Many thanks for the #FollowFriday recommendation Pete - we really appreciate it. As we raise money internationally and fund cancer research projects in any country (as long as the project meets the strict quality criteria) we think Twitter is a great way to keep supporters up-to-date with what their donations are helping to fund.
All the best from a very sunny Scotland,
Jack.
PS - we're big Mashable fans too :)
Andrew Robinson
· 7 months ago
I think that you should put out a recommendation for @actionaiduk and @actionaidliz. ActionAid is a really excellent organisation. It works in over 40 countries to end poverty and injustice amongst the poorest and most vulnerable people - especially amongst women. They're long-standing twitterers and I've been following them for a while - they always have informative and entertaining tweets! Definitely a charity I would recommend.
MrGoogleAlerts
· 7 months ago
Great idea. Twitter is such an equalizer. Small charities and causes can gain attention that they'd never be able to do on the Web at large. Here's a simple Google search that is currently listing another 350 charities on Twitter: intext:"bio * charity" site:twitter.com, and I've written a post with searches for over a thousand Twitter accounts representing good causes:
Good morning --Thank you for your posts as they're on point and informative! My 5 recommends for “follow for good” Twitter accounts are those I support -- @12for12K (per my Avatar); @FoodBankNYC; @LLSusa; @MLFNOW; and @NCBFoundation
Thank you, Raycent [@JAsunshine1011]
Nancy White
· 7 months ago
Recommendation for Follow for Good:
The Women's Center, Vienna, VA http://tinyurl.com/dh5apy - Non-profit providing 35 years of psychological, career, financial, and legal services for women and families based on their ability to pay. Services include assistance to victims of domestic violence and leadership training.
Fiona McLaren
· 7 months ago
This is a great idea - loads of our followers are already generous enough to use their #followfridays to promote @AmnestyUK and other great non-profits. If I had to pick five I'd suggest @actionaiduk @dogstrust @shelter @whizzkidz and @countersuicide! (Although there's so many people doing great work that list could be much longer)
Fiona @amnestyuk
Jared
· 7 months ago
@globalrebirth is a great charity bringing advanced nutrition to orphans and children in need all over the world! :D
Ryan Graves
· 7 months ago
Pete-
Great post, I just wanted to make everyone aware of another awesome charity called LibraryforLaos.org (http://libraryforlaos.org) Working with BigBrotherMouse to fight for child literacy in rural Laos we've already raise enough money for 1000 books with near 75 donations.
Please help out with a donation or at least Tweeting the link! http://libraryforlaos.org Thanks for the help! Cheers, Ryan
Jay Gifford
· 7 months ago
@athletes4acure! Incredible group of people who are committed to supporting the 186,000 families that will cope with Prostate Cancer this year! Learn more about how you can participate at: www.athletesforacure.org.
"Who do you race for?"
Girltrader
· 7 months ago
Please 'Follow For Good' The Childrens' Society who take care of disadvantaged children in the UK of all ages, from babies to young adults. Help keep youngsters away from living on the streets and support their work with children and young people. 'The Childrens' Society' - Make Childhood Better. www.childrenssociety.org.uk.
Lois
· 7 months ago
I would like to know how to tweet this article as a stand-alone; please advise.
As an FYI, every Thursday, I do a feature on my blog (listed above) where I highlight an artist or artisan who shares his or her creativity, passion and energy with others for the good of humanity. The organizations are as varied as the artists! This week, Art from the Heart features a teenager with autism who speaks through his art and pays it forward through his etsy shop. Next week, a woman who is battling cancer teaches other cancer survivors/patients how to make jewelry. I am in awe of these people and would love to get them a greater following.
I follow your posts closely and retweet quite a few. Thanks, Lois (foxygknits)
Julia Gaynor
· 7 months ago
Please cld you sak ppl to follow @Lungevity? Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer, yet it's the least funded of all the major cancers. It kills more people than breast, ovarian, prostate and colon COMBINED but the 15% survival rate hasn't budged in 35 years. To put in perspective, breast cancer's survival rate is 87%. What causes this disparity? The smoking connection. Yet 10-%-15% of lung cancer patients never smoked and 50% had already quit smoking when diagnosed - many of them decades ago. More people need to know the risk factors for lung cancer so that we can increase the need for early detection and more funding. Thank you! From @JuliaGaynor
I love the new DLF.TV web site, so much cool stuff there! Interviews with Paul McCartney, Ben Harper and tons more. Definitely worth a visit. Peace!
insiderview
· 7 months ago
If the consciously 'enlightened' health-boosting & stress-busting claims touted about the (famously tax-evading & 'giggling') Maharishi's TM methods are supposedly valid, then why does DAVID LYNCH blatantly CHAIN-SMOKE CIGARETTES like an ADDICT during interviews in recent years -- when he claims that he's been consistently & blissfully doing T.M. for over three decades ??? Please explain -- Why does TM-proselytizer David Lynch smoke two packs of cigarettes a day (documented) -- if the purported "stress-free" panacea of "transcendental meditation" is so incredibly healthful & calming ? (it's also exhorbitant & fraudulent at a cost of $ 2,500 dollars to get a (generic) so-called "secret" mantra which is assigned solely based on a student's age -- in accordance with a chart (during a "Puja" religious-ritual worship & chanting ceremony).
----------------
note: Of course, there are secular Meditation, Mindfulness, visualization, breathing exercises (such as "Chi Kung"), and Stress-reduction programs & techniques, which are well-researched, medically-recommended, very effective, & definitely more affordable ! * These non-sectarian methods are also beneficially appropriate for PUBLIC SCHOOL settings --- without getting involved with a religious-political organization, such as "TM" --- that has displayed a history of cult-type conduct, theocratic & sexist (medieval) framework, a pattern of deception, and a penchant for censorship. _____
insiderview
· 7 months ago
Here are VERY INFORMATIVE websites from TM investigators & ex-TM members who provide insider info. of the facts (behind the facade) re: the "Transcendental Meditation" religious-political organization, including: deliberate deception, fascist organizational framework, pay-to-play crowned Rajas, duped & fleeced (advanced TM) 'Sidhi - flyers', sexual discrimination as to women's roles, violations of the U.S. Constitution (as per U.S. District Court & U.S. Appeals Court rulings), & the organization's obvious penchant for bullying & censorship, etc. --
**** Also, this RICK ROSS INSTITUTE useful website provides a compendium of news articles from various sources about T.M. organization, history & issues -- (click) => http://www.rickross.com/groups/tm.html
_____
insiderview
· 7 months ago
Please be aware & informed:
The modus operandi of the TM missionaries is to deliberately MISINFORM school STUDENTS, PARENTS, & staff about the 'Transcendental Meditation' organization & procedures. The TM movement has used various front-organizations and program-labels over the years. One of their current evangelical guises is the innocuous-sounding "QUIET TIME" in schools. The "Quiet Time" program permission slips (given to students along with their lunch forms, etc. at the beginning of the school year) only mention the slogan "Quiet Time" -- however these permission slips DO NOT PROVIDE ANY ACCURATE DESCRIPTION WHATSOEVER of TM procedures, "Puja" worship-initiation ceremony, nor any mention of the "Transcendental Meditation" organization or background info. about TM agendas ("World Plan", "yogic flyers", "crowned Rajas", etc.) --- see website --- http://www.cultnews.com/?p=2155
Here is a direct quote from an article published in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (JAMA): "Ex-members say that the TM movement trains them in the kinds of deception noted here. "I was taught to lie and to get around the petty rules of the 'unenlightened' in order to get favorable reports into the media, " said one. "We were taught how to exploit the reporters' gullibility and fascination with the exotic, especially that [which] comes from the East. We thought we weren't doing anything wrong because we were told it was often necessary to deceive the unenlightened to advance our guru's plan to save the world." -- see reference article re: "T.M.'s Deceptions" -- http://www.rickross.com/reference/tm/tm2.html
_____
insiderview
· 7 months ago
TM history -- Robert N. Bellah meets with Robert Winquist, a well-known TM movement insider and faculty member of Maharishi International University. Robert Bellah was Ford Professor of Sociology and Comparative Studies, UC Berkeley and author of the highly regarded book "Beyond Belief: Essays on Religion in a Post-Traditional World". During the meeting, as related in his sworn affidavit for the (1977) New Jersey Court case, he "expressed [his] opinion that TM definitely seemed to be a religion and I wondered why the people in the TM movement denied its religious nature. [Winquist] replied by affirming that it is certainly true that TM is religious, but stated that they didn't admit that to be the case for public relations reasons."
- - - - - - - note: “Transcendental Meditation", due to the "Puja" (chanting & worship) initiation ceremony & other religious factors, was banned from being taught in public schools by a U.S. District Court ruling. The Court ruled that Transcendental Meditation was "a religion" -- see ruling of The United States District Court, District of New Jersey, Docket No. 76-341 (H.C.M.) Civil Action, in the case of Alan B. Malnak. et al., Plaintiffs, v. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, et al., Defendants, in a summary judgment issued October 19, 1977, followed by an order and judgment, filed December 12, 1977.” Subsequently, this federal ruling was upheld (in 1979) by the U.S. Appeals Court (Philadelphia). - - - - - - -
Here are 2 illustrative TM-organization websites re: separate TM instructional strands for "ladies" -- to engender enlightenment & "ladylike" behavior, to groom delicate, feminine-trait girls who walk five steps behind the (always) male leaders - note: several women formerly involved with the TM movement have reported about rampant sexual discrimination => http://archive.tm.org/explore/vedic_education/m... and http://www.maharishiuniversityofenlightenment.com/
(Part 1) "Transcendental meditation -- Sexism and the TM organization"
"According to historian Stanley Wolpert (A New History of India, sixth edition, Oxford University Press: 2000), -- ancient Vedic society was undeniably patriarchal, and this characteristic is reflected in the present structure of the TM organization. Although women are not barred from becoming teachers of TM, they are rarely seen in positions of political leadership, especially at the highest and most visible level of the organization. Evidence of discrimination against women can be seen in the failure to include women as ministers when Maharishi proclaimed his Global Country of World Peace (all of the 40 appointed ministers were men) and in the failure to include female spokespersons in the discussions that accompany Maharishi"s weekly televised press conferences."
--------------
(PART 2) -- "Sexism and the TM organization"
"This is because Maharishi has outlined three acceptable "paths" for women in society: 1) marriage and motherhood, 2) monastic celibacy (in his "Mother Divine" program), and 3) engagement in a life-supporting profession or occupation that does not strain the allegedly delicate nervous system of female physiology. Also, in live and televised presentations sponsored by the TM organization, females are patronizingly referred to as "ladies" (not "women") while men are called "men" (not "gentlemen"). TM apologists point out that even married women are called ladies as a sign of respect and married men are at other occasions called gentlemen also as a sign of respect, but fail to appreciate that gender bias is inherent in the organization"s failure to consistently apply the corresponding term "gentlemen" to males. Over the years, the TM organization has implemented a deliberate policy of segregating the sexes in its parochial schools, course facilities, assemblies, etc., and in doing so, has placed itself outside the mainstream of American life." =====
insiderview
· 7 months ago
Is this TM "Puja" ceremony chanting appropriate for PUBLIC SCHOOLS ??? -- especially when there is deliberate deception & obfuscation by the TM missionaries when communicating with school staff, students & parents -- Here is a brief excerpt (translated from Sanskrit) of chanting that occurs during the standard TM "Puja" initiation ceremony (along with an altar, a painting of a Guru, incense, candles & offerings) -- in which students each receive a "secret" (& supposedly unique & "meaningless") mantra. However, in fact, each TM student's mantra is actually derived from the name of one of several Hindu deities; these generic mantras are routinely assigned based solely on the student's age in accordance with a chart --- "To LORD NARAYANA, to lotus-born BRAHMA the Creator, to VASHISHTHA to SHAKTI and his son, PARASHAR, To VYASA, to SHUKADEVA, to the great GAUDAPADA,... to SHANKARACHARYA, the redeemer, hailed as KRISHNA... I bow down again and again..." source: http://www.trancenet.net/secrets/puja/alternate... http://www.trancenet.net/secrets/puja/tradt.shtml
____________________
insiderview
· 7 months ago
the TM evangelists are serious, but look at this (inadvertent) ...
* BACKGROUND INFO. about the "Transcendental Meditation" religious-political Organization -- history, beliefs, practices, marketing tactics & agendas -- cult-type aspects and pattern of deception
scroll down through this informative website, including: the experiences of former TM member, Mitchell KAPOR (the founder of 'LOTUS' software corporation & also the 'ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION'). => http://trancenet.net/groups/tm.shtml
_____
insiderview
· 7 months ago
Please share this info. about T.M. ‘missionaries’ operating within San Francisco public school classrooms:
During this school year (2008-2009), the Transcendental Meditation program (with the front-name/slogan “Quiet Time”) has been implemented at another inner-city public middle school in San Francisco. There are two required daily T.M. sessions of 15 minutes each in every classroom throughout the school toward the beginning & the end of the school day, and the students are graded for their robotic participation (compliance) using a point system. The marketing emphasis is on ’stress relief’ and bringing up standardized test scores - (please note: At Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, which began implementing the David Lynch Foundation T.M. program in February 2007, the school’s recent California state ‘API'/Academic Performance Index ranking based on standardized test scores from the next year - Spring, 2008, actually went down several points!).
Consequently, due to the required T.M. taking a total 1/2 hour of classroom time every school day, this public middle school's schedule doesn’t provide a homeroom-advisory session for students. The school building has been hijacked by a crew of 20 bullying, clueless T.M. devotees working for the David Lynch Foundation who are not school district staff (they are funded by a large grant of more than $200,000.). They have commandeered a large classroom for use as their T.M. office, and also a wing of the building which contains several small rooms. These T.M. ‘missionaries’ at times disrespectfully (or sometimes perhaps obliviously) interfere with school instruction & logistics. They also deceptively lie & obfuscate to the staff, students & parents about the induction process (’Puja’ religious chanting & worship ceremony), the source & selection of the mantras, and the organization’s checkered history & fascist framework. Of course, they never mention their World Plan scenarios, Fairfield, Iowa & Global shenanigans, crowned-Rajas & pretend-Government, etc., or the observed fact that T.M. mega-huckster (frequently-divorced) David Lynch is a chain-smoking cigarette addict. Recently, the T.M. conglomerate has been targeting students from low-income neighborhoods and schools without an active PTA or strong parent involvement to provide oversight. The T.M. proselytizers have shown themselves to be anti-democracy, anti-educational inquiry (and pro-censorship), and anti- the U.S. Constitution (the separation of Church & State).
In perspective: I’m sensibly & reasonably in favor of meditation, visualization and stress-reduction strategies/techniques within schools as part of a non-sectarian health ed. (wellness) program — devised & guided or overseen by health care & education professionals. These skills can be taught within a knowledge-seeking educational environment which is open to students asking questions and encourages honest discussion -- which fosters resilient focus & mindFULness -- (rather than mindLESSness or fascist no-questions-asked rote obedience, as per the TM cult).
* Additionally, Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism & varied spiritual traditions are very valuable & wonderful, and should be insightfully studied as part of a comprehensive Social Studies curriculum.
Parents & educators should be holistically promoting Healthy Habits, in general -- including exercise, nutrition, positive role models, study & reading time, creative arts & music, productive recreation & hobbies -- and avoiding toxic influences (such as excessive exposure to violent entertainment).
-------------
Andrew Peterson
· 7 months ago
A great use of Twitter by a charity can be found from "The Children's Museum in Easton" @CMEaston
All Comments
All the best from a very sunny Scotland,
Jack.
PS - we're big Mashable fans too :)
http://www.alertrank.com/mrgooglealerts/2009/05....
Thank you, Raycent [@JAsunshine1011]
The Women's Center, Vienna, VA http://tinyurl.com/dh5apy - Non-profit providing 35 years of psychological, career, financial, and legal services for women and families based on their ability to pay. Services include assistance to victims of domestic violence and leadership training.
Fiona
@amnestyuk
Great post, I just wanted to make everyone aware of another awesome charity called LibraryforLaos.org (http://libraryforlaos.org)
Working with BigBrotherMouse to fight for child literacy in rural Laos we've already raise enough money for 1000 books with near 75 donations.
Please help out with a donation or at least Tweeting the link! http://libraryforlaos.org
Thanks for the help!
Cheers,
Ryan
"Who do you race for?"
As an FYI, every Thursday, I do a feature on my blog (listed above) where I highlight an artist or artisan who shares his or her creativity, passion and energy with others for the good of humanity. The organizations are as varied as the artists! This week, Art from the Heart features a teenager with autism who speaks through his art and pays it forward through his etsy shop. Next week, a woman who is battling cancer teaches other cancer survivors/patients how to make jewelry. I am in awe of these people and would love to get them a greater following.
I follow your posts closely and retweet quite a few. Thanks, Lois (foxygknits)
health-boosting & stress-busting claims touted about
the (famously tax-evading & 'giggling')
Maharishi's TM methods are supposedly valid,
then why does DAVID LYNCH
blatantly CHAIN-SMOKE
CIGARETTES like an ADDICT during interviews
in recent years -- when he claims
that he's been consistently & blissfully doing T.M.
for over three decades ???
Please explain --
Why does TM-proselytizer David Lynch
smoke two packs of cigarettes a day (documented)
-- if the purported "stress-free" panacea
of "transcendental meditation"
is so incredibly healthful & calming ?
(it's also exhorbitant
& fraudulent at a cost
of $ 2,500 dollars to get
a (generic) so-called "secret" mantra
which is assigned solely based on
a student's age -- in accordance with a chart
(during a "Puja" religious-ritual worship & chanting ceremony).
----------------
note:
Of course, there are secular Meditation,
Mindfulness, visualization,
breathing exercises (such as "Chi Kung"),
and Stress-reduction programs & techniques,
which are well-researched, medically-recommended,
very effective, & definitely more affordable !
* These non-sectarian methods are
also beneficially appropriate for
PUBLIC SCHOOL settings
--- without getting involved with
a religious-political organization,
such as "TM" --- that has displayed
a history of cult-type conduct,
theocratic & sexist (medieval) framework,
a pattern of deception,
and a penchant for censorship.
_____
from TM investigators & ex-TM members
who provide insider info. of the facts
(behind the facade)
re: the "Transcendental Meditation" religious-political
organization, including: deliberate deception,
fascist organizational framework, pay-to-play crowned Rajas,
duped & fleeced (advanced TM) 'Sidhi - flyers',
sexual discrimination as to women's roles,
violations of the U.S. Constitution (as per
U.S. District Court & U.S. Appeals Court rulings),
& the organization's obvious
penchant for bullying & censorship, etc. --
=> http://minet.org/
=> http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-open-lett...
=> http://www.suggestibility.org/
**** Also, this RICK ROSS INSTITUTE
useful website provides a compendium of news articles
from various sources
about T.M. organization,
history & issues --
(click) => http://www.rickross.com/groups/tm.html
_____
The modus operandi of the TM missionaries is to deliberately MISINFORM school STUDENTS, PARENTS, & staff about the 'Transcendental Meditation' organization & procedures. The TM movement has used various front-organizations and program-labels over the years. One of their current evangelical guises is the innocuous-sounding "QUIET TIME" in schools. The "Quiet Time" program permission slips (given to students along with their lunch forms, etc. at the beginning of the school year) only mention the slogan "Quiet Time" -- however these permission slips DO NOT PROVIDE ANY ACCURATE DESCRIPTION WHATSOEVER of TM procedures, "Puja" worship-initiation ceremony, nor any mention of the "Transcendental Meditation" organization or background info. about TM agendas ("World Plan", "yogic flyers", "crowned Rajas", etc.) --- see website --- http://www.cultnews.com/?p=2155
Here is a direct quote from an article published in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (JAMA):
"Ex-members say that the TM movement trains them in the kinds of deception noted here. "I was taught to lie and to get around the petty rules of the 'unenlightened' in order to get favorable reports into the media, " said one. "We were taught how to exploit the reporters' gullibility and fascination with the exotic, especially that [which] comes from the East. We thought we weren't doing anything wrong because we were told it was often necessary to deceive the unenlightened to advance our guru's plan to save the world." -- see reference article
re: "T.M.'s Deceptions" -- http://www.rickross.com/reference/tm/tm2.html
_____
Robert N. Bellah meets with Robert Winquist, a well-known
TM movement insider and faculty member of Maharishi International University. Robert Bellah was Ford Professor of Sociology and Comparative Studies, UC Berkeley and author of the highly regarded book "Beyond Belief: Essays on Religion in a Post-Traditional World". During the meeting, as related in his sworn affidavit for the (1977) New Jersey Court case, he "expressed [his] opinion that TM definitely seemed to be a religion and I wondered why the people in the TM movement denied its religious nature. [Winquist] replied by affirming that it is certainly true that TM is religious, but stated that they didn't admit that to
be the case for public relations reasons."
- - - - - - -
note: “Transcendental Meditation", due to the "Puja" (chanting & worship) initiation ceremony & other religious factors,
was banned from being taught in public schools by a U.S. District Court ruling. The Court ruled that Transcendental Meditation was "a religion"
-- see ruling of The United States District Court, District of New Jersey, Docket No. 76-341 (H.C.M.) Civil Action, in the case of Alan B. Malnak. et al., Plaintiffs, v. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, et al., Defendants, in a summary judgment issued October 19, 1977, followed by an order and judgment, filed December 12, 1977.” Subsequently, this federal ruling was upheld (in 1979) by the U.S. Appeals Court (Philadelphia).
- - - - - - -
BE INFORMED:
"An Open Letter from a
(former) TM Initiator" --
What you should know about
the "Transcendental Meditation"
religious-political Organization --
history, beliefs, practices,
marketing tactics & deliberate deception:
view webpages =>
http://www.trancenet.net/personal/abe/abe12097....
and
http://trancenet.net/groups/tm.shtml
_____
TM-organization websites
re: separate TM instructional strands
for "ladies" -- to engender
enlightenment & "ladylike" behavior,
to groom delicate, feminine-trait girls
who walk five steps behind
the (always) male leaders -
note: several women formerly involved
with the TM movement have reported about
rampant sexual discrimination =>
http://archive.tm.org/explore/vedic_education/m...
and
http://www.maharishiuniversityofenlightenment.com/
=============
note: "enlightening" excerpt from a website
concerning a range of pertinent topics:
TM history, practices & agendas =
=> http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Transcenden...
(Part 1) "Transcendental meditation
-- Sexism and the TM organization"
"According to historian Stanley Wolpert (A New History of India, sixth edition, Oxford University Press: 2000), -- ancient Vedic society was undeniably patriarchal, and this characteristic is reflected in the present structure of the TM organization. Although women are not barred from becoming teachers of TM, they are rarely seen in positions of political leadership, especially at the highest and most visible level of the organization. Evidence of discrimination against women can be seen in the failure to include women as ministers when Maharishi proclaimed his Global Country of World Peace (all of the 40 appointed ministers were men) and in the failure to include female spokespersons in the discussions that accompany Maharishi"s weekly televised press conferences."
--------------
(PART 2) -- "Sexism and the TM organization"
"This is because Maharishi has outlined three acceptable "paths" for women in society: 1) marriage and motherhood, 2) monastic celibacy (in his "Mother Divine" program), and 3) engagement in a life-supporting profession or occupation that does not strain the allegedly delicate nervous system of female physiology. Also, in live and televised presentations sponsored by the TM organization, females are patronizingly referred to as "ladies" (not "women") while men are called "men" (not "gentlemen"). TM apologists point out that even married women are called ladies as a sign of respect and married men are at other occasions called gentlemen also as a sign of respect, but fail to appreciate that gender bias is inherent in the organization"s failure to consistently apply the corresponding term "gentlemen" to males. Over the years, the TM organization has implemented a deliberate policy of segregating the sexes in its parochial schools, course facilities, assemblies, etc., and in doing so, has placed itself outside the mainstream of American life."
=====
"To LORD NARAYANA, to lotus-born BRAHMA the Creator, to VASHISHTHA to SHAKTI and his son, PARASHAR, To VYASA, to SHUKADEVA, to the great GAUDAPADA,... to SHANKARACHARYA, the redeemer, hailed as KRISHNA... I bow down again and again..."
source: http://www.trancenet.net/secrets/puja/alternate...
http://www.trancenet.net/secrets/puja/tradt.shtml
____________________
but look at this
(inadvertent) ...
HUMOR
-- TM "science of economics" (!)
circa 2007
brought to you by "Invincible America"
"his majesty-Raja" John Hagelin
& TM devotees --
=> http://istpp.org/news/2007_11_ia_assembly.html
------
trick or treat...
quite a sight!
--- USA (TM) ‘Raja’ John Hagelin with crown –
http://tinyurl.com/dh2kxl
=====
about the "Transcendental Meditation"
religious-political Organization
-- history, beliefs, practices,
marketing tactics & agendas --
cult-type aspects and
pattern of deception
scroll down through
this informative website, including:
the experiences of former TM member, Mitchell KAPOR
(the founder of 'LOTUS' software corporation
& also the 'ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION').
=>
http://trancenet.net/groups/tm.shtml
_____
During this school year (2008-2009), the Transcendental Meditation program (with the front-name/slogan “Quiet Time”) has been implemented at another inner-city public middle school in San Francisco. There are two required daily T.M. sessions of 15 minutes each in every classroom throughout the school toward the beginning & the end of the school day, and the students are graded for their robotic participation (compliance) using a point system. The marketing emphasis is on ’stress relief’ and bringing up standardized test scores - (please note: At Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, which began implementing the David Lynch Foundation T.M. program in February 2007, the school’s recent California state ‘API'/Academic Performance Index ranking based on standardized test scores from the next year - Spring, 2008, actually went down several points!).
Consequently, due to the required T.M. taking a total 1/2 hour of classroom time every school day, this public middle school's schedule doesn’t provide a homeroom-advisory session for students. The school building has been hijacked by a crew of 20 bullying, clueless T.M. devotees working for the David Lynch Foundation who are not school district staff (they are funded by a large grant of more than $200,000.). They have commandeered a large classroom for use as their T.M. office, and also a wing of the building which contains several small rooms. These T.M. ‘missionaries’ at times disrespectfully (or sometimes perhaps obliviously) interfere with school instruction & logistics. They also deceptively lie & obfuscate to the staff, students & parents about the induction process (’Puja’ religious chanting & worship ceremony), the source & selection of the mantras, and the organization’s checkered history & fascist framework. Of course, they never mention their World Plan scenarios, Fairfield, Iowa & Global shenanigans, crowned-Rajas & pretend-Government, etc., or the observed fact that T.M. mega-huckster (frequently-divorced) David Lynch is a chain-smoking cigarette addict. Recently, the T.M. conglomerate has been targeting students from low-income neighborhoods and schools without an active PTA or strong parent involvement to provide oversight. The T.M. proselytizers have shown themselves to be anti-democracy, anti-educational inquiry (and pro-censorship), and anti- the U.S. Constitution (the separation of Church & State).
In perspective: I’m sensibly & reasonably in favor of meditation, visualization and stress-reduction strategies/techniques within schools as part of a non-sectarian health ed. (wellness) program — devised & guided or overseen by health care & education professionals. These skills can be taught within a knowledge-seeking educational environment which is open to students asking questions and encourages honest discussion -- which fosters resilient focus & mindFULness -- (rather than mindLESSness or fascist no-questions-asked rote obedience, as per the TM cult).
* Additionally, Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism & varied spiritual traditions are very valuable & wonderful, and should be insightfully studied as part of a comprehensive Social Studies curriculum.
Parents & educators should be holistically promoting Healthy Habits, in general -- including exercise, nutrition, positive role models, study & reading time, creative arts & music, productive recreation & hobbies -- and avoiding toxic influences (such as excessive exposure to violent entertainment).
-------------