Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at the National Association of Counties on Monday. Of the many powerful points he made about juvenile justice, this one struck me most…

"…This is a moral issue.   How we treat our children answers the question of who we are as a nation.   And in these lean times, it’s also important to recognize that better serving our young people makes good economic sense by keeping them out of over-stressed and under-funded corrections facilities and saving precious law enforcement resources."

In other words, let's invest in our children, not lock them up and throw away the key (because after all, they are acting out and living what they have learned from us, our really great media role models, including rappers, bad boys, and corrupt politicians.) That's what we do – we make the youth bad and wrong – and their disrespect for authority is usually warranted because we, the authority figures, are incongruent and out of integrity.

We're long overdue to take responsiblity for the bad parenting that we've exhibited as a nation, and clean it up. Thats one of the many ways we can serve our children. This isn't a judgment, just a noticing "what is" because the one who tells the truth is on the road to getting free. The best means for healing this mess we're in is Radical Forgiveness as taught by Colin Tipping.

This is the simplest and most powerful process – a spiritual forgiving, not in "world of humanity" terms or using anything that looks like what we think of as forgiveness, which can't even get close to the real mccoy – Radical Forgiveness.

AG Erick Holder went on to say, "But I believe that the best – and most targeted – solutions won’t be imposed from on high.   And they won’t be born of a single county-level effort.   They will be shared solutions, created together – after rigorous scientific evaluation and innovative resource leveraging.   They will be collectively implemented.   They will address – not just consequences of crime, but also the underlying causes. And they will – ultimately – replace broken social patterns with healthy ones, and dysfunctional systems and practices with effective, and proven, solutions."

Without getting on a sopabox about the ills of the world, I'm just putting it out there – this is the way to serve our children; teach them how to love and forgive and put down the arms. Otherwise what's the legacy we are creating for them? More hatred, ridiculous racism, factionalism, fanatisism and the like? Come on, you know there is a better way! Healing the ridiculous is paramount right now. Radical Forgiveness is one of the innovative shared solutions Holder is calling for, and it works miracles. And of course its something that is best when we implement it together. It is my hope that if you read this, you will investigate Radical Forgiveness. There is more to it than meets the eyes, and at some point, we have got to focus on solutions at a much deeper level. If not now, when? If not you, then who?

And thanks for your comments Eric Holder. We the people realize that there are no easy answers, but we do know for sure that we can't wait on government to save us.We've got to save ourselves – and our children. You said, "Serving our children makes good economic sense, and to my neighbors and friends, I ask, What else is there really?

Laughter has been hiding in plain sight and we need to open our eyes to it! Since I joined up with my pal Debbie Ellison, Laughter Yoga Leader, we are having the time of our lives teaching people to Laugh and LIGMO! Laughter helps one to forget the ridiculous and be present in the moment, to let go of all self-consciousness and release stress and drama.

Debbie is holding a showing of the movie Laughology, a documentary about the contagiousness of laughter by Canadian filmaker and Laughologist Albert Nerenberg. Nerenberg realized he needed to lighten up after a family tragegy and then goes on a quest to find the cure for seriousness. This thing is a blast and you must see it. Click the link to see the video trailer. Join us to see the entire film at:

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Fresco Art Galerie & Cafe
11164 State Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA  30022 (Next to Regions Bank)
(770) 777-4773
 

1:00pm – Fun filled Laughter Session

2:00pm Movie and Lunch (reasonable prices for pizza, salads, hot dogs, deserts, etc)

The movie lasts 66 minutes

$7.00 per person or $12.00 per couple (lunch not included) RSVP to LaughterForWellness@gmail.com or call (770) 843-0940

What better way to spend your Saturday then having fun laughing with new friends? Join the movment!

Hope to see you there!
 

It was Super Bowl Weekend. Dallas got snowed in and Houston was iced down. When I arrived in Houston on Thursday afternoon to teach a weekend PhotoReading Seminar, I wasn't sure if it was going to happen or who would show up. The Houston airport was preparing to close down as they simply aren't used to sleet and ice and for safety's sake, it was probably a good call.

To my surprise, all but two people showed up to learn PhotoReading, in spite of the weather. I was impressed as these were unstoppable human beings who were committed to learning at all costs. PhotoReading is an investment in yourself. I've come to understand that its only for those who are serious learners that are willing to pay the price, and that means time and energy to achieve personal self-mastery. That's what the program is about – mastery – not just "reading" more books. Thats only one of the many benefits derived from the course.

I was delighted to meet Darla Perry, a CPA from Lousiana who is tackling tax code. She needs to amp up her skills to stay on top of her game. Then there was Shinobu Gilbreth, a Japanese medical doctor who wants more out of life and is committed to expanding her self. Juan Garcia is a former school superintendant and now teaches other how to excel in that field. His wife Ida is a principal at an elementary school. What a delight to be with a couple who are so committed to learning. Melba Wilson is an insurance agent and is expanding her horizons. Craig Roberson is a postal worker and is researching internet business opportunities. He needs to get more reading done in a shorter period of time. Peter Gonzalez, an extraordinary man of many talents, is a Psych-K instructor. He travels the world teaching powerful educational seminars. Piero Dambrosio is an engineer who has plenty to read and is a many of varied interests, including mastering programs like PhotoReading so that he can assist his children with embracing these human development programs. Anuj Shah is an immigration attorney with three degrees and who speaks 5 languages. He is an avid reader and is always looking for more powerful ways to communicate and solve problems. The baby of the group was Benjamin Chaftez, a college student who flew in from North Carolina just to learn this new skill.

I am always amazed by the eclectic group of everyday people, students and business professionals who show up from all walks of life to embrace PhotoReading protocol. It is my pleasure to share innovative reading strategies and I experience many benefits from using it and sharing it with others as it's an organic and flexible system with many layers. PhotoReading consists of five easy to learn steps. More than that though, you learn more about yourself than you ever learned in school. Once you learn how your brain works and learn a new and different way of using what belongs to you, things open up and you discover a whole new way of looking at books, and at life.

For me, PhotoReading is a natural process and is a natural high. I have more clarity of mind and my dreams are more vivid, including lucid dreams, and my relationship to authors is expanded. Reading is just a converstion with an author and using the PhotoReading whole mind system helps me get through books quicker and with improved comprehension. I know that the new group of graduates who joined the community of dedicated PhotoReading graduates world-wide are going to develop their skills to the max. They've already demonstrated that in part by braving the weather and playing full out.

I'm an unstoppable PhotoReading Instructor and each time I share this course, I feel privileged to meet so many diverse lovers of learning. Like me, these people didn't care much about Super Bowl. They care about learning and evolving as growing human beings. That's the game we're playing. We're committed and they've now joined the ranks of unstoppable learners who know that in order to have more, you've got to do more. And yes, that means turning off your TV. I thank God for those who are willing to dig deep and go the extra mile. It makes every trip for me worthwhile, rain, sleet, snow or shine.

I'm up to something BIG! I'm putting on an exclusive, one-of-a-kind PhotoReading Academic Summer Camp for Teens at the Enota Mountain Retreat center in Hiawassee, Georgia, Summer of 2011. I've been teaching PhotoReading to Teens for the past 5 years at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia as part of their Summer College Prep Institute. I'm proud to say that my program has been a favorite.

I've deeply moved by students and their need to develop reading skills necessary to manage the massive reading load. We live in the information age and what students need are more practical ways to get their reading done with improved memory and comprehension. Time is of the essence and its the one thing none of us can get more of, so students need to learn to make the best use of the time they have in school – and PhotoReading helps to do just that. The goal is to help students use their "whole  mind" and not just the fraction or small 10% that we often hear about.

Each year at Spelman, smart parents who want the best for their daughters made the investment and brought their girls to this great program. I exposed groups of approximately 50 girls each year to Accelerated Learning, efficient reading strategies, including PhotoReading, improved vocabulary and a host of other learning activities like Brain Gym exercises, and how to get into the optimum state for learning using methods developed by the Institute of HeartMath.

This year I'm looking foward to having an exclusive two weeks with those who love to learn so that I can help increase their joy. And for those who despise reading – I'm going to transform their awareness and help them see that reading is just a conversation with the author. I'll teach them to be active in the conversation and get what they need, use it for their assignments and get on with the business of living. Students positively love my courses as it offers a new way of looking at reading and a new new approach to it.

I'm pleased with my new alliance with Suan Freed, the director of the Enota Retreat Center. She is a retired chiropractor and a holistic person. Her center is a self-sustaining eco-facility with gorgeous cabins, 4 waterfalls, an organic farm, complete with animals, fresh mountain air, cool stuff to do, and much, much more! This is going to be the best experience ever for students and I can hardly think of a better place I'd like to hold it (other than the beach). Life is not a beach. Its what we make it. – We're going to make something incredible happen with learning at Enota this summer.

Stay tuned for more details!

And what would be wrong with a little humor while learning new things? It has been shown that people learn best when they are enjoying themselves. Their defenses are down and the mind is wide open. Laughter also sends oxygen throughout the body and brain. A much needed breath of fresh air in an unexpected way. Hmmm.

I was recently introduced to Laughter Yoga (LY) by my girlfriend Debbie Ellison who has been holding free Laughter Yoga workshops at a local library in Alpharetta, Georgia. I was so "tickled" by the laughter exercises and their benefits that I decided to get trained and incorporate LY into my workshops. I had been using one fun thing called "The Laughing Buddha" and I was on track and now I've got my workshop participants having real belly laughs throughout!

Laughter is good for learning, especially when we can learn to laugh at our mistakes. There is no such thing as failure, only feedback. Laughter helps to reduce the uncertainty of moving into a new learning task and students love it.

I've long known about the healing work of laughter from the miraculous story of Dr. Norman Cousins who cured himself of illnesses using laughter. Cousins said, "I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain free sleep….When the pain-killing effect of laughter wore off, I would switch on the motion picture projector again and not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval." Smart move as he took the natural route to healing versus a bunch of medicine. He details the entire experience in his amazing book Anatomy of an Illness.

As a result of having  different major medical challenges, Cousins survived 36 years after his doctor's first diagnosis with heart disease. So, laughter is good for the soul, and it is quite literally, healing with many other benefits.

How about this one? Laughter increases likeability as people enjoy hanging out with cheerful, upbeat funny folks! We all run from someone who sprays negativity like a skunk. Whew!  Get me out of here now!

So lots of laughter and levity make for a happy and long life. It also helps to reduce stress and is a great aid in learning new things. Try it out and see for yourself. What's there to loose?

Milton Chen is the former Director at the George Lucas Educational Foundation has a new book Education Nation is a powerful new look at restructuring our educational system and he shares 6 leading edges of innovations in our schools. Milton has gleened the best practices from innovators everywhere.

1. The Thinking Edge – changing about the nature of our thinking about schools, what a teacher is and students roles in learning. Milton says this is the most difficult and most important piece

2. The Edge of Curriculum – refining our curriculum – making it relevant to student's lives!
 

3. The Technology Edge – technology is enabling many new kinds of platforms and experiences for students
 

4. The Edge of time and place – learning can happen anywhere all of the time 24-7-365
 

5. The Co-Teaching Edge – a new model of sharing the teaching responsiblities with others co-educators including parents, other professionals and members of the community

6. The Youth Edge – our youth are born into this new age of technology and have a fundamentally way of learning which is different from the old school way of learning.

Click the link below to see his video and the many resources the George Lucas Foundation is making available  Education Nation

The Genius Code Seminar was a hit. It was my first time out of the box teaching this as a public seminar and I absolutely loved it. The people that came were all creative, fun-loving and avid learners. Everyone had an open mind and were willing to play with the protocols.

Each of the techniques – from Borrowed Genius, Over The Wall and High Think Tank have slightly different applications. Each are closed eye processes and with a clearly defined purpose in mind, everyone engages in each technique and emerges with something unique – some message given to them from the deeper part of their inner mind.

Inquiry is essential to the process. Can you get an answer to a question you never ask? Not in this lifetime. So I encouraged everyone to take time and think about and create questions relevant to the different areas of their lives that they wanted answers to. This is not something we normally do as most of us are living by default! 

The key here is that Inquiry activates the genius code and sends the mind on a proces to create connections and find the answers. We each are transmitters and receivers. When we transmit a question, we must learn how to be open to receive the answers. And they don't always show up in a way that one might expect!

And because we are all unique, one-of-a kind miracles of the Universe, no two messages are the same, nor meanings the same. Each person must learn to interpret their individual imagestream and messages. They show up in a variety of senorial ways. The trick is to learn to decode the messages based on what was asked and in the context of what is going on in your own life. I always knew this and never believed in dream books to interpret my dreams. I knew that I had to listen to the message, pay attention to signals in order to understand the meaning.

Drawing the images or kinesthetic impressing and describing the experiences from the ImageStream is critical as it awakens other creative faculties and intelligences, beyond just the linguistic intelligence, or our limited word box. Describing aloud using sensory based descriptions of what it feels like, looks like, sounds like, tastes like and smells like are essential to waking up those sensory impressions that most of us ignore and have been cut off from. We've been alienated from our bodies and our bodies are a storehouse of messages and power.

Teaching the Genius Code to this first group was a delightful experience for me and they enjoyed it too. Check out the pictures of the group on Facebook  - Perhaps you too will be inclined to come and learn how to tap into your Genius Code at our next seminar!

I have the pleasure of teaching the Genius Code program this weekend, December 3-4, 2010 in Los Angeles. This unique seminar will begin with an introduction to PhotoReading and a refresher for PhotoReading graduates on Friday night. That will be fun as I love to introduce PhotoReading to newbies and to hear about the many ways graduates are applying PhotoReading and developing their minds and this natural ability.

PhotoReading is easy. Its just different and it takes some practice until the new skill becomes a habit. Then the brain loves it and says, "Finally! You've graduated your reading beyond what you learned in elementry school. And not a minute too soon!"

The Genius Code program is a collaboration between renown educators Paul Scheele, the developer of the PhotoReading protocol, and Win Wenger, who wrote a wonderful book entitled, The Einstien Factor. A must read for anyone looking to develop their genius potential.

I am among ten international instructors who learned how to deliver these protocols in a seminar setting. Prior to this, the methods were only available through a home study course published by Learning Strategies. Of all of the beautifully designed courses offered by Learning Strategies, The Genius Code is my personal favorite. For years I'd been itching to share it with others in a seminar format and now I have the chance!  I can hardly wait to introduce others to these wonderful and easy to use mind development protocols.
 

In school we learn quite a bit about "subject matter" and very little about ourselves. This course and the others offered by Learning Strategies teach us about OURSELVES. That's what tickles my fancy. Its high time that we develop ourselves and move into the next phase of our conscious evolution as a species. I'm excited and can hardly wait to meet the seekers and risk takers who are coming out to have a new experience of themselves.

If you're green you're growing. If you're ripe, you're rotting. For me, I'm a GHB - a growing human being and it is my pleaure to be under the tutelage of such great teachers and to serve others who are growing, exploring and looking for new ways to develop themselves and expand their minds. This educaional seminar will be much like my others – a learning party. Let the games begin!

A beautiful thing is happening – People are Waking Up and Science is leading the way to help us get back home to our true ourselves!

We are all waking up to the fact that this reality that we live in is a shared and collective dream that we are all creating and in order to change it (in light of all of the wars, conflicts, corruption and economic disasters), we have to change our thinking. That might not be news, but we can do collectively to change it is good news if I might say so myself.

We live in a Holographic Universe as shared so elegently by Michael Talbot in his book of the same title. The only way to change this matrix we live in is to change it holographically – and this requires us to redirect our energy as well as our imaginations! This is the stuff we're made of, we've just forgotten it as we're caught up in the matrix we think is reality! And its more like an unreality…

Please check out this website for the 11-11-10 New Reality Transmission and how you can help for the next 10 days to bring about a shift in global awareness and wake others up. We need YOUR LOVE, YOUR ENERGY and YOUR FOCUSED CONCENTRATION.

YOU COUNT and WE NEED YOU!

Love and Blessings to ALL! http://www.newrealitytransmission.com/