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SIDE STREET
from April 15, 2025 Blog
Preamble to the U.S. Declaration of Independence
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​​We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
from March 14, 2025 Blog
An Invitation to a Bath
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“Flow”,
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by Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kazaa, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman
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I encourage everyone to see this movie, a 2024 Oscar-winner for Best Animated Feature. "Flow" is about a cat who is "a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences.” - IMBd
from February 15, 2025 Blog
Zombie World
Zombies - An Anthropological Investigation of the Living Dead.
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"Forensic pathologist Philippe Charlier—dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the graveyards”—travels to Haiti where rumors claim that some who die may return to life as zombies. Charlier investigates these far-fetched stories and finds that, in Haiti, the dead are a part of daily life. Families, fearing that loved ones may return from the grave, urge pallbearers to take rambling routes to prevent the recently departed from finding their way home from cemeteries. Corpses are sometimes killed a second time…just to be safe. And a person might spend their life preparing their funeral and grave to ensure they will not become a wandering soul after death.
But are the stories true? Charlier’s investigations lead him to Vodou leader Max Beauvoir and other priests, who reveal how bodies can be reanimated. In some cases, sorcerers lure the dead from their graves and give them a potion concocted from Devil’s Snare, a plant more commonly known as Jimsonweed. Sometimes secret societies use poudre zombi—“zombie powder”—spiked with the tetrodotoxin found in blowfish. Charlier eagerly collects evidence, examining Vodou dolls by X-ray, making sacrifices at rituals, and visiting cemeteries under the cloak of night. Zombies follows Charlier’s journey to understand the fascinating and frightening world of Haiti’s living dead, inviting readers to believe the unbelievable.”
- University Press of Florida.
from January 15, 2025 Blog
The Night Teacher
God Saw the Light Was Good and He Separated the Light From the Darkness - Genesis 1:4
"Concerning all natural phenomena, we note that, by their very nature, they are involved in a sort of competitive relationship whereby one must best the other. Fire and water cannot exist together. It is one or the other. This applies to all phenomena, except light and darkness. They are both creations yeish mei’ayin, ex nihilo, something from nothing. In his commentary to Meseches Tamid 32, the Maharsha writes that we must believe that Hashem created ohr and choshech, light and darkness, equally yeish mei’ayin, even if we have difficulty conceptualizing this. We neither ask what existed before this world was created, nor what will be after. As believing Jews, we do just that: believe in Hashem {God}. Likewise, the Gaon, m’Vilna, writes in his commentary to Sefer Yetzirah that darkness is not merely an absence of light. It is a powerful entity created by Hashem. Nevertheless, despite the fact that darkness is a viable entity, a drop of light will push it away. Why? Because the darkness yields to the light, accepting its status without complaint or without protest. This is peace at its zenith. For this reason, only light stands alone as the symbol of peace, for its ability to compel darkness to acquiesce to its dominance. compel darkness to acquiesce to its dominance."
- Hebrew Academy of Cleveland.
from December 14, 2024 Blog
The Masculinity Card
Sample of Biblical Sacrificial Laws:
Leviticus 16:8-22 (KJB)
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16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
16:14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
16:16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
from November 15, 2024 Blog
Trust
When I Wish Upon a Star
“When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you.
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do.
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true.”
From the movie: Pinocchio
Song by: Cliff Edwards
Songwriters: Leigh Harline and
Ned Washington​​
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Star Light, Star Bright
“Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.”
Classic Nursery Rhyme
from October 15, 2024 Blog
The Beguiled
"The Sociopaths Among Us - And How to Avoid Them" by Arthur Brooks
We all have stories of meeting people who appeared wonderful at first but turned out to be just awful. Perhaps it was a charming suitor, or a charismatic colleague, or a fascinating new friend. They attracted you on initial impression, but before long, you started to notice behaviors that gave you pause. Maybe it was a little shading of the truth here and there, or a bit too much vanity and selfishness. Perhaps they constantly played the victim, or took credit for other people’s work.
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Or maybe your disillusionment with the person was not gradual, but through a dramatic—and dramatically unpleasant—episode. All it may take is a minor disagreement, and suddenly, you get screamed at, threatened with retaliation, or reported to HR. This kind of encounter leaves you, understandably, baffled, hurt, and confused.
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Very likely, this person was a “Dark Triad” personality. The term was coined by the psychologists Delroy Paulhus and Kevin Williams in 2002 for people with three salient personality characteristics: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and a measurable level of psychopathy. . . .
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Click article title for link.
from June 1, 2024 Blog
Prophecy
- by Richard Feynman
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“It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agee with experiment, it's wrong.”
- Richard Feynman, US theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner.
from May 1, 2024 Blog
Tips to Keep Your Child Safe From Danger
Using Your Instincts
Be Like Water
- by Bruce Lee
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“If nothing within you stays rigid,
outward things will disclose themselves.
Moving, be like water.
Still, be like a mirror.
Respond like an echo.”
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- Bruce Lee was the founder of the art of Jeet Kune Do. He is an internationally known Wing Chun Kung Fu martial artist, actor, and author.
from April 1, 2024 Blog
Tips for Making the Most of
Meaningful Coincidences
Inner Voice
- by Rabbi Zvi Freeman
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There is an outer world and there is an inner world. As deep as you penetrate, as high as you reach, there is always something breathing inside.
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The outer world is made of things. Breathing inside the things are words.
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Words are the outside. Inside the words are stories.
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The story is the outside. Inside the story is a thought.
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Thoughts are the outside. Inside the thoughts is a great light.
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At the origin of all light is the beginning that cannot be known.
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The outside we can touch and come to know.
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The inside—we must wait and be still, so that it may speak to us.
As it did at Sinai. As it does whenever we learn Torah with all our heart and soul.
from March 1, 2024 Blog
Let's Talk About Agency
Carlos Castaneda
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We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.
Hermann Hesse
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Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.
from January 31, 2024 Blog
Love?
Poem by Frida Kahlo
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You deserve a lover who wants you disheveled, with everything and all the reasons that wake you up in a haste and the demons that won’t let you sleep.
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You deserve a lover who makes you feel safe, who can consume this world whole if he walks hand in hand with you; someone who believes that his embraces are a perfect match with your skin.
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You deserve a lover who wants to dance with you, who goes to paradise every time he looks into your eyes and never gets tired of studying your expressions.
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You deserve a lover who listens when you sing, who supports you when you feel shame and respects your freedom; who flies with you and isn’t afraid to fall.
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You deserve a lover who takes away the lies and brings you hope, coffee, and poetry.
from January 1, 2024 Blog
Spirals
"Have you noticed that you're feeling some waves of uncertainty moving through your mind and body? Let's just call all of this, growth spurts. With each step in your process of evolution, there's a death of old ways, moving into a birth of something new. You're in transition with old paradigms dissolved, looking for familiar references to leap from, for new ways of being. Some may feel excited about possible new opportunities, and you may feel you're suffering trying to feel comforted by outdated memories and old limiting patterns of behavior.
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It seems confusing and you might feel unclear of what you even want anymore, and still not sure what has even changed. You must live in the moment and trust that your soul knows the way. Although things seem open ended, have faith and trust in letting go of attachments to the past. Allow yourself to be directed to new goals that will serve you more efficiently. Your soul has all answers to questions arising, so be more introspective during the winter months to receive proper guidance from within. Allow for heightened states of awareness, while simultaneously clearing through depths of past confusion. Your life will unfold, so enjoy the ups, downs and spinning around only to find that you'll be placed exactly where you need to be."
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Many blessings and much love on your healing journey. - Michael Singer, Intuitive Healer. Santa Barbara, California
from December 1, 2023 Blog
God-King Macho-Man
The Emporer Wears No Clothes
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"A well-known children’s fable by Hans Christian Andersen illustrates how a system of untruths can lead down a deceptive path. In the Emperor’s New Clothes, an organizational leader creates an environment where all his “loyal subjects” agree with him and perpetuate an untruth. As this fable unfolds, the emperor, along with his subjects, is told by the swindlers that the material of his new clothing has an amazing property of being invisible to anyone who is incompetent or stupid. The self-absorbed emperor believed the lie and from that point forward all his officials were afraid to admit that they could not see the clothing, because that would indicate they were either unfit for their position or stupid. In this story, as in life, a large group of people, all saying the wrong thing, does not make it right. It finally took a child, unafraid to speak the truth, to publicly expose the deception of the multitude. A single light in the darkness."
- Jim Anderson, Lighthouse Research Group
from November 1, 2023 Blog
The Willing Isolationist
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Those who know don’t talk.
Those who talk don’t know.
Close your mouth,
block off your senses,
blunt your sharpness,
untie your knots,
soften your glare,
settle your dust.
This is the primal identity.
Be like the Tao.
It can’t be approached or withdrawn from, benefited or harmed,
honored or brought into disgrace.
It gives itself up continually.
That is why it endures.
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- famous quote by Lao Tzu,
from the Tao Te Ching verse 56
from November 1, 2023 Blog
The Willing Isolationist
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"The Hermit" by Alan Parton
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I have barred the doors.
Of the place where I bide,
I am old and afraid
Of the world outside.
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How the poor souls cry
In the cold and the rain,
I have blocked my ears,
They shall call me in vain.
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If I peer through the cracks
Hardly daring draw breath,
They are waiting there still
Patient as death.
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The maimed and the sick
The tortured of soul,
Arms outstretched as if
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I could help them be whole.
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No shaft of the sun
My hiding shall find,
Get them outside
I am deaf, I am blind.
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Who will drive them away,
Who will ease me my dread,
Who will shout to the fools
"He is dead! he is dead!"?
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Sometimes they knock
At the place where I hide,
I am old and afraid
Of the world outside.
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Do they think, do they dream
I will open the door?"
Let the world in
And know peace no more.
From October 1, 2023 Blog
Fools Are Everywhere!
"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."
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This proverb means if someone takes advantage of me twice, I only have myself to blame. Once someone has shown themselves untrustworthy, you should not be surprised when they betray you again.