Space images taken by NASA reveal a mysterious ancient bridge in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka…. The bridge´s unique curvature and composition by age reveal that it is man made. The legends as well as archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to [...]]]> According to Lankalibrary.com

Space images taken by NASA reveal a mysterious ancient bridge in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka…. The bridge´s unique curvature and composition by age reveal that it is man made. The legends as well as archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to a primitive age, about 1,750,000 years ago and the bridge’s age is also almost equivalent.

Ram Sethu, or Adam's Bridge. Photo from NASA Digital Image Collection

Aerial View of Rama Setu, Photo courtesy PlaneMad/Wikipedia

Lankalibrary.com suggests that this is the bridge referred to in an ancient legend called the Ramayana, “which was supposed to have taken place in tredha yuga (more than 1,700,000 years ago).” In that story, the Vanara (monkey-men) army of Rama built the bridge so that he could reach Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from the Rakshasa king, Ravana.) (For a wonderful, free animated film of the Ramayana, see Nina Paley’s masterpiece, Sita Sings the Blues).

Sita Cries a River, Graphic courtesy of Nina Paley

According to Wikipedia, Rama Setu was “reportedly passable on foot up to the 15th century until storms deepened the channel: temple records seem to say that Rama’s Bridge was complete above sea level until it broke in a cyclone in 1480 AD.” Wikipedia says:

Some geologists have stated that this structure is a natural one whereas others believe that this structure is man-made. The Madras High Court has said that this bridge is man-made, while the Government of India in an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India, said that there is no historical proof of the bridge being built by Ram, to bolster their plan to implement the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project.

For more details and fascinating background information, see the article at Lankalibrary.com

Below is a scene from the Ramayana, Battle at Lanka. No shortage of activity!

According to the very useful Intentional Communities website:

Intentional Community is an inclusive term for ecovillages, cohousing communities, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives, intentional living, alternative communities, cooperative living, [...]]]> How would you feel about living in an intentional community? It could solve a lot of your problems—and/or give you some interesting new ones.

According to the very useful Intentional Communities website:

Intentional Community is an inclusive term for ecovillages, cohousing communities, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives, intentional living, alternative communities, cooperative living, and other projects where people strive together with a common vision.

Photo courtesy of the Ecovillage Training Center,
Summertown, Tennessee USA.

Intentional communities can have hundreds of residents and decades of longevity (such as the Farm), or they can be a group of idealists looking for others of the same ilk, or they can be family and friends looking for a few more to share their scene, or they can be only a gleam in a dreamer’s eye. Some are religious, most have a common vision, often ecological. Some cost a ton of money to get into, such as most cohousing; some are free or work-trade, and there’s a wide range in between. Some pool income or require work; others leave personal finances completely independent. Some are hippitats in the woods; others are young professional families in high-tech homes in a city.

The Intentional Communities online directory helps you find a suitable intentional community by letting you select your preferences among a number of criteria.

For interesting browsing, or to quickly find a specific intentional community, you can see an alphabetical list of the hundreds of intentional communities registered in the Intentional Communities website’s online directory. To see a list by state/country, click here. The entries link to individual pages with info filled in by the communities themselves.

The entrance to Rocinante.

If you can support yourself, have money to build a good solid cabin, and are interested in good energy and natural wisdom as applied to “the great transitions of birth and death,” you might fit in at Rocinante, a small and growing intentional community in Tennessee. Started by the Farm’s founding leader, Stephen Gaskin, and famed midwife Ina May Gaskin, Rocinante is a nonprofit with half a dozen cabins on 100 wooded Tennessee acres. Its mandate is to build a model community where low-cost, high-quality alternative health is integrated into birthings, dyings, and everyday living. Many of its residents are/have been of retirement age or “fragile”; Rocinante says the community is “all crew, no passengers.” It does not charge an entrance or “buy-in” fee, just $100 month for dues, plus you must be able to build (or have built) a house acceptable to the community. Building codes in the area are extremely flexible, and costs are lower than in most parts of the US.

What kind of advantages are to found by living in intentional community? It can be like having an extended family to share costs through collective action—e.g., everybody may own the land together, so they can have a large amount of land for their use they couldn’t otherwise afford. You may share duties, to help one another lighten the load—e.g., take turns taking the garbage and recycling to the transfer station. When your roof leaks or you’re down with the flu, you’ll likely have loving neighbors willing to help. Some communities have barter programs or even their own currency, to facilitate getting what you need without putting out money.

The late Geoff Kozeny, in his excellent article “Intentional Communities: Lifestyles Based on Ideals,” wrote:

Most members of intentional communities share a deep-felt concern about home, family, and neighborhood. Beyond the obvious purpose of creating an extended-family environment for raising a family, communities create an environment of familiarity and trust sufficiently strong that doors can safely be left unlocked. In today’s world of escalating crime, merely having that kind of security may be reason enough to join.

Kozeny visited 250 intentional communities and wrote about his experiences; his video series, Visions of Utopia, explores the features and how-to’s of intentional community, and provides in-depth looks at 17 communities.

The Fellowship for Intentional Community offers a FAQ examining myths about intentional communities, and a resources page, including classified ads, for further exploration. Visit youtube for videos about intentional communities.

Why not spend a little time looking into the variety of intentional communities out there? You may be astounded by the richness of life experience that awaits you in a community that’s right for you.

“The Thinker” from Cernavodă, Male Figurine Fired Clay Hamangia, [...]]]> A sophisticated culture existed in Europe’s Lower Danube Valley more than 5000 years BC. This is before the days of Mesopotamia being the “fertile crescent” from which all civilization supposedly flowed. And according to an expert, many archaeologists have never even heard of this ancient civilization.

“The Thinker” from Cernavodă, Male Figurine Fired Clay Hamangia, 5000–4600 BC, Photo: Marius Amarie

According to the article, A Lost European Culture, Pulled From Obscurity, by John Noble Wilford in the New York Times, November 30, 2009:

Before the glory that was Greece and Rome, even before the first cities of Mesopotamia or temples along the Nile, there lived in the Lower Danube Valley and the Balkan foothills people who were ahead of their time in art, technology and long-distance trade.

At its peak, around 4500 B.C., said David W. Anthony, the exhibition’s guest curator, “Old Europe was among the most sophisticated and technologically advanced places in the world” and was developing “many of the political, technological and ideological signs of civilization.”

According to the New York Times article:

For 1,500 years, starting earlier than 5000 B.C., they farmed and built sizable towns, a few with as many as 2,000 dwellings. They mastered large-scale copper smelting, the new technology of the age. Their graves held an impressive array of exquisite headdresses and necklaces and, in one cemetery, the earliest major assemblage of gold artifacts to be found anywhere in the world…. The striking designs of their pottery speak of the refinement of the culture’s visual language.

Some of these artifacts are quite beautiful, better than most anything we’re seeing nowadays. You might enjoy the New York Times slideshow of 24 Old Europe artifacts.

Zoomorphic Figures, possibly bulls Gold, Varna, 4400-4200 BC, Photo: Rumyana Kostadinova Ivanova

Something amazing has been discovered in an area of South Africa, about 150 miles inland, west of the port of Maputo. It is the remains of a huge metropolis that measures, in conservative estimates, about 1500 square miles. It’s part of an even larger community that is about 10,000 square miles [...]]]> According to Dan Eden at viewzone.com:

Something amazing has been discovered in an area of South Africa, about 150 miles inland, west of the port of Maputo. It is the remains of a huge metropolis that measures, in conservative estimates, about 1500 square miles. It’s part of an even larger community that is about 10,000 square miles and appears to have been constructed — are you ready — from 160,000 to 200,000 BCE!

A random Google-Earth view over the ancient metropolis in South Africa.

Eden gives instructions for viewing the ancient city using Google Earth:

To see the number and scope of these ruins, I suggest that you use google-earth and start with the following coordinates:

Carolina — 25 55′ 53.28″ S / 30 16′ 13.13″ E
Badplaas — 25 47′ 33.45″ S / 30 40′ 38.76″ E
Waterval — 25 38′ 07.82″ S / 30 21′ 18.79″ E
Machadodorp — 25 39′ 22.42″ S / 30 17′ 03.25″ E

Then perform a low flying search inside the area formed by this rectangle. Simply Amazing!

Some of the extremely ancient stone-wall buildings in South Africa that have been exposed by erosion over time. Photo from viewzone.com

Even if you can’t make it to Oregon, the resources I’ll tell you about can help you make [...]]]> Yes, those are my happy feet enjoying the beach at the Sunset Bay State Park near Coos Bay, Oregon. I just got back from touring some of Oregon’s unbelievable cheap-to-free campsites, and I want to share what I’ve learned.

Even if you can’t make it to Oregon, the resources I’ll tell you about can help you make ends meet, gracefully, in any state in the United States. And even if you need “free,” not “cheap” campsites, and even if it’s winter, read on; there are lots of options.

Oregon State Parks

You may not know that Oregon has the most beautiful coastline in the world (an opinion shared by a lot of people!). You also probably don’t know that an Oregon governor and hero, Tom McCall, declared that the Oregon beaches are public: all the beaches belong to all the people of Oregon. That means there are a lot of state parks along Oregon’s almost 300 miles of gorgeous coastline (plus many more state parks all over this spectacular state).

Here’s the main Oregon State Parks web page. Click here to see a list of all Oregon State Park campgrounds (including yurts, teepees, and cabins). To see a summary of fees for the campgrounds, click on “Rates and Fees” in the page’s left column.

About half of Oregon’s 50 state park campgrounds are open year-round. Reservations are accepted at some campgrounds, but many are first-come, first-served.

Finding an available campsite should not be a problem at most sites, except during tourist season (May through Labor Day, more or less), when you should make reservations, especially for popular spots, if you want to be sure of finding a place to stay.

There’s a link to the reservation system on the campground list page. If you make reservations, be sure to check cancellation policy; for instance, usually you can’t get a refund if the weather is bad. On the other hand, what a relief after a long day of vacationing, to find a pretty spot waiting just for you.

Here’s what the Oregon State Parks site told me about Sunset Bay State Park (where my happy feet were).

Situated in one of the most scenic areas on the Oregon coast, Sunset Bay State Park features beautiful sandy beaches protected by towering sea cliffs. Only a short walk from the beach, the campground has sites for tent camping and RV’s, as well as cozy and comfortable yurts. Day-use and picnic facilities are located along the bay to allow easy access for beachcombing, fishing, swimming, and boating.

A network of hiking trails connects Sunset Bay with nearby Shore Acres and Cape Arago State Parks. Hiking these trails will give you a chance to experience pristine coastal forests, seasonal wildflowers and spectacular ocean vistas from atop the rugged cliffs and headlands. From points along the trail, you’ll be treated to views of Gregory Point and the Cape Arago lighthouse….

It goes on and on…. Sounds like a vacation, doesn’t it? (Alas, the Pacific Ocean water is icy cold year round, so bring your wetsuit if you’re planning to spend much time immersed.)

Camping in Oregon is a high-quality, low-cost, getaway. From May through September, a tent camping site at Sunset Bay campground costs $16 a night; it’s only $12 from October through April. Even an RV with full hookup is only $22 in tourist season. A yurt is $27.

If you split the fee with one or two or three (or more) friends, you’ll be living like millionaires (or better) on not very much money. Up to eight people (sometimes only 6) are allowed per campsite. (If you have more than one vehicle, it will cost you a $5 parking fee for each extra.)

How long can you camp in an Oregon State Park?

You can stay 14 consecutive nights in a single campground, and may return after spending at least three nights out of the park (it can be another state park campground; in fact, we recommend you DO select another state park campground).

Oregon State Park Facilities and Fees

Oregon State Parks offer six basic types of campsites ranging from full hookup (sewer/electric water), electric/water hookups only, tent sites without utilities, primitive sites and hiker-biker (walk or bike in) sites (both with no utilities), and horse sites (no utilities, have corral nearby).

Primitive or hiker-biker sites usually go for $8 or $9 a night in the on-season (a few campgrounds are cheaper or free), while the fancier sites cost around $14 to $20. They say that these fees all go down by $4 from October through April, making state parks an excellent deal.

Each campsite has a picnic table, fire ring or campstove. Occupants of full hookup, electrical and tent sites have access to showers.

Oregon State Park Special Deal for Veterans and Active Military on Leave

Oregon State Parks has a great program, a “Special Access Pass for Veterans with Disabilities and Active Military on Leave.” This pass lets eligible veterans camp for free in a tent or RV site for 5 days at a time in a single Oregon state park, and 10 days in all state parks in a month. You can apply here.

And, remember, even if you can’t get to Oregon, all 50 states have amazing state parks, with cheap camping, and websites describing them.

Be sure to tune in to my next couple of posts, where I’ll discuss Oregon weather and free or cheap camping on federal lands.

Lund Creek, Oregon

State campground rates drop $4 a night across the [...]]]> Everywhere in Oregon is gorgeous in the summer, and not too too cold even in the high mountains at night (depending on your taste for cold), and it doesn’t generally rain a whole lot. That’s in the summer. Some more good news is that at Oregon State Parks:

State campground rates drop $4 a night across the state between October 1 and April 30 every year. Beautiful weather, relaxing atmosphere, solitude, lower fees … no wonder people look to fall and spring for their vacations!

You may notice they didn’t say “winter” when talking about off-season camping! That’s when it rains, or snows.

Taken at Lakeside, Oregon, near the Coast, in the spring. I saturated the photo to bring out the double (triple?) rainbow. Only one rainbow was visible in the unsaturated photo.

Of course, it can also rain or snow in other seasons — the rainy season in Oregon is defined as October through May! — but Oregon rains can be charming (provided you’re snug and warm), as you listen to the pitter-patter on leaves and tent, and the rushing creeks and waterfalls.

And the snows in pristine forests are beyond magical.

But Oregon has real weather: the winter storms at the (relatively warm) Coast are truly fierce — but why not snag a yurt or bring your RV, and enjoy nature’s show?

Snows in the high mountains can be deep and cold. On the other hand, some people love that kind of thing. Here’s a good site on getting started with cold-weather camping.

I recommend that when you find a campground you’re interested in, you should go to this weather site and type in the campground’s city, state, or zip and the dates you expect to camp there. It’ll tell you what the weather conditions there have been on those dates in years past.

Also find out what elevation your potential campsite is at! It gets cold up high, where the air is thin — and so beautiful so close to the clouds. You might also want to call or email the State Park (or Ranger Station) to ask what to expect weatherwise, if the website doesn’t tell you.

Here’s what the website of Oregon’s Umpqua National Forest has to say about enjoying the seasons there:

During the Spring, hike to waterfalls, pack a picnic lunch to enjoy by a river or stream, begin watching the changing wildflowers, or just take the family for a drive.

Fishing is popular in our many lakes and rivers during the Summer. Other summertime activities include camping, hiking, biking, boating, and whitewater rafting.

Fall is hunting season. For those who don’t hunt, mushrooming is a popular Fall activity or just come out and watch the leaves change color.

During the winter, the high country around Diamond and Lemolo lakes becomes a winter playground. Snowmobile, sled, cross-county ski, snowshoe, or just enjoy the snow-covered scenery. Downhill skiers will enjoy some of the best powder around as they snow-cat ski Mt. Bailey.

You’ll notice they only mention camping in the summer. That’s because they don’t want you complaining because you didn’t prepare properly and now you’re wet and cold. They warn you:

Average rainfall varies considerably around the Forest from about 40 inches per year at Tiller to as much as 90 inches on Mt. Bailey. Much of the Umpqua National Forest is at the 3000-4000 foot elevation and averages about 60 inches of rain per year.

And all that rain makes for luscious forests and rushing streams.

In my next blog post, I’ll talk about the amazing deals available for free or cheap camping in Oregon (and throughout the U.S.) on federal lands.

Back in 1973, Israeli doctors went on strike for 4 weeks and deaths fell by 50% in that month.

[...]]]> According to blogger cheeseslave, who runs the site cheeseslave.com “for the love of cheese. And bacon. And butter. And raw milk. And all those other things we’re not supposed to eat” (no wonder cheeseslave wants to avoid doctors!):

Back in 1973, Israeli doctors went on strike for 4 weeks and deaths fell by 50% in that month.

The same happened in Los Angeles in 1976, which saw an 18% decline in deaths during industrial action by doctors. When the strike ended and the medical machine started grinding back into action, the death rate returned to usual levels.

The same thing in Bogota in 1972. Doctors withdrew all treatments apart from emergency care. And guess what?

The mortality rate went down by 35%.

It would therefore appear that the more we can avoid medical intervention in our lives, the more chance we have of living longer and healthier.

As Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, the renowned Chicago MD put it, as far back as 1979: “If doctors reduced their involvement with people and only attended emergencies, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’d be better off.” Source: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article981.html

Typical medical confusion: Alexander hands his doctor the note warning that his doctor is poisoning him whilst proceeding to take the medicine, by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899).

In addition to the standard apple a day, what else can you do to stay away from the doctor? Julie’s Health Club offers some great ideas in 10 Cheap Ways to Avoid the Doctor. She even throws in an 11th tip: Wash your hands.

Here’s what her super-smart top 10 boils down to, but you should read her post for all the useful things she says about each item.

• Walk.
• Keep a food journal.
• Stop drinking soda.
• Strengthen your muscles.
• Chill out.
• Eat out less.
• Be a social butterfly.
• Get your zzzzzzzz.
• Eat whole foods.
• Find your passion.

In many cases, you can also use home remedies, herbs, or other non-pharmaceutical products or processes instead of going to a doctor. According to wikipedia:

A significant number [of home remedies] have been demonstrated to effectively treat ailments such as sprains, minor lacerations, headaches, fevers, and even the common cold.

One of the more popular examples of a home remedy is the use of chicken soup to treat respiratory infections such as a cold or mild flu, and according to recent studies, this may actually be effective. Other examples of medically successful home remedies include willow bark tea to cure headaches and fevers (willow bark contains a form of acetylsalicylic acid, also known as aspirin); duct tape to help with setting broken bones; and duct tape or superglue to treat plantar warts; and Kogel mogel to treat sore throat. Most home remedies are made up of things that are already in your home. One of the most commonly used home remedies used is for coughs. This recipe is as follows: Equal parts, Honey, Lemon Juice, and Whiskey. We would not recommend anyone to use more than what is necessary.

There are many websites that help you decide if you need to go to a doctor in a particular case, and thousands of websites to teach you about natural healing. Try wrongdiagnosis.com to pinpoint and get info on your health problem. Solveyourproblems.com offers 101 tips for healthy living and getting physically fit, plus access to lots of natural-health-related feature articles.

You may want to go to chestofbooks.com and click on “Health and Healing Books” for links to FREE public-domain “reference books on Alternative Medicine and Health, including Natural Cure, Materia Medica, Nutrition, Aromatherapy, Massage and a lot more.”

I don’t know about you, but any day I can avoid the healthcare system is a great day. I’ll do what it takes!

You can take a quiz at benefits.gov to see if you qualify for government benefits.

The [...]]]>

You can take a quiz at benefits.gov to see if you qualify for government benefits.

The questionnaire is completely anonymous. It has 72 questions; all you have to do is click the little boxes. Sample questions include:

• Are you a parent or primary caregiver?
• Do you need financial assistance for food costs?
• Are you the victim of a crime that occurred during a disaster?
• What is your current employment status?

Instead of, or in addition to, doing the questionnaire, you can also browse the benefits tab to find the benefit programs your state offers, and also benefit programs offered by federal agencies.

In my case, taking the questionnaire matched me up with several pages of possibilities, providing follow-up contact information for each one. After sifting through them, I found some solid help: My house may qualify for up to $6,000 worth of weatherization assistance—storm windows, insulation, maybe even a furnace!

You might find that you qualify for government benefits that would make even a seemingly impossible situation work. It’s a quick painless questionnaire, so check it out.