1. Turkeys: To eat or to feed

    17

    Some eat ’em, some feed ’em

    OK, so it isn't even close. According to the industry group National Turkey Federation, more than 46 million of the big birds will be served as Thanksgiving dinner this year. Just a few hundred will get to experience the holiday as a pet, said turkey rescue Farm Sanctuary… #turkey  

    In this Wednesday, November 14, 2012 photo provided by Karen Dawn, a pet, Rosie Turkey, is held in the lap of owner Karen Dawn in her front garden in Pacific Palisades, Calif. This was Rosie’s first day in her new home. (AP Photo/Karen Dawn, Josh Garrett)

    Google+: Reshared 1 times
    Google+: View post on Google+

  2. Say NO to ivory

    Comment

    Photo courtesy DSWT

     

    Sign the Petition

    The first thing you can do is sign our petition to add your name to the list of people worldwide who cannot imagine a world without elephants. By signing our online petition to Say No to the ivory trade, you will help us to show politicians attending the meeting of CITES in March 2013 how adamant we all are that they should vote against any movement to legalise the sales of ivory in any form.

     

    Encourage others to sign the petition

    We are aiming to secure 36,000 signatures in the six months between September 2012 and March 2013. You can help us by spreading the word to your friends and family. Engage with our social media campaigning and share the message to everyone you know, to raise awareness that the ivory trade is a bigger problem now than ever, and now is the time for us all to act together if we want to protect elephants. Time is running out.

     

    Speak up for elephants

     

    The most effective thing you can do to help bring an end to the ivory trade is to write to your country’s representative at CITES (www.CITES.org). National contacts and information can be found by clicking on the name of the relevant country at http://www.cites.org/cms/index.php/lang-en/component/cp/

    Write to your country’s representatives to express your opinion that under no circumstances should sales of ivory be made legal (since legal sales of stockpiles always corresponds to a rise in poaching).

     

    Never buy, sell or display ivory

    Buying products made from ivory, or displaying ivory items, increases sale and demand for ivory products and continues to drive the trade. Disposing of existing ivory possessions in a way which ensures they will not go back into circulation, will help to stop the continuation of the ivory trade. Many people are unaware that ‘new’ illegal ivory is often passed off as ‘old’ ivory from stockpiles, so never buy or sell any ivory.

     

    Spread the word

    Many people are unaware of the severity of the threats facing the African Elephant. Talk to your friends and family to help raise awareness of the problem. Encouraging support for frontline conservation charities such as the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org) will help give elephants their best chance at surviving the current threats and flourishing in the wild in future.

     

    Foster an elephant

    The elephants rescued by the DSWT are reliant upon them for up to 10 years, before they choose to return to the wild. Each elephant requires a stockade, the care of specialist keepers who stay with the orphans 24 hours a day, milk formula every 3 hours and additional nutrients and medicines where necessary. The full cost of care for each elephant is approximately $500 USD each month averaged across all the age groups, with the youngest Nursery calves costing $800 USD to receive the very best care. You can foster a baby elephant to become part of the elephant’s extended human family, with your donation of $50 USD a year contributing much needed funds to the DSWT Orphans Project. Foster parents receive a personalised certificate, monthly email update of their elephant, photographs and more.

     

    Donate

    Donate as little or as much as you are able to today to help the DSWT carry out valuable anti-poaching work in Kenya, and help to care for the elephants already affected by poaching. http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/html/help.html

     

    About the Campaign

    At the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust we love elephants and we can’t imagine a world without them. But if we don’t all come together to stand up for elephants and add our voice to those fighting against the ivory trade, the African elephant species could be lost forever. As long as there is a market for ivory elephants will be cruelly killed for their teeth.

    We want everyone who loves elephants to Say No to Ivory and stand up for elephants.

    The DSWT iWorry campaign aims to raise awareness of the urgent need to stop all trade in ivory internationally, in order to protect the future of elephants.

     

    Source: http://www.iworry.org/
    Sharing via my G+ friend, Ole Nors

  3. Showing off

    Comment


    This fox decided to be a bit of a show off as it passed by our campsite with the afternoon catch.
    Photo and caption by Marty Desimone

     

  4. Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle

    47

    In our daily life, we encounter people who are angry, deceitful, intent only on satisfying their own needs. There is so much anger, distrust, greed, and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together. Margaret J. Wheatley

  5. Top 10 Healthiest Fruit List with Fruit Benefits

    18

    This healthiest fruit list shows the most nutritious antioxidant fruit benefits. 

    You'll want to choose often from the healthiest fruit list in order to get the best fruit benefits. Then you can look better, think better and have more abundant energy. 

    But that's not all. It turns out that an apple a day (or an apricot, grapefruit, kiwi, papaya or bowl of blueberries) CAN keep the doctor away!
     
    Besides being delicious and nutritious, by reducing your risk of colds, flu, heart disease, stroke and cancer, eating the healthiest fruits with the most antioxidant fruit benefits will help you to feel better and live longer. 

    The Healthiest Fruit with Antioxidant Fruit Benefits

    1. Apples, with the skin, provide pectin, 5 grams of fiber and a heaping dose of flavonoid antioxidants. Apple fiber helps lower cholesterol and keep you regular. And the powerful flavonoids reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. A medium apple has about 80 calories. 

    2. Apricots are a good source of vitamins A, C and E, potassium, iron and carotenoids. The lycopene found in apricots helps protect your eyes and prevent heart disease, LDL cholesterol oxidation and certain cancers – especially skin cancer. And the fiber in apricots helps relieve constipation. Plus 1 apricot has only 19 calories. 
       
    3. Bananas are a great source of potassium (about 400 mg), which helps lower your risk of high blood pressure and stroke and plays a key role in muscle function. Bananas are delicious and sweet to eat, making them a good sugar substitute and natural energy source. The fiber in bananas helps restore normal bowel action. A medium size banana has around 108 calories.

    4. Berries are super high in powerful antioxidants, including vitamin C. Numerous studies show berries offer great protection against heart disease stroke, cancer and many other diseases.  

    Blueberries top the antioxidant fruit benefits list. Besides other health benefits, blueberries help prevent high blood pressure, macular degeneration and brain damage leading to Alzheimer's disease. 1 cup of blueberries has 81 calories and 4 grams of fiber.

    Blackberries – a single cup of blackberries has 74 calories and a whopping 10 grams of fiber.

    Raspberries – there are 60 calories in 1 cup of raspberries with 8 grams of fiber.

    Strawberries – 1 cup of sliced strawberries has 50 calories and 4 grams of fiber.

    5. Cantaloupes are packed with Vitamin C, potassium and carotenoid antioxidants. Cantaloupe can help reduce inflammation, prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease, boost immunity and help protect your skin from sunburn. Half a melon has 97 calories and 2 grams of fiber.

    6. Cherries are very high in iron and disease-fighting flavonoids. They also have potassium, magnesium, C and E, folate and heart-protective carotenoids. Cherries can significantly reduce inflammation, arthritic pain, bad cholesterol and cancer risk. 1 cup of cherries has 88 calories. 

    7. Citrus Fruits are best known for flavor, juiciness and high vitamin C content. But they're also a good source of folate, fiber and other antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Citrus fruit has been shown to help reduce cholesterol, blood pressure and the risk of some types of cancer.

    Pink or Red Grapefruit – half a grapefruit has just a scant 47 calories.
    Oranges provide an impressive 50 to 70 mg of vitamin C and a medium orange has only 68 calories.

    Lemons and Limes – 1 lime or small lemon has about 17 calories. 

    8. Kiwifruit, when compared ounce for ounce, has more than twice the vitamin C of an orange. It's also an excellent source of magnesium, potassium and vitamins A and E. Kiwis have been shown to boost the immune system and reduce respiratory diseases. 1 medium kiwi has 47 calories and 3 grams of fiber.

    9. Papayas are loaded with vitamin C, folate, carotenoids and natural digestive enzymes that help with protein digestion. 1 cup of cubed papaya has 55 calories. 

    10. Red Grapes contain iron, potassium, fiber and an abundance of powerful disease-fighting antioxidants.  Although red wine gets most of the publicity, dark colored grapes are the original source of the flavonoids, anthocyanins and resveratrol, which have been shown to help prevent heart disease and cancer. 1 cup of red or purple grapes has 60 calories. 

    Since this healthiest fruit list offers such extraordinary fruit benefits, choose often from the healthiest fruits with the most antioxidant fruit benefits.

    Source: Common Sense Health

    Google+: Reshared 5 times
    Google+: View post on Google+

  6. A genuine smile

    47

    A genuine smile comes from deep down in your soul. It is based on the pure joy, peace and happiness you have in your heart. If lost, the smile that replaces it is but a replication and will only last so long. Find your genuine smile, use it generously, and what you will receive in return for sharing it will be amazing. ~ Stephani McLellan

    Photo manipulation. A photo of me taken by a little boy, in Connecticut on November 4, 2012. I was playing around with the sketch.

     

  7. Bring your own sunshine

    30

    Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.  ~Anthony J. D’Angelo

  8. A single smile is a cure for anything

    45

    A single smile is a cure for anything. It penetrates the human heart causing it to beat faster. A single smile means warmth, satisfaction, happiness, and most of all it means life. People smiling know and understand they have something worth living for. Andriana Kelisakieva

    Google+: Reshared 4 times
    Google+: View post on Google+

  9. Make one person happy each day

    38

    Make one person happy each day and in forty years you will have made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time at least. ~Charles Wiley

    Ven. Luon Sovath and Jendhamuni, in Connecticut on November 4, 2012.

    Google+: Reshared 4 times
    Google+: View post on Google+


Live & Die for Buddhism

candle

Khmer Tipitaka 1 – 110

 ព្រះត្រៃបិដក

ព្រះត្រៃបិដក ប្រែថា កញ្រ្ចែង ឬ ល្អី​ ៣ សម្រាប់ដាក់ផ្ទុកពាក្យពេចន៍នៃព្រះសម្មាសម្ពុទ្ធ

The Tipitaka or Pali canon, is the collection of primary Pali language texts which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism. The three divisions of the Tipitaka are: Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka, Abhidhamma Pitaka.

Maha Ghosananda

Maha Ghosananda

Supreme Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism (5/23/1913 - 3/12/07). Forever in my heart...

Samdech Chuon Nath

My reflection

វចនានុក្រមសម្តេចសង្ឃ ជួន ណាត
Desktop version

Listen to Khmer literature and Dhamma talk by His Holiness Jotannano Chuon Nath, Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia Buddhism.

Shantidevas’ Bodhisattva vows

My reflection

Should anyone wish to ridicule me and make me an object of jest and scorn why should I possibly care if I have dedicated myself to others?

Let them do as they wish with me so long as it does not harm them. May no one who encounters me ever have an insignificant contact.

Regardless whether those whom I meet respond towards me with anger or faith, may the mere fact of our meeting contribute to the fulfilment of their wishes.

May the slander, harm and all forms of abuse that anyone should direct towards me act as a cause of their enlightenment.

As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, so the wise are not shaken by blame and praise. As a deep lake is clear and calm, so the wise become tranquil after they listened to the truth…

Good people walk on regardless of what happens to them. Good people do not babble on about their desires. Whether touched by happiness or by sorrow, the wise never appear elated or depressed. ~The Dhammapada

Hermit of Tbeng Mountain

Sachjang Phnom Tbeng សច្ចំ​​ ភ្នំត្បែង is a very long and interesting story written by Mr. Chhea Sokoan, read by Jendhamuni Sos. You can click on the links below to listen. Part 1 | Part 2

Beauty in nature

A beautiful object has no intrinsic quality that is good for the mind, nor an ugly object any intrinsic power to harm it. Beautiful and ugly are just projections of the mind. The ability to cause happiness or suffering is not a property of the outer object itself. For example, the sight of a particular individual can cause happiness to one person and suffering to another. It is the mind that attributes such qualities to the perceived object. — Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Nature is loved by what is best in us. The sky, the mountain, the tree, the animal, give us a delight in and for themselves. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Our journey for peace
begins today and every day.
Each step is a prayer,
Each step is a meditation,
Each step will build a bridge.

—​​​ Maha Ghosananda