Buck Rogers, Staff Writer
Waking Times

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if better and cleaner energy sources were widely available and affordable to all of earth’s people? If so, you’re not alone, as the quest for a better energy existence has been the focus of many ingenious inventors, scientists, experimenters and even corporate and government scientists for generations.

We know it’s possible, but for some reason, though, society just can’t seem to get beyond 23.6 or so miles per gallon on average, highway. The gap between what science is clearly capable of and what is available to the consumer mass market is extraordinary, and here really is no need to be using up the world’s fossil fuels at building nuclear plants as if there were no tomorrow, but we do.

Regardless of culture, humans seem to have a universal need to greet one another upon meeting and parting. Bowing in Japan, hand-clapping variations in African countries, and saying hello and shaking hands or hugging in English cultures – are just a few of the most commonly known salutations. While customs and traditions vary, there does seem to one greeting that is becoming more popular worldwide – that of Namaste.

Simplistic Gestures of Universal Oneness

Often used by Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and other religions, Namaste is also revered within spiritual circles and meditation and yoga classes, and it’s being embraced far beyond its South Asian origins. You’ll often hear it spoken in combination with a slight bow and the Anjali Mudra – the placement of the hands together pulled close to the heart in a fashion similar to a prayer pose.

By Nanice Ellis
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

I’ve recently returned from a long, windy week in the hot (and cold) Nevada desert. As I wash the sand and dust from my clothes and try to get my feet back on the ground, a part of me is still lingering in the Black Rock Desert where Burningman comes to life once a year.

If you ask me to describe Burningman, I could describe it in a thousand different ways, but for now, I will say that Burningman is a magical land where thoughts become things.

Burningman is often referred to as a festival, but it is not just a festival – it’s more accurately described as an adventure in another dimension or an extraordinary journey into an alternate reality. It is by far the most outrageous and “out of this world” experience that you will ever find on this planet.

With a call to “end the private prison racket in America,” a group of progressive lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill that seeks to subvert the reigning “pro-incarceration agenda” by banning private prisons, reinstating the federal parole system, and eliminating quotas for the number of immigrants held in detention.

“It is morally repugnant and a national tragedy that we have privatized prisons all over America,” said Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the legislation’s lead sponsors along with Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), and Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.). “We cannot fix our criminal justice system if corporations are allowed to profit from mass incarceration. Keeping human beings in jail for long periods of time must no longer be an acceptable business model in America.”

Monsanto was found guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer by a French court earlier this week.

When a court in southeast France found Monsanto guilty of chemically poisoning farmers in 2012, the biotech company fought tooth and nail for the conviction to be reversed. One can understand why: the court declared in that ruling that Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller was responsible for devastating neurological problems, including memory loss.

But after an appeal process by Monsanto which lasted for years, a French appeal court recently upheld the ruling in full.