29 December 2012

Memory Of Colors

In a polarized world, color is a victory. Photographer Jaime Ocampo Rangel has spent his life chronicling the ways in which native cultures have revered and expressed themselves in color. This film is a small sampling of his monumental work.

Watch here if video doesn't work: Memory of Colors


Video from KarmaTube

19 December 2012

Earthbag/Adobe House

Building with earthbags (sometimes called sandbags) is both old and new. Sandbags have long been used, particularly by the military, for creating strong, protective barriers, or for flood control. The same reasons that make them useful for these applications carry over to creating housing. Since the walls are so substantial, they resist all kinds of severe weather (or even bullets) and also stand up to natural calamities such as earthquakes and floods. They can be erected simply and quickly with readily available components, for very little money.
Earthbag building fills a unique niche in the quest for sustainable architecture. The bags can be filled with local, natural materials, which lowers the embodied energy commonly associated with the manufacture and transportation of building materials. The fill material is generally of mineral composition and is not subject to decomposition (even when damp), attractive to vermin, or burnable...in other word it is extremely durable. The fill material is generally completely non-toxic and will not offgas noxious fumes into the building.
Earthbags have the tremendous advantage of providing either thermal mass or insulation, depending on what the bags are filled with. When filled with soil they provide thermal mass, but when filled with lighter weight materials, such as crushed volcanic stone, perlite, vermiculite, or rice hulls, they provide insulation. The bags can even act as natural non-wicking, somewhat insulated foundations when they are filled with gravel.
Because the earthbags can be stacked in a wide variety of shapes, including domes, they have the potential to virtually eliminate the need for common tensile materials in the structure, especially the wood and steel often used for roofs. This not only saves more energy (and pollution), but also helps save our forests, which are increasingly necessary for sequestering carbon.
Another aspect of sustainability is found in the economy of this method. The fill material can be literally "dirt cheap," especially if on-site soil is used. The earthbags themselves can often be purchased as misprints or recycled grain sacks, but even when new are not particularly expensive. Burlap bags were traditionally used for this purpose, and they work fine but are subject to rot. Polypropylene bags have superior strength and durability, as long as they are kept away from too much sunlight. For permanent housing the bags should be covered with some kind of plaster for protection, but this plaster can also be earthen and not particularly costly.
The ease and simplicity of building with earthbags should also be mentioned, since there is much unskilled labor available around the world that can be tapped for using this technology. One person familiar with the basics of earthbag building can easily train others to assist in the erection of a building. This not only makes the process more affordable, but also more feasible in remote areas where many common building skills are not to be found.

Website: Earthbag Building



How to build an earthbag house



Construction of an adobe dome

17 December 2012

Resonance: Beings Of Frequency

Resonance is a sensational eye opening documentary which reveals the harm we are doing by existing in an ocean of man made wireless frequencies.
Two billion years ago life first arrived on this planet; a planet, which was filled with a natural frequency. As life slowly evolved, it did so surrounded by this frequency and inevitably, it began tuning in.
By the time mankind arrived on earth an incredible relationship had been struck; a relationship that science is just beginning to comprehend.
Research is showing that being exposed to this frequency is absolutely integral to us. It controls our mental and physical health, it synchronizes our circadian rhythms, and it aids our immune system and improves our sense of wellbeing.
Not only are we surrounded by natural frequencies, our bodies are filled with them too. Our cells communicate using electro magnetic frequencies. Our brain emits a constant stream of frequencies and our DNA delivers instructions, using frequency waves. Without them we couldn’t exist for more than a second.
This delicate balance has taken billions of years to perfect. But over the last 25 years the harmony has been disturbed, and disturbed dramatically.
Mankind has submerged itself in an ocean of artificial frequencies. They are all around us, filling the air and drowning out the earth’s natural resonance.
To the naked eye the planet appears to be the same. But at a cellular level it is the biggest change that life on earth has endured; the affects of which we are just starting to see and feel.

15 December 2012

13 December 2012

Anne Geraghty: Death, The Last God

Author of  'In The Dark And Still Moving.' Anne talks about the sudden death of her son Tim Guest and how that started her journey to find out what death means for her.

11 December 2012

Nick Good: Being A Super Hero

Truth is a living energy. It is when we take the contemplation of wisdom into a dynamic practice that we become the full embodiment of its energy potential.



7 Principals of Huna



Angel Qi Gong 

The Practice

8 December 2012

2012 Crossing Over, A New Beginning (Full Movie)

A World of Love is Coming!

Dec 21, 2012 is on everyone's mind. What will it bring? Is it the end of the world? A new beginning for mankind? Or just another year on the calendar? Brave Archer Films presents '2012 Crossing Over, A New Beginning.' The feature doco explores a positive spiritual perspective on the events of Dec 21, 2012. The film investigates the galactic alignment, consciousness awakening, cycles of evolution, our binary star system with Sirius, the fear agenda in the media, who's behind it, love vs fear and much more.

5 December 2012

Street Compliments

When was the last time you told someone how you really felt? The SoulPancake Street Team hits the streets to inspire some kind words...

29 November 2012

Food Myth Busters: Feed The World

How can we feed the world - today and tomorrow?

The biggest players in the food industry - from pesticide pushers to fertilizer makers to food processors and manufacturers - spend billions of dollars every year not selling food, but selling the idea that we need their products to feed the world. But, do we really need industrial agriculture to feed the world? Can sustainably grown food deliver the quantity and quality we need - today and in the future? Our first Food MythBusters film takes on these questions in under seven minutes. So next time you hear them, you can too.

28 November 2012

Here Comes The Sun

The sun could easily provide the planet with sufficient energy, if only we are willing to change and to invest in harvesting that solar energy...


26 November 2012

Claude Lewenz: Village Towns

In five minutes, Claude Lewenz covers the core elements of a Village Town and invites the viewer to become involved. Claude Lewenz is author of "Life Liberty Happiness" and "How to Build a VillageTown (second edition, slightly renamed). A Village Town is a 10,000 population town made up of 20 villages. Within there are no cars, it has its own local economy, and its purpose is to enable its citizens to enjoy a good life, understood as the social pursuits of conviviality, citizenship, artistic, intellectual & spiritual growth.

25 November 2012

Herbalism Basics

This is a series of 6 YouTube videos explaining the basic principals of making various herbal preperations.

Video 1: Infusion



Video 2: Decoction



Video 3: Tincture



Video 4: Infused oil



Video 5: Ointment



Video 6: Cream

24 November 2012

Julia Butterfly Hill

Adventures In Treesitting

This award-winning documentary reveals the extraordinary journey of a woman who lived 200 feet up in a redwood tree for two years to save the thousand year-old tree from destruction.



Part 2
Part 3

Nearly four years ago, Julia Butterfly Hill sent an international message through her silent protest, living 738 days in the branches of “Luna”, a 1,000 year old Redwood Tree. From 20 stories high, she witnessed first hand the devastation of “clear cutting”, a method of cutting down these ancient trees. In this video, Julia offers a profound message about viewing the world as a whole, overcoming separation and expanding our consciousness.


Environmental & social justice activist Julia Butterfly Hill shows how our belief that we are separate from the whole has created a disposability consciousness. "I know in my heart that as long as trashing the planet and trashing each other, a healthy, holistic and healed world is not possible. We can not have peace ON the earth unless we also have peace WITH the earth. Our disposability consciousness is a weapon of mass destruction." She is referring to how we mindlessly buy a cup of coffee - or anything - in disposable packaging. And where is "away" when we throw it away? It's all right here, isn't it? What a monumental disconnect we have come to accept! She speaks of reclaiming every step of life as a step toward consciousness, and a step toward healing!

Reel Change Films captured an amazing and inspiring talk by Julia Butterfly Hill, the 2010 keynote speaker at the Midwest Yoga conference sponsored by Johnny Kest's Center for Yoga of Michigan. Julia is best known for having saved a group of redwoods from destruction by the northern California logging industry by spending over 2 years on a 4x6' platform 200 feet above ground. Her story is amazing, but her commitment to practicing what she preaches is even more impressive. This talk blew away everyone in the room. I felt privileged to be there. It's well worth sitting through all 6 segments. This is part of a series of interviews conducted by Jason Scholder of Reel Change Films from Asheville, NC, comprising an ongoing, on-line spiritual documentary project entitled Walking the Path.

Divine Mirrors    

   

Part 2: Gift Of Breath
Part 3: Ancestors To The Future  
Part 4: Power Of Love 
Part 5: Manifesting Heaven On Earth
Part 6: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice... Rethink!

21 November 2012

Meditation Helps

In the 2002-2003 school year, there were 41 murders in the neighborhood of Visitacion Valley Middle School. Young students were playing "cops and robbers" with real guns, and many suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2007, the principal instituted a program called "Quiet Time" to teach meditation to every student in the school, with dramatic results. Truancy rate fell by more than 7 percent (while the average for the State rose to 30 percent) and suspensions fell by more than 50 percent. Twelve minutes at the beginning and twelve minutes at the end of school day have given these children a coping mechanism to deal with the many stresses of poverty and violence in their lives.

20 November 2012

Karma Kitchen

What would you do if the next time you ask for your bill after dining out and your server says "There is no charge, your meal was paid for by the person who came before you?" Yep, that's right, there is nothing, zip, zilch -- on your bill. You literally see "$0.00."
In a world and society where we're taught: "If it's too good to be true, it's NOT." It's hard to believe. In this case, you have to feel it, experience it -- to believe it.





19 November 2012

One World, One Heart Beating

An anthem to global unity sung and played entirely by children (with a video created by a 9-year old), "One World, One Heart Beating" is the creation of singer songwriter Oona McOuat to raise funds for children affected by war.

16 November 2012

We Societies

Thom Hartmann describes a society based on cooperation and the idea that we're all in this together.

15 November 2012

Joe Dispenza: Your Immortal Brain

Mastering the Art of Observation.

Over the past decade, Dr. Dispenza has lectured in 24 different countries on six continents educating people about the role and function of the human brain. He has taught thousands of people how to re-program their thinking through scientifically proven neuro-physiologic principles. As a result, this information has taught many individuals to reach their specific goals and visions by eliminating self-destructive habits. His approach, taught in a very simple method, creates a bridge between true human potential and the latest scientific theories of neuroplasticity.  He explains how thinking in new ways, as well as changing beliefs, can literally rewire one’s brain. The premise of his work is founded in his total conviction that every person on this planet has within them, the latent potential of greatness and true unlimited abilities.

14 November 2012

The Power Of Words

This short film illustrates the power of words to radically effect change. Discover the power of transforming your own words in Andrea Gardner's book 'Change Your Words, Change Your World'.

13 November 2012

Alexander Tsiaras: Conception To Birth

Image-maker Alexander Tsiaras shares a powerful medical visualization, showing human development from conception to birth and beyond.

12 November 2012

Permaculture Course

You can solve the worlds problems in a garden!

How to survive the coming crises with permaculture

An video by Geoff Lawton, world renowned permaculture teacher, designer and consultant.

10 November 2012

Terence McKenna

Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000) was an American ethnobotanist, philosopher, psychonaut, researcher, teacher, lecturer and writer on many subjects, such as human consciousness, language, psychedelic substances, the evolution of civilizations, the origin and end of the universe, alchemy, and extraterrestrial beings.

The Evolution of Reality



Evolving Times



Final Earthbound Interview



Terence McKenna and Gregory Stock speak about the epic transition we face in the very near future called the Singularity.
This shift will be the result of the inevitable culmination of infinite technological progress and the emergence of completely new states of connectedness. Once the Singularity happens, infinite growth is reached. Within a very short amount of time (as a result of this exponential growth), we will take our first steps towards a new age as an entirely new entity.
We will then go on to saturate the entire physical universe with our newly born super-intelligence, or we will gain the ability to actually leave the 3-Dimensional universe and move to higher (or simply other) states of being.



Time is being compressed. "We are living through, in a 67-year period that stretches from 1945-2012, a compressed version of a larger historical epoch 4,306 years long that also ends in 2012." We are learning faster and we are gathering more experience in shorter bursts of time.

9 November 2012

Cob House Building

Margaret Krome-Lukens shows us the cob home being built by interns at North Carolina's Pickards Mountain Eco-Institute. Since her new home is less than 150 square feet, she talks about the joy of giving up stuff to move in.



Cob House Building in Northern Spain.



What if I told you that you could build your very own beautiful home with the resources right beneath your feet, on a budget of a few thousand dollars, and never have to live with a mortgage?
Use the earth that God has given us to build our homes.

8 November 2012

Hugelkultur

Hugelkultur is raised garden beds that reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation and fertilizer.

This video shows the why and how of this type of raised garden bed. Hugelkultur can be built by hand or with machinery; urban lots or large acreage farms. The focal point of this video is a project in Dayton, Montana where Sepp Holzer installed nearly a kilometer of hugelkultur beds in early May of 2012. Then the video shows the results in mid September.
Michael Billington is currently the land manager there. He explains how the beds have not been irrigated and goes into some detail of the qualities of the food from the different aspects of the hugelkultur: the north side tends to be sweeter and the south side tends to have more bite (lettuces tend to be more bitter and mustards tend to be hotter).

Learn more: Raised Garden Beds

6 November 2012

Communal Living With Nikki Silva

Visiting La Selva, the communal home that Nikki and eight others have built for themselves in over thirty years of hard toiling work (in Santa Cruz, California).
While Nikki attests that there was no intention of building a commune per se, it is very much a communal living situation. They are all partners in the shares of a single plot of land, and each partner or couple has a housing space within the whole compound based on their share. On the property, there are four separate houses, a large barn, a storage shed and an art studio. There is also a main house that has the kitchen, living room, and bathhouse (I didn’t pry). In total, eight unique yet cohesive structures share the property of gardens, fields, and forest, overlooking farmland and the pacific ocean. For those living at La Selva, they eat dinner together every night, take weekly turns with the meal preparation and cleaning of the kitchen, and share in a remarkable sense of togetherness that is much like that of a family.

5 November 2012

Fantastic Fungi

An excerpt from the feature documentary by Louie Schwartzberg following notable mycologist, Paul Stamets, as he discusses the important role mushrooms play in the survival and health of the earth and human species.


4 November 2012

Choice Point: Align Your Purpose

“Be The Change You Want To See In The World”

Choice Point is a feature-length documentary film which probes the issues of transformational change and how when one person transforms his or her own life, that person can contribute in a positive way to the shaping of the world.

“How does one make lasting positive changes?”

The film answers this most important of questions by weaving together inspirational personal stories by public figures, from sports stars to statesmen to businesspeople, with discussions by a range of experts, from scientists to philosophers, about the dynamics of change.

3 November 2012

David Icke: Remember Who You Are

Wembley Arena, London, October 2012

'Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives.'



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4

31 October 2012

Biology Of Transformation

Suppose Darwin and the DNA model have missed something vital...So vital that it changes the whole idea of who you really are.
Suppose we're not who we're told we are. Suppose we're not separate, surviving in a dog-eat-dog world of competition and struggle. Suppose too that the DNA model is incomplete. That our human birthright is more magnificent than we could ever imagine -- and it's all there already, in our genetic make-up.

These radical ideas represent the lifework of some of the world's most eminent biologists who have had the courage to stand against the orthodoxy. What they were discovering every day in the laboratory just didn't fit with the existing paradigm -- and they couldn't stay quiet about it.
'The Biology of Transformation' conference brings together some of these for two inspiring and transforming days. The speakers represent some of the leading names in the 'new biology', and their message will give you new eyes on the world and yourself.

Lynne McTaggart

The New Self: Lynne McTaggart is fast becoming one of the major names in the New Science movement. Her two best-selling books 'The Field' and 'The Intention Experiment' have given us a new blue-print of reality, and it's one that brings together science and spirituality in a coherent way.



Bruce Lipton

The New Biology: Bruce Lipton is one of the leading names in the 'new biology'. He turned his back on a very promising career as a cell biologist to draw up a new paradigm that is built on connectiveness and co-operation. He argues that evolution has flourished only because of co-operation, not because of competition. The implications go far and deep and he provides evidence for a spiritual aspect to life.

Website: Bruce Lipton



Rupert Sheldrake

The New Blueprint: Rupert Sheldrake is a former Research Fellow at the Royal Society, who has extended the theme of connectiveness with his own theory of biology, which he calls the Morphic Field. This suggests an intelligent and developing universe that has an inherent memory. He will be joined in the quest by Peggy Phoenix Dubro, founder and pioneer of the EMF Balancing Technique.




Peggy Phoenix Dubro

Is best known as the founder and pioneer of the EMF Balancing technique. It is now practised in more than 60 countries by thousands of practitioners, and by people from a wide variety of backgrounds and religions. It is based on a new biology and metaphysics that sees the universe as a unified system, and us as a part of it. As a part of her theroy, she has also developed the concept of the Universal Calibration Lattice (UCL).




Joyce Hawkes

Is an Internationally recognised for her work as a research scientist and her more recent work on the biophysics of cell structure and function included a position as a Post-doctoral Fellow with the National Institutes of Health. She published nearly 50 papers, abstracts, and book chapters.
The innovative excellence of her research earned her election to the position of Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Following a near-death experience she changed careers in 1984 and embarked on an extensive exploration of spiritual and healing traditions. She discovered numerous practical applications of indigenous healing modalities, which led her on her new path of cellular healing, the subject of her book Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge for Soul to Cell. She has more than 20 years experience working as a spiritual counsellor, healer, and seminar leader, presentations and writing.



Eric Pearl

Internationally recognised healer Eric Pearl has appeared on countless television programs in the US and around the World, spoken by invitation at the United Nations, presented to a full house at Madison Square Garden and his seminars have been featured in various publications including the New York Times.
As a doctor, Eric ran a highly successful chiropractic practice for 12 years until one day when patients began reporting that they felt his hands on them - even though he hadn't physically touched them. For the first couple of months, his palms blistered and bled. Patients soon reported receiving miraculous healings from cancers, AIDS-related diseases, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, birth disfigurement, cerebral palsy and other serious afflictions. All this occurred when Eric simply held his hands near them - and to this day, it continues.
His patients' healings have been documented in six books to date, including Eric's own International best-seller, The Reconnection: Heal Others, Heal Yourself, soon in its 24th language.

Website: Eric Pearl

29 October 2012

Incredible Edible Todmorden

They have corn growing outside the police station. Volunteers plant food that is free for anyone to pick outside of the fire station, the health center, the train station, the old age home. They teach all about small scale local food production in every school, and there are public gardens and edible landscapes everywhere...food is growing literally in every unused space!

Welcome to Todmorden, UK. This town is 17 miles north east of Manchester, and they have taken the local food movement to unprecedented heights. This town has even developed "Vegetable Tourism" around their passion for growing food together as a community. Pam Warhurst, one of the founders of the "Incredible Edible Todmorden" initiative says that changing the world through the power of local food is "a simple message that just might unite us."

Amen!

See also: How we can eat our landscapes

27 October 2012

The Power Of Chi

This ten minute clip contains forbidden footage from a BBC documentary about a man who could project chi, or life energy, so powerfully, he could start a fire with is hands, and light a light bulb with his fingers.

26 October 2012

The Story Of Your Enslavement

We can only be kept in the cages we do not see. A brief history of human enslavement - up to and including your own.

25 October 2012

Banking: The Greatest Scam On Earth

The Greatest Scam on Earth - The Money Scam! The Money Scam is hidden right out in the open, yet buried in complication and confusion. A retired banker describes simply, the world's Money Scam and the reason every country is now going bankrupt. Private bankers have stolen the money creation process, and whereas once our money was created by the governments, debt-free, it is now created out of thin air and issued as debt with interest charges. In today's banker controlled world, money = debt, debt = slavery and therefore money = slavery --- our monetary systems have become systems of enslavement. Money is created out of nothing, issued as debt, not enough money is created for the future interest payments and inflation steals our savings. The money creation process should be taken away from the banks and given to the governments who can create money debt-free, interest-free. This is how it used to be done and we needed no income taxes. Finally, it is explained what we should do to stop supporting the money scam.

23 October 2012

Spiritworld: The Alien Kabbala

This documentary exposes a race between black magicians to control the souls of mankind. Nostradamus, Eliphas Levi, Himmler, Joseph Smith of the Mormon Church and Aleister Crowley are all featured in this film. Also, Chris Everard exposes how ancient magical texts have been used to contact and summon beings from other worlds and spiritual planes.



Dutch subtitles version

19 October 2012

Janine Benyus: Biomimicry

12 sustainable design ideas from nature.
In this inspiring talk about recent developments in biomimicry, Janine Benyus provides heartening examples of ways in which nature is already influencing the products and systems we build.



Biomimicry in action.
Janine Benyus has a message for inventors: When solving a design problem, look to nature first. There you'll find inspired designs for making things waterproof, aerodynamic, solar-powered and more. Here she reveals dozens of new products that take their cue from nature with spectacular results.


18 October 2012

A Course In Miracles (Full Movie)

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is a teaching device that aims to assist its readers in achieving spiritual transformation. The book describes a purely non-dualistic philosophy of forgiveness and includes what are meant to be practical lessons and applications for the practice of forgiveness in daily life. The introduction to the book contains the following summary, "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

16 October 2012

GMO Ticking Time Bomb

This video reveals some of the health problems caused by GMOs, including infertility, accelerated aging, organ damage, immune malfunction and more.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Gary Null: Say NO to GMO !

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Genetic Roulette: The Gamble Of Our Lives

Are you and your family on the wrong side of a bet?
When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology.
After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.
This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.


15 October 2012

You Are The Battlefield

There's no looking for crowd validation. There's no waiting for outside redemption. There's no collective bargaining to rely on.

The awakening is you. Only you.

That's what all this ruckus is about. The battle for your spirit and soul. And that's the boat each of us is in. There is nothing more important in this life for you, or me, than waking up. Once that's straightened out the rest will follow.
How we perceive the world around us creates and reinforces the world around us. Once we become conscious and aware that this existing matrix we're witnessing is an arbitrary creation manipulated by power-crazed puppeteers, however you perceive them, that is when the change happens.
And the Universe will tell you what to do from there.
That's what to respond to. Nothing else. That's your job. That's my job. Don't shirk it when it happens.

The Cost of Vicarious Living and Beyond

In the end most humans end up living a vicarious life, acting out the projection they think they're supposed to live up to. That's bondage. The yardstick is acceptance rather than truth or conscience. This is heavily reinforced through education, the media and the existing paradigm they've succeeded in creating. It appears to be the only option out there…but only to the unawakened.

But there's a price to pay.

Everything. Waking up costs everything. So what? What are you saving up for? Aren't you paying that price anyway even if you're not waking up? Life always costs everything. You'll leave here eventually, like me, and the cost will be your life. How did you spend it? Consciously, or trying to conform, and using that to hide behind to justify living as a comfortable, selfish, lazy brain donor to the system you're too afraid to buck?

That's the battlefield. You. Me. It goes no further. What we see playing out in the world is a bunch of you's and me's deciding if they'll live consciously and truly respond to that still, small voice within them, or not. The sad reality is almost every one of them has been duped into being fixated on what all the other "me's" are doing in order to keep up with the projected reality. It's like a school of fish feverishly clinging together in response to a perceived predator.

The only thing is, for conscious, spiritual reality there is no predator. That's the secret. We are eternal consciousness having an experience. The way to solve these problems is to re-create the perceived reality through conscious awareness and conscious actions.

When You Get the Call, Take It!

We, individually, have to change first. We have to commit to consciousness, get free of entanglements and live a conscious life. The rest has little meaning until we get out of the matrix ourselves.

If each of us would get that message the phony world structure would crumble in a minute. Every soldier would drop his weapon and go home. Every politician would wake up as if out of a dream and go be with his family. Every policeman would lay down his gun, take off his uniform, and go help someone in need, smiling and greeting people on his way.

It's you. It's me. Your personal world and experience is the only one you'll ever know. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Just let consciousness be your guide. But act on it.

And don't fret too much about what it is you're supposed to do. You'll know it when you see it. It comes in the form of little things, little decisions, the rest follows. Learn to listen to that voice and act accordingly and it gets louder and louder.

Just walk away from what you know to be wrong, and do what you know to be right. It's not that hard once you start. And again, once you get your boat in motion, the rudder will take effect.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu

…Now go for it. I can't wait to hear about it!

Love, Zen Gardner

P.S. I was honored to have the amazing Snordelhans of Heretic Productions produce the following gorgeous piece. Be sure to give it a look. It's shortened with just selected excerpts but it's beautifully done. Enjoy

14 October 2012

Zero Waste Family

Here they are: The Johnsons - contemporary family in California that has arranged their life so that they generate practically NO waste. It's not only that it's NOT so hard - they save money too!

13 October 2012

War On Health (Gary Null)

The FDA's Cult of Tyranny.
The FDA is supposed to protect you from adulterated food and drugs. Instead, it lets big food and drug makers go wild while simultaneously blocking you from access to low cost health aids.
Yes, it really is this bad.

The new film from Gary Null, "War on Health" in it's entirety.

(Gary Null) In the near future, American medical practice may change dramatically for the worse. No longer will maximal dose natural supplements—vitamins, natural compounds, and scientifically proven medicinal herbs—be available over the counter in local health and grocery stores. Holistic practice, which relies upon non-prescription natural treatments instead of Big Pharma drugs prescribed life-long, will diminish. American healthcare will be imprisoned, patients will be forced to abide by a single medical paradigm defined by corporate drug and food executives and dictated by a government enforcement agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is the bleak scenario if the FDA succeeds in limiting Americans' options to prevent and treat diseases.
'War on Health' is the first documentary detailing and challenging the FDA agenda and its allegiance with the international Codex Alimentarius, which hopes to establish a monolithic food and health regime. Betraying its founding mandate to assure drug, food and chemical safety in the interests of public health, the FDA today is a repressive bureaucracy serving pharmaceutical and agricultural greed and profits. Vaccines, medical devices, prescription drugs are fast tracked at alarming rates through the FDA at the expense of scientific oversight to assure their efficacy and safety. The
result is hundreds of thousands premature deaths annually from pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines and medical devices and an epidemic of medical incompetence and fraud sanctioned by federal health officials.
Featuring many pioneering American and European attorneys, physicians, medical researchers and advocates of health freedom, War on Health lifts the veil on FDA's militaristic operations against organic food providers and alternative physicians. The film's conclusion is perfectly clear: the FDA is a tyrannical cult founded upon the denial of sound medical science with little intention to improve the nation's health and prevent disease.

Introduced by the director (from his speech at the world premiere in New York City, June 15, 2012) The film itself begins at 27:54. 


9 October 2012

Russell Means: Welcome To The Reservation

The United States is one big reservation, and we are all in it. So says Russell Means, legendary actor, political activist and leader for the American Indian Movement. Means led the 1972 seizure of the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in 1973 led a standoff at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, a response to the massacre of at least 150 Lakotah men, women, and children by the U.S. Seventh Cavalry at a camp near Wounded Knee Creek.
American Indian Russell Means gives an eye-opening 90 minute interview in which he explains how Native Americans and Americans in general are all imprisoned within one huge reservation. Means is a leader for the Republic of Lakotah, a movement that has declared its independence from the United States and refused to recognize the authority of presidents or governments, withdrawing from treaties it made with the federal government and defining its borders which cover thousands of square miles in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana.
Means explains how American Indians have been enslaved within de facto prisoner of war camps as a result of the federal government's restriction of their food supply and the application of colonial tactics, a process that has now also been inflicted on the United States as a whole which has turned into, "one huge Indian reservation," according to Means.
Means warns that Americans have lost the ability of critical though, and with each successive generation become more irresponsible and as a consequence less free, disregarding a near-perfect document, the Constitution, which was derived from Indian law. Means chronicles the loss of freedom from the 1840's onwards, which marked the birth of the corporation, to Lincoln's declaration of martial law, to the latter part of the 19th century and into the 20th when Congress "started giving banks the right to rule," and private banking interests began printing the money.

8 October 2012

Homeschool Methods

Eclectic Method



Charlotte Mason Method



Classical Method



Unschooling Method



Waldorf Method

4 October 2012

8 Secrets Of Success

The 8 To Be Great really are the key things that have taken the worlds most successful people from the bottom to the top. But you could be thinking, wait a minute. These 8-Traits are all so simple. Passion, Work, Focus, Push, Ideas, Improve, Serve, and Persist are really common sense. Isn't there a secret or something magical that great people know about, and I don't? Well, the answer is No!
The secret of success is: there are NO secrets. Ive been studying this for over 10 years and the 8 To Be Great are the foundation for success in any field. Other factors will also help us succeed, but if we don't have the 8-Traits we can try as many secrets as we want, and we still wont go far in life.

16 September 2012

Overpopulation Is A Myth

Truth is every man, woman, & child in the whole world could have about 1 acres of land to themselves & it would all fit into a land mass the size of North America, with the rest of the world completely unoccupied.


15 September 2012

Edible City (Full Movie)

Edible City is a fun, fast-paced journey through the Local Good Food movement that's taking root in the San Francisco Bay Area, across the nation and around the world. Introducing a diverse cast of extraordinary and eccentric characters who are challenging the paradigm of our broken food system, Edible City digs into their unique perspectives and transformative work, finding hopeful solutions to monumental problems. Inspirational, down-to-earth and a little bit quirky, Edible City captures the spirit of a movement that's making real change and doing something truly revolutionary: growing the model for a healthy, sustainable local food system.

Website: Edible City

11 September 2012

John Howe: Solar Inventions

John Howe, a retired mechanical engineer, created several amazing solar inventions that all work beautifully.
See a solar powered tractor, a real solution for agriculture of the future. "Suburbia is going to have to re-localize into community centers and grow their own food and a vehicle like this would be ideal because it could easily do the gardening for 20 households in a suburban setting." he says. See the solar chain saw, the solar powered golf cart -- and his sporty solar car! This is the kind of creative and forward thinking person you want in your neighborhood. His advice: "Buy a solar panel and play with it. They're amazing: turn them on and they work. They work forever."

10 September 2012

The End Of Poverty?

The aphorism "The poor are always with us" dates back to the New Testament, but while the phrase is still sadly apt in the 21st century, few seem to be able to explain why poverty is so widespread. Activist filmmaker Philippe Diaz examines the history and impact of economic inequality in the third world in the documentary The End of Poverty?, and makes the compelling argument that it's not an accident or simple bad luck that has created a growing underclass around the world.
Diaz traces the growth of global poverty back to colonization in the 15th century, and features interviews with a number of economists, sociologists, and historians who explain how poverty is the clear consequence of free-market economic policies that allow powerful nations to exploit poorer countries for their assets and keep money in the hands of the wealthy rather than distributing it more equitably to the people who have helped them gain their fortunes.
Diaz also explores how wealthy nations (especially the United States) seize a disproportionate share of the world's natural resources, and how this imbalance is having a dire impact on the environment as well as the economy. The End of Poverty? was an official selection at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

8 September 2012

Simple Solar Homesteading

How to have a home with no house payments and no monthly utility bills! This is an introduction to simple solar homesteading that provides information on how to find cheap land, build an inexpensive home, and use solar power to eliminate monthly utility bills. What would you do if you had no house payment and no monthly utility bills ? Well watch the video and I will show you how it is done easily and with very little money.



Watch a video how to built a 14x14 solar cabin for under $2000.

7 September 2012

Supersize Your Vegetables

John shares with you how you can double your yields in your garden by using wood chips and rock dust.

3 September 2012

Unconditional Love

A simple street scene shows an inspiring example of recognizing and seizing an opportunity to help, and as a result, turning a negative situation into a positive impact on another person. The impromptu exposition on unconditional love is a heartfelt declaration on how to live life.


1 September 2012

I Was Here

August 19 is World Humanitarian Day - a day to inspire people all over the world to do something good, no matter how big or small, for someone else. This year, the United Nations held an event with Beyonce to inspire people to leave their mark on the world...
"I gave my all, did my best, brought someone some happiness, left this world a little better because...I was here..."

30 August 2012

Kristin Pedemonti: Bringing Joy To Everyday Moments

In this short TED talk audition, Kristin Pedemonti urges us to say, ‘Yes!’ to opportunities for joy. She suggests that seemingly small insignificant acts of sharing joy can be much bigger than we think. Don't forget - always carry bottles of bubbles and your "free hugs" sign with you wherever you go.

27 August 2012

Atamai Village

The Atamai permaculture community was set up on the principle that it takes a village to live sustainably - it is too difficult to do it on your own. Members of this community have come together to deal with the impacts of climate change, energy shortages and the social and economic challenges that are likely to follow these changes. "You don't want to wait until the signs are so obvious because then it is too late."



25 August 2012

Eco Homes: Small Holdings In Wales

The Tir y Gafel ecovillage aspires to be a replicable model for low-impact development in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Nine families lived there at the time of this filming. They are self sustainable: living off the grid, producing food, having built low impact houses using alternative energy sources.
They are taking advantage of legislation in Wales which allows low impact sustainable communities to go build eco-small holdings on open countryside. Under the TAN 6 Policy Guidance (Welsh Assembly Government), there is now a planning framework which accommodates low-impact development. Think of it as getting a little help and encouragement from the government to live off the land. And bring the land BACK!
Using permaculture techniques, they are making marginally productive land into maximally food producing land. They are aiming for a 40% increase in productivity. They have plenty of volunteers who simply want to learn the techniques to be able to live this way. Says one resident: "I don't think governments are going to provide the solution to the challenges. I don't think our economic system or our corporate structures are going to provide the solutions we need. I think solutions are going to come from people."

Website: Lammas

21 August 2012

Regreening The Landscape With Fukuoka's Seed Balls

The Center of Natural Farming in Greece is a permaculture paradise inspired by the teachings of Japanese philosopher and the founder of Natural Gardening, Masanobu Fukuoka. It was started in 1998 by Payanitis Manikis, and is located 2 kilometers from the city of Edessa. No soil is tilled, no artificial fertilizers or pesticides are used, and hundreds of different plants and animals live side by side in natural symbiosis and harmony.
A remarkable part of this video is where see the result of the thousands of seed balls tossed by volunteers from the center into barren hills of southern Greece that were destroyed by fire, around the 5 minute mark. Very inspiring to see first a little green action, then a landscape covered in green thanks to Fukuoka's amazing creation.
Seed balls are seeds encased in a clay ball that hardens enough so that it can be tossed without falling apart. When the rains come, it becomes wet enough to begin germinating wherever it landed. Now those hills are blooming again. Good ideas travel all over the world!

20 August 2012

Why In The World Are They Spraying?

People around the world are noticing that our planet's weather is dramatically changing. They are also beginning to notice the long lingering trails left behind airplanes that have lead millions to accept the reality of chemtrail/geoengineering programs. Could there be a connection between the trails and our severe weather? While there are many agendas associated with these damaging programs, evidence is now abundant which proves that geoengineering can be used to control weather. In this documentary you will learn how the aerosols being sprayed into our sky are used in conjunction with other technologies to control our weather. While geoengineers maintain that their models are only for the mitigation of global warming, it is now clear that they can be used as a way to consolidate an enormous amount of both monetary and political power into the hands of a few by the leverage that weather control gives certain corporations over the Earth's natural systems. This of course, is being done at the expense of every living thing on the planet.

See also: What in the world are they spraying?



16 August 2012

Kin's Domain & Kin's Community

This is the first of a series of videos on how to build a kins domain by actually documenting building two Kins domains in Dolan Springs, Arizona. A Kins domain was popularized worldwide from a 10 volume series of books by Vladimir Megre called The Ringing Cedars Series.

Website: Eco-Harmony Kins Domain
Website: Ringing Cedars Of Russia

See Also:  Creation - Das Dies - Co Creation Of Do No Harm Communities


15 August 2012

Lawton's Guide To Permaculture Design

Here’s another 5 part series which demonstrates the diversity of considerations which lead to diversity of crops and foods in permaculture forest-gardens. At least watch the last two parts for a system overview and tour of an actual eco-system which demonstrates the concepts described in the first three parts.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Part 5


13 August 2012

Crystal Waters Ecovillage

An introduction to Crystal Waters covering permaculture design, innovative housing design, intentional community living and land restoration. Crystal Waters is situated in rural south east Queensland Australia. Filmed in 2001-2002.

Website: Crystal Waters

9 August 2012

Pam Warhurst: How We Can Eat Our Landscapes

What should a community do with its unused land? Plant food, of course. With energy and humor, Pam Warhurst tells at the TEDSalon the story of how she and a growing team of volunteers came together to turn plots of unused land into communal vegetable gardens, and to change the narrative of food in their community.

6 August 2012

Young Greeks Create Rural Community

On the slopes of Mount Telaithrion on the island of Evia, a group of young Greeks have left the busy city and created a self-reliant rural community. Their goal is to eat only the organic produce they grow themselves, to free themselves from the national electricity grid, and to exchange what they grow or make instead of using money. The project, whose ultimate goal is to create a school for sustainable living, was the idea of four Athenians who met online back in 2008 and bonded over their dissatisfaction with the daily grind of city life.

4 August 2012

The Story Of Change

It's not easy to change a dysfunctional system that puts corporate profits above the health and happiness of people. It takes more than just "voting with our pocketbooks"; it takes political involvement. In her latest film, Annie Leonard gives us a simple formula for social transformation: CHANGE = a big idea + collective identity + action.

1 August 2012

Stephen Ritz: Green Bronx Machine

A whirlwind of energy and ideas, Stephen Ritz is a teacher in New York's tough South Bronx, where he and his kids grow lush gardens for food, greenery -- and jobs. Just try to keep up with this New York treasure as he spins through the many, many ways there are to grow hope in a neighborhood many have written off, or in your own.

15 July 2012

David Icke On Bewusst TV (June 18, 2012)

Jo Conrad interviews David Icke about the manipulation of humankind, reptilian influence and the awakening of human consciousness.

A 'master' can only be a master, if the slave acts, thinks or believes he is a 'slave'.

14 July 2012

Khan Academy

A free world-class education for anyone anywhere.

The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere. All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.
With over 3,200 videos on everything from arithmetic to physics, finance and history and hundreds of skills to practice, we're on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.

Website: Khan Acadamy
Wiki Page: Khan Academy



13 July 2012

How To Be A Gardener (BBC)

Season 1 - Website: How to be a gardener

Episode 1: Know Your Plot

You wouldn’t dream of moving into a house without taking a look at the area. It’s the same in a garden. Before you can grow anything, you need to know what sort of conditions you have. Then you can choose plants that are suited to them. There really is no need to waste money on plants that will hate your environment. You’ll need to know what sort of soil you have, how much light there is and the prevailing weather conditions. Is it a windy site, a particularly cold one, or is it sunny and sheltered?



Episode 2: Understand Plants

Think of your garden as a theatrical production. It's all right - you don't need any artistic training. You are aiming for a variety show that lasts a long time, offers year-round interest and alleviates boredom. The way to achieve this is to use a wide range of plants: from trees and shrubs to climbers, perennials, annuals and bulbs. What's the difference between them, and what can each of them bring to your garden?



Episode 3: Planting Schemes And Themes

Once you’ve understood the different types of plant and what they can do, you can tackle the job of putting them all together in a garden - working out which ones will look best where, and how they will complement each other. There are lots of different planting styles, from cottage gardens to prairie gardens, tropical borders to bog gardens. And there are ways to use shapes, textures and colours to create different effects. Soft pastels or vibrant shades?



Episode 4: Practical Planting

When you know what plants you want, and which of them will be happy growing together, it’s tempting to rush off to the garden centre, go mad with the plastic, then come back and chuck them all in. Not a good idea, is it? You’ve done it before and half of them have died. So before you take the plunge, make sure that your soil is well cultivated and enriched. This module will tell you how to get your garden ready for plants, and it will also explain what sort of plants you should look for in the nursery or garden centre; what makes a good one, and which ones you should avoid. 



Episode 5: Caring For Your Garden

Once your plants are growing you will need to keep them happy. How do you do this, and what sort of tools will you need? Plants need water and food, but when and in what sort of quantities? This module explains the cultivation techniques necessary to keep your plants in fine fettle. Don’t worry; you won’t have to be a slave to them, just a good mother. And when it comes to pruning don’t shake in your shoes. There are simple basic steps you can take to ensure you cut the right stem, at the right time, in the right place.



Episode 6: Problem Solving

However good a gardener you are, there are always outside agencies that do their best to prevent you succeeding. That’s life. Weeds will invade your beds and borders, pests will fly in to nibble leaves and suck sap, and diseases will spread death and destruction in their wake. But grow your plants well, and know what steps to take when you spot a weed, a pest or disease, and you can stay one step ahead. Whether you are an organic gardener like me, or use chemicals wisely, making sure that the right product is used in the right place, the important thing is that you achieve a working relationship with nature and still enjoy your garden.



Episode 7: The Productive Garden

Growing flowers is wonderfully fulfilling. Growing fruit and vegetables is wonderfully filling. To pick and eat your own crops is a great thrill. You know they have been well grown; you know they are fresh and you know that, just like your own baby, they are the best in the world! Here you can discover just how to cultivate your own fruit and vegetables – and you don’t need a big garden to do so. Edible crops can be squeezed into the tiniest of plots.You’ll be surprised at how good some of them look – it’s a shame to pick them really!



Episode 8: The Gardening Year

The garden never stops moving, and no garden is ever finished. It follows, then, that the gardener is always gardening – even though to some the winter seems to be the closed season. But year-round gardening has its rewards. You can ensure that there is always something to cheer you up in the way of flowers, and always more things to plant and existing features to keep up to scratch. Not all these tasks are chores. Many of them will keep you in touch with the earth and things that grow, which is what 'how to be a gardener' is all about.

12 July 2012

Gary Null: War On Health

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is based and founded on a campaign of misinformation to keep citizens enslaved to the drug industry. While the FDA marches on with their plans to take away your right to health and nutrition, this documentary threatens to blow their tyrannical rule apart. Never before seen footage, and never before heard evidence that will shock viewers into taking action.

11 July 2012

500 Nations: The Story Of Native Americans

500 Nations is an 4 part documentary on the Native Americans of North and Central America. It documents from pre-Columbian to the end of the 19th century. Much of the information comes from text, eyewitnesses, pictorials, and computer graphics. The series was hosted by Kevin Costner, and directed by Jack Leustig. It included the voice talents of narrator Gregory Harrison, Eric Schweig, Wes Studi, Edward James Olmos, and Patrick Stewart. "500 Nations tries to crystallize the sweeping events that reshaped North America- one of the largest and most pivotal stories in human history - a story we feel is widely unknown. Often painful, sometimes shocking, but in the end it is simply about understanding." Kevin Costner

10 July 2012

Farmageddon (Full Movie)

The truth about the food and dairy industry.

Americans' right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack. Farmageddon tells the story of small, family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and were forced to stop, sometimes through violent ac-tion, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks to figure out why.
Filmmaker Kristin Canty's quest to find healthy food for her four children turned into an educational journey to discover why access to these foods was being threatened. What she found were policies that favor agribusiness and factory farms over small family-operated farms selling fresh foods to their communities. Instead of focusing on the source of food safety problems — most often the industrial food chain — policymakers and regulators implement and enforce solutions that target and often drive out of business small farms that have proven themselves more than capable of producing safe, healthy food, but buckle under the crushing weight of government regulations and excessive enforcement actions.
Farmageddon highlights the urgency of food freedom, encouraging farmers and consumers alike to take action to preserve individuals' rights to access food of their choice and farmers' rights to produce these foods safely and free from unreasona-bly burdensome regulations. The film serves to put policymakers and regulators on notice that there is a growing movement of people aware that their freedom to choose the foods they want is in danger, a movement that is taking action with its dollars and its voting power to protect and preserve the dwindling number of family farms that are struggling to survive.

9 July 2012

Mike Adams: The God Within

DivinityNow.com, founded by Mike Adams, releases this mind-expanding documentary on 'conscious cosmology,' covering consciousness, particle physics, the nature of reality, the Big Bang, quantum physics, origins of life, free will, and more.
Mike Adams, the founder of Divinity Now, believes:
  • We are conscious beings
  • There is an intelligent Creator
  • We have Divine rights
  • Ethics matter
  • We are judged on our actions
  • Life has value
  • We are not alone
  • Awareness is divine
  • We are all spiritually connected
  • Consciousness is in all living things

5 July 2012

Naomi Klein: The Shock Doctrine

In The Shock Doctrine Naomi Klein explodes the myth that the global free market triumphed democratically. Exposing the thinking, the money trail and the puppet strings behind the world-changing crises and wars of the last four decades, The Shock Doctrine is the gripping story of how America’s “free market” policies have come to dominate the world– through the exploitation of disaster-shocked people and countries.



Award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist and author, Naomi Klein, talks about her latest book, 'The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism'.

4 July 2012

American Autumn: An Occudoc (Full Movie)

What would a world look like that had a culture and an economic system that places human need above corporate greed, and how do we bring that world into being? Who cares what it is called. Call it Socialism, Call it Real Democracy Now, and Call it Chunky-Monkey-Cherry Garcia. The world needs to change radically, it needs to change dramatically, and it needs to change fast. 'American Autumn: an Occudoc' is an invitation for you to participate in that positive change.

3 July 2012

Daniel Suelo: The American Who Quit Money

Daniel Suelo lives in caves in the canyonlands of Utah. He survives by harvesting wild foods and eating roadkill. He has no job, no bank account and does not accept government welfare. In fact, Suelo has no money at all. Suelo may have shunned all the trappings of modern American life, but he is not an isolationist. Since abandoning money in 2000, the former cook from Moab, Utah has remained an active member of his community and avid blogger.
Mark Sundeen, author of The Man Who Quit Money, admits many people would regard Suelo's alternative lifestyle as bizarre. But the 2008 financial crash has led many to question the value of money. He explains some of the lessons found in Suelo's philosophy.



Moneyless In Moab


Interweaving philosophical conversations with suelo in his cave and treehouse with colorful footage of his daily activities in town and in nature, Moneyless In Moab offers an intimate look at a person who embodies a radical alternative to our excessively consumeristic american way of life. The film opens our eyes to the fact that it is indeed possible to live happily without money, and to do so with joy, grace, and dignity, even in a world gone mad with attachment.

2 July 2012

Pixar Shorts

A selection of short animated films created by Pixar.

Knick Knack (1989)



Geri's Game (1997)



For The Birds (2000)



Mike's New Car (2002)



One Man Band (2005)



Lifted (2006)



Your Friend The Rat (2007)



Presto (2008)



Partly Cloudy (2009)




Dug's Special Mission (2009)

1 July 2012

The Unity Of Geometry

An amazing film by Jonathan Quintin about geometry, why it is, what it is, and how it affects us. And with the comprehensive knowledge of these qualities emerges intuitive forms of applications through understanding which allows you to grab a better foothold on life, and how you, a co-creator, can channel healing, and prosperity into your life. Geometry is the most important thing when emerged in a world of boundries and shapes. When you understand the workings of geometry, you are able to apply geometric methods and vibrations to different facets of life to take your love to a higher vibration of life. 



Preview

30 June 2012

It's Time To Wake Up: We Are All One

Please share this video, far and wide! Modern Science is now beginning to confirm what Spirituality, Philosophy, Sages, Ancient teachings and psychedelics have been saying for millennia, that the entire Universe is One and that what we think of as "reality" is just an illusion.. And the only real thing in the Universe is Consciousness.
'If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet.' ~ Niels Bohr

29 June 2012

Amish

The Amish, sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology. The history of the Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish.

Amish on Break (National Geographic)

Five Amish teenagers leave their sheltered community for the first time to spend four weeks abroad in the United Kingdom. It's a trip full of firsts - first time on an airplane, first visit to the ocean and first nightclub. We'll see how they react to the seedy streets of London, street performers and the hedonistic lifestyle of an indie rock band they befriend. We'll also see how their simple life clashes with that of the British upper classes.



Trouble in Amish Paradise (BBC)


An extraordinary insight into the secretive world of the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When two radical Amish men, Ephraim and Jesse Stoltzfus, start to question some of the most fundamental aspects of their Amish culture, they face excommunication from their church and total rejection by their friends and family.



Leaving Amish Paradise (BBC)

Filmed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this film is a sequel to the BBC documentary, 'Trouble in Amish Paradise.' The film follows 2 Amish families as they become ex-communicated from the Amish Church.