We're Having an End of Year Contest!

What better way to end 2012 than have a contest? What's the point of the contest? You ask. Well, we'll tell you:

Did you know that President Barack Obama has been to Mars? Well, you do now. And not just once. But twice! As a young man back in the 1980s Barry, as he called himself then, participated in a secret (of course) CIA program to teleport people from Earth to Mars. And obviously back again.

Two self-proclaimed time-traveling, universe-exploring government agents, Andrew D. Basiago and William Stillings, insist that they once served as “chrononauts,” traversing the boundaries of time and space. They swear a youthful Barack Obama was one of them. The White House denies this. Of course, if the White House denies something, it must be true!

This is the wingnutiest conspiracy theory we've heard this year. In fact, in our opinion, this takes the cake of tin foil cap wingnut certified lunatic conspiracy theories. In other words, just your usual Republican Teabagger talking points.

If you've encountered a conspiracy theory this past year of 2012 that is even crazier than Barack Obama on Mars, we decidedly want to hear about it. This can not be a conspiracy theory you simply dreamed up. It has to be linked to an actual news story from the past year, from any source. That's the great thing about the Internets. If there's a story out there, there's a link!

Here's the prize: The person who, in our opinion (because it's our contest), comes up with the best conspiracy theory of 2012, better than Barack Obama on Mars, wins one of the spiffiest coffee mugs in existence from TheParrotCafe.com as well as a bag of The Parrot Cafe's very own coffee beans.

The Parrot Cafe Blue Tara Mug by TheParrotCafe.com

There's no official deadline for this contest. It's one of these we'll know it when we find it deals.

Best of Luck! And Happy New Year.

Blue Tara: Or, How is a Hyacinth Macaw Like a Tibetan Goddess?

In Tibetan Buddhism, Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha is an ancient mantra that is related to Tara, the Mother of all Buddhas, and especially to her manifestation as Green Tara. Tibetans consider Tara a Buddha of compassion and action, a protector who comes to our aid to relieve us of physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering.

Tara has twenty-one major forms, each depicted with a different color and spiritual attribute. Although the mantra Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha is a mantra most closely associated with Green Tara, it is also used as a mantra for all the Taras.

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Reciting the Green Tara Mantra

Green Tara Mantra

Blue Tara

Blue Tara or Ekajati is known as one of the twenty-one taras and one of the fiercest and most powerful of all goddesses of Indo-Tibetan mythology. Her powers include removing fear of enemies, spreading joy, and removing personal obstacles on the path to enlightenment. A goddess of one eye, her right eye was pierced so she could more effectively subjugate Tibetan demons. Blue Tara has been depicted with up to twelve heads and twenty-four arms. Blue Tara has one eye, one breast, and a single fang. She appears naked except for a garment of white clouds and tiger skin around her waist. Often, like a parrot at rest, she appears standing on a single leg. Blue Tara typically holds an axe, tantric staff, and a skull cup in her hands.

Blue Tara is the protector of secret mantras, and as such her own mantra is secret. Visions of Blue Tara are considered highly auspicious and treasured, yet not for the faint of heart. Realizations of Blue Tara can be particularly wrathful. Her speech is sharp, piercing shrieks, her eye boils, and she gnashes her fang. In some visions, Blue Tara has revealed herself twice human size, brandishing weapons, and served by witches drenched in blood.

So how is a Hyacinth macaw like a Tibetan goddess? Anyone who has lived with a Hyacinth macaw would find this description of Blue Tara strangely familiar! Blue Tara speaks in sharp, piercing shrieks. Check. Blue Tara has revealed herself twice human size. Sometimes seems like it. A goddess of one eye. Check. Blue Tara stands on one leg. Check. Blue Tara is served by witches drenched in blood. Well, okay. In Tibetan Buddhism Blue Tara has been depicted with peacock feathers. We have no doubt that if parrots inhabited Tibet she would instead appear with parrot feathers. If visions of Blue Tara are auspicious, then we are truly blessed!

Seasons Greetings From the Cast and Crew of Parrot Soup

Dusky Headed Conure Parrot Named Sam Needs New Seattle Area Home

Sam is a presumed female Dusky Headed Conure parrot. Sam was purchased from Denise's Parrot Place on Mercer Island and her hatch date is June 27, 2003. She does have all of her flight feathers but she has never been able to fly. Her cage door is kept open most of the time so she is free to climb on top of her cage. Sam also has a perch which sits on a table and she spends a lot of time there as well. Although an only parrot, Sam lives with two dogs.

Sam is Free to the Right Home and comes with her cage and play stand. If you are interested in adopting Sam, please read our Adoption Procedures page and contact Northwest Parrots Fund.

Diva Parrots, Blue Tara, and Happy Places

100% Parrot Friendly Coffee from TheParrotCafe.com. All proceeds support the work of Northwest Parrots Fund (NorthwestParrots.org), a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity registered in the State of Washington, saving parrots one parrot at a time!

Organic Fair Trade Kosher Certified

Diva Parrot Happy Place Blend is a full-bodied dark roast blend comprised of the highest quality Organic Fair Trade Kosher Certified coffees South America has to offer. All the beans are 100% Arabica, and each varietal was roasted separately to it's own unique flavor profile prior to blending. This blend brews up beautifully as espresso, French Press, or drip coffee. It is a mouth-filling coffee with hints of smoky chocolate. So when things seem out of control just take a deep breath, pray, chant, and brew up some of this Diva Parrot Happy Place Blend, and you too can slip away to your Happy Place!

Organic Shade Grown Fair Trade

In our humble opinion Blue Tara Morning Dew Blend may be the finest breakfast blend on the market! Blue Tara Morning Dew Blend is comprised of the finest Organic, Shade Grown, Fair Trade 100% Arabica coffees Sumatra and Central America have to offer. The Sumatran coffee is Grade 1 and was grown on small 3-5 acre farms in the Gayo Mountain region. Grown in volcanic soils and minimally processed, this Sumatra is a full-bodied, earthy coffee. The Central American coffees are Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), meaning they were grown at high elevations, in this case over 4500 ft. They are shade grown coffees that ripen slowly yielding a dense bean structure, firm acidity, and intense floral aromas. Blue Tara Morning Dew Blend is a blend of dark and medium roasted coffees, each varietal roasted separately to its own unique flavor profile prior to blending. This coffee is extremely full-bodied. On the palate it has floral notes with hints of nuts and chocolate.

To find these find coffees, teas, coffee essentials, and parrotphernalia, please visit TheParrotCafe.com.

Domestic Terrorism

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:

Designate the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its officers the enablers of Domestic Terrorism that they are.

Terrorism (Noun): Systematic use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective. It has been used throughout history by political organizations of both the left and the right, by nationalist and ethnic groups, and by revolutionaries. Terrorism's impact has been magnified by the deadliness and technological sophistication of modern-day weapons. The National Rifle Association (NRA) and its officers have encouraged and enabled the use of violence by facilitating the spread of modern day weapons of mass destruction through instilling fear in politicians and the general populace as a political objective in stopping the rational and reasonable regulation of weapons of mass destruction.

Created: Dec 16, 2012

Issues: Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement, Firearms, Homeland Security and Disaster Relief

We now have 30 days to get 25,000 signatures in order for your petition to be reviewed by the White House. Until the petition has 150 signatures, it will only be available from the following URL and will not be publicly viewable on the Open Petitions section of We the People:

http://wh.gov/RM5z

PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE. Thank You!

What Price Freedom?

Are you faced with the difficulty of finding an appropriate Christmas present for your Secessionist Republican White Supremacist Survivalist Teabagger Mormon uncle in North Idaho who is always going on about United Nations Black Helicopters and Uppity Black Folks in US White Houses? Well, problem solved! We have the perfect item for you.

Tin Foil Squares! You read this right. One square foot sheets of tin foil. Perfect to protect against the Zombie Apocalypse and UN Mind Control. And for the Low! Low! price of $1,000.00. But hurry. You need to order now.

You scoff at the notion of paying $1,000.00 for a square foot sheet of tin foil. To which we reply:

What Price Freedom!

As your uncle will tell you after he places the tin foil cap on his head, better to be safe than sorry!