, Then Run A Half-Marathon
After a horrific bike accident, Colleen Kelly Alexander is running Vermont City this Sunday.
By
Michelle Hamilton;


Published
May 24, 2013




For the last year of Colleen Kelly Alexander’s life, listening to music while training has been more than a way to pass the miles. It’s been the only thing keeping her from having a mid-run breakdown.

On October 8, 2011, on a cloudless fall morning in southern Connecticut, the competitive triathlete was riding her bike on Boston Post Road in Madison en route home when a 30-ton freighter slammed into her.

The pain was intense, like fire, Alexander says. The truck ripped open her belly, broke her pelvis and legs, severely damaged her leg muscles, and tore the skin off parts of her lower body. There were sirens and voices, but the sound she remembers was that of her heart.  

It began pounding when she saw the truck coming. As she lay bleeding, she listened to its labored attempt to keep her alive. She screamed, thinking that as long as she was yelling, her heart was beating.

But as the ambulance speed to Yale-New Haven Hospital, Alexander’s heart stopped.

It took medics 20 minutes to resuscitate her. Twenty-four hours later, they’d have to revive her again. More than a month would pass before she could breathe on her own.

As her body slowly recovered, she returned to running. But the heavy, rhythmic sound of exercise that used to bring her peace, now caused panic.

“Breathing for me equated to death. I would smell the tires, feel my body cracking open,” Alexander, now 37, says by phone from her home in Clinton, Connecticut. “A lot of times during training I would stop on the side of the road and start sobbing.”

The alternative rock sounds of Switchfoot, songs like “This is Your Life” and “Dare You to Move,” drowned out her inhales and exhales, letting her log the miles.

Wednesday night, for the first time, Alexander left the headphones at home. She and her husband, Sean, went out for a five-mile run, their last training session before this Sunday’s Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, Vermont. Sean is running the full distance and Colleen will join him for the second half.

The race is a homecoming for Alexander. She used to live and work in the area and as part of a job in youth advocacy—her career was in nonprofit programming—she trained 12 teenagers to run the marathon relay. Just before the accident, she had decided the 2012 event would be her first half-marathon. This Sunday's race will no longer be her inaugural 13.1-miler—she finished three earlier this year—but she’s excited to return.

“I wanted to embrace the sounds of the people and the music of this race,” says Alexander. “The energy at the Burlington race is just awesome and I wanted to take that in without fear.”

Alexander and Sean ran along a residential road in their neighborhood, then along the waterfront overlooking Long Island Sound.

“I listened to the birds and talked with my husband,” she says.

“It felt good. And I didn’t freak out on the road. And there were trucks out there,” she adds with a laugh.

As for her breath: “I listened to it.”

Alexander estimates that her heart now pumps the blood of more than 125 different people through her body.

“I will never know who they are,” she says. “Red, yellow, black, white, gay, straight, but the fact that I have been saved by all these heroes, all these blood donors, is so beyond empowering. It’s not about me anymore and that finally started clicking with me.”

Alexander gives her finishers medals to the doctors and medical staff who pieced her lower body back together and helped her learn to run again.

There are many to distribute. Alexander has completed 20-plus events since the accident. Most recently, she finished the Ten Penny Ale Shamrock Duathlon (5-K run, 26-K bike, 5-K run) in Glastonbury, Connecticut last weekend (pictured above; she's at center). She finished in 2:45:20.

Her 5-K times at the race—38:06 and 47:00—are a mark of her progress. In her first race back, she walked the Leprechaun 2-Mile Walk on St. Patrick’s Day in two and half hours with a walker, her colostomy bag in tow.

One of her most memorable racing moments came this March when Matt Long (pictured with Alexander at left), the New York City firefighter who was crushed by a bus and went on to run the New York City Marathon, joined her at mile 10 of the NYC Half. The two had become Facebook friends after she read his book The Long Run. The race was the first time they met in person.

“We talked a lot about how to move forward, how to handle chronic pain and people asking questions and you wanting to talk about it and not wanting to talk about it,” she says.

Alexander is in near-constant communication with her doctors. She seeks their input on her training level, though occasionally she pushes the boundaries. Once, after “wogging”—her word for jogging with a walker—a 10-mile race, she approached her orthopedic and rehab specialist, Michael Baumgaertner, M.D., about competing in a 5-K without the walker. He said to keep it easy, try for one mile. She ran the full 3.1.

These days, Alexander trains more than five days a week, running three or four of those days, including a 10- to 14-mile long run. She intersperses running with indoor biking, outdoor group rides (she’s not ready to ride solo yet), and lots of time on the elliptical, because it’s less painful than other activities.

Exercise, though, fits in around a heavy surgery schedule. Alexander has had 19 operations. There are seven more to go. She still has a six-inch open wound in her left leg, 50 percent less muscle on her left leg than her right, and a kidney that may be failing, among other issues.

Alexander speaks openly about what happened, brining up uncomfortable topics like anal incontinence, the fact that her she won't be able to have children, and that the pain is intense.

When asked what hurts when she runs, she laughs, but apologizes, saying basically the whole section that was run over: her lower back, her pelvis, hips, leg muscles, ankles. 

“As much as it hurts, training helps my body psychologically recover from the trauma,” she says.

There is more to it than that, of course. She has a strong desire to shout about the strength of the human spirit to the world, both literally and through athletics. After Vermont, where she hopes to maintain 11-minute-miles, she’s eyeing the Hartford Marathon in October as part of her new role a spokesperson for the Red Cross. There’s also an Ironman in her future, and motivational speaking.

In those talks, she’ll no doubt tell the story of the man she thinks about from time to time.

“When I was at Yale, a young man came in, apparently the same night I did,” she says. “He was 19 and in an auto accident. He was a musician and had a full scholarship to go to college. He had no open wounds but he snapped his neck. We were in the separate trauma ORs for same time, 8 to 10 hours. He wasn’t resuscitated, but he was left with complete paralysis. When I went to Gaylord [Specialty Healthcare], he went too. I eventually was able to get to a standing position and start taking step. He never did, and he never will.”

She pauses.

“So many people, you know, crap happens and people can’t run, so until I can’t, I will.”