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Monday, February 28, 2011

San Diego Integration Conference


After a long say this video says it all. Enjoy!

The day progressed beautifully with amendments to the proposed three documents to our new organization were considered, discussed and voted on. Tremendous cooperation, listening and willingness were demonstrated in the room. The delegates remained for the most part on time and moved swiftly through pages and pages of amendments. Prayer was called for three times during the proceedings and the day was adjourned with jubilation.



Sent from my iPhone

Comments and questions entered below will be answered swiftly!

Edward


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First business meeting - San Diego Integration

Favorite quote
I second that emotion, Rev. Michael Torphy

Favorite question
Can't we just vote fit the whole thing just as it is now?
Anonymous

Favorite official statement
We have had a wonderful year up on love mountain in Denver
Dr. Kathy Hearn


In her address, Dr. Kathy shared how we had come through a period of financial recovery rather well.

Some highlights

Events are now fully integrated, which is an astounding accomplishment; bringing two cultures together, Asilomar is going to be a two week event of one organisation. Dr. Kathy reflected that Judy Morley's experience had been a sample of what it will take to integrate. Prayer, vision and willingness to go to the third way.

Science of Mind Magazine
The magazine now has an online presence, subscription can now be online or through excisting paper form.

Gregory Toole
Regular communications are now the norm to ministers and practitioners and annual reports are done online through survey monkey. An interim minister program is now ready to be launched and a new integrated practitioner curriculum has been developed. The integrated minister training is available online on a CSL forum for review and is still in development. The world ministry of prayer is being reassessed. A second annual practitioner conference is planned and a whole bunch of other things I wasn't fast enough to capture. Oh yes, the building in Denver was restained and looks great.

Dr. Kathy went on to say that integration was an idea whose time has come and acknowledged Dr. Christian Sorenson who had been a champion of reintegration saying "just get it done will ya?"

She also mentioned Rev. Chris Michaels who told her he was in Berlin when the wall came down and inspired her by saying that no one knew how it would all happen and how it would turn out, but they took the wall down none the less.

Dr. Kathy said that there lives within us a deep dream that has been seeded for a long time and shared a vision that Ernest Holmes was part of as far back as 1941 of the role we have to play through the power of God in supporting the awakening of human kind on this planet and that we have a sense of something important to do here, and this sense has been with us for a long time. She said "My thought, and I think it's your thought too, is that we can do this better as one organization."

She shared that from her perspective there is a huge freeing up of energy as this conversation about coming together completes and we can get on with the business of our work in the world. She acknowledged Jim Lockhard who seven years ago approached her in an elevator at a conference and said 'It's time for our organizations to get together" and acknowledged also that she dragged her feet a bit in the beginning because we had just been through an organizational change and were in the midst of tremendous recreation, moving headquarters, and changing our name among the significant changes.

She listed some of the key strengths International Centers for Spiritual Living bring to the table.

* There is a very strong stand in ICSL that the field communities have the final say in mattters of governance.
* There is a high level emphasis of service and volunteering
* There is a strong emphasis on mentorship
* There is a styrong emphasis that events do betteer than break even.

Dr. Kathy then asked us to consider what it is that we need to become and be to welcome the new world that rushes towards us. What do we need to be, she asked, to welcome the third new thing.

She asked us to check within when we consider the three documents that are coming to us as proposals, and she wanted us to know that overall, she was satisfied that the largest part of what is meaningful about our current culture is in these three documents.

She mentioned a few differences that we will encounterm, such as the shift from Global Heart Vision to Global Vision. The shift in language of the vision away from stated conditions (a world without hunger) to affirmative language, and the addition of an elected President to oversee the operations of the movement. The design includes the the field communities as a strong component in assuring the people have decision making power and another significant change is that of delegate proportionment. Every covenanted community will have a primary delegate and then an additional number of delegates based on service (attendance at service, classes, etc. more on that later). She alerted us that an important amendment was coming to re include a youth delegate and closed saying,

'I am a voice for what words, what is sustainable over time wihtout damage to people and resources. Overall, I am satisfied with what we have here."






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Sunday, February 27, 2011

San Diego Integration Update

Opening Ceremony

Dr. Kathy Hearn opened the evening with "What a good story we are living," and reminded us that it was in 1954 when what was one movement became two. Then over the next 57 years, she reminded us, the two developed along perfect individual lines and two successful organizations emerged. She talked about the inevitable question that would arise when teaching classes "Why are there two organizations," and how Ernest Holmes seeded this moment in the past when he wrote that letter saying in the end common sense would prevail and we would come together.

She refered to his statement of belief which says the world has learned as much as it could through suffering and said personally, she believes we have learned as much as we can through separation. Dr. Ken Gordon said that he never dreamed that this day would come, or more accurately he never dreamed that he would be the one standing before us to present this moment. Kathy Hearn said that she realized that we are not doing this for ourselves but for what we will become.

Dr. Kathy and Dr. Ken also addressed--in a direct and transparent way--something that had come up, the issue of diversity. It was brought to the committee's attention that there were only white faces on the program and only white speakers. Dr. Kathy explained that the committee had been balancing other diversities, that of male, female, International Centers and United Centers, gay and straight, and color was forgotten. Dr. Kathy acknowledged that it didn't feel so good to people of color in our movement and thanked everyone who contacted the committee to bring this matter into awareness. The committee went into action quickly and effecttively to make adjustments to the program that Dr. Kathy said "was an over site on our part."

If you are a facebook user there are images of the potter ceremony on my profile. Let me know if you need details.















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Saturday, February 26, 2011

What is my purpose? What is my gift?

I'm excited about Gregg Levoy coming to speak at the Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa.  
Recently a number of people have talked to me about wanting clarity about their purpose, their life path, their next steps.  It seems almost divinely planned, or at least a very good co-incident that Gregg contacted me and together we found a date that works for his busy schedule and the Center.

On April 17 he will speak at all three services and the provide a workshop in the afternoon.

A short while ago he wrote about spiritual quests, that "Questioning is at the heart of spiritual journeying, of literally leaving home for a time to go on a pilgrimage, retreat or vision quest, of removing ourselves from the duties and dramas, the relationships and roles that bombard us with messages that may be distracting or irrelevant or even destructive to an emerging or affirmative sense of self, and that interfere with our asking for responses to our burning questions--Who am I? What matters? What is my gift? What is my purpose? To whom do I belong? What can I believe in? What on Earth am I doing?"

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Friday, February 25, 2011

What forgiveness is. What forgiveness isn't.


Maybe this list of what forgiveness is not, may be helpful:
·                    Forgiveness is not condoning unkindness
·                    Forgiveness is not forgetting that something painful happened.
·                    Forgiveness is not excusing poor behavior
·                    Forgiveness does not have to be an otherworldly
                          or religious experience
·                    Forgiveness is not denying or minimizing your hurt
·                    Forgiveness does not mean reconciling with the offender
·                    Forgiveness does not mean you give up having feelings.

What is forgiveness?
·                    It is a state of freedom
·                    It is relieving yourself of the burden of the past
·                    It is embracing the prospect of being a whole person again
·                    It is giving the person you forgive (even yourself) the freedom to
                      
live in peace and the chance to also be a whole person again.

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Thursday, February 24, 2011

An Open Dialogue with the Other Side

I was remembering Ron Donoho's visit to Santa Rosa and the mild mannered presentation he gave.  I stopped in at the workshop he gave afterward and was impressed with the straightforward way in which he described his experiences.  There was no hard sell and not big product push.  We carry his book in our bookstore and I have to say I have a soft spot in my heart for Mr. Donoho.






THIN DOORS

by Ron J. Donoho


  We never know when we are going to feel such a presence or see spiritual energies. They can be there when you seek wisdom or strength, or they can show up unexpectedly when they know you need them - even before you know it yourself."




*   *   *
  FROM A YOUNG AGE, Ron Donoho has communicated with visitors from beyond and received messages from his spiritual guide. For many years his friends and family were baffled by his ability to simply know things.
  And so the story begins - with carving our time in a very busy, scheduled life to spend emotionally- charged time with a parent who is terminally ill with cancer. There are questions to be answered and years of unexplainable experiences to sort through.
  Thin Doors is a volume that chronicles the final weeks of his father's life, as the author reflects on his own life of being a medium for receiving messages from spiritual energies. As you turn its pages, the author brings you along as he unfolds this captivating account of living his life with an open dialogue with the other side.




*   *   *
  The person who is truly spirit-driven and authentic will say, "The power I Possess is not unnatural. You have it as well. Go within and discover it for yourself."
- from the foreword by Chris Michaels

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Email And Online Communication - Using It To Support Your Ministry Or Non-Profit

If you are a busy community leader of a non-profit or spiritual organization, probably the last thing you have time for is reading a slew of status updates on social networks, responding to event and game invitations. Nevertheless, if you work with people, you have probably become aware of how important social networking has become, especially for the younger generation. Maybe you have even become concerned about losing the connection with the social networking communities but have been equally concerned about also losing your mind with the hectic, and seemingly pointless social network environment that don't seem to be a match with the mission of your organization. You don't have to go crazy and you can use social networking without having it take over your life. That is, if you keep it simple from the start.

Here is how I used online Social Networking to support my non-profit spiritual organization without become overwhelmed by it. With a few easy, self-imposed rules, I have been able to benefit from the fast moving, world-wide connectivity of free online services, such as Facebook.

My first personal rule is to accept no application invitations (games, birthday dates, favorite person, etc.)

Although Facebook is used for communication with family and friends, it is a growing resource for organizations to promote awareness about their activities, services and events. If you plan to use Facebook for the latter, it is advisable to avoid using the 'fun' features that are more appropriate for use with friends and family connections (although, even among loved ones you can quickly become unpopular for too much of these features.) Fun features can also be a blow to your credibility if you get entangled in one of those send-to-twenty-friends applications. My advice: step away from the apps. Block them.

My second personal rule is to only accept friend request and not seek out friends.

Although it may take longer for you to build a network of friends, if you accept my advice, you will over time develop a network of people who genuinely want to hear from you and who have opted-in to know about your organizations work through their connection with you. This way, when you create an event and send invitation to your friends, you have an excellent chance of being received with interest. This is a different strategy from developing business connections where it may make sense to have as many friends as you can. My advice: rather than solicit friends, join groups with similar interest and post interesting comments that will attract those who have an affinity with your organization's mission.

My third personal rule is to limit upkeep and update time

You don't have to continually update your status. Too many updates may even work against your goal of staying in contact with people who are interested in your organization. I enjoy reading articles on new technology and gadgets and have been following a few popular online magazines via Twitter. I recently un-followed a few because of the volume of update and messages that began to annoy me rather than inform me. I also follow a popular teacher in the human potential movement and her messages come about once a week. I make sure I don't miss them.

My fourth personal rule is to use free automation to keep my content fresh and to free up my time to do more important things

There are a number of free and paid services that you can use to write short, relevant updates that will be posted automatically to your Facebook status. You can write these in advance and queue them up for later delivery so you can go about your business. I use one in connection with my blog so that new blog entries are announced on my Facebook status page. They are scheduled and ready to go and I'm free. (Search for "schedule Facebook updates" to find dozens of articles and recommendations.)

I hope this information will help you get started in using Facebook or similar online social networking. It is my belief that with a little time and effort it can be used to serve your mission.

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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

What’s On My iPhone? – Strip Design

Strip Design by Vivid Apps has got to be one of my favorites photo apps on my iPhone.  I have not yet explored all the layouts, options, and possibilities of this creative app.  Below are just some examples of straight forward dropping photos into comic strip frames.  But i could do so much more with each photo.  I could add a cartoon filter, or text call outs, or borders and and and.  I have examples of mini comic strips on my Facebook album uploaded directly from the app.  If you are a Facebook users, have a look here for additional examples of what Strip Design can do.
cattt
photo
I would love it if you dropped a comment, especially if you have a favorite photo app on your iPhone or if you have a question for me about iPhone, photos, apps, the meaning of life, or anything at all. 
Edward
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Silent Appreciation and how to Practice Awe and Wonder

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
Albert Einstein


When we encounter something new or are surprised by something, we frequently experience the feelings of wonder and astonishment. It is as if we experience a moment of pause to take in the event or object with rapt attention.


We can practice being aware of the Presence by consciously feeling wonder at ordinary objects and events. Another way of practicing this is to appreciate everything and everyone you encounter in the next hour. Try to notice how the items and people you observe support your existence, and silently say a few words of gratitude for their Presence.


I would love to hear from you if you conduct this experiment.  Please consider dropping a line in the comment box below to let me know how it goes.


Edward



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The Importance of Tone in Writing

Computers and the internet have opened speedy pathways of communication that were not available to us just a short while ago. Like a freeway of vehicles traveling at high speeds, communication at top speed has certain hazards and accidents can happen if the operator is not aware of the power of the vehicle being used. Communicating with the written word is a powerful vehicle and if the user is unaware of certain basic cautions, it is similar to launching onto a freeway without paying attention to the rules that govern safe driving.

One of the most important cautions is to be mindful of the tone in your writing.

This is a challenge even in face to face conversations where subtle hints from body language, voice inflection, and facial expression communicate tone to the listener that is in some cases more important than the actual words being spoken. Behind a screen, on the other side of an electronic communication, the receiver has none of these indicators to draw upon when trying to understand the tone in your writing. This is what makes written word more challenging when it comes to establishing tone. The writer has to be doubly mindful of what is being conveyed beyond the words.

Safety precaution number one: Avoid assuming intimacy
Don't use nicknames or abbreviated fist names without the prior consent of the person you are communicating with. Also, avoid asking the person if using an abbreviation is OK. Let a 'Robert' offer that 'Rob' is preferred and you'll maintain safety in your communication. In this category of assumed intimacy you will find the common error of assuming similar tastes in humor, politics, religion and just about anything else. Imagine your written word was going to be read on national TV and let that guide the tone you use and the topics you address.

Safety precaution number two: Avoid jargon
Using language that is common to your industry or community, especially specialized terminology or phrases, may alienate people who are not familiar with the terms. Try reading your communication with the eyes of a someone who knows nothing about your organization to determine if there is anything in your written word that detracts from easy access to what you want to be understood. Imagine your written word was going to be read on national TV and let that guide the tone and terminology you use.

Safety precaution number three: Avoid acronyms
Avoid becoming lazy and using acronyms in your communication, even when communicating with people who are familiar with the acronym. Write out the complete phrase and I think you will find that ease of reading and comprehension improves. Imagine your written word was going to be read on national TV and try to be accessible to as many people as might be watching.

Safety precaution number four: Avoid insinuation
As with relationships in real life, communication that makes people have to guess at the meaning can produce the effect of increasing stress. So take time to write what you mean and then take time to be certain that what you've written is stripped of any ambiguous language, hints or obscure references. Imagine your written word was going to be read on national TV and let your goal be to not create a single glazed over look by something in the tone of your writing.

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction 

Secrets of Successful Writers 

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer 



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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Letter to a Visitor

Dear Sharon and Allen,

Nice to hear from you and thank you for the kind words.
You have a number of options to keep up to date with the messages from the Center.
1. Podcasting through iTunes, search for Center for Spiritual Living Santa Rosa
2. Webcast through www.ksro.com (only Sundays at 8:30 am) for The Center for Spiritual Living Radio Broadcast.
I also encourage you to enter your email address on the front page of www.cslsr.org to receive monthly e-newsletters. And, if you are a Facebook user, please consider signing up on our community page where we share lots of information.

Much love,

Edward Viljoen
Senior Minister
cid:image003.png@01CBCE04.B8EAD5A0
2075 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
707-546-4543
www.cslsr.org
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Friday, February 18, 2011

What’s on my iPhone – Blog from phone apps

Blogging on line has become easy and accessible to everyone through a growing number of free online services availalbe to choose from.  Blogs can be set up as an online journal to share your thoughts, photos and videos with the world or blogs can literally be set up to mimic a professional website for a home business or hobby without the expense.

Blogs are also an incredibly convenient way to keep friends and family up to date during special events, travel abroad, interesting projects, births, parties, house projects, new gardens, renovation updates and just about anything you can think of.

And now you can enter good looking updates, with photographs, geo-tagging or videos all from your iPhone or IPad.  While I was looking for the perfect on the go blog app that I like best, I tried several and have settled on BlogPress as my app of choice.  On my iPhone, and described below, I also have Posterous, LiveJournal and WordPress.

BlogPress

Oh this one is easy, easy, easy, to use and handles just about every blogging platform you can imagine. Blogger, MSN Live Spaces, WordPress, Movable Type, TypePad, LiveJournal, Drupal, Joomla, Tumblr, SqaureSpace, My Opera - all from one little app on your iPhone.  You can create online drafts that can be saved on your blog provider for later editing.  Images and videos can be added to posts and saving options are flexible.  Posts can also be automatically announced on Twitter and Facebook.  An automatic signature can be added to the end of blog entries posted from your iPhone or iPad.  I especially like that you can write updates and queue them for later publication.  Imagine sitting in an airport waiting for a delayed flight, and scheduling beautiful descriptions of your beautiful photographs from your visit to be released on your blog on day at a time.

Posterous


Posterous is easy to look at, easy to use and it was difficult choosing one app to stick with.  Posterous can be configured from you computer to autopost to just about anything on the planet.  The Help file has all kinds of quirky and fun stuff in it including video tours and autoposting tutorials. On it's site it brags that it might be the easiest way to keep up with the whole family, and I think they may be correct.  No complaints.

LiveJournal


The LiveJournal app caught my attention with the attractive blue pencil icon and the ability to add your mood and music to your posts.  It is limited, however, to its own closed environment and I was looking for something that would let me post to my existing blogs on blogger and wordpress.

WordPress

WordPress's iPhone app is just great.  No complaints.  Schedule posts, videos, photos, preview, easy to use, just beautiful.  But it too is limited to it's own environment and in that regard, BlogPress wins.


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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Annoying Yahoo toolbar and Online Sales that give you more than you wanted

I don't know how it is that I could have missed it. Somewhere I must have said "yes I want your annoying toolbar installed" when I clicked too fast during an installation of this or a that. It's an obstacle course installing software now and if I don't pay attention I get to the other end with some unwanted guest installed, an undesired automatic renewal in place, an add-on or useless helper cluttering up my menu bar.

Not that I have anything against Google toobars and Yahoo menu helpers and this and that thingy, it's just that I didn't ask for it. Or I didn't think I did. But, apparently I did. "It was there in the Terms of Service," one level headed customer service representative of a third party application I purchased told me when I called to complain about the extras now installed. When I tried to uninstall the extras, confusing messages warn me that by installing this or that file-which may or may not be used by other unnamed program-overall functionality may be impacted adversely.

"What happens if I leave it on my system?" I wonder to myself with a rising sense of irritation.

Or like the small charges that were appearing on my credit card monthly that I noticed recently. I challenged them with the assistance of my bank, to be told that I had definitely selected a free membership to a service that converted to a paid service at the end of 30 days entitling me to reduced prices for service in which I am not interested.

"When did I select it?" I enquired. "Oh you had to have clicked one of our offers on the web and it would have been followed up with a confirmation that you were interested in the product."

"There was no such thing." I insist.

Oh wait. "There was," I discover from the politely insistent agent. It was tucked away in the fine print of an online purchase of a shaver I got for a gift for a friend. And by the time I navigated through the multiple special offers for everything else I didn't want, the magazines, the double-up your orders, the this the that, I had, explains the agent, "also subscribed to our free service."

"I don't want it, and there is no way to unscubscribe," I complain.

"I'd be happy to help you," he says, "But may I first offer you a free subscription to...."

Sigh.

It is the season for non violence and my mind is a center of indignation filled with less than beautiful thoughts.

A few days ago I received a text message inviting me to receive weather updates. I checked the name of the service online on my favorite search engines to discover a nightmare trail of people who had been hoodwinked into monthly phone charges for weather reports they could get anywhere for free. Many people who have fallen for this reported that the cost was small enough to be over looked. So I call my cell phone provider and request a block on this service as well as a pin number installed so that all future cell phone services purchsed through text message must be verified.

How do my elderly relatives manage this nightmare? They don't very well. They call with wrecked systems, bogged down by the hazards of ordinary searching and renewing of licenses and subscriptions.

That's all.

Ten most annoying programs on the internet


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Facebook Shortcuts

I love applications that are intuitive to use because I’m not a fan of reading user manuals and help files.  So when I log on to Facebook, I take a deep breath because I know I’m about to land in a chaotic, anything-but-intuitive environment.  I love that it allows me to connect with people interested in our Center’s work and programs, but I don’t enjoy how information is seemingly chaotically splashed across everywhere.  I’m guessing it’s on purpose to keep users on the site longer.  It just takes that long to find anything.

Recent changes to display methods seem to have made it even more challenging to understand what is going on.  I have to keep my focus, keep breathing, log on and do what I intended to do and ignore the rest.  It’s a bit like an obstacle course with barbed wire elements ready to snare and keep you.  Paranoid?   Praps.

I read a guide recently to using keyboard combinations to quickly access Facebook features and it’s been a help.  Using the Alt key plus numbers 1 through 0 you can access Facebook’s homepage, your profile, friend requests, messages, notifications, search, compose a new message, and so on.  Try it out, Alt plus a number.  If you’re on Firefox, add shift

Most important of all – get off of Facebook as quickly as possible and get outside, whether it’s cold, raining, hot or humid. 

Do what ever you can to see a real live human being eye to eye. 

It’s always better than alt-shift-anything.

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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Tina Dico - Fans

You're got to love an artist who posts Fan Covers on her official blog.


Poking around on her bio I discovered that during the first half of 1998 Tina took Religious Studies at the University of ƅrhus.  Evidence that religious studies leads to great music - ok, just kidding.

I am amazed at how the concert from last week continues to haunt me.

Here are her tours coming up.

Here is her blog from the road.

Wonderful review by Christine Nunez from 2006 I found - enjoy.
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My Prayer for Egypt

Believing in the liberty, security, and self-expression for all, I offer this, my prayer for my Egypt:
 
I believe that Divine Intelligence governs the destiny of Egypt, directing the thought and the activity of all who guide her affairs. I believe that success, prosperity, and happiness are the gifts of freedom and are the Divine heritage of everyone in Egypt. In my mind’s eye I see that it is Divine guidance that enlightens the collective mind of the people of Egypt, causing each person to know that economic security may come to all without the loss of either personal freedom or individual self-expression. I believe that no one can be led to accept that freedom must be surrendered in order to insure economic security for all.
 
I trust that the All-Knowing Mind contains the answer to every problem which confronts Egypt and that every leader is direct by their Creator – and has access to the knowledge of a complete solution to every problem.  This inner connection guides each one to act upon this knowledge to the end that abundance, security, and peace shall come to all.

My prayer for Egypt is that spiritual democracy shall endure, guaranteeing to everyone in this country personal liberty, happiness, and self-expression.

Adapted from Ernest Holmes, Prayer for My Country

 
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What’s on my iPhone–PhotoWizard

A photo editing app by Pankaj Goswami is fast becoming one of my favorites because of its easy to use mask feature.  Smart as can be, the app finds the object you want to protect from the effect you want to apply and you can have all kinds of fun.  Here below I have added a glass window effect and a neon border effect to the background of the photo without touching the main image.
photo 4photo 1
A ‘lite’ version is available on iTunes where you can preview PhotoWizard and try out many of its features without committing to the purchase.
Here I’ve added a soft warm glow, just in time for Valentines Day (someone body better give me roses, I swear) and an effect that results in a cartoonish result of the walls and light in the background.  Haircut by Don Hawks.  Don’t you love it when you find a great hairdresser?
photo 2photo 3
The same developer produced MosaicArtist which turns your photo into an incredible mosaic.  I haven’t got that one yet, on the wish list.  Sigh.
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Friday, February 11, 2011

A Concert Of Chamber Music - Saturday, February 12, 2011

For the past several years the Center for Spiritual Living has hosted Nota Bene on the Saturday before Valentines Day for a concert of chamber music.  This year the group is featuring guest artist Christopher Fritzsche, contertenor who has just released his first CD.  This CD was recorded in the gorgeous acoustic of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Belvedere, California with soprano, Marguerite Krull and a band of ince=redible instrumentalists, including David Wilson, violin, Katie Kyme, violin, David Daniel Bowes, viola, Paul Hale, cello, Roy Wheldon, bass, and Bradley Broolshire, harpsichord and organ.



Nota Bene Baroque Ensemble was founded in 1987 with the goal of delving into the rich trove of chamber music from the baroque period (approximately 1650 through the mid 1700's) written for their instruments -- recorder, oboe, harpsichord and cello. They have performed in the Santa Rosa Junior College Chamber Concert Series, at the Sonoma State University Concert Series, the Cinnabar Summer Music Festival and the Gualala Concert Series.

 You can subscribe to email notifications about upcoming concerts of Nota Bene here.

Program

for Recorder, Oboe and basso Continuo (1714-1788)


Aria for Alto with obligato Oboe (1685-1750)

Aria for Alto with obligato Oboe

for Cello and Harpsichord (1510-1570)

for Recorder, Oboe, and basso Continuo (1681-1767)

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Tina Dico

On Tuesday night I went with some friend from the Center to San Francisco to see Tina Dico in concert at the Swedish American Hall on market street.  I had no idea who she is and I went mostly because of the enthusiasm of my friends.  I am so glad I did, and now I don't understand why Tina Dico is not as well known in America as she is abroad.  She is incredible.  I couldn't help thinking of Joni Mitchell as I drank in the poetry of her songs accompanied by differently tuned guitar and haunting counter melodies.

Tina has seven studio albums released, the most recent is "Welcome Back Colour"  You can hear samples of her songs on iTunes by clicking here.


Here we are waiting, Edward, Chris, Angela and Paul.  Robin was there too.  And there were more of us there not in the photo. 

For a complete list of upcoming appearnces click here


I know she struck a chord with me because there is no chance in heaven that I would sit on those uncomfortable chairs at the Swedish American Hall - oh the pain - out of politeness or loyalty to my friends. 

I sat and stayed and listened and swayed and wondered why the heck she isn't splattered all over our media?

I think i'm a fan!
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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

What’s on my iPhone?–Colorize by Widgetize

Colorize is an amazing piece of fun!  You can achieve precise recoloring on photographs for truly wild and wonderful effects.  The best results are achieved with photos that have bold features and outlines and with a minimum of white and grey/black space.  White is not recolorable so if you’re planning on turning your white cat into a multi-colored creature, you’re going to have more luck changing a bunch of grapes into something interesting like the example photo that comes with the app.

Here is a before and after landscape:

IMG_2297      IMG_2438

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Saturday, February 5, 2011

Our Prayer for Egypt: Adapted from The Global Heart Vision of Centers for Spiritual Living


We see Egypt free of homelessness, violence, war, hunger, separation and disenfranchisement.
  
We see Egypt, a country in which there is generous and continuous sharing of heart and resources.
  
We envision Egypt as a place in which forgiveness, whether for errors, injustices, or debts, is the norm.
  
We embrace a vision in which Egypt has renewed its emphasis on beauty, nature, and love through the resurgence of creativity, art, and aesthetics.
 
We see Egypt as a place in which fellowship with all life prospers and connects through the guidance of spiritual wisdom and experience.
  
We envision Egypt as being an example of a place in which we live and grow as One Global Family, a place where there is respect and honor for the interconnectedness of all life. 
 
We envision Egypt as being as a bridge across the illness and illusion of separation thereby dynamically empowering spiritual life.
  
We envision Egypt as being actuated by this compelling vision of her spiritual wellbeing
  
We see Egypt as a global community of inspired individuals caring for and about each other and the entire planetary family, thereby bringing the gift of active compassion and kindness to the world.
  
We see the leaders of Egypt as “points of inspiration and influence” effectively advancing the vision of a world that works for everyone.

Our Prayer for Egypt: Adapted from The Global Heart Vision of Centers for Spiritual Living

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What’s on my iPhone–SmartSplice

Digital Staircase’s SmartSplice allows you to grab an image from a iPhone photos, say your friend, cat or an object, and place it on a brand new background.  That’s not all it can do – it is quite smart and provides image filters and wizards to do most of the work.

Here I used the app to roughly grab a friends profile…
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And gave him a faux-vacation in Sedona, Arizona.  Nice.
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You can read review of the app developer here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smartsplice/id310453210?mt=8

Click here for more of my iPhone app articles.

Or click here to read about The Waters of Gangaji!
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Friday, February 4, 2011

What's On My Iphone - iPimp Ultimate

Now for something completely different, an application to enhance your photos with 1000 unique and fun items.

iPimp from Horn Soft Media allows a great deal of flexibility in resizing the items, saving, deleting, changing transparency and so much more.  Here is the before photo:


And here are two after photos:


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Zach Wahls Speaks About Family


Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student spoke about the strength of his family during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls has two mothers, and came to oppose House Joint Resolution 6 which would end civil unions in Iowa.
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What's On My iPhone - PhotoTropedelic from ArtEngines

PhotoTropedelic for iPhone by Larry Weinberg ArtEngines produced these photos.   Here is the original photo taken on my iPhone 4 followed by variations produced by adjusting settings in the app such as how many colors to incorporate in the process, whether or not to add stars, circles and ray, adjustments to the line thickness and border reduction and on and on.  

It's a whole lot of fun to run the same photo with different settings. I'm not sure exactly what you would want with a whole lot of "tropedelic' photos - but, er.. I love the app anyway.  And I just noticed a wonderful feature.  I don't know how I missed this.  While it is processing you can watch colors being developed and elements added.  

Then I spotted the 'stop' button and discovered that you can halt the process at a point where it's just how you like it.  Maybe I should start reading the instructions on these apps.  Nah.  Why start now.





















And here is a gallery of images on the app web site.

And here is a bunch of Edward products you can get at Stepping Stones Bookstore

And here are more of my articles about iPhone apps

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Before iPhone was Blackberry

I used to have a Blackberry and I loved it!  Here is a quick search of all the blog entries I submitted to this blog using my Blackberry from all over the world using AT&T's International Blackberry Plan.  From game parks in Africa on the board of Mocambique to Benares, India I had no problem, snapping and sending, chatting and surfing without ever worrying about data overages.  I used to travel a whole lot more than I do now, taking groups of people on tours around the world. 

Here is a link to all the posts I made from my Blackberry!

I'm working on a trip to return to Bali with a group and this time it will be with my iPhone.  I love my iPhone, and I miss my Blackberry Curve.

When I was in Costa Rica, I used my iPhone, with a purchased phone number from Skype, forwarding my iPhone local number to Skype.  It worked just fine, as long as I was in a wifi zone, people calling me from home rang right through to my iPhone... oh, as long as Skype was running too.  Not a bad plan.  Saved me having to run up international phone rates.  If you want to know more about how that all works, leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

 
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What’s on my iPhone–Pencil Illusion

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Pencil Illusion makes it possible to see in real-time what your photos would be like in pencil, chalk or embossed.


I sometimes take the pencil mask photo and then use a color app to fill in custom colors.  More about that later.  Above is a photo snapped on my iPhone 4 in a friends living room with average light.

Click here for an article by me "Online Social Networking - Using It To Support Your Ministry Or Non-Profit" 

Click here for more entries related to iPhone and Apps






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I was just sitting there when it attacked me

Photographed with iPhone 4
and assembled and posted using BlogPress

I wasn't doing anything




I did nothing to provoke





It attacked first - It was Self defense





But no worries....




Its dead now..





I i think ill make a belt out of it

Click here for an article by me "Online Social Networking - Using It To Support Your Ministry Or Non-Profit"



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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

What’s on my iPhone–Slow Shutter

Cogitap’s Slow Shutter let’s you capture a light trail from car lights, fire or fast moving water like in the photos below snapped with Slow Shutter in Palm Springs Indian Canyon, right on my iPhone.




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You can add blur, light, movement and turn ordinary photos into something dreamy and creative.  Here is a little fun taken in low light at a holiday season candle lighting ceremony with Slow Shutter.  That’s John Brown and Judy Brown in the photo and the location is the Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa.

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Science of Mind and Spirit For Begnners
"This wonderful book guides any individual to understand Science of Mind with ease and grace. It is a simple and beautiful presentation of the Spiritual Principles Science of Mind teaches. I highly recommend this book to students, licensed Practitioners and ministers. Blessings to Rev Edward." ~ Johan Gonzalez RScP. Science of Mind and Spirit for Beginners: Four Chapters in Simplified Prose, paraphrased by Edward VIljoen

Practice The Presence Journal

Practice The Presence Journal
Journaling offers a powerful way to record your spiritual growth. Writing in a journal calls on you to be more conscious of the insights that occur daily in your life. It gives you an opportunity to examine your beliefs and be mindful of your choices.

Seeing Good At Work

Seeing Good At Work
I have been through the book three times over three years, and am starting it again. This is not because the material in the book is not working, but because it is working so well! The weekly lessons keep me on track and focused on what is actually true and important, and help me experience more good in every area of my life. LS

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