Tilikum is a 12,000-pound orca (killer whale) who is currently in confinement at SeaWorld in Orlando, swimming laps in small pools and performing tricks for humans in exchange for seafood treats. On Wednesday, Tilikum grabbed SeaWorld employee Dawn Brancheau, 40, by the ponytail and pulled her underwater at Shamu Stadium. Brancheau died from “multiple traumatic injuries and drowning,” according to CNN’s source, the Orange County Sheriff’s office.

Tilikum has been linked to two prior homicides – a trainer at a Victoria, British Columbia, marine park in 1991, and a man in 1999 who “was the apparent victim of Tilikum’s horseplay” at SeaWorld.

An orca can travel easily 100 nautical miles every day, and to put them in a pool where they swim around in circles continually, and kept away from their families, “takes a toll on their brains,” said Jim Borrowman, who has worked with whales for 30 years and runs Stubbs Island Whale Watching on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

“‘Neurotic’ is the word that we’ve used, and I sense that that’s probably what’s happening,” he said. “Perhaps that’s what drives some of these issues.”

According to the CNN report, orcas are dangerous in captivity because of their massive size. Spectators at the scene of the Brancheau murder say the whales were not behaving – that “they weren’t following instructions,” Lori Miller, SeaWorld visitor, said.

“It’s probably reasonable to suspect that something going on amongst the whales themselves may have triggered the frustration,” said Dr. Jeffrey Ventre, who worked at SeaWorld for 8 years and had been a senior trainer there, on the same level as Brancheau. But, he added, it is “impossible to speculate what triggered the aggression.”

“The SeaWorld system is the best of all seaquaria in the world, but if I was an orca, that would be the last place I’d want to live,” he said. “They are in what is essentially an acoustically dead cement pond, compared to the vibrancy of the ocean.”

There you have it. What more needs to be said? This is clearly a case in which an innocent being was captured off the coast of Iceland in November 1983. The inmate has been moved from site to site while being held in captivity against his will – in an environment that totally isolates him from his family and community. It prevents the inmate from moving around comfortably and following innate migrational patterns as the seasons change each year. It would be the same as a species with a higher intelligence than humans capturing a man living in isolation in Alaska and putting him in a secluded cell for the rest of his life, occassionally coercing him with procreative drugs to breed with other captive female humans and, on the hour, opening up a screen so the paying public could watch him do sit-ups or random IQ tests in exchange for hamburgers.

The CNN report cites authorities who question the value of releasing all killer whales into the wild. They say the once-captive killer whales may kill humans in kayaks, or not survive in the wild. And meanwhile, they still have to find a safe way to feed the captive Tilikum 300 pounds of fish each day, administer medication “and perform other daily tasks with the animal.”

Tilikum is also part of an artificial insemination program, which means someone has to roll him over and extract sperm from him.

My reading of this case leads me to the only conscious decision of releasing all whales and dolphins – and perhaps other species – from human captivity. Let the sea aquariums go out of business and let marine life rejoin their families and communities. Past experience has proven that humans are not the most advanced beings on the planet:

Annette Eckis Godsey, the victim of a 1972 incident, had to have 200 stitches from the waist down when a killer whale attacked her at the aquarium where she worked, she said on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” She said she didn’t know why it happened, but “heard later that no one had ever ridden the whale without a wet suit, and no women had ever ridden the whale.”

Arguments will be made that we’re only dealing with a “stupid animal,” and that saving human life should be at the forefront of concern. I beg to differ. Whales have more complex brains compared to humans, with an additional fourth lobe compared to three in all other mammals, and humans don’t even know what that fourth lobe does. Whales also are highly social beings with the ability to communicate with each over vast distances of ocean. Scientists say they can solve problems and use tools, exhibit joy and grief, and they live in complex societies.

And one more testimonial: Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society notes, “I happen to measure intelligence by the ability to live in harmony with the natural world. By this criteria, whales are far more intelligent than we are.”

Read actor and producer Fisher Stevens’ perspective here

Wired magazine details what a Canadian company has called the “largest thought-controlled computing installation,” a process by which people can use their brainwaves to control the lights at three major landmarks in Canada.

“When people put on the headsets and find themselves increasing the brightness of the lights by just thinking about it, you can almost see their brains explode,” says Trevor Coleman, chief operating officer for InteraXon, the company that has created this installation.

The exhibit will be set up for two weeks at Toronto’s CN Tower, Ottawa’s Parliament Buildings and Niagara Falls. Two chairs will be placed near each site, and visitors will be asked to put on a headset.

“The headsets have an external probe that touches the wearer’s forehead to measure the baseline brain activity. The chairs are rigged to offer tactile feedback as users enter the desired brain state.

The headset measures the brain’s electrical output and reacts to alpha waves, associated with relaxation, and beta waves, which indicate concentration.

As users relax or focus their thoughts, the computer sends a message to the site they are viewing. InteraXon’s software translates users’ thoughts to commands that will change the lighting display.

For instance, by concentrating, users can make the lights at the CN Tower spin faster or change the brightness of the lights at Niagara Falls.

Guests to Canada during this month’s Olympic Games may be blown away by this remarkable feat. Or, perhaps they will merely take it in stride, reflecting that these baby steps of harnessing our alpha and beta waves are just the beginning of our collective acknowledgment of the incredible power that intuition and intention play in our everyday lives. It will be the dawn of a new day when humankind takes for granted that we are all innately intuitive and finds ways to do more than spin or brighten lights at tourist sites.

Watch CNN’s accompanying video:

I’m not buying this. Neither should you. I hold out hope that this doesn’t actually exist, but it appears to. Terms and Conditions state that all disputes shall be governed by the laws of Gibraltar.

Gibraltar, to refresh your memory, is known as “The Rock.” It is a rock monolith on the southern tip of Spain overlooking the strait to Africa. The Rock of Gibraltar is impressive, they say. The land was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. The first elections took place in 1922. During World War II, the civilian population was evacuated to Britain, Jamaica and Madeira. More than 30,000 British soldiers, sailors and airmen were stationed on the Rock by 1942. Within the next four years, most of Gibraltar’s civilians had returned. In 1967, Gibraltarians voted to continue their association with Britain, but only three years ago did Spain, the UK and Gibraltar reach agreement on sovereignty issues. Gibraltarians are proud to be associated with Great Britain.

In “The Ballad of John & Yoko,” Gibraltar is mentioned as the place where John and Yoko were married.

Seventeen banks provide full banking services in Gibraltar. The country has the fifth-highest population density in the world, with just over 28,000 people living on a seven-square-mile peninsula.

Inside the Rock is a labyrinth with secret internal roads and tunnels four times longer than those on the surface. And speaking of labyrinth, I think that is what the Reincarnation Bank is. Please comment if you have any insight on this financial institution. I urge extreme caution before establishing an account.

Visit ReincarnationBank.

She spoke with The Edge — Cathy Jacobsen and myself — several months ago but I am only now getting this link to you. My apologies for the delay!

We invite you to catch Cathryn’s BlogTalkRadio program every Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central.

LISTEN | Cathryn Taylor speaks with Tim Miejan and Cathryn Taylor about the recreation of The Edge magazine

Cathy Jacobsen and I spoke share info about what brought us personally to The Edge, and we shared details about new aspects of the magazine for 2010, such as the integration of the Edge Community to the magazine and website. Listen carefully, because Cathy’s microphone was not picking her up well, but we’re sure you will enjoy the conversation. The Edge is proud to be a sponsor of this radio program, because it serves the holistic community’s need for an in-depth exploration of who we are as spiritual beings having this earthly experience. And besides that, Susan and Colleen are fun!

LISTEN | “Raising the Consciousness” interview with The Edge’s Tim Miejan and Cathy Jacobsen

But that’s not what interests me at this moment. While driving at noon today, just running an inauspicious errand during a rainy day, I caught Radiolab’s program “After Life” on Minnesota Public Radio. The program’s creators call it “eleven meditations on how, when and even if we die.”

Listen to it here, at the WNYC website where the program can be heard in three sections.

I received a phone call several weeks ago from this reporter who said he intended to report on The Edge magazine, on the fact that the publication is now under new ownership, on our goals. That was not what was done. Rather, the piece implied that I was some kind of New Age “gatekeeper” who takes it upon himself to determine what beliefs are acceptable and which ones are not.

The truth of the matter is that I am an editor of a publication that focuses upon soul, spirituality, metaphysics and integrative healing and does not even self-identify as a new age publication. In this age of incredible transformation and change, our publication is more interested in helping people reconnect with their souls and provide examples of how each of us is much more powerful than we believe and allow members of the community to share their spiritual journeys with each other.

Instead of spending time trying to determine how open my mind is toward specific beliefs, Bob Shaw could have spoken to me about how the New Age fits into everyday life in the 21st century, and in so doing he could have opened the minds of his readers, rather than trying to create a controversy that doesn’t even exist.

We spoke about The Edge magazine – past, present and now – focusing on the Digital Edge and its benefits to print advertisers and readers who do not have access to the printed magazine. We spoke of participation and how we both want to inspire people to become more involved with like-minded others in the community. And then I shared some of my favorite moments with people I have interviewed.

I invite you to listen to the 30-minute Cirkla interview! And be sure to listen to the vast archive of past interviews at Cirklagirl on Blog Talk Radio.

Listen: cirkla_interview_060309

I invite you to listen: Conscious Living interview with Tim Miejan
Visit: Conscious Living archives

We now live in a world of information. It comes at us from everywhere – TV commercials, radio commercials, mailboxes filled with flyers, ads popping up on your computer dancing uninvited across a website – most of which are usually ignored by most consumers. But one thing is clear: These companies want your business and they are doing everything they know how to do to get it.

When do you pay attention? When do you read their offers or click on the annoying pop up ad? The sad truth is, almost never. Right?

Being in the advertising business, I pay particular attention to print advertising and notice what shows up in my mailbox – more out of curiosity than anything else, because I know firsthand how expensive a campaign like that costs. For instance, the other day I received an 8 x 11 color flyer in my mailbox for hunting equipment, something I would never purchase. In fact, I am vehemently opposed to hunting. So how much did they pay for me to see that flyer, something that went directly into the recycle bin on my way back to my house?

So as a business, how do you get the word out about what you do and get people to notice?

• Target Your Market – For every product or service there is a group that is interested in what you have. Identify that market then do all of your marketing efforts there.
• Create relationships within your market – Enough cannot be said about networking, whether online or in person. Find groups within your area in your target market and get yourself known.
• Cover All The Bases – When you find your market, do everything within that market that is available. If you do print ads, make sure that your ad is also being seen on their website. Take every opportunity to attend events within that market. Meet people. Most of all, be consistent and build trust. This takes some time, but it is well worth the effort.
• Ask for Help – If the target market is new to you, ask people who are involved in that community for ideas, introductions, where to find events and where to advertise, etc.
• Attend Events, or better yet, Create Events – This will get your name out there faster than anything else.
• Be Innovative – Don’t just stick to the status quo. Be inventive. Be the first to do something remarkable. Use your imagination. Do something different and unusual that people will notice

It’s true that times are changing, but that does not mean that as a business owner we are victims to the bad economy. We are just being given an opportunity to change, to make things better, to be more than we ever expected to be.

What changes have you made for your business?

From Spiritualblogreviews.com: If you want to find a rounded, responsive author who is in love with life, check out Triumph of the Spirit. Thanks Phil for all you do, say, create…and next time you’re in SF, let’s have some more blueberry cheesecake!

Congrats Phil! Keep writing from the heart.

We bring you many new features that have never been seen before on our website:

• Read The Digital Edge, our online flipbook that allows you to see the printed magazine from the comfort of your own home, or from your laptop while on the go. As an advertiser, this is the very first time your print advertisements in the monthly magazine will be seen by the global community. Your display ad in the flipbook links directly to your website, with a simple click.
• Submit articles directly from this website to the editor for approval. As an article contributor, you can upload high-resolution photos that relate to your article, and you personally update your biographical and contact information that is seen by the public, as well as upload your personal photo to appear with any article that is included on this site.
• Participate directly in the ongoing dialogue by commenting on articles you read on our website, providing your personal insight on the topic at hand, and perhaps suggesting links or other resources that apply to the article.
• Search our vast article archives: by specific categories in our magazine; by tags or keywords that relate to articles; by author or contributor; and by date.
• See what your fellow visitors to our site consider to be their favorite articles to read.
• Subscribe to all updated articles on The Edge through our RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.
• Connect to a link following all articles to post your Tweet on Twitter!

As one of its missions, The Edge is focused on finding new and creative ways to support our advertisers – the individuals and businesses that make this publication possible – so we offer advertising opportunities to fit any budget. The Edge has been the most trusted resource for Holistic Living, Metaphysics, Spirituality, Healing and Soulful Expression in the Upper Midwest for more than 16 years, and it and maintains a very large readership. You can be assured that customers who are most likely to use your products or services will see you in our publication – and now on this new website!

It’s not just words when we say that we exist to serve you. The Edge is a means by which the holistic community communicates with itself. We are just the facilitators, and we are truly honored to be assisting you in any way possible. Seriously, let us know what support you need. And please give us feedback on how we can better serve you on the new SouloftheCities.net!