After about three hours I tried plugging it into the charge. No fire erupted (I wasn’t sure if it would or not) and the little LED indicating it was charging came on, then went out. I left it on overnight. The next morning I took the headset of the charger and tried to turn it on…. Success! It turned on and connected to my phone with no problems. Ten minutes later it let me know they battery was dead and promptly turned off.

Last night I put it on the charger again, this time the LED stayed on until an hour later which is the standard time it takes to charge. Trying the headset this morning it not only turned on, but stayed on, and made calls that sounded fine. Either I got extremely lucky or LG build quality devices. Whichever it is I don’t recommend washing your Bluetooth headset with your laundry.

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. – Buddha

Of course it goes without saying that even this comes from Buddha, it to should be subject to its own logic and only be taken once experienced.

From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere… If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good. – Dr. Seuss, One Fish two fish red fish blue fish, 1960

For me this quote touches base with something the Dalai Lama said yesterday in his speech at Colgate University. Everything can be viewed from different perspectives. In some of these perspectives the situation or object is good and others it is bad. If you take the time and practice to release yourself from the fears and preconceptions you have about all the time and carefully examine everything from all possible angles, you will be able to enjoy more things.

All religious traditions have the same potential, therefore we must respect all tradition. -Dalai Lama

Take respect in each other and each person’s traditions. If you don’t understand them, ask for explanations. Do not argue, but with permission you can discuss the differences between your traditions and theirs. If we work on this as a planet, we can achieve greater things than we already have.

Update

During his Q&A section the Dalai Lama was asked what can be done from the spiritual person to help those without spirituality. He made a very poingant case for leading by example, but most of:

Unless the non-spiritual person asks to be taught about Buddhadharma, do not teach Buddhadharma.

He further explained, that while this is the Buddhist way, it is a truth that all people regardless of religion should follow. This received a very loud round of applause from the audience at Colgate University. For more information and hopefully a link to access the recorded webcast, check out Colgate’s website.

This past year I have been conscious of everything that I do and its effect on my surroundings. As such I have take the following actions and I encourage you to take similar ones for yourself.

I purchased a new car. This car, while not a hybrid, is a compact Chevy Cobalt that averages 32 miles per gallon. In my mind, this still isn’t very efficient, but it did replace a 10 year old Ford Explorer that averaged 16 mpg so I have doubled my efficiency.

I began using reusable shopping bags. I purchased some bags from Trader Joe’s for $0.99 each and have continued to use them for over 8 months now. I have eliminated the the 8 plastic bags per week on average that I used at the grocery store. In addition I purchased some smaller canvas totes that I now use at stores like Target and Walmart eliminating those bags as well.

I am reusing all plastic and glass containers that I purchase from the grocery store. Instead of throwing out that salsa jar or hummus container, I wash it and will use it later instead of purchasing Tupperware. In addition I began buying in bulk. I no longer purchase boxes of cereal or cans of beans, but will purchase them from the bulk containers at the local Whole Foods store. I store these items in my reused containers.

I no longer eat meat and now opt for organic vegetables. By choosing locally grown organic veggies, I am reducing the use of fuels in production and transport as well as the chemicals that are used for growth and pest control. This results in better food for my family and a lower impact on our surroundings. By not eating meat, we are again removing chemicals from our bodies, but also we help reduce the demand for feed crops. these feed crops are often heavily treated to control pests and growth which get into the livestock. The livestock themselves have a large impact on the environment. I am not condoning eradicating cows, but by growing them in large herds in confined spaces is not natural.

I am purchasing natural cleaners that don’t use lab created chemicals and have a low impact on the environment in their creation.

My family has reduced computers down to one from three. This saved on the energy vampires and we recycled the computers and donated the ones that still work to Goodwill.

Some additional small steps to take on a daily basis that I have included: turning the dishwasher to air dry instead of heat dry. Turning the thermostat to only turn the heat on when it gets below 66 degrees and turn the air conditioner on above 75. Air dry as much laundry as possible (this tends to be tough due to the volume we seem to have in my house). Eating as much raw food as possible (this is not only healthier for you, but reduces energy used in cooking). And of course recycling as many plastics, papers, and metals as possible.

Famous Flickrite Thomas Hawk posed that question on his blog today. He has posted two images, one is a painting in a well known art museum, the other was found on a building in the street. He is taking votes and will reveal the answer tomorrow, but I encourage everyone to examine their position on the topic and chime in.

Personally I think that art can only be declared by the creator and what his or her (or I guess Elephant as well now) intention was behind it. If something is created to express a feeling, emotion or message then it clearly is art. However if the piece was done solely to capture reality, well unless the reality delivers a message or feeling, it may not be art. Sometimes the message or emotion is only perceived by the artist. I feel strongly that it is only graffiti anyway when the canvas is someone else’s property.

I wouldn’t want either on my wall, but I think the bottom one (blue) is the graffiti. There are distinct shapes that I see in it resembling the remnants of a “graffiti” like typography.

The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to. -Chuang Tzu

Last night I spent nearly an hour meditating with the group up at the Milwaukee Shambala Center. Every Tuesday they offer meditation lessons or a group sit followed by tea and a lesson and discussion on Buddhism. This week they covered the third of the Four Noble Truths: Cessation of Suffering. The key to focus on as presented last night is the suffering we generate within ourselves once our basic needs are met.

The first truth is the recognition that suffering exist or the nature of suffering. Like all problems you can not solve them without acknowledging it. The second is the origin of suffering. Our desire to be right or to crave things leads to suffering. Cessation of suffering comes when we begin to let go of the desire to be right or crave. By releasing the thought, we can prevent the speech. Preventing the speech can prevent the action. Without the action there will be no suffering. In many cases there are more than one way to accomplish a task or goal. Instead of sticking to your guns and ideas on how it should be done, be open to all possibilities. You will feel less frustrated reducing your internal suffering. By being open and accepting of others ideas you will also cause less suffering for them.

It is our earth, not yours or mine or his. We are meant to live on it, helping each other, not destroying each other. – J. Krishnamurti

Let’s all take a moment and try to understand each other. If you can not understand, ask for an explanation and do not judge, just listen and inquire. If you disagree, simply state that you understand but disagree and respect the other opinion. If everyone were to take time to do this we can achieve world peace and eradicate racism.

Related: The Right View

I never think of the future – it comes soon enough. -Albert Einstein

The next is a quote from the Buddha which points directly to the philosophy behind Einstein’s quote:

All conditioned things are impermanent – When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification. – Buddha

And lastly a fun one but poignant one:

The love of truth lies at the root of much humor. -Robertson Davies

If you are not familiar with Robertson Davies, he is a Canadian author probably best known for “The Manticore”.