SodaHead - Marky's Blog

Mother Teresa

2008-11-03T03:05:13Z

+19 raves

"There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering, too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways."---Mother Teresa (taken from The Names Project) which founded the Quilt, the huge quilt made from individual panels with the names of those who have died from AIDS.

God bless,

Marky :o)

My Roommate, Steve!

2008-10-28T16:14:34Z

Marky

+24 raves

My fellow SH friends,

I just wanted to inform you that my roommate, Steven Gregory O'Meara died this morning at 4:00. I believe in prayers for the dead and ask that you continue your prayers as he makes his transition from this world to the next.

God bless,
Marky :o(

Lost Tribes of Israel

2008-10-12T19:22:52Z

Marky

+3 raves

The Story of the Lemba People
as told by
Dr. Rudo Mathivha

Zionist Lunch Club
Johannesburg
15th October 1999

Shalom all - it is always a pleasure to host the Zionist Club Luncheon; especially today as we have a very special guest-speaker. I am honored to introduce Dr Rudo Mathivha, Specialist ICU Pediatrician and Head of the ICU Unit at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital.

Rudo's resume runs into pages.... please forgive me Rudo, I'm unable to do justice to it, as it will take the rest of the afternoon...... and we would much rather listen to you.!!
Briefly...........
Dr Mathivha has spent a number of years studying in the US, presented and published numerous research papers and articles, both locally and internationally. Amongst the many achievements awarded her recently, was the First Prize for "Best Paper by a member of the Medical Profession"

Today, Dr Rudo Mathivha is not here to discuss medicine. She has kindly agreed to share a part of our shared history that is barely known to us.

We, as a people are truly a diverse group: made up of many different threads, colors, textures and cultures; woven together into a rich beautiful tapestry; forming one people. Rudo is here representing one of the many threads.....

She is the daughter of Professor G.E.R. Mathivha, President of the Lemba Cultural Society, Descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yes, also known as the "Black Jews of Southern Africa" Please join me in welcoming her .........Dr Rudo Mathivha!!

Rudo gave her talk - and question time I joined in to "help out"
some of the questions asked;
Do you go to synagogue?
Can you speak Hebrew?
Do your people read from the Torah?
How do you teach your children about Judaism and Torah?
Do they have have a form of Barmitzvah.

I wanted to explain why the Lemba are not able to answer yes any of the above

" I would like to mention that we, the Jewish community are guilty - guilty because we never accepted what the Lemba had always maintained ...... until [the] genetic proof recently; that their story was a part of ours. We are guilty because we rejected them."

Shalom Aleichem!!

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to address you.
Some of you may already be familiar with the subject I am going to discuss, but if you are not, then we will work through this together. As told by my father, and his father's father, and his father's, father's father, and many more before them;

Approximately 2,500 years ago, a group of Jews left Judea and settled in Yemen. The tribe was led by the house of Buba and we are told that this move was to facilitate trade. In Yemen they settled in a place and built a city called Senna 1. They were then known as the BaSenna (the people from Senna)

When conditions became unfavorable, and not being a historian, I can not give you exact details of what went wrong; but lets just say they could no longer call Yemen home.
The House of Hamisi took over the leadership and led the people across into Africa.
Once in Africa, the tribe split into 2 sections: One group settled in Ethiopia and the other group went further south along the East Coast. They settled in what today is known as Tanzania/ Kenya and built Senna 2. Here they prospered and increased in numbers.
I'm afraid the travel bug bit once again and they were on the move. A small group went and settled in Malawi and Kenya. Their descendants are still residing in these countries up to today and are generally known as Ba Mwenye (lords of the land)
The remaining group, under the leadership of the house of Bakali, moved on and settled in Mozambique. Here they built Senna 3. Even today, the BaSenna are found in Mozambique.

After many years, part of the tribe, now under the leadership of Seremane (which is the house I belong to); moved further south to settle in Chiramba in what is known today as Zimbabwe. They were known as the Ba-Lemba. Our people still live there up to today. Some of the tribe moved south again and eventually settled in South Africa ( Venda, Louis Trichadt, Pietersburg and Tzaneen). This story has been told to all Lemba children from the time they are able to comprehend. It is told so that we know where we come from, who we are and how we live. It is told and shall continue to be told/written so that future generations are not lost never to be found again.
Do I believe this: Oh Yeah! My father told me and, now there is scientific proof for the non believers: The lemba males posses the Priestly Cohanim gene on their Y chromosome (from work done by Jenkins and Spurgle -Wits University)

Old maps of the Holy Land have now revealed that there was a place called Lemba way back BCE
Which brings us to my generation! Pretty cool and interesting Huh?!
1) We believe in only one God Nwali. He is the creator of all things. Over time, due to certain circumstances, a number of Lemba have been baptized as Christians.
2) One day per week is considered holy: On this day we praise Nwali and thank him for looking after us. We teach our children to honor their mothers and fathers.
3) Circumcision: We circumcise all our males. It used to be done in the home by chosen elders. The male was circumcised at the age of 8 yrs (did we get that wrong over time?) Nowadays, some do it in hospitals. There is a strong move to bring this back to the home.
4) Dietary laws: We do not eat pork or any of the creatures prohibited by the Old Testament. We have our animals slaughtered by designated people and bled. We do not mix milk and meat ever in our meal planning. We wash our hands before we handle food or cooking utensils and we thank Nwali before eating.
5) Calendar:
We used to observe the moon to guide us in observing times. Everyone has a calendar nowadays.
6) Burial:
We have special burial rituals. Our graves are dug with a shelf on the side where the body is laid. The head must always face north where we have come from. Today, we put tombstones with a Star of David on them.
7) Lembas are encouraged to marry other Lembas. A non Lemba woman can be instructed in the ways of the Lembas if she is to marry one. She has to learn the religious laws, dietary laws, etc. She may not bring any kitchen utensils from her maiden home to her new Lemba home. And she is to bring her children up according to the Lemba tradition. Sometimes she is asked to shave her head before being admitted to the Lemba home.
There are about 70,000 of us in Southern Africa. We know who we are. It would be grand if we returned to the broader global Jewish community. Even though we have safeguarded our traditions for this long, we do not want to risk losing them.

We all meet once a year for a cultural conference up in the Northern province. We are in the process of building a temple and hopefully a conference center. One of us who owns a farm wants to establish a kibbutz on the farm. We plan to get people to come and instruct us in Hebrew, teach us about Torah..... teach us what was lost along the 2500 years of having been separated from the main body of Judaism.
We are receiving help, support and encouragement in our project by a few good people, like Rufina Mausenbaum, Dr Shimon Wapnick, Dr Jack Zeller and Yaacov Levi, who will soon be joining us as our teacher. These people, together with organizations like Kulanu are in the forefront collecting books and siddurim.

Rudo Mathivha MD
copyright 1999/2000
"The Lemba and me"

"Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their G-d, in truth and righteousness."

My interest was first ignited a few years ago, when I read an article of South Africa's "Black Jews". I knew very little except what most others in the Jewish community knew - that there were Black Bantu-speaking people in our country who "claimed" to be descended from Jews, lived as Jews and practised Judaism as remembered and passed down to them -orally through the ages.

Believe my surprise when I received a call from Professor Mathivha, resident of Louis Trichardt, last year. We have a mutual friend in Washington, Dr Jack Zeller, a pathologist. He also happens to be President of Kulanu -"all of us" in Hebrew - a charity organization active in 22 countries, headquartered in Wahington, and for whom I had written a story about my personal life as "a child of the Anousim" ( forced converts )
.
This charming gentleman, president of the Lemba Cultural Association and former vice-prinicipal of the University of the North, professor Mathivha, told me how he identified with many (of the) things I had written about; the identity problems - the rejection and the pain I had experienced and felt growing up, without "belonging".
This was the beginning.

Things snowballed after that; another mutual friend from New York, an ex-Pretoria medical doctor, Shmuel Wapnick, who had visited professor Mathivha and Mr Ephraim Selamolela last year, started including me in emails; and a network grew and developed. A network of interested Jews, researchers,historians, and anthropologists, including Dr Tudor Parfitt , who was instrumental in the recent news-breaking discovery of the DNA results, proving the relation to Jews of this centuries old oral history.

Yesterday, Dr Shmuel Wapnick, on his way back to New York after spending four days in South Africa to attend his niece's wedding - found the time to host a little get together at a kosher restuarant. A get-together I was honored to be a part of. I feel it is (yet) another beginning. We met with a number of Lemba people, all identifying as Jews, one being Dr Rudo Mathivha, Paediatrian and US trained ICU specialist, daughter of Professor Mathivha, Mr Ephraim Selamolela the (very) successful businessman's two good-looking and successful sons, a niece, whose name means "great person", her mother, and the gentleman, who is president of the Lemba Burial Society. ( much like our Gevrah Kadisha)

I looked into Rudo's warm smiling eyes, enveloped by her acceptance - and felt humbled that these gracious and successful people were willing to accept me - part of the (white) Jewish community who had ignored their claims for years. They asked for nothing; they are successful, educated, and charming. All they had hoped for was some form of acceptance.

Dr Shmuel Wapnick left, with the go-ahead to arrange for a shaliach, one of our little network of caring Jews from around the world, to come and start the Lemba Educational Center, in Louis Trichadt. Yaacov Levi, who will be arriving in November/December this year, will begin teaching Hebrew and Torah, the next step towards bridging the gap of centuries.

Regarding the results of the newsbreaking genetic testing recently, David B Goldstein, a population geneticist at Oxford University, took the discovery one step further;

Goldstein's research showed that the proportion of Lemba men carrying the genetic signature of the priests were similar to those found among the major Jewish populations, strongly supporting the Lemba tradition of Jewish ancestry, the Times reported. The DNA sequences were particularly common among Lemba men who belong to the Buba clan, the senior of their 12 groups. The Lemba, from South Africa and Zimbabwe, believe they were led out of Judea by a man named Buba.

In a separate study, Dr. Tudor Parfitt, director of the Center for Jewish Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, said he has discovered the route the Lemba say they used to emigrate, saying he was told they traveled from a place called Senna to Africa.

Parfitt, who has studied the Lemba for 10 years and described his work in a recent book, "Journey to the Vanished City," said he found a village called Senna in Hadramawt, a former site of Jewish communities in Yemen. He believes that is the "Senna" referred to in Lemba oral tradition.

"It turned out what they are saying about themselves is substantially correct," he said.

Which leaves us, the SA Jewish Community with a moral dilemma; what is our responsibility as Jews, our future obligation towards helping those interested back Halachicly to Judaism?. Now that we know, can we continue to pretend they do not exist?

Abraham’s black African Descendants
Nestled in the foothills of the Zoutpansberg Mountains in South Africa’s Northern Province, between Louis Trichardt and the Kruger National Park, we find Thohayandou - Elephant Head - the home of Professor MER Mathivha, president of the Lemba Cultural Association and former vice-principal of the University of the North. He is easy to find, ask anyone in the area, and the residents will point towards his home. He is regarded with awe and as a prince within this remarkable community.

Professor Mathivha is passionate about the Lemba oral history, passed down through centuries. Stories told by the elders of the Lemba, of how they were led out of the Holy Land by the Bhuba to Senna in Yemen, and then further south, "over vast waters" to the territories of the Northern Province, Mozambique and Southern Zimbabwe; where they live peacefully amongst the "gentiles".

Most Lemba are aware that by tradition they are from Jewish origin. Similar to Jews throughout the diaspora, they have adopted some of the customs of their neighbours, but have maintained certain characteristics that Jews throughout the world tend to maintain.

The word Lemba has a double meaning: to maintain cleanliness and bring trade to their people. This definition typifies the characteristics of the Lemba. They do not eat pork and meat from animals prohibited in the Bible, and like Jews they do not eat meat from animals who die of natural causes. Animals are killed by exsanguination and the slaughter must be performed by one of their own who has experience. Many of the older members (still) eat from separate dishes for meat and milk. Other compelling customs similar to Jewish custom, include circumcision, avoidance of sexual intercourse during and for 7 days after the menstrual cycle.

Their reverence for the the Jewish cycle of the month is highlighted by their ability to determine its early arrival by observing the reflection of the moon in a specially constructed gray coloured clay bowl. The late Professor Margaret Nunes Nabarro studied the Lemba music and recorded their playing of a deer's horn very reminiscent to the Shofar blowing by Jews at the time of the Jewish New Year.

Many Lemba have been influenced by Christian missionaries and have adopted Christianity, however unlike Christians elsewhere, most of the Christian Lemba avoid eating pork. Professor Mathiva indicated that the widely attended Zion Church in the Northern Province, was established when the Lemba Chief in the territory South of Louis Trichardt agreed to accept the new religion of the missionaries.

One of the leaders of the Lemba community, Mr. Ephraim Selamolela, has bought a farm called Goeie Hoop (Good Hope) and is changing the name to the Hebrew translation "Hatikvah". He has already started to build a place for worship with a mikvah, a school for Jewish education and an agricultural enterprise to make the Lemba farmers more self-sufficient. He himself is of the Buba tribe.

The Lemba’s Jewish Connection
The Lemba came into the public spotlight, when genetic tests were carried out a few years ago by professor Trevor Jenkins of the South African Institute for Medical Research which were said to "prove consistent with Lemba oral history"; which claims Jewish ancestry, according to Professor Jenkins. Jenkins and Spurdle from Witwatersrand University, made the remarkable observation that the Y chromosome found in 50% of Lemba men are identical to the unique genetic changes found only in Jewish communities scattered throughout the world.

FINDING THE PRIESTLY GENE
More recently, the step towards identifying the kohen gene, started in an orthodox synagogue, when a nephrologist, himself a kohen, Dr Karl Skorecki, wondered if there could be a genetic basis to this tradition that bound them; the kohanim, for centuries.

Skorecki contacted Michael Hammer, a world expert in evolutionary genetics at the university of Arizona, Tucson, and the two decided to collaborate. They teamed up with Neil Bradman, chairman of the Center for Genetic Anthropology at the University College London; and so began the collection of DNA from Jewish males; kohanim, and members of two other ancient classes; Levites and Israelites.

David B. Goldstein, a population geneticist at Oxford University in England, took that discovery one step further. "In studying the priesthood, we happened into this tool for distinguishing Jewish from non-Jewish populations," Goldstein said .

Goldstein found a particular set of genetic mutations that was strongly associated with the priestly caste, not so common among lay Jews and very rare in non-Jewish populations. He then tested DNA samples collected from the Lemba.

Goldstein's research showed that the proportion of Lemba men carrying the genetic signature of the priests were similar to those found among the major Jewish populations, confirming yet again the Lemba tradition of Jewish ancestry.. And the DNA sequences were particularly common among Lemba men who belong to the Buba clan, the senior of their 12 groups.

In a separate study, Dr. Tudor Parfitt, director of the Center for Jewish Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, said he discovered the route the Lemba say they used to emigrate, saying he was told they traveled from a place called Senna in Yemen, to Africa. Parfitt, who has studied the Lemba for 10 years describes his work in a recent book, "Journey to the Vanished City," (Phoenix, London) said he found a village called Senna in Hadramawt, a former site of Jewish communities in Yemen. He believes that is the Senna referred to in Lemba tradition. "It turned out what they are saying about themselves is substantially correct," he said.

Conclusion
The tradition of the Jewish priesthood, or kehunah, has a genetic basis that points to a single ancestor -- (possibly) Aaron, older brother of Moses. What’s more, this priestly genetic marker may also be a signature of the ancient Hebrew population: you can convert to Judaism, but you can‘t convert into the priesthood. The gene trail, in other words, may lead past Aaron to his great-great-grandfather, Jacob, a.k.a. Israel. Because the kohen genetic signature is rare or absent in all non-Jewish populations tested so far, the findings support the Lemba tradition of Jewish ancestry.

Another fascinating part of the story is that researchers came up with a genetically indicated time line as to when the original kohen forefather (Aaron) lived. Using a method for genetic dating based on the rate at which certain bits of the Y chromosome mutate, they found that the date was about 3,000 years ago; consistent with Jewish tradition.

Who is a Jew?
For their part, the scientists remain cautious when discussing how the kohen chromosome can be used to identify a Jew. They note that apart from the Lemba, no other non-Jewish group has been found with more than a five percent incidence of the chromosome. They say, it can be used to provide clues - alongside anthropological and ethnographic evidence - as to whether there is any basis to claims by groups that they are descendants of the Hebrews or have some form of Jewish ancestry.

The Lemba’s tale is not unusual. There is no shortage of groups around the world -- like some Kashmiris, or the Chiang-Min on the Chinese-Tibetan border -- who claim Jewish heritage, and believe they are descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes, having been exiled from the Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BCE .

Since the kohen chromosome is to be found among both Sephardi and Ashkenazi kohanim, it appears that the origins of the priesthood at the very least, predate the splitting of the Jewish community centuries ago. It seems as if they could trace it even further back, to the time when Aaron was anointed! Using a method for genetic dating based on the rate at which certain bits of the Y chromosome mutate, Goldstein came up with an estimation consistent with the oral tradition: 3,000 years.

The evidence seem to back up the Lemba’s claim to a Jewish ancestry: Lemba males display an unusually high incidence of the kohen chromosome. What’s more, the Buba -- a senior Lemba clan -- display an even higher incidence of the chromosome. Among Lemba males it’s 8.8 percent -- a similar frequency to the Israelites (Jewish males). Among the Buba, though, it is as high as 53.8 percent.

According to Lemba tradition, the Buba clan is named after someone who led them out of Judea. "Buba means Judah," says Ephraim Selamolela, a successful Buba from the Northern Region who calls himself Sela (Hebrew for rock). "We’re the same as the other Lemba," says Sela. "But the Buba also didn’t intermarry much. We were marrying with cousins. A sort of royal family."

Who is a "kohen"?
The scientists found that 45 percent of Ashkenazi priests and 56 percent of Sephardic priests have the cohen genetic signature, while in Jewish populations in general the frequency is 3 to 5 percent. The Bhuba (priestly) tribe of the Lemba have 53 percent. [!!]

Ayurveda--For Every Illness, There is A Cure On Earth

2008-10-12T18:59:35Z

Marky

+1 raves

Basis For Ayurvedic Philosophy

Human Body As A Self Correcting Mechanism and Balance

The human body is part of nature, as we discussed before as a microcosm of the universe, and when it runs perfectly, as it was designed to run, it can be perfectly healthy. It is trying to be perfectly healthy all the time, using its innate self-healing, self-regulating ability as it strives for a perfect homeostatic balance. But we repeatedly interfere.

Nature has set us up with all the equipment we need to be perfectly healthy. Health is our natural state, and ill health is unnatural. Every day our systems are exposed to literally millions of bacteria, viruses, allergens, even carcinogens, and yet our immune system has the intelligence and skill to deal with all those invaders and keep us healthy. However, when stress, inadequate nutrition, or just fatigue weaken the immune system, those same invaders may produce disease.

Every second the body is adjusting to countless thousands of changing parameters, keeping us in homeostatic balance. No matter what comes along to upset the balance, the body knows its own nature, knows what ideal temperature it should be and the correct chemistry it needs to maintain, and keeps referring back to that blueprint to maintain proper balance.

Google: Ayurveda for more info on this topic.

Ironic That We Use the Word AVATAR As Our Picture

2008-10-12T01:29:05Z

Marky

+1 raves

Avatar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Avatar (disambiguation).
The ten avatars of Vishnu, (Clockwise, from Left upper corner) Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Vamana, Krishna, Kalki, Buddha, Parshurama, Rama and Narasimha, (in centre) Krishna
The ten avatars of Vishnu, (Clockwise, from Left upper corner) Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Vamana, Krishna, Kalki, Buddha, Parshurama, Rama and Narasimha, (in centre) Krishna

Avatar or Avatara (Sanskrit: अवतार, IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation. The Sanskrit word avatāra literally means "descent" (avatarati) and usually implies a deliberate descent from higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes. Descents that are of importance are mainly that of the Supreme Being which are plenary and marked with superhuman qualities. Other types of descents are limited expansions of Ishvara, and some that are descents of lesser empowered divinities. The term is used primarily in Hinduism for descents of Vishnu whom Vaishnava Hindus (one of the largest branches of Hinduism)[1] worship as the Supreme God, a distinctive feature of Vaishnavism. While Shiva and Ganesha are also described as descending in the form of avatars, with the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana detailing Ganesha's avatars specifically, the avatars of Vishnu carry a greater theological prominence than those of Shiva or Ganesha and upon examination relevant passages are directly imitative of the Vaishnava avatara lists.[2]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Avatars of Vishnu
o 1.1 Dasavatara: Ten Avatars of Vishnu in the Garuda Purana
o 1.2 Avatars of Vishnu in the Bhagavata Purana
* 2 Other kinds of Avatars within Vaishnavism
o 2.1 Purusha avatars
o 2.2 Guna avatars
o 2.3 Manvantara avatars
o 2.4 Shaktyavesa and Avesa avatars
* 3 People who have been considered avatars outside the orthodox tradition of Hinduism
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links

[edit] Avatars of Vishnu

The most traditional form of Avatar within Hinduism is the descents of Vishnu, the preserver or sustainer aspect of God within the Hindu Trinity or Trimurti.

[edit] Dasavatara: Ten Avatars of Vishnu in the Garuda Purana

Main article: Dasavatara of Vishnu

Matsya, first avatar of Vishnu
Matsya, first avatar of Vishnu

The ten most famous descents of Vishnu are collectively known as the 'Dasavatara' ('dasa' in Sanskrit means ten). This list is included in the Garuda Purana (1.86.10-11) and denotes those avatars most prominent in terms of their influence on human society.[3]

The first four are said to have appeared in the Satya Yuga (the first of the four Yugas or ages in the time cycle described within Hinduism). The next three avatars appeared in the Treta Yuga, the eighth descent in the Dwapara Yuga and the ninth in the Kali Yuga. The tenth is predicted to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga in some 427,000 years time.[4]

1. Matsya, the fish, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
2. Kurma, the tortoise, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
3. Varaha, the boar, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
4. Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion appeared in the Satya Yuga.
5. Vamana, the dwarf, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
6. Parashurama, Rama with the axe, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
7. Rama, Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
8. Krishna (meaning 'dark coloured' or 'all attractive') appeared in the Dwapara Yuga along with his brother Balarama. According to the Bhagavata Purana Balarama is said to have appeared in the Dwapara Yuga (along with Krishna) as a descent of Ananta Shesha. He is also counted as an avatar of Vishnu by the majority of Vaishnava movements and is included as the ninth Dasavatara in some versions of the list which contain no reference to Buddha.
9. Gautama Buddha (meaning 'the enlightened one') appeared in the Kali Yuga (specifically as Siddhartha Gautama).
10. Kalki ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness"), who is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist, which will end in the year 428899 CE.[citation needed]

In some versions the 9th avatar is Balarama (elder brother of Krishna).

[edit] Avatars of Vishnu in the Bhagavata Purana
Deity form of Varaha from Khajuraho, 12th C AD
Deity form of Varaha from Khajuraho, 12th C AD
Dattatreya
Dattatreya

Twenty-two avatars of Vishnu are listed numerically in the first Canto of the Bhagavata Purana as follows:[5]

1. Catursana [SB 1.3.6] (The Four Sons of Brahma)
2. Varaha [SB 1.3.7] (The boar)
3. Narada [SB 1.3.8] (The Traveling Sage)
4. Nara-Narayana [SB 1.3.9] (The Twins)
5. Kapila [SB 1.3.10] (The Philosopher)
6. Dattatreya [SB 1.3.11] (Combined Avatar of The Trimurti)
7. Yajna [SB 1.3.12] (Vishnu temporarily taking the role of Indra)
8. Rishabha [SB 1.3.13] (Father of King Bharata)
9. Prithu [SB 1.3.14] (King who made earth Beautiful and Attractive)
10. Matsya [SB 1.3.15] (The Fish)
11. Kurma [SB 1.3.16] (The Tortoise)
12. Dhanvantari [SB 1.3.17] (Father of Ayurveda)
13. Mohini [SB 1.3.17] (Beautiful/Charming Woman)
14. Narasimha [SB 1.3.18] (The Man-Lion)
15. Vamana [SB 1.3.19] (The Dwarf)
16. Parasurama [SB 1.3.20] (The Rama with an Axe)
17. Vyasa [SB 1.3.21] (Compiler of the Vedas)
18. Rama [SB 1.3.22] (The King of Ayodhya)
19. Balarama [SB 1.3.23] (Krishna's Elder Brother)
20. Krishna [SB 1.3.23] (The Cowherd also Svayam Bhagavan)
21. Buddha [SB 1.3.24] (The Deluder)
22. Kalki [SB 1.3.25] (The Destroyer)

Besides these, another three avatars are described later on in the text as follows:

1. Prshnigarbha [SB 10.3.41] (Born to Prshni)
2. Hayagriva [SB 2.7.11] (The Horse)
3. Hamsa [SB 11.13.19] (The Swan)

After Kalki avatar is described in the Bhagavata Purana it is declared that the avatars of Vishnu are 'innumerable.'[6] However the above list of twenty five avatars is generally taken as of those of greatest significance.

According to Gaudiya Vaishnava interpretation of a verse in the latter texts of the Bhagavata Purana,[7] and a number of texts from the Mahabharata and other Puranic scriptures,[8] Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is also listed as an avatar and is worshiped as such by followers of the tradition. In this connection Chaitanya is often referred to as the Golden Avatar.

[edit] Other kinds of Avatars within Vaishnavism

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Although it is usual to speak of Vishnu as the source of the avataras, within the Vaishnavism branch of Hinduism Vishnu is only one divine being that manifests in form. In that tradition Narayana, Vasudeva and Krishna are also seen as names denoting divine aspects which take avataric form.[2] In addition there are other senses and shades of meaning of the term avatar within Hinduism.

[edit] Purusha avatars

Purusha avatars are sometimes described as the original avatars of Vishnu or Krishna within the Universe:[9][10]

* Vasudeva
* Sankarshan
* Pradyumna
* Aniruddha

[edit] Guna avatars

Main article: Trimurti

The personalities of the Trimurti (Hindu trinity) are also sometimes referred to as Guna avatars, because of their roles of controlling the three modes (gunas) of nature,[10] even though they have not descended upon an earthly planet in the general sense of the term 'avatar'.

* Vishnu - As controller of the mode of goodness (sattva)
* Brahma - Controller of the mode of passion and desire (rajas)
* Shiva - Controller of the mode of ignorance (tamas)

[edit] Manvantara avatars

Manvantara avatars are beings responsible for creating progeny throughout the Universe, said to be unlimited in number. [11] They do not take birth.

[edit] Shaktyavesa and Avesa avatars

Avataric incarnations are classified as two kinds

* direct (sakshat)
* indirect (avesa).

When Vishnu himself descends, he is called sakshat or shaktyavesa-avatara, a direct incarnation of God. But when he does not incarnate directly, but indirectly empowers some living entity to represent him, that living entity is called an indirect or avesa avatar.[12]

There are said to be a great number of avesa avatars. Examples include Narada Muni, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Parashurama. Parashurama is the only one of the traditional ten avatars that is not a direct descent of Vishnu.

According to the Sri Vaishnavism sect of Hinduism, there are two types of primary or direct avatars, Purna avatars and Amsarupavatars:

1. Purna avatars are those in which Vishnu takes form directly and all the qualities and powers of God are expressed, (e.g. Narasimha, Rama and Krishna). [13]
2. Amsarupavatars are those in which Vishnu takes form directly but He is manifest in the person only partially. (e.g. avatars from Matsya to Parashurama).

The avesa or indirect avatars are generally not worshiped as the Supreme being. Only the direct, primary avatars are worshiped in this way. In practice, the direct avatars that are worshiped today are the Purna avatars of Narasimha, Rama and Krishna. Among most Vaishnava traditions, Krishna is considered to be the highest Purna avatar. However, followers of Chaitanya (including ISKCON), Nimbarka, and Vallabha Acharya differ philosophically from other Vaishnavas, such as Ramanujacharya and Madhva, and consider Krishna to be the ultimate Godhead, not simply an avatar. That said, all Hindus believe that there is no difference between worship of Vishnu and His avatars as it all leads to Him. According to Madhvacharya (chief proponent of Dvaita or school of differential monism), all avatars of Vishnu are alike in potency and every other quality. There is no gradation among them, and perceiving or claiming any differences among avatars is a cause of eternal damnation. See Madhva's commentary on Katha Upanishad, or his Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya.

[edit] People who have been considered avatars outside the orthodox tradition of Hinduism

For more details on this topic, see List of people who have been considered avatars.

Besides the avatars of Hinduism listed in the Puranas and Vedas, some other Indian people are considered to be avatars by themselves or by others. Some of these include:

* Meher Baba (1894-1969) said he was the avatar of this age.[14][15]
* Mother Meera (1960-present) claims and is believed to be an Avatar of Adipara-Shakti.[16]
* Sathya Sai Baba (1926-present) claims and is believed by his devotees to be an avatar of Shiva, Shakti and Krishna.[17]

While many Hindus reject the idea of avatars outside of traditional Hinduism, some Hindus with a universalist outlook view the central figures of various non-Hindu religions as avatars. Some of these religious figures include:

* Gautama Buddha (563-483BC-543BC) the key figure in Buddhism.[18][19]
* Jesus (4 BC-36) whose teachings inspired Christianity.[20] See also Incarnation (Christianity).
* Zoroaster (Zarathustra) the prophet of Zoroastrianism.[21]

[edit] See also

* Hindu deities
* Svayam bhagavan
* Gautama Buddha in Hinduism
* List of people who have been considered avatars
* Avatars in Mahabharata

[edit] References

1. ^ Major Branches - Hinduism from adherents.com
2. ^ a b Matchett, Freda, Krsna, Lord or Avatara? the relationship between Krsna and Visnu: in the context of the Avatara myth as presented by the Harivamsa, the Visnupurana and the Bhagavatapurana, Routledge, 2000
3. ^ Garuda Purana (1.86.10-11)
4. ^ B-Gita 8.17 "And finally in Kali-yuga (the yuga we have now been experiencing over the past 5,000 years) there is an abundance of strife, ignorance, irreligion and vice, true virtue being practically nonexistent, and this yuga lasts 432,000 years. In Kali-yuga vice increases to such a point that at the termination of the yuga the Supreme Lord Himself appears as the Kalki avatara"
5. ^ Bhag-P 1.3 Canto 1, Chapter 3
6. ^ Bhag-P 1.3.26
7. ^ Bhag-P 11.5.32 "In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself."
8. ^ Vedic Encyclopedia "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu predicted"
9. ^ Avatar - Categories of Incarnations
10. ^ a b gaudiya.com - theology
11. ^ Avatar - Categories of Incarnations, by Atmatattva Das, 06/17/2005 [1]
12. ^ Teachings of Lord Chaitanya - Avatars
13. ^ Types of Avatars; answers to questions #67-70.
14. ^ Purdom, Charles B.: "The God-Man: The Life, Journeys & Work of Meher Baba with an Interpretation of His Silence & Spiritual Teaching", George Allen & Unwin, London, 1962. p. 15
15. ^ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Manifestation, Inc. 1986, by Bhau Kalchuri, pp. 1349, 4973, 6018, 6051
16. ^ Adilakshmi, "The Mother", page 4
17. ^ "The Revelation", Sathya Sai Speaks VI, 210-213, 17 May 1968
18. ^ Bhagavata Purana, Canto 1, Chapter 3 - SB 1.3.24. SB 1.3.28
19. ^ Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (2:1-5/7)
20. ^ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Manifestation, Inc. 1986, by Bhau Kalchuri, p. 5054
21. ^ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Manifestation, Inc. 1986, by Bhau Kalchuri, p. 223

[edit] External links
Look up avatar in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Avatar

* Vedic Knowledge Online - Avataras as categorized within Gaudiya Vaishnavism
* Diagram showing the 'family tree' of different Avatars
* Description of different Avatar types
* Dasavatara stotra and the ten avataras (salagram.net)
* Avatars with meanings (srivaishnavam.com)
* The divine incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity article by Ernest Valea
* Encyclopedia of Authentic Hinduism - Philosophy of the descension (avatar) of God
* Avatars (Incarnations or Descents) of Vishnu
* Krishna's avataras (krishna.com)
* Explores the claims made by various possible Avatars
* New York Times on origin and use of word avatar

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Socialism--Is the Concept That Bad?

2008-10-10T22:17:51Z

Marky

+2 raves

THE SOCIALISM WEB SITE

Prospects for socialism

There is no disputing the fact that there is virtually no support for socialism at the moment. We don't even have the remnants of a socialist movement and the ideas that would be needed by such a movement are either long forgotten or heavily corrupted. This 'forgetting' and corrupting is the handy work of what is laughingly called the 'Left'. A better term is 'fake left'.

These people really are quite reactionary. Their worst feature is the defence of economic nationalism and Third World backwardness and barbarism, all in the name of 'anti-imperialism'. Most of them also share many views with the greens whose opposition to capitalism is feudal rather than socialist. Unlike socialists who want to build on the basis of the possibilities created by modern capitalist society, greens want us to go backwards. They are hostile to modern science, overstate environmental risks and deny the possibility of global prosperity based on scientific and technological progress. In other words they deny the very conditions for world socialism.

Also the fake left discredits socialism by its rabid defence of statism against neo-liberalism. Apparently state capitalism, corporatism and government patronage are embryonic forms of socialism! Virtually the only time socialism gets a mention is when they are capitulating to its detractors. This capitulation is called 'market socialism', an oxymoron if there ever was one. It makes about as much sense as 'capitalist socialism'.

For most fake leftists even 'market socialism' would be a bit radical. For them, being 'socialist' simply means breast beating about the ills of capitalism. And even this isn't done right, because the "ills" are seen from a semi-feudal or petty bourgeois perspective. "Oh, those nasty multinationals! Give me back my corner store! Oh, for the good old days!"
So, that's the bad news. What about the good news?

Although the journey is bound to be protracted and tortuous, in the long run it is ultimately all good news because we have history on our side. In other words there are developments within capitalism that make that system less viable and socialism more so.

Economic and social development is creating the conditions that socialism needs. While these conditions are far from developed in Third World countries, they are increasingly present in the advanced capitalist countries of North America, Western Europe, East Asia and Australasia.

Firstly, equality no longer means shared poverty, ignorance and toil. The economy has developed to such a stage where everybody can have a high material and cultural standard of living, be free from toil and have plenty of free time. You don't need more than an average share of these things to be able to partake in most of what life has to offer.

This is very important because if a significant number of people aspire to being members of a privileged elite, socialist revolution is made more difficult. This includes difficulty in initially establishing a socialist government and in the subsequence process of change.

Of course, there will always still be some benefits from having more than the average of these things, but these benefits are diminishing as the average improves. Anything extra tends to be more in the realm of prestige goods and extravagance rather than in meeting real needs. Also the benefits of having more than your share have to be weighed against the benefits of living in a socialist society.

Secondly, the rank and file are acquiring the abilities they need to do without an elite. This is due to an number of factors:

1. Better general levels of education and training. Fifty years ago only a small minority finished high school while a tiny handful went to university. Now it is the norm to finish high school (over 70%) and between one fifth and a quarter get a degree.
2. People are engaging in labor that has greater mental and conceptual content. About half of jobs are now of the less routine type, usually requiring some level of post school training. This includes teachers, paramedical professions, computer workers, accountants and so on. Even the crappy jobs are a bit more demanding than the old fetch and carry jobs. Literacy and numeracy is more important and the jobs tend to require more human interaction whereas in the past it was not uncommon for talk to be forbidden during working hours.
3. Virtually everybody now has extensive access to cultural and intellectual resources (even if they don't always use them) and the diverse experiences of living in a modern society.

As workers acquire greater abilities and take on jobs that require them to think and to take on responsibilities, they are going to find the constraints of capitalist oppression increasing intolerable.

Another important factor that is bound to ultimately undermine people's acceptance of capitalism is the fact that this system is an increasing obstacle to economic progress. (This is discussed in more detail in FAQ's.)

In summary. the net benefits of being privileged are declining while the ability of the exploited to run things without exploiters is increasing and their tolerance of oppression diminishing.

Of course, these conditions don�t make revolution happen by itself. There is nothing automatic about it. People have to decide to make the change. Although in a sense there is still something close to inevitable about the process. People cannot stare blindly at the increasingly obvious for ever. And a socialist transformation of society only has to fully succeed once irrespective of previous periods of dormancy or utter defeat. Capitalism on the other hand can have many periods of success but only needs to be resoundingly defeated once for it to be swept from the field permanently.

Another thing in our favor is that a future socialist movement should have less trouble with reformism than the old movement had. In times of political crisis, it is the enemy within that diverts people from revolution.

Reformism has already undergone a considerable decline and hopefully this will continue. This weakness stems from the fact that it is hard to get excited about marginal changes to welfare programs or to how the government goes about its business. In the past this was very different. There were many reforms to get exited about - universal suffrage, the introduction of old age pensions, workers compensation, union rights, fighting to raise wages above starvation levels, the basic welfare safety net, ending racial and gender discrimination, and so on. It was also possible to paint socialism as a reform that could develop under capitalism - state ownership, economic progress and more equal distribution - rather than as a fundamental rupture with the existing order. The line between revolution and reform became very blurred, and reform offered an immediately more promising basis to build a movement than radical rhetoric.

That statist vision has lost so much of its shine that even the militant opponents of economic liberalism don't have the gumption to call for wholesale nationalisation, they just whine about attacks on existing statist arrangements. Their vision splendid is a return to the 1950s. This fake left also resents the way that the major labor and social democratic parties 'betray' reformism and think they are being very radical in militantly upholding it.

The fake left and the greens should pose little problem for a new movement once it has found its feet. While the fake left is a lingering sickness that discredits socialism and revolution, it is tiny, shrinking and ineffectual. And the greens have seen their best days. While they have successfully spread their pall of doom and made it part of the popular consciousness, they have no credible alternative and are mainly sustained by electoral niche politics and the lifestyle needs of a section of the middle class.

So what about the chances of a modest socialist movement emerging from the dust? A big problem is achieving critical mass and this is where the Net can be important. If you only have a handful of people expressing certain interesting ideas it does not get very far. However, if the handful is just a tad bigger, it triggers an explosion. The key thing, of course, is having the interesting ideas that strike a chord. You may not take the world by storm but you should attract a small minority who, for various reason, are amenable to such ideas.

A slight resurgence could also be helped by the business cycle going nasty. At the moment, the good times keep rolling on. A dramatic change in that department would provide more fertile soil.

From The Socialism Web Site - http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dmcm

What You Think, That You Become

2008-10-07T05:00:07Z

Marky

+1 raves

What You Think, That You Become
A Selection from The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony, Volume I

-------------------------------------------------------------...

Without shakti, the body is just a corpse. Without the breath of spirit, this lump of flesh remains inert, inanimate and dead. But with the breath of spirit, the feminine principle at the base of the spine is activated, our human consciousness moves from dormant potential into kinetic activity and the mind awakens.

Once the mind is awake, the human potential with all of its vagaries and extraordinary potentialities comes onto the field of possibility.

In cosmological terms, once the breath of spirit moves from the being of God into the unmanifest idea of the cosmos resting in the mind of God, the universe with its teeming diversity is born. Forces are set into motion which will play out from their original impetus for billions of years to come.

Similarly, when we are conceived this process begins to take place in miniature. When we are born, the universe of our life spreads before us with unimaginable potentialities. Seemingly unending possibilities stretch before us at that moment. But that is partially an illusion.

The station of our birth, both geographically and culturally, begins to define our choices. Our DNA begins to define our choices. The dormant repository of past actions and decisions from previous lifetimes lies waiting to plug in with inexorably powerful effect when the appropriate circumstance arises. So almost immediately after being presented with what seem like unlimited possibilities, a number of limiting forces are applied or imposed.

Conscious life is no more without limiting force than anything else we see in nature. Plants are subject to the laws of nature with its weather and seasons. The planets themselves respond to laws of centrifugal and centripetal force which circumscribe their activity in perfect harmony. And all the while seemingly random forces of comets, meteors, asteroids, sunspots and a host of undiscovered phenomena affect the activity of the local universe in myriad ways.

But conscious, volitional life also has the element of choice and decision. And at this juncture lies the Great Divide between sentience and non-sentience. We cannot help but respond to the laws of physics which governs everything in our bodies from the operation of hydrostatic pressure acting through capillary action, to the need for sleep. And we cannot help but respond to the law of our being both individually and as a species. Notwithstanding all of this, there are choices to be made. We make them every day. It is the nature of these choices and the ensuing consequences which spring from them which determine many events and aspects of our lives. These decisions stitch the evolving fabric of our existence from day to day and life to life.

Esoteric Levers
Consciousness brings with it the resource of creative intentional activity. Certain decisions and actions can be likened to levers which act upon our lives. In colloquial speech, we speak of "pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps." This is a good analogy. For there are ancient spiritual disciplines which invoke powerful spiritual forces which can act in a variety of ways. They can be as gentle and mild as dropping a stone in a placid pool where the ripples go out gently but with far reaching effects in the local universe of the pond. Or they can be as powerful as blasting with dynamite until the river feeding the pool changes course along an entirely new path with widespread effect.

Spiritual discipline is a lever for changing things in life. The things we want to change can be small. Or they can be monumental. Sometimes we think we can tell the difference when, in fact, we are ignorant of the effects which may be produced by certain actions. Let us suppose, for instance, that a person desires wealth. There are spiritual formulas available which will eventually produce this condition. The time to achieve it depends upon the past karma of the individual, the intensity of discipline, the amount of time dedicated each day to practicing the discipline, the cumulative amount of time dedicated to achieving the goal and so forth.

Let us suppose that a person with relatively little understanding of the law of consequences of actions finds and practices a spiritual discipline which will lead to material wealth. Let us further suppose that this discipline is practiced powerfully and faithfully until the goal is achieved. Now, a whole new field of potential karmic activity comes into play. How will wealth effect the decision-making process of the newly prosperous individual? Will the person become tough and calculating to keep and increase the wealth? Will the person be sensitive to the needs of others and become philanthropic? These options are quite real.

We also see people in the evening news who have won vast sums in the lottery, but who a few years later, have nothing left. We see still others who have done great things with newly acquired wealth. Friends have been helped and charitable institutions are furthered.

All of these outcomes of newly acquired wealth (and many more) await the person who comes by wealth from a previously humble station in life. Ideally, we will have considered beforehand what we would do with wealth. Some of us even think we know what we would do... and then we do things completely differently than we had planned. It is not possible to know what we will do in the future under all conditions. But it is possible for us to determine what kind of {\i person we want to be, and to strive to become that. For that state of our being will come into play under {\i all circumstances.

Whom Do You Wish To Be?
The achievement of an ideal state of being is one of the principal goals of spiritual discipline. That ideal condition can be defined in a number of ways. We can decide that we wish to attain union with one of the great spiritual figures in history. People can decide that their highest spiritual idea is to be one with the body of Christ. Or to be in union with Krishna forever. Or to be an Enlightened One. Or to be a conscious part participating in the ongoing work of the Cosmic Mind, Transcendental Purusha, or Great Oversoul (it goes by many names). A very few people make these kinds of spiritual decisions everyday. But the effects of these decisions and the active pursuit of ideals based upon these decisions will determine the very fate of humanity over time.

So as the topic of spiritual disciplines is developed here in specific fashion, you must begin the important decision-making process of plumbing into the heart of your own spiritual nature. There you will find your spiritual ideal. Having found it, dedicate all of your spiritual practices and disciplines toward the achievement of your ideal nature and its fulfillment. This does not mean that you must give up intermediate goals such as wealth, happy marriage, good job, good health or other things. It merely means that you have framed an ultimate destination which is based in your own nature. From there you proceed with the understanding that the road and the destination are really one.

What will you do with wealth? What will you do with real power? For if all power is transitory and ephemeral, what effects do you want to leave behind, both within and without? How can you achieve a state of Love other than by loving? The answers to these questions will determine your fate over many lives.

-------------------------------------------------------------...

ï¿½ 2008 Thomas Ashley-Farrand jm

Study Says HIV Is About 100 Years Old

2008-10-03T03:37:04Z

Marky

+11 raves

Study Says HIV Is About 100 Years Old
By MALCOLM RITTER
,
AP
posted: 1 DAY 5 HOURS AGO
comments: 554
filed under: Health News
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NEW YORK (Oct. 1) - The AIDS virus has been circulating among people for about 100 years, decades longer than scientists had thought, a new study suggests. Genetic analysis pushes the estimated origin of HIV back to between 1884 and 1924, with a more focused estimate at 1908.
Previously, scientists had estimated the origin at around 1930. AIDS wasn't recognized formally until 1981 when it got the attention of public health officials in the United States.

The new result is "not a monumental shift, but it means the virus was circulating under our radar even longer than we knew," says Michael Worobey of the University of Arizona, an author of the new work.
The results appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. Researchers note that the newly calculated dates fall during the rise of cities in Africa, and they suggest urban development may have promoted HIV's initial establishment and early spread.
Scientists say HIV descended from a chimpanzee virus that jumped to humans in Africa, probably when people butchered chimps. Many individuals were probably infected that way, but so few other people caught the virus that it failed to get a lasting foothold, researchers say.
But the growth of African cities may have changed that by putting lots of people close together and promoting prostitution, Worobey suggested. "Cities are kind of ideal for a virus like HIV," providing more chances for infected people to pass the virus to others, he said.
Perhaps a person infected with the AIDS virus in a rural area went to what is now Kinshasa, Congo, "and now you've got the spark arriving in the tinderbox," Worobey said.

Who's Googling You and WHAT Do They Know About You?

2008-10-02T20:21:07Z

Marky

+2 raves

New Web Site Allows You to See Who's Googling You

by Evan Shamoon, posted Oct 1st 2008 at 8:59AM

Watch out, stalkers: Social networking Web site Ziggs allows users to get instant e-mails every time someone Googles their name and checks out their profile.

Of course, stalker stalking is not the site's stated purpose. Rather, like other social networking sites, it can help users get back in touch with old friends and also improve the presence of their businesses on the Web. The added boon from the instant e-mails is the ability for businesses to learn more about who is seeking out the services they offer.

CBS spoke to Marilyn Kal-Hagan and her partner Tim Brown, who run two businesses out of their Denver home. Ziggs immediately alerts them as to where the searcher is located, what time the search happened, and what keywords they used. Because his name is so common, Brown pays Ziggs $4.95 a month to have his name pushed to the top of Google and Yahoo search results. "I compete with Tim Brown the all-pro football player, so it's very hard for me to be number one on Google," he said.

To all those ex-girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands and wives out there: Tread carefully. [From: CBS 4 Denver]

Advance Directives and Do Not Resuscitate Orders

2008-09-29T22:39:26Z

Marky

+3 raves

Advance Directives and Do Not Resuscitate Orders

Spanish / Español
What is an advance directive?
An advance directive tells your doctor what kind of care you would like to have if you become unable to make medical decisions (if you are in a coma, for example). If you are admitted to the hospital, the hospital staff will probably talk to you about advance directives.

A good advance directive describes the kind of treatment you would want depending on how sick you are. For example, the directives would describe what kind of care you want if you have an illness that you are unlikely to recover from, or if you are permanently unconscious. Advance directives usually tell your doctor that you don't want certain kinds of treatment. However, they can also say that you want a certain treatment no matter how ill you are.

Advance directives can take many forms. Laws about advance directives are different in each state. You should be aware of the laws in your state.

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What is a living will?
A living will is one type of advance directive. It is a written, legal document that describes the kind of medical treatments or life-sustaining treatments you would want if you were seriously or terminally ill. A living will doesn't let you select someone to make decisions for you.

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What is a durable power of attorney for health care?
A durable power of attorney (DPA) for health care is another kind of advance directive. A DPA states whom you have chosen to make health care decisions for you. It becomes active any time you are unconscious or unable to make medical decisions. A DPA is generally more useful than a living will. But a DPA may not be a good choice if you don't have another person you trust to make these decisions for you.

Living wills and DPAs are legal in most states. Even if they aren't officially recognized by the law in your state, they can still guide your loved ones and doctor if you are unable to make decisions about your medical care. Ask your doctor, lawyer or state representative about the law in your state.

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What is a do not resuscitate order?
A do not resuscitate (DNR) order is another kind of advance directive. A DNR is a request not to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if your heart stops or if you stop breathing. (Unless given other instructions, hospital staff will try to help all patients whose heart has stopped or who have stopped breathing.) You can use an advance directive form or tell your doctor that you don't want to be resuscitated. In this case, a DNR order is put in your medical chart by your doctor. DNR orders are accepted by doctors and hospitals in all states.

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Should I have an advance directive?
By creating an advance directive, you are making your preferences about medical care known before you're faced with a serious injury or illness. This will spare your loved ones the stress of making decisions about your care while you are sick. Any person 18 years of age or older can prepare an advance directive.

People who are sersiouly or terminally ill are more likely to have an advance directive. For example, someone with terminal cancer might write that she does not want to be put on a respirator if she stops breathing. This action can reduce her suffering, increase her peace of mind and increase her control over her death. However, even if you are in good health, you might want to consider writing an advance directive. An accident or serious illness can happen suddenly, and if you already have a signed advance directive, your wishes are more likely to be followed.

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How can I write an advance directive?
You can write an advance directive in several ways:

* Use a form provided by your doctor.
* Write your wishes down by yourself.
* Call your health department or state department on aging to get a form.
* Call a lawyer.
* Use a computer software package for legal documents.

Advance directives and living wills do not have to be complicated legal documents. They can be short, simple statements about what you want done or not done if you can't speak for yourself. Remember, anything you write by yourself or with a computer software package should follow your state laws. You may also want to have what you have written reviewed by your doctor or a lawyer to make sure your directives are understood exactly as you intended. When you are satisfied with your directives, the orders should be notarized if possible, and copies should be given to your family and your doctor.

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Can I change my advance directive?
You may change or cancel your advance directive at any time, as long as you are considered of sound mind to do so. Being of sound mind means that you are still able to think rationally and communicate your wishes in a clear manner. Again, your changes must be made, signed and notarized according to the laws in your state. Make sure that your doctor and any family members who knew about your directives are also aware that you have changed them.

If you do not have time to put your changes in writing, you can make them known while you are in the hospital. Tell your doctor and any family or friends present exactly what you want to happen. Usually, wishes that are made in person will be followed in place of the ones made earlier in writing. Be sure your instructions are clearly understood by everyone you have told.

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* End-of-Life Issues
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Other Organizations

* AARP Advance Directive Information
601 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20049
1-888-OUR-AARP
* U.S. Living Wills Registry
523 Westfield Ave., P.O. Box 2789
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