Connie Talbot - Holiday Magic

http://www.youtube.com/artist/Connie_Talbot

Connie Talbot (born 20 November 2000) is an English child singer from Streetly, Aldridge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands. She rose to fame in 2007 when she reached the final of the television talent show Britain's Got Talent, where she was runner-up toPaul Potts. Talbot was supposed to sign with Sony BMG but the label pulled out of the deal due to her age.

Talbot signed with Rainbow Recording Company and released her debut album Over the Rainbow in the UK on 26 November 2007. The album was re-released 18 June 2008 with a new track listing, and the first single from the album, a cover of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds", was released on 10 June.

Despite its negative critical reception, Over the Rainbow has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide and reached number one in three countries. Since the initial album release, Talbot has performed publicly and on television in Europe, the U.S. and across Asia, where her music had gained recognition through YouTube. Her second album, Connie Talbot's Christmas Album, was released on 24 November 2008; her third, Holiday Magic, was released in late 2009. While pursuing her musical career, Talbot attends primary school living in Streetly with her family. She has continued to contribute video posts of herself performing on her Youtube channel.* Wikipedia*

Greek Stray Cats Calendar

the Cat-Calendar 2012, featuring stunning portraits of former strays and now happy cats photographed by  Carlo Raciti. All revenues will be spent for the care of Athens stray cats. The calendars, which have been designed gratis by Giannis Maliaritsis, are in full-colour, in English and Greek, and feature all the major holidays and namedays.

They cost 10 euros, with every single cent of profit going straight to Nine Lives’ neutering and feeding programmes for stray and abandoned cats in Athens.

To order, just email us at ninelivesgreece@gmail.com including your name, address, telephone number and number of copies required, and we – with the help of the Greek Post Office – will do the rest!

For Greek residents, if you live in Athens, we will try our best to arrange a hand-over rendezvous to avoid the extra postage costs.

Otherwise, we can send your calendars via the Greek Post Office’s ‘Cash on Delivery’ system.Residents of other countries, your payment can be made into our Alpha Bank account,
IBAN number GR27 0140 1280 1280 0278 6010 729, BIC: CRBAGRAA (the account is in the names Kefalopoulou/Mataragka), but please email us with your order first, and we will confirm your order and the cost of the postal charges before you make your payment.

Our most grateful thanks for supporting Nine Lives and helping the stray cats of Athens have a happier New Year!

http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2011/11/23/help-athens-cats-nine-lives-launches-cat-calendar-2012-party-nov-2511/

Three year prison sentence for Voskopoulos

An Athens court on Wednesday handed down a suspended three-year prison sentence on veteran popular singer Tolis Voskopoulos for income tax evasion to the tune of 5.5 million euros.

The singer's lawyer told the Athens Court of First Instance that Voskopoulos had been unable to sell properties to pay his dues as all his assets have been frozen. The lawyer argued too that his client's income had dwindled significantly over the years and comprised only royalties from his records and 3,500 euros per month from a rented property in Korydallos, near Piraeus.

Last October, a rapporteur at the Council of State, the country's highest administrative court, recommended the dismissal of seven appeals lodged by Voskopoulos against the tax evasion charges.

The singer had appealed against the charges on the grounds of his health, which he claimed had deteriorated following heart surgery last May. The rapporteur called for the 70-year-old singer's appeals to be dismissed as «unjustifiable."

Wednesday February 2, 2011
Copyright: http://www.ekathimerini.com

Na Saggiza - Giorgos Papadopoulos

Egw koubenta den tha po - Mia Stagona agapi - New Ploutarhos 2011

EquiSpiritus (breath of the horse)

The concept behind EquiSpiritus ("breath of the horse") is remarkably simple. It is inspired by the connectedness humans have with all living creatures. When we relate with animals, honoring them in their wisdom and oneness with us, we are relying on our spirit rather than our ego to guide us. The "EquiSpiritus Way" is an intuitive process by which human and horse connect in the "now." It honors the language of the horse and seeks to create a more symbiotic connection between horses and their humans. It requires us to understand the highly sensitive and deeply intuitive nature of the horse, a "prey" herd animal who's very survival depends on their ability to be fully "present" at all times and sensitive to the energy of all living creatures, humans and predators alike.

This conscious connection teaches us that it is possible to live fully in the "now" as horses do, quietly creating a lasting and respectful relationship with an animal that outweighs us ten-fold! The only true request horses have for humans, is that we be completely congruent. That is, our emotional (inner) life must match the physical self we show them. A human who is smiling on the outside and fearful or sad on the inside is confusing to a horse, who reads all emotion simply as "energy".


Fortunately for humans, horses do not assign "good" or "bad" to particular emotions. To them, it is all energy or, "it is what it is." Authentically expressed and released, emotions like grief or joy will be met with a horse's sigh, a yawn or the offering of a neck for the human to cry into. Now that's relationship! In contrast, when we are less than completely congruent, horses will reflect back to us their displeasure by disengaging or simply use their "flight" response to move away from what is confusing and in their eyes, threatening to their safety.


http://www.equispiritus.net/philosophy

Piso sto spiti - New serial on Mega :-)

Zorba and Buddha

In a Catholic church I was once amazed to listen to a bishop mentioning a rather unorthodox reference to forgiveness. This was not from the Bible or a Christian text, but from Zorba the Greek, the famous novel byNikos Kazantzakis, made also into a very popular movie starring Anthony Quinn.

Zorba is a most vibrant and earthy old man incorporating the orgiastic spirit of Dionysus, the archetype of ecstasy, sensuality and exuberance. When I was an Osho sannyasin I often heard Osho talking about Zorba as the model of the new man and his unorthodox spirituality in contrast with ordinary religion. 

For Osho the new man is Zorba the Buddha, a combination between Zorba the Greek and Gautama the Buddha. “He will be Christ and Epicurus together. Religion failed because it was too other-worldly. It neglected this world. And you cannot neglect this world; to neglect this world is to neglect your own roots.” (Osho, The Times of India, 8 June 2004). Hence I was astonished to hear about Zorba in a bishop’s Catholic homely. 

The bishop quoted the following passage in which Zorba describes his idea about God:

"I think of God as being exactly like me. Only bigger, stronger, crazier. And immortal, into the bargain. He's sitting on a pile of soft sheepskins, and his hut's the sky. […] In his right hand he's holding not a knife or a pair of scales - those damned instruments are meant for butchers and grocers - no, he's holding a large sponge full of water, like a rain cloud. […] Here comes a soul; the poor little thing's quite naked, because it's lost its cloak - its body, I mean - and it's shivering. [...] The naked soul throws itself at God's feet. 'Mercy!' it cries. 'I have sinned.' And away it goes reciting its sins. It recites a whole rigmarole and there's no end to it. God thinks this is too much of a good thing. He yawns. 'For heaven's sake stop!' he shouts. 'I've heard enough of all that!' Flap! Slap! A wipe of the sponge, and he washes out all the sins. 'Away with you, clear out, run off to Paradise!' he says to the soul. […] Because God, you know, is a great lord, and that's what being a lord means: to forgive!"

http://astroshamanic.blogspot.com/2011/04/prodigal-son-revisited-blessings-and.html

Astroshamans features articles on various topics (please browse column below) and in particular on holistic awareness, sacred relationships, spiritual healing, experiential astrology, astroshamanism and holistic Christianity.

Astroshamanism is a holistic system of healing aimed at expanding human consciousness through the integration of shamanism with astrology, the mystery traditions and other paths of inner wisdom. Editor: Franco Santoro.

The Freedom of love

                   Our hearts have entrances only,
                   and no exits.

                   Worldly sayings are composed to comfort,
                   but they only rob.

                   Once love has entered the heart,
                   there it remains forever.                          
                   The beloved is now in our blood,
                   carrying life to us.

                   Always welcome to stay or go,
                   is why love gives life.

                   Trapped and held by greed or fear,
                   love suffers and the soul aches.

                   Letting go does not mean send away.
                   Letting go means set free.

Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so

The Word of God does not need to defend Himself.
He simply is what He is.

In the same way, brethren, all who follow Jesus, all who believe and stand on the Word, who preach, like the angel of the last days, the eternal gospel, just preach Christ, to yourself by submitting all your thoughts to the Word of God, to others by proving on the battlefield of your body that you follow Christ the Victor over sin, and to all those whom the Lord places in your path by your courtesy and generosity, and by always having a spirit of welcome, for men have welcomed angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2).
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/
The story of the prodigal son

The latter parable appears in Luke 15:11-32 and tells the story of a man with two sons. 

The younger claims and gets the share of his inheritance while his father is still alive, and then moves to a remote country, where he squanders all his resources. He then suffers misery and hunger, until he comes to his senses and decides to return home. “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.” So he returns home to his father and “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” The son says: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Yet the father does not pay any attention to his words and in full excitement calls his servants and says:  “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Hence they all begin to celebrate. 

The older brother is jealous at his father’s attitude towards the unfaithful brother and complains: “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!” But the father responds: ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!”

This story is most touching because many of us can identify with the Prodigal Son, and feel God as an unconditionally loving father. Here forgiveness comes instantly. The father is not at all interested in hearing the confession and repentance of his son. All he wants is celebration. 

What is more striking in the parable is the fact that when the father sees his son arriving far away, he rushes to meet him with embraces and kisses. He is not interested to hear any confession or word or repentance. What counts is that the son has returned. He does not need to implore any forgiveness since he has already been forgiven. What is unveiled here is a loving God who sees us as sinless. As far as he is concerned there is nothing to forgive. Here forgiveness depends on our own initiative to return to God, and not on God’s mercy. 

http://astroshamanic.blogspot.com/2011/04/prodigal-son-revisited-blessings-and.html