Set Higher Standards by YogiRavi

There is a measure being put in place that will require all almonds in North America to undergo mandatatory pasteurization.

Apparently, there were two incidents of recall of almonds in the past five years invovling salmonella. That’s TWO INCIDENTS in the past five years. Both cases also dealt with convential almond farms (not organic farms). I don’t know about you, but mandatory pasteurization seems like overkill here.

I eat lots of raw food, and almonds are one of my favorite nuts, and I always eat them raw. They taste way better and are a LOT more healthy for you that way. With pasteurization, you’ll be eliminating a lot of the positive health qualities of these nuts.

Luckily, people are starting to protest. Head over here to sign Seth Leaf’s online petition protesting this mandate.

We Like It Raw has additional contact info for almond growers and packagers that you can voice your complaints to.

Image by kattebelletje via Flickr

Do you need a cup of coffee in the morning to get yourself out of bed? Do you find yourself craving food at odd times of day? Does your energy level seem to be waning with every passing month or year? It’s time to take action! Revitalize yourself and feel more energetic than ever by alkalizing your body.

It is easy to do, doesn’t require any radical change to your diet, and will have a more profound affect on your well-being than any standard “diet” could ever have.

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I saw it for the second time last weekend at the Cinerama. It’s awesome. Go see it (twice) if you haven’t already! I’m waiting for the IMAX version to come out in my neck of the woods.

I can’t help but notice the scores of personal development bloggers out there. I read about 25 right now. Another one or two pop up each month.

Some are excellent writers; with well informed opinions, good writing style and frankly, some compelling personal experiences to back it up.

Others….well, let’s just say their sites look like the backside of a VW Bus on a Berkley street corner…..e.g. covered in ads with half-a-bumper. Barely running. Little substance. Written by kids acting as if they were Norman Vincent Peale, Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra all wrapped into one.

Spewing out tips on “how to attract abundance,” “how to live courageously” and “how to be an oustanding person”….without giving so much as a hint at why I should devote one ounce of weight to their self-proclaimed guru status.

In this day and age, anyone can write about <nearly> anything and can claim to be an expert with no credentials.

What I love about blogging is they enable you to have a dialog with a REAL PERSON. You can learn and interact with this REAL PERSON. The writing is less authoritative and more editorial. It has a sharp tinge of personality. Blogs nowadays are losing that personal touch. Their trying to be mini-e-zines with catchy titles.

I’ve noticed far too many blogs in my little niche of personal development totally slacking on the PERSONAL part of their stories. There are tons of “top 10 lists” or quick references to other blogs (no doubt to drive traffic) but little in the way of helping readers actually get a glimpse into the author’s personality, life and personal growth challenges and success.

Frankly, I don’t look to a 2o-something y/o with a wordpress account to tell me how to live my life “courageously.” At least, not without first knowing what this 20-something has done to warrant my dedicated following.

Net-Net…I am more than a little jaded with the state of many blogs right now. If you are a personal development blogger, tell me about how you are evolving and improving your own life. Tell me about your own personal goals. Hold yourself accountable for the progress you are making (or not making against them). Tell me about lessons you are learning, both mistakes and the good things. That’s what blogs are meant to be, an open dialogue.

Stop trying to act like you are a guru.

If I want to read a top ten list I’ll watch Letterman.

If  this is too much to ask….no worries, I’ll just stop reading your blog.

I was walking across Microsoft campus the other day and noticed a few security guards standing along the perimeter of our sports fields.

Yes, we actually have a gigantic sport field, with a few soccer fields, a ball field and a beach volleyball court. It’s pretty state-of-the-art; made out of “field turf.” This stuff actually feels like grass and has faux dirt (small bits of rubber) that give it a bit of added traction and bounce.

Anyway, after a few minutes, I noticed the guards run out towards the field. Were they gonna start an impromptu game of  touch football? Maybe do a few conditioning drills?

Nope.

A large ball of steel decended out of the grey sky, and our fearless leader hopped out.

Perhaps he woke up late for a meeting and traffic was a bit too severe? Perhaps he made a quick sandwich run to Red Hook? Maybe he was meeting with a VIP downtown?

Whatever the reason, you know you’ve made it when you show up to work in a Helicopter!

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

Welcome to sethigherstandards V1.0. Beta.

We’re still working out the kinks but this new design sure does seem to suit the site much better. What do you think?

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” -Tony Robbins