Benziner Bhutto was assassinated this week . This is truly a tragic event for more reasons than just her death . A MSNBC reporter for what used to be a free press . Interviewed Mrs Bhutto days before her assassination . in this interview she accused Mrs Bhutto of being responsible for the deaths of all her followers who have been killed or wounded in attempts on her life since her return from exile .
The reporter was very angry and informed Mrs Bhutto that if she had stayed in exile ," These 200 people would still be alive . " Mothers would still have their children and wives their husbands." I was surprised at the rudeness and the biased attitude and the words of the reporter .
Mrs. Bhutto's reply was very true and is a lesson for everyone . " When we cower in fear and are afraid to act with courage in the face of violence . Than the terrorists have truly won . Without firing a shot." Mrs Bhutto gave her life with courage. To cowards who would kill us all if they could.
Is this MSNBC reporter reflecting Americas fear . Have we become as a nation so afraid that we will believe any lie told to us just so we can feel safe , or the illusion of safety.
There has been talk that if Barak Obama is elected president he will never live to take the office . That he will be assassinated just like the Kennedy's and Martin Luther King . I would like to see Mr. Obama because he has promised real change in America . Unfortunately people who have tried to change the system in America have either been killed or had their character assassinated {Bill Clinton}.
Have we as Americans become TV zombies . Have have traded out individuality , the difference that makes people interesting , for a mask of banality . We have become a nation of sheep , who do not care anymore about right or wrong . We just do not want any trouble. We dare not tell anyone they are wrong . Because it gets turned around to were the one with issues . So we just smile and agree with everyone, and become more isolated from what we know to be true. Geo. Orwell was a Prophet . His two books . Animal Farm and 1984 were written as fiction decades ago, but have come true with scary accuracy. what is next ?
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Bali global meltdown
The Bali global warming conference got off to a rough start last week . to no ones surprise . an interesting position by the Chinese government is . "That Americans must stop living such extravagant lifestyles. ' the Chinese must have forgotten that they burn more coal than any country on earth . That pollution is running rampent in china and killing people at an alarming rate . But the Chinese government claims that's OK because they are a developing nation, and they have a lot of people . one could form the opinion that the Chinese government modeled itself after the Klingon empire .
The American position is just as ludicrous . The American position is that " Severe cutbacks in carbon emissions will damage our competitiveness in the world markets . " How could it do that we do not make anything in America anymore, except babies .
While this debate rages and endless conferences are held in tropical Paradise resorts . Where the attendees are treated like royalty. Who would want that to stop ? The globe continues to warm , the ice in Greenland melts at faster rates than expected and in the driest parts of America [ Phoenix and Las Vegas ] the population continues to swell . Global change continues at its own pace . No matter what we do or do not do .
We will have to adapt . I believe that one trend I will see in my life time is . enclosed living environments. where we will be safe . Where we will go outside occasionally. Just to remember what it was like.
We will be forced into this living arrangement . Because in an enclosed environment everything can be filtered , recycled and conserved . Resources can be managed with great efficiency and cost effectiveness. It will be economically driven.
Consider this. for decades the city of Los angles have issued warnings to people with respiratory illness not to go outside because of the air pollution. Notice how more and more people are developing asthma? It is getting so hot , that even people in the northeast are not going out in the heat anymore and A/C has become just as important as heating in the winter. Does anyone really believe this will get better?
Another angle is this. With so many diseases like TB making a strong comeback. In an enclosed living environment [like prison] you would be compelled to receive inoculations and submit to health screening . Sound like science fiction?So did the mall 50 years ago. It is a short step from an enclosed shopping environment to a enclosed living environment. especially in America where we love to shop. Watch for Blackwater to take over the security of the malls.
It is already happening in japan. Europe will be next. America will be last because we have so much land and resources. But we will eventually adapt to that kind of living arrangement. Remember any form of life that can not adapt to its environment will become extinct. Were to smart for that.
The American position is just as ludicrous . The American position is that " Severe cutbacks in carbon emissions will damage our competitiveness in the world markets . " How could it do that we do not make anything in America anymore, except babies .
While this debate rages and endless conferences are held in tropical Paradise resorts . Where the attendees are treated like royalty. Who would want that to stop ? The globe continues to warm , the ice in Greenland melts at faster rates than expected and in the driest parts of America [ Phoenix and Las Vegas ] the population continues to swell . Global change continues at its own pace . No matter what we do or do not do .
We will have to adapt . I believe that one trend I will see in my life time is . enclosed living environments. where we will be safe . Where we will go outside occasionally. Just to remember what it was like.
We will be forced into this living arrangement . Because in an enclosed environment everything can be filtered , recycled and conserved . Resources can be managed with great efficiency and cost effectiveness. It will be economically driven.
Consider this. for decades the city of Los angles have issued warnings to people with respiratory illness not to go outside because of the air pollution. Notice how more and more people are developing asthma? It is getting so hot , that even people in the northeast are not going out in the heat anymore and A/C has become just as important as heating in the winter. Does anyone really believe this will get better?
Another angle is this. With so many diseases like TB making a strong comeback. In an enclosed living environment [like prison] you would be compelled to receive inoculations and submit to health screening . Sound like science fiction?So did the mall 50 years ago. It is a short step from an enclosed shopping environment to a enclosed living environment. especially in America where we love to shop. Watch for Blackwater to take over the security of the malls.
It is already happening in japan. Europe will be next. America will be last because we have so much land and resources. But we will eventually adapt to that kind of living arrangement. Remember any form of life that can not adapt to its environment will become extinct. Were to smart for that.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
pres. bush, workingmans friend/bankers buddy
President geo. bush . has sacrificed his dearly held life long principles of self reliance and personal responsibility . To freeze interests on ARM mortgages to stop the avalanche of foreclosures happening right now, and the disaster that is coming like a train wreck in slow motion.
How did this mess happen in the first place? Well it is simple . The bankers gave mortgages on properties people could not afford . Before we blame the poor for this . Allow me to point out there are millions of white middle class Americans who bought " Starter Castles" with ARM mortgages that were nothing but hallucinated wealth . Well those ARMs are resetting to higher interest rates . The value of the properties did not go up as expected so they can not refinance to a lower payment . Ain't that a bitch.
The bankers in all their wisdom cooked up a new scheme . They took the mortgages and sold the future profit up front , so instead of waiting 30 years for the mortgage to payoff and take the profit monthly . The investors could have it all now. The future profit was sold in units to lots of investors , pension plans , mutual funds , etc. with Bushs Banker Buddies enjoying jumbo size commissions and bonuses. excuse me , This is more hallucinated wealth.
Confused , thats ok . It was set-up that way , like any scam . The republicans are always crying that that big government regulation hurts business.
My friends this is what happens when we let the republicans and their faceless corporate masters run wild . Let us be real . Bush froze interest rates so his banker buddies , So his corporate masters who have bought and paid for his services . Would not go belly up , So the nation would not slide into a depression .
What will the next president do? Will the next president have the guts to stand up to the shuck and jive scammers who talked 10s of millions of people into buying a piece of the American dream they could not afford , But wanted so badly they lied to themselves and became the suckers in the scam. Which i think for most of these people is what hurts the most .
How did this mess happen in the first place? Well it is simple . The bankers gave mortgages on properties people could not afford . Before we blame the poor for this . Allow me to point out there are millions of white middle class Americans who bought " Starter Castles" with ARM mortgages that were nothing but hallucinated wealth . Well those ARMs are resetting to higher interest rates . The value of the properties did not go up as expected so they can not refinance to a lower payment . Ain't that a bitch.
The bankers in all their wisdom cooked up a new scheme . They took the mortgages and sold the future profit up front , so instead of waiting 30 years for the mortgage to payoff and take the profit monthly . The investors could have it all now. The future profit was sold in units to lots of investors , pension plans , mutual funds , etc. with Bushs Banker Buddies enjoying jumbo size commissions and bonuses. excuse me , This is more hallucinated wealth.
Confused , thats ok . It was set-up that way , like any scam . The republicans are always crying that that big government regulation hurts business.
My friends this is what happens when we let the republicans and their faceless corporate masters run wild . Let us be real . Bush froze interest rates so his banker buddies , So his corporate masters who have bought and paid for his services . Would not go belly up , So the nation would not slide into a depression .
What will the next president do? Will the next president have the guts to stand up to the shuck and jive scammers who talked 10s of millions of people into buying a piece of the American dream they could not afford , But wanted so badly they lied to themselves and became the suckers in the scam. Which i think for most of these people is what hurts the most .
Sunday, November 25, 2007
the return of civility or policticaly correct speech ?
I for one am glad to see a return to civility in the work place . Over the past 5 years there seems to be a new trend in the work place that has extended into our private lives . this is a trend where no one says anything negative about anything . It is all positive and morale building or one says nothing and changes the subject to the weather .
let us turn the clock back to 1970 . The popular feeling was " tell it like it is , be real " this was originally meant be real about civil rights and women's liberation , phony materialism and the military industrial complex . I know pretty weighty issues . I am not surprised the baby boomer's left these behind . Unfortunately these issues did not go away .
These issues mutated into some serious problems . we now have a uncontrollable pornography problem all over the TV and Internet . We have taken phony materialism to the point where are country is broke and in hock to the Chinese and Arabs , and the military has tuned into the presidents private army regardless of what the American people want . But hey all that is depressing . Lets talk about that LCD TV were getting for Christmas .
I find it ironic that in 1974 . playboy and penthouse were sold from displays next to the cash register . Fast forward to 2007 . Brown paper wrapper in the mail . Public school teacher gets caught reading playboy magazine . Whoa now he is a predator . We have a ocean of the sickest porn on the Internet that we have been unable to stop , so we condemn and vilify playboy and penthouse . The cleanest of all adult material .
Telling it like it is and being real while it might be depressing and burying our heads in the nice warm sand easier . While this mindless smiling and being infinitely agreeable makes social intercourse more pleasant . We should move to the next phase and start discussing real issues and solutions . Then move to a even higher level . Do something .
There are endless seminars , workshops and think tanks . All that happens is talk more talk and even more talk , but no action . We all need to get involved in the political process . By that I mean vote . Just vote . Stop saying " I am just not into politics , it is not my thing " . Vote for your ideals , vote for what you believe in . This is our country and our culture . Let us use all that positive energy and winning attitude to make a real difference . Let us be passionate about our nation and where we are going . Let us stop looking in the mirror and look out the window , There is a big world out there .
let us turn the clock back to 1970 . The popular feeling was " tell it like it is , be real " this was originally meant be real about civil rights and women's liberation , phony materialism and the military industrial complex . I know pretty weighty issues . I am not surprised the baby boomer's left these behind . Unfortunately these issues did not go away .
These issues mutated into some serious problems . we now have a uncontrollable pornography problem all over the TV and Internet . We have taken phony materialism to the point where are country is broke and in hock to the Chinese and Arabs , and the military has tuned into the presidents private army regardless of what the American people want . But hey all that is depressing . Lets talk about that LCD TV were getting for Christmas .
I find it ironic that in 1974 . playboy and penthouse were sold from displays next to the cash register . Fast forward to 2007 . Brown paper wrapper in the mail . Public school teacher gets caught reading playboy magazine . Whoa now he is a predator . We have a ocean of the sickest porn on the Internet that we have been unable to stop , so we condemn and vilify playboy and penthouse . The cleanest of all adult material .
Telling it like it is and being real while it might be depressing and burying our heads in the nice warm sand easier . While this mindless smiling and being infinitely agreeable makes social intercourse more pleasant . We should move to the next phase and start discussing real issues and solutions . Then move to a even higher level . Do something .
There are endless seminars , workshops and think tanks . All that happens is talk more talk and even more talk , but no action . We all need to get involved in the political process . By that I mean vote . Just vote . Stop saying " I am just not into politics , it is not my thing " . Vote for your ideals , vote for what you believe in . This is our country and our culture . Let us use all that positive energy and winning attitude to make a real difference . Let us be passionate about our nation and where we are going . Let us stop looking in the mirror and look out the window , There is a big world out there .
Sunday, November 18, 2007
thats got to hurt
It is going to be tough going forward to deal with the fact that America will not be the most powerful nation in the world . It is our own fault of course . one of the main reasons the roman empire fell was because it hired mercenary armies to fight its wars . the mercenary armies eventually attacked Rome .
We have done the same thing with our industries . We have farmed out our R&D and manufacturing to the nations that hate us the most China ,Japan and Korea .Now we are dependent on these countries for everything except our food . Please do not believe that Japan has forgotten what we did to them in WWII or that they and China will place Americas prosperity ahead of their own .
we have allowed capitalism like fire to consume everything there is to burn . when oil is priced in Euros . We as a country will be like a guy who has gone bust and has borrowed every nickel he could, mortgaged anything he could. There is nothing of value left to sell . Because no one wants used goods . just the latest and greatest .We have to face the fact that the party is over . so where do we go from here .
Well , I think that it will be good for us as country . we will get back to basics . no matter how much the advertisers will try and hypnotizes us into buying all those Chinese goods . the reality of buying gas for the car to get to work , putting food on the table and heating/cooling our homes will be sucking up our extra money .
perhaps we will forsake phony materialism and start to look for something deeper , more meaningful and lasting . I hear so many people say they could not possibly live without [fill in the blank] . people are going to be surprised what the can live without . perhaps we will not have to engage in neurotic dramas . We will have real crisis to face .
I believe that all this will make us as a culture, nation and individuals . much wiser and stronger . In 50 years we will probably be the most powerful country in the world again .
We have done the same thing with our industries . We have farmed out our R&D and manufacturing to the nations that hate us the most China ,Japan and Korea .Now we are dependent on these countries for everything except our food . Please do not believe that Japan has forgotten what we did to them in WWII or that they and China will place Americas prosperity ahead of their own .
we have allowed capitalism like fire to consume everything there is to burn . when oil is priced in Euros . We as a country will be like a guy who has gone bust and has borrowed every nickel he could, mortgaged anything he could. There is nothing of value left to sell . Because no one wants used goods . just the latest and greatest .We have to face the fact that the party is over . so where do we go from here .
Well , I think that it will be good for us as country . we will get back to basics . no matter how much the advertisers will try and hypnotizes us into buying all those Chinese goods . the reality of buying gas for the car to get to work , putting food on the table and heating/cooling our homes will be sucking up our extra money .
perhaps we will forsake phony materialism and start to look for something deeper , more meaningful and lasting . I hear so many people say they could not possibly live without [fill in the blank] . people are going to be surprised what the can live without . perhaps we will not have to engage in neurotic dramas . We will have real crisis to face .
I believe that all this will make us as a culture, nation and individuals . much wiser and stronger . In 50 years we will probably be the most powerful country in the world again .
Monday, November 5, 2007
gas pump gastapo
Last month I was asking people this question " If oil is 90.00 a barrel . why isn't the price of gas going up ? " most people just shrugged . well reality is creeping in . the price is starting to go up . speaking of reality and i know it is a delicate subject in the land of plenty .
Geo. Bush announced at a press conference. that the price of gas is to high and that he was going to work to bring down the price of gas for the American people . this is where reality comes in . the American people may not understand the oil situation , but the people who produce oil do and they know that we have reached peak oil production . going forward, demand is going to be higher than supply. it is inevitable that the price of oil and gasoline are going to go up .
no one has ever been able to break the law of supply and demand for long . Not even Geo. Bush . Reality always comes in to balance it out . Speaking of balance . The oil companies despite their carefully groomed public image . Have not been investing in new drilling equipment , refineries or people to do the work . It is such a drag on the balance sheets .
Putting all this together . How than do the oil executives find new profits if there is not as much black gold coming out of the ground ? The answer is simple . Short the supply . Make sure it is readily available but keep inching up the price . See being an oil executive is easy .
The American public shares some of the blame though . We all knew this was coming . Did we demand our government do something besides talk about the dependency on foreign oil problem ? Did we demand any steps towards real conservation of resources ? Do any of the politicians running for president have the guts to talk about the harsh realities that are coming in the next 5 years and what we are going to have to do and what we will have to "this is the delicate part" Sacrifice . The answer is a very loud NO .
It is going to be a very interesting future . the politicians like to talk about the innovative spirit of the American people . Well we are going to need all of that and a lot more . Most of all we are going to need elected repersentaives who will be able to make the tough decisions and make them work . We are going to have to realize we are all in this one together . Weather we like it or not .
Geo. Bush announced at a press conference. that the price of gas is to high and that he was going to work to bring down the price of gas for the American people . this is where reality comes in . the American people may not understand the oil situation , but the people who produce oil do and they know that we have reached peak oil production . going forward, demand is going to be higher than supply. it is inevitable that the price of oil and gasoline are going to go up .
no one has ever been able to break the law of supply and demand for long . Not even Geo. Bush . Reality always comes in to balance it out . Speaking of balance . The oil companies despite their carefully groomed public image . Have not been investing in new drilling equipment , refineries or people to do the work . It is such a drag on the balance sheets .
Putting all this together . How than do the oil executives find new profits if there is not as much black gold coming out of the ground ? The answer is simple . Short the supply . Make sure it is readily available but keep inching up the price . See being an oil executive is easy .
The American public shares some of the blame though . We all knew this was coming . Did we demand our government do something besides talk about the dependency on foreign oil problem ? Did we demand any steps towards real conservation of resources ? Do any of the politicians running for president have the guts to talk about the harsh realities that are coming in the next 5 years and what we are going to have to do and what we will have to "this is the delicate part" Sacrifice . The answer is a very loud NO .
It is going to be a very interesting future . the politicians like to talk about the innovative spirit of the American people . Well we are going to need all of that and a lot more . Most of all we are going to need elected repersentaives who will be able to make the tough decisions and make them work . We are going to have to realize we are all in this one together . Weather we like it or not .
Monday, October 29, 2007
funny thing about history
" He who can not learn from history is doomed to repeat it " well we have all heard that one many times . it has become rather cliche . i would like to present a alternate view .
history does not repeat it self . Human Nature repeats itself over and over . history provides a record of what was learned or unfortunatly not learned . let us try greek phlisophy is it really old hat . the country of greece is still here . the idea of democracy is practised in some form in the industrial nations and it is the ideal people in the poor countries around the world struggle for .
speaking of industry the Romans gave us civil engineering which is alive and well today all over the world . the Romans also gave us the new testement of the Bible . if they had not crucified jesus . christianty would have never been born .
history is a living testimony to the progress the human race has made and continues to make . against its own human nature . there is always a mad man who wants to rule the world just as much as there is always a man who wants to save the world . the same charchters reappear through out history with every generation . history provides the stage and the props .
suppose mankind was to make a radical change in phliosiphy . instead of survival of the fittest . we worked toward survival for all of us . using our military to stop wars instead of starting them . we could change the course of history if we could change the course of human nature .
history does not repeat it self . Human Nature repeats itself over and over . history provides a record of what was learned or unfortunatly not learned . let us try greek phlisophy is it really old hat . the country of greece is still here . the idea of democracy is practised in some form in the industrial nations and it is the ideal people in the poor countries around the world struggle for .
speaking of industry the Romans gave us civil engineering which is alive and well today all over the world . the Romans also gave us the new testement of the Bible . if they had not crucified jesus . christianty would have never been born .
history is a living testimony to the progress the human race has made and continues to make . against its own human nature . there is always a mad man who wants to rule the world just as much as there is always a man who wants to save the world . the same charchters reappear through out history with every generation . history provides the stage and the props .
suppose mankind was to make a radical change in phliosiphy . instead of survival of the fittest . we worked toward survival for all of us . using our military to stop wars instead of starting them . we could change the course of history if we could change the course of human nature .
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
school daze
in all public schools they have " hall sweeps" . this is where after class starts the sentries and adminstrators walk the halls and any student in the hall is brought to the cafeteria . where they are given detension or suspension . this usually results in the student getting angry . and saying " go ahead suspend me i dont care " definatly a bad seed .
is that really true . what i see are students who are teenagers . who were pushed through the grades weather they passed or not . willie did not understand fractions , so they pushed him into algebra . willie did not understand earth science so they pushed him into chemestry . what is happening here is we have high school students who were not prepared for high school . and we blame them for failing .we blame the home life as being dysfunctional , but what about the kids who are naturally smart ? they have homes that are just as dysfunctional . but because they do well in school they are able to rise above that and become functional . blaming the victim is always fun and easy , but it never helps .
another problem is video games and tv . i am not talking about the rotting of the moral fiber . what i am saying is . we have a generation that was brought up on video games where you have to think fast and act fast . TV cartoons that have simple plots that move very fast . a generation who have created a new dialect with text messaging
you can not get this generation to sit and listen to a teacher lecture for 30 minuites . they do not have the time . even the book is to slow . education to this generation has to be delivered electronicaly . that is what they understand . we need class rooms with more computers and more learning software . i think we would be surprised how fast the students would learn .
the baby boomers created a whole new world . a world where every 10 years is a life time . but we expect out kids to learn the way they have for hundereds of years . a chalk board and a teacher . it is like asking a baby boomer to give up the power steering, power brakes , and A/C in his or her car. and go back to the old equipment .
if we are serious about education in this country . which i do not believe we are . it going to take a lot more money and teachers to get the job done , but then we would have the india scenerio . india has the problem of to many highly educated people not enough jobs for them all . if we really left no child behind . would we have enough jobs for them all ?
if we really left no child behind . would we have enough jobs for them all .
is that really true . what i see are students who are teenagers . who were pushed through the grades weather they passed or not . willie did not understand fractions , so they pushed him into algebra . willie did not understand earth science so they pushed him into chemestry . what is happening here is we have high school students who were not prepared for high school . and we blame them for failing .we blame the home life as being dysfunctional , but what about the kids who are naturally smart ? they have homes that are just as dysfunctional . but because they do well in school they are able to rise above that and become functional . blaming the victim is always fun and easy , but it never helps .
another problem is video games and tv . i am not talking about the rotting of the moral fiber . what i am saying is . we have a generation that was brought up on video games where you have to think fast and act fast . TV cartoons that have simple plots that move very fast . a generation who have created a new dialect with text messaging
you can not get this generation to sit and listen to a teacher lecture for 30 minuites . they do not have the time . even the book is to slow . education to this generation has to be delivered electronicaly . that is what they understand . we need class rooms with more computers and more learning software . i think we would be surprised how fast the students would learn .
the baby boomers created a whole new world . a world where every 10 years is a life time . but we expect out kids to learn the way they have for hundereds of years . a chalk board and a teacher . it is like asking a baby boomer to give up the power steering, power brakes , and A/C in his or her car. and go back to the old equipment .
if we are serious about education in this country . which i do not believe we are . it going to take a lot more money and teachers to get the job done , but then we would have the india scenerio . india has the problem of to many highly educated people not enough jobs for them all . if we really left no child behind . would we have enough jobs for them all ?
if we really left no child behind . would we have enough jobs for them all .
Friday, October 19, 2007
' AS SEEN ON TV '
everybody likes watching TV , me too. our entertainment choices have never been broader or more appealing . no matter what your interests are there is a segment for you . i would like to look a little deeper into this subject .
which is exactly what the entertainment industry does not want . who can blame them . when we watch TV we all " suspend disbelief " that's how movies work . have we suspended to much disbelief ?
network situation comedies started going down hill with " all in the family " Archie Bunker was mean and nasty . but there was no laugh track . it was supposed to be a honest look at American life . fast forward to " everybody loves Raymond " it is a show where everyone is nasty with a laugh track . is it shaping American life in a negative way ?
the television programmers would love it if everyone in America spent as much time as possible in front of the TV watching as many commercials as possible . over and over . they have come up with nifty set top box's that keep track of what we watch and auto record shows it thinks we will like . these box's can tell what we are watching when we watched it and if we skipped the commercials . these nifty set top box's are starting to direct advertising to out TVs suitable for our age , race. and economic status .
sales figures are analyzed like forensic evidence to make sure we see the advertising designed to pull all the right emotional triggers with us . so we will leave our TV s long enough to go shopping .
how much of what we see and hear on TV shapes our thinking and actions ? dining out used to be a special occasion now we eat out all the time . we used to save for what we wanted to buy . now we buy it and pay it off . is this good or bad or just the way it is ? are we rude when we should be polite because thats the way they are on TV
how about our attitudes towards each other . Christian stations and there shows are doing a brisk business . the reality shows have become big money winners and real police shows [cold case , forensic files] are staples on discovery and the NGC . are people tired of the fantasy Hollywood has created and want something real ?
I believe TV is the greatest invention of the past 200 years . maybe we are moving out of the childhood of TV . perhaps in the next 50 years the marriage of the Internet and television will be so complete we will start using TV in an adult way . for learning and development of our shared humanity . perhaps it truly help all of us to be healthy , wealthy and wise .
which is exactly what the entertainment industry does not want . who can blame them . when we watch TV we all " suspend disbelief " that's how movies work . have we suspended to much disbelief ?
network situation comedies started going down hill with " all in the family " Archie Bunker was mean and nasty . but there was no laugh track . it was supposed to be a honest look at American life . fast forward to " everybody loves Raymond " it is a show where everyone is nasty with a laugh track . is it shaping American life in a negative way ?
the television programmers would love it if everyone in America spent as much time as possible in front of the TV watching as many commercials as possible . over and over . they have come up with nifty set top box's that keep track of what we watch and auto record shows it thinks we will like . these box's can tell what we are watching when we watched it and if we skipped the commercials . these nifty set top box's are starting to direct advertising to out TVs suitable for our age , race. and economic status .
sales figures are analyzed like forensic evidence to make sure we see the advertising designed to pull all the right emotional triggers with us . so we will leave our TV s long enough to go shopping .
how much of what we see and hear on TV shapes our thinking and actions ? dining out used to be a special occasion now we eat out all the time . we used to save for what we wanted to buy . now we buy it and pay it off . is this good or bad or just the way it is ? are we rude when we should be polite because thats the way they are on TV
how about our attitudes towards each other . Christian stations and there shows are doing a brisk business . the reality shows have become big money winners and real police shows [cold case , forensic files] are staples on discovery and the NGC . are people tired of the fantasy Hollywood has created and want something real ?
I believe TV is the greatest invention of the past 200 years . maybe we are moving out of the childhood of TV . perhaps in the next 50 years the marriage of the Internet and television will be so complete we will start using TV in an adult way . for learning and development of our shared humanity . perhaps it truly help all of us to be healthy , wealthy and wise .
Monday, October 8, 2007
sliding down the slippery slope of over supply
the news is good wal-mart is cutting prices again . sam walton must be singing in heaven . , but wait there are flies in the ointment . why is wal-mart cutting prices on christmas toys so early ?was it wal-marts relentlas push to cut costs that lead to the lead in the chinese made toys ? are these the toys that wal-mart is discounting ?
richard nixon had no idea what he was unleashing on america . when he opened up china to trade for his corprate masters . the french knew . france watched its textile industy disappear to hong kong in the early sixities . by the way every president since nixon has done their best to make sure chinas door to our markets stays wide open . we lost the war in vietnam and as a bonus the chinese turnrd south vietnam into one huge factory making goods for the american market . who knows maybe that what the war was for .
walk into any of the retail chain stores . the shelves are groaning with the weight of the merchindise . that has to be sold to make room for the next shipment ordered automaticaly by the computer , brought by the just in time warehouse on wheels . so the robot like sales people can make nice over and over all day long .
how many tools , house gadgets and consumer electronics can the american house hold ? what happens when there is no more room , the credit card is maxed and there is no more equity left to borrow ? when even the advertising that is eveywhere pulling those emotional triggers can not over come the reality . that we have enough .
if one wants a clear view of how much all this stuff would cost if it would if it was made in america . look at autos and houses . there made in america . cars for the past 10 years have been so expensive people can only afford to lease [rent] them . houses are so big and expensive that the banks had to get " creative " to make the mortgages on them . when does this train run out of track .
it is ironic that it is all this psycho consumption that fuels the R&D for even more amazing gadgets that are almost unbelievable . it is like sci-fi come to life . it produces light speed advances in the technolgy that keeps us healthy , wealthy and wise . i can hardly concive of the technolgy we will all see in the next 30 years .
i challenge everyone to not buy anything but gas and food for just 30 days . to only pay the rent on our nessisties car, cell phone service , internet and satalite tv . not to stop to start any kind of anti consumption revloution . but just for 30 days step out of the rat race of consumption . step back and enjoy all that we already have . see a whole new perspective on blessed we truly are .
richard nixon had no idea what he was unleashing on america . when he opened up china to trade for his corprate masters . the french knew . france watched its textile industy disappear to hong kong in the early sixities . by the way every president since nixon has done their best to make sure chinas door to our markets stays wide open . we lost the war in vietnam and as a bonus the chinese turnrd south vietnam into one huge factory making goods for the american market . who knows maybe that what the war was for .
walk into any of the retail chain stores . the shelves are groaning with the weight of the merchindise . that has to be sold to make room for the next shipment ordered automaticaly by the computer , brought by the just in time warehouse on wheels . so the robot like sales people can make nice over and over all day long .
how many tools , house gadgets and consumer electronics can the american house hold ? what happens when there is no more room , the credit card is maxed and there is no more equity left to borrow ? when even the advertising that is eveywhere pulling those emotional triggers can not over come the reality . that we have enough .
if one wants a clear view of how much all this stuff would cost if it would if it was made in america . look at autos and houses . there made in america . cars for the past 10 years have been so expensive people can only afford to lease [rent] them . houses are so big and expensive that the banks had to get " creative " to make the mortgages on them . when does this train run out of track .
it is ironic that it is all this psycho consumption that fuels the R&D for even more amazing gadgets that are almost unbelievable . it is like sci-fi come to life . it produces light speed advances in the technolgy that keeps us healthy , wealthy and wise . i can hardly concive of the technolgy we will all see in the next 30 years .
i challenge everyone to not buy anything but gas and food for just 30 days . to only pay the rent on our nessisties car, cell phone service , internet and satalite tv . not to stop to start any kind of anti consumption revloution . but just for 30 days step out of the rat race of consumption . step back and enjoy all that we already have . see a whole new perspective on blessed we truly are .
Thursday, October 4, 2007
cleaning out the gene pool or police state
everyone likes the police . we think they do a good job keeping us safe from the criminal element . but if the police are such fine fellows why do people always want a lawyer with them when they talk to the police . people with money hire lawyers to mounter the police investigation and hire pathologists to do an autopsy after the police are done . independent labs do a brisk business with people who do not believe the police did a complete job with the forensic evidence.
TV shows like csi Miami are really soap operas of clashing personalities with a murder thrown in and some forensic science . shows like forensic files and cold case deal with " just the facts ma"m as Joe Friday used to say . the police work long and hard to catch criminals . it seems to me that DNA has been as effective at keeping the police honest and curing legal tunnel vision " guilty until proven innocent "as it has been in convicting people who should be in prison for a long time .
what about those people in prison . most states have the three strike law so people who are serving long sentences have earned them by habitual criminal activity . these people are also not reproducing . which is good . if there is a criminal gene it is not being passed on . there is a large African American population in the nations jails men and women . what will the effect be on on the African American population ?
have we made so many laws that it hard not to break the law ? we have the right to own a hand gun , but the law says it has to have a trigger lock and be locked in a gun safe . this pretty much makes it useless for the purpose it was purchased for .
if you have one drink in new york then drive you are legally drunk . same with seat belts . it would seem that the law is making more of our behavioral decisions for us . will we eventually lose our right to make any decisions ? are we moving towards a police state ? how many of us make our choices out of fear rather than hope ?
it will be interesting to watch over the next 50 years with the rapid development and deployment of electronic monitoring devices in our , homes , cars and work and public places . how will our lives will be shaped . we have lived in a machine society for a hundred years . we have become very machine like ourselves . we admire people who are stable and regular . you could set your watch by the time the leave and come home from work everyday . just like a machine we make the most efficient use of our time and energy . at the cost of human relationships and our own spiritual journey .
TV shows like csi Miami are really soap operas of clashing personalities with a murder thrown in and some forensic science . shows like forensic files and cold case deal with " just the facts ma"m as Joe Friday used to say . the police work long and hard to catch criminals . it seems to me that DNA has been as effective at keeping the police honest and curing legal tunnel vision " guilty until proven innocent "as it has been in convicting people who should be in prison for a long time .
what about those people in prison . most states have the three strike law so people who are serving long sentences have earned them by habitual criminal activity . these people are also not reproducing . which is good . if there is a criminal gene it is not being passed on . there is a large African American population in the nations jails men and women . what will the effect be on on the African American population ?
have we made so many laws that it hard not to break the law ? we have the right to own a hand gun , but the law says it has to have a trigger lock and be locked in a gun safe . this pretty much makes it useless for the purpose it was purchased for .
if you have one drink in new york then drive you are legally drunk . same with seat belts . it would seem that the law is making more of our behavioral decisions for us . will we eventually lose our right to make any decisions ? are we moving towards a police state ? how many of us make our choices out of fear rather than hope ?
it will be interesting to watch over the next 50 years with the rapid development and deployment of electronic monitoring devices in our , homes , cars and work and public places . how will our lives will be shaped . we have lived in a machine society for a hundred years . we have become very machine like ourselves . we admire people who are stable and regular . you could set your watch by the time the leave and come home from work everyday . just like a machine we make the most efficient use of our time and energy . at the cost of human relationships and our own spiritual journey .
Monday, September 24, 2007
anthony robbins where far out thou
for those who do not know, Anthony Robbins was a success guru . Anthony ran his seminar on paid programing late at night and early in the morning for a few years . the main idea was you would use your charge card to buy his course in success . it worked pretty good for ol'tony he is a wealthy man now .
this illustrates a reality we are all facing or will face . in 1974 when the government created IRA s . it spawned a host of other vehicles 401k , 403b, . to name a few and now our government wants to throw social security on the open market . where money magically grows .
what has really happened, a lot of people have been sinking their money into mutual funds for decades . and the money grew slowly but surely . than in 2001 it stopped growing . most people are just now back to where they were in their retirement portfolios . if you ask most people 50 and over if they can retire at 60 . many will shake their heads sadly and then smile and tell you how much the love their careers and do not even think of retiring .
the wall street smoothies have created a sales scheme over the past 30 years that George Orwell would have been proud of . we were told our money would be put in a market basket of stocks , where it would grow into a money tree that we could start harvesting when we reached 60.
these words describes a scene that is just as safe as being in your mothers arms , words that invoked feel good images , that were the complete opposite of how the stock market really works . the same with the housing market people have been seduced into buying homes they can not afford . on the assumption the value of it would rise and they could sell and buy a real castle instead of a starter castle .
this is where Anthony Robbins comes in . it is smoothies like him . who will tell you how great it is to work until your 72 , think how successful you will be by then , think how rich you will be by then , think how dead you will be by then .
the smoothies can turn any negative into a positive , make any situation a win-win situation , but it does not change the fact that everybody is tapped out and tired . everyone is tired of pretending that someday that their 401k will have a million bucks in it and they will be living in luxury , when that statement they get in the mail every quarter is telling them . " this is it "
this is the best you will ever live . the cruelest part of this is we are all living pretty good , but we have been made to believe it is not good enough . that is our fault , our fault alone we have not achieved the success we were promised .
the bad news is that the only way the smoothies can make all this work is to inflate the currency , which will make it possible to attract more suckers to the dream they have created for them . long live the Anthony Robbins maybe when we are all in our 80s and have one foot in the grave . he can tell us how to be a success by dying .
this illustrates a reality we are all facing or will face . in 1974 when the government created IRA s . it spawned a host of other vehicles 401k , 403b, . to name a few and now our government wants to throw social security on the open market . where money magically grows .
what has really happened, a lot of people have been sinking their money into mutual funds for decades . and the money grew slowly but surely . than in 2001 it stopped growing . most people are just now back to where they were in their retirement portfolios . if you ask most people 50 and over if they can retire at 60 . many will shake their heads sadly and then smile and tell you how much the love their careers and do not even think of retiring .
the wall street smoothies have created a sales scheme over the past 30 years that George Orwell would have been proud of . we were told our money would be put in a market basket of stocks , where it would grow into a money tree that we could start harvesting when we reached 60.
these words describes a scene that is just as safe as being in your mothers arms , words that invoked feel good images , that were the complete opposite of how the stock market really works . the same with the housing market people have been seduced into buying homes they can not afford . on the assumption the value of it would rise and they could sell and buy a real castle instead of a starter castle .
this is where Anthony Robbins comes in . it is smoothies like him . who will tell you how great it is to work until your 72 , think how successful you will be by then , think how rich you will be by then , think how dead you will be by then .
the smoothies can turn any negative into a positive , make any situation a win-win situation , but it does not change the fact that everybody is tapped out and tired . everyone is tired of pretending that someday that their 401k will have a million bucks in it and they will be living in luxury , when that statement they get in the mail every quarter is telling them . " this is it "
this is the best you will ever live . the cruelest part of this is we are all living pretty good , but we have been made to believe it is not good enough . that is our fault , our fault alone we have not achieved the success we were promised .
the bad news is that the only way the smoothies can make all this work is to inflate the currency , which will make it possible to attract more suckers to the dream they have created for them . long live the Anthony Robbins maybe when we are all in our 80s and have one foot in the grave . he can tell us how to be a success by dying .
Monday, September 3, 2007
both a curse and a blessing /1962-1972
It always makes me chuckle. When the conservatives blame the hippies for the counter culture that has ruined American family values. The hippies were nothing but a straw man . Let us look at some of the events the hippies were not part of .
1. The assassination of JFK, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy .
2. The race riots in American ghettos and forced busing
3. The war in Vietnam and draft riots .
The hippies were dope-smoking , tie-dye wearing , bead-trading Gypsies with no political power because they refused to vote. What was really going on?
1962-1972 was a blessing in the fact that the average American enjoyed a standard of living unparalleled in history. For me it was cars and music. There has never been such a diverse and creative period for cars and music . It was in this ten year period that so much great stuff happened. It also was the period of national tragedy, the country was coming apart at the seams. There was a real fear the government would collapse .
The military industrial complex was had just finished in Korea and was looking to keep the war machine going in Vietnam. Lyndon B Johnson like Geo. Bush Jr. was - committed to a war that could never be won for the same reason, so the military corporate machine could keep making record profits .
We gave away our electronics industry in the 1960s to the Japanese because the American electronic industry was and still is making so much money doing Dept. of Defense work .
Richard Nixon in 1974 abolished the draft which put a stop to the the military industrial complex creating wars and drafting young men to die for their profits and for his efforts at change he was impeached and disgraced.
Fast forward to Bill Clinton - he tried to cut defense spending, calling it the peace dividend. He wanted to spend the money to improve education and universal health . For his efforts, he was impeached and disgraced. Like rust - the military industrial complex never sleeps .
So 1962-1972 was at once a wonderful euphoric 10 years , but at the same time there were national tragedies occurring with a frightening speed and intensity . It is no surprise drugs were so popular .
Which brings us to Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton. I know Republican conservatives hate Hillary Clinton with a passion that is beyond belief and I always wonder why . Hillary is so locked into the Washington power structure that she is not going to really change much. She is certainly not going to challenge the military industrial complex. Every president since Bobby Kennedy was assasinated has been a shill for the military industrial complex. They all knew which side of the bread the butter was on .
Barak Obama is a different story. He has a destiny that is undeniable. He wants to really change our bought and paid for form of government . I fear for Mr. Obama. If he elected the next president of the United States, will he share the same fate as the Kennedy's and Martin Luther King ?
1. The assassination of JFK, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy .
2. The race riots in American ghettos and forced busing
3. The war in Vietnam and draft riots .
The hippies were dope-smoking , tie-dye wearing , bead-trading Gypsies with no political power because they refused to vote. What was really going on?
1962-1972 was a blessing in the fact that the average American enjoyed a standard of living unparalleled in history. For me it was cars and music. There has never been such a diverse and creative period for cars and music . It was in this ten year period that so much great stuff happened. It also was the period of national tragedy, the country was coming apart at the seams. There was a real fear the government would collapse .
The military industrial complex was had just finished in Korea and was looking to keep the war machine going in Vietnam. Lyndon B Johnson like Geo. Bush Jr. was - committed to a war that could never be won for the same reason, so the military corporate machine could keep making record profits .
We gave away our electronics industry in the 1960s to the Japanese because the American electronic industry was and still is making so much money doing Dept. of Defense work .
Richard Nixon in 1974 abolished the draft which put a stop to the the military industrial complex creating wars and drafting young men to die for their profits and for his efforts at change he was impeached and disgraced.
Fast forward to Bill Clinton - he tried to cut defense spending, calling it the peace dividend. He wanted to spend the money to improve education and universal health . For his efforts, he was impeached and disgraced. Like rust - the military industrial complex never sleeps .
So 1962-1972 was at once a wonderful euphoric 10 years , but at the same time there were national tragedies occurring with a frightening speed and intensity . It is no surprise drugs were so popular .
Which brings us to Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton. I know Republican conservatives hate Hillary Clinton with a passion that is beyond belief and I always wonder why . Hillary is so locked into the Washington power structure that she is not going to really change much. She is certainly not going to challenge the military industrial complex. Every president since Bobby Kennedy was assasinated has been a shill for the military industrial complex. They all knew which side of the bread the butter was on .
Barak Obama is a different story. He has a destiny that is undeniable. He wants to really change our bought and paid for form of government . I fear for Mr. Obama. If he elected the next president of the United States, will he share the same fate as the Kennedy's and Martin Luther King ?
Sunday, August 26, 2007
the dream martin luther king never had
everyone has a dream . a lucky few get to see their dreams come true . it is ironic that our dreams never come true the way we expect them to. martin Luther king had a dream and that dream has come started to come true but not as Dr king had imagined it.
a recent documentary [beyond the color line ] shows that successful , professional blacks are moving back to the south . Atlanta Georgia is the hub of this migration . wealthy African American professionals are living in expensive , suburban enclaves where the all the residents of these gated communities are black . this is also occurring in Birmingham Alabama . is this what Dr king wanted ?
i would suggest that it is just natural for people to want to live with people like themselves . many inner city African Americans who could afford to move to the suburbs do not . these folks talk about racism being the reason , but is it ? perhaps these folks just like living where they live . does anyone believe in the year 2007 you can force people in America to live where they do not want to ?
it is interesting that when people from India, Asia , the middle east, or Latin America decided to live in neighborhoods together . that is fine . from the 1880s there has always been a china town in new york and San Francisco America has always been segregated by ethnicity . it was an accepted and natural fact . the modern suburbs have been the true melting pot in America . by virtue of common beliefs and values .
another phenomena that has occurred in the past 40 years is that the harder the government has tried to force integration of the schools the more they have segregated the cities and the suburbs . is integration something that can be forced ?
we have all been told since we have been children that it is wrong to label people and stereotype them . this is very good advice but this is the way our brains organize ,store and retrieve information . without this system of mental organization . we would not have the faculties of wisdom and judgment . is it nature or racism . is it really racism or have we just pasted that label on a natural process .
with all due respect to martin Luther king . perhaps his dream has come true , just not the way he expected . perhaps people are happier this way .
a recent documentary [beyond the color line ] shows that successful , professional blacks are moving back to the south . Atlanta Georgia is the hub of this migration . wealthy African American professionals are living in expensive , suburban enclaves where the all the residents of these gated communities are black . this is also occurring in Birmingham Alabama . is this what Dr king wanted ?
i would suggest that it is just natural for people to want to live with people like themselves . many inner city African Americans who could afford to move to the suburbs do not . these folks talk about racism being the reason , but is it ? perhaps these folks just like living where they live . does anyone believe in the year 2007 you can force people in America to live where they do not want to ?
it is interesting that when people from India, Asia , the middle east, or Latin America decided to live in neighborhoods together . that is fine . from the 1880s there has always been a china town in new york and San Francisco America has always been segregated by ethnicity . it was an accepted and natural fact . the modern suburbs have been the true melting pot in America . by virtue of common beliefs and values .
another phenomena that has occurred in the past 40 years is that the harder the government has tried to force integration of the schools the more they have segregated the cities and the suburbs . is integration something that can be forced ?
we have all been told since we have been children that it is wrong to label people and stereotype them . this is very good advice but this is the way our brains organize ,store and retrieve information . without this system of mental organization . we would not have the faculties of wisdom and judgment . is it nature or racism . is it really racism or have we just pasted that label on a natural process .
with all due respect to martin Luther king . perhaps his dream has come true , just not the way he expected . perhaps people are happier this way .
Sunday, August 12, 2007
it is all wrong , but it is all right
Everyone likes to talk about corruption. At one time newspapers made it their main business exposing corruption in politics, labor and business. That was a long time ago most newspapers carry 70% advertising and 30% news taken off of a news service . Investigative reporting is history. Propagandist rush Limbaugh and his cohorts at Fox News like to cry about the liberal media ruining this country, but they are beating a dead horse. The news media is really just entertainment dressed up as the truth .
Literally tons of books have been written by ex-presidents , presidential advisers and cabinet secretaries about what went in their administrations. It is all very revealing and can give you a real insight on how government really works. Ralph Nader has been talking about it for years .
There are plenty of documentaries exposing the injustice and the inequity in our system of government. They are very good and sobering .
I would suggest a different view. We all know big money controls government, but what we fail to realize is that this power is constantly shifting. Real president Dick Cheney and the oil companies are running the show now but there power is slipping. At one time big tobacco money ran the show but that too faded . There are many examples - the railroads , steel and auto industries all had their golden era of buying influence in government .
It is because of the political system we have that the reins of power are always shifting . One industry gets everything it wants and fades, and another takes its place. Our leadership is changes frequently it is this that prevents a dictator from ever taking over . It is the system we have that constantly makes today's champs into tomorrow's chumps quickly . There is no stagnation or inertia in our system of government . The corruption is constant.
Consider this - Richard Nixon was probably just as bad as history makes him out to be. But by abolishing the draft in 1974 he kept us out of a lot of future wars . If this had been done after world war 2 there never would have been the Koren or Vietnam wars. Enlistments for the Iraq war are way down . Because there is no moral justification for us being there. Not having to join the military is a more important right than most people realize.
The next time you feel angry or depressed about government or corporate corruption -remember it is all part of the flow of events that results when the needs and wants of 300 million people are trying to be balanced and served .
Literally tons of books have been written by ex-presidents , presidential advisers and cabinet secretaries about what went in their administrations. It is all very revealing and can give you a real insight on how government really works. Ralph Nader has been talking about it for years .
There are plenty of documentaries exposing the injustice and the inequity in our system of government. They are very good and sobering .
I would suggest a different view. We all know big money controls government, but what we fail to realize is that this power is constantly shifting. Real president Dick Cheney and the oil companies are running the show now but there power is slipping. At one time big tobacco money ran the show but that too faded . There are many examples - the railroads , steel and auto industries all had their golden era of buying influence in government .
It is because of the political system we have that the reins of power are always shifting . One industry gets everything it wants and fades, and another takes its place. Our leadership is changes frequently it is this that prevents a dictator from ever taking over . It is the system we have that constantly makes today's champs into tomorrow's chumps quickly . There is no stagnation or inertia in our system of government . The corruption is constant.
Consider this - Richard Nixon was probably just as bad as history makes him out to be. But by abolishing the draft in 1974 he kept us out of a lot of future wars . If this had been done after world war 2 there never would have been the Koren or Vietnam wars. Enlistments for the Iraq war are way down . Because there is no moral justification for us being there. Not having to join the military is a more important right than most people realize.
The next time you feel angry or depressed about government or corporate corruption -remember it is all part of the flow of events that results when the needs and wants of 300 million people are trying to be balanced and served .
Sunday, August 5, 2007
unexpected peace dividend /thepopulation bomb
60 years with out a major world war . the longest recorded era of peace in history . there has been an unexpected dividend from all this peace and wealth building . the population explosion . oh not here in suburbia . we baby boomers have managed to replace ourselves and that is quite a lot of people , but our Friends around the world have been quite busy .
Africa is interesting, since the collapse of colonialism . the continent has fallen into anarchy . except south Africa , but since the dutch have been thrown out. it is well on it way to the bottom . it seems that the Africans have a lot of children most of their civil wars are really different war lords taking all the farm , grazing lands and water . the government than tries to take them back for its own use . an endless cycle as evidenced by all the infomercials soliciting money for all the starving children in Africa . this is a brutal form of population control .
the middle east . the Arabs have controlled their population for a millennium thru war among each other . the Arabs have alot of children , and life is hard in a desert . especially when the sheik drills for oil instead of water . so Islam is used as a reason for tribal warfare , which is why American democracy will not work for them . it would result in to many people and not enough resources . to bad Mr. Bush can not understand this .
china another interesting scenario . the red menace has defeated America with out firing a shot . thru trade and manufacturing . unfortunately all this peace and prosperity has left them with over a billion people . an odd culture . women can only have one child and female fetuses frequently aborted in favor of males . which has resulted in to many men and not enough women . it is a good strategy if you want a large army . but there is no war to fight . 200,000 people a year die of starvation . china fields a 200 million man army . perhaps this army is to prevent the collapse of the government when the food runs out .
India . i think these nice people will probably starve to death or die of plague . but will be happier in their next reincarnation . maybe they are right .
south and central America and Mexico . these people produce children at a fantastic rate . they are forced to try and get into the USA . because their are no jobs or food and their is not going to be any because of their corrupt governments . it is no surprise Hugo Chavez is so popular .
so back in 1970 Alvin toffler . Mr. future shock was right about the population explosion . war has always been a natural population control mechanism . brutal for sure but effective . so is another global war inevitable ? or can the world make peace share resources and let everyone live a decent life ? if so other countries and cultures are going to have to stop having so many children . if history repeats itself were looking at Armageddon . hopefully we can change history and make a new world .
Africa is interesting, since the collapse of colonialism . the continent has fallen into anarchy . except south Africa , but since the dutch have been thrown out. it is well on it way to the bottom . it seems that the Africans have a lot of children most of their civil wars are really different war lords taking all the farm , grazing lands and water . the government than tries to take them back for its own use . an endless cycle as evidenced by all the infomercials soliciting money for all the starving children in Africa . this is a brutal form of population control .
the middle east . the Arabs have controlled their population for a millennium thru war among each other . the Arabs have alot of children , and life is hard in a desert . especially when the sheik drills for oil instead of water . so Islam is used as a reason for tribal warfare , which is why American democracy will not work for them . it would result in to many people and not enough resources . to bad Mr. Bush can not understand this .
china another interesting scenario . the red menace has defeated America with out firing a shot . thru trade and manufacturing . unfortunately all this peace and prosperity has left them with over a billion people . an odd culture . women can only have one child and female fetuses frequently aborted in favor of males . which has resulted in to many men and not enough women . it is a good strategy if you want a large army . but there is no war to fight . 200,000 people a year die of starvation . china fields a 200 million man army . perhaps this army is to prevent the collapse of the government when the food runs out .
India . i think these nice people will probably starve to death or die of plague . but will be happier in their next reincarnation . maybe they are right .
south and central America and Mexico . these people produce children at a fantastic rate . they are forced to try and get into the USA . because their are no jobs or food and their is not going to be any because of their corrupt governments . it is no surprise Hugo Chavez is so popular .
so back in 1970 Alvin toffler . Mr. future shock was right about the population explosion . war has always been a natural population control mechanism . brutal for sure but effective . so is another global war inevitable ? or can the world make peace share resources and let everyone live a decent life ? if so other countries and cultures are going to have to stop having so many children . if history repeats itself were looking at Armageddon . hopefully we can change history and make a new world .
Monday, July 30, 2007
perhaps we can not handle the truth
there is a language of lies used in our culture . that we all commonly accept with out questioning to much . my pet peeve is the word " several " . it looks and sounds like the number " 7 " , but it is meaningless because it could be any amount . people us the word " several " when they do not want to tell the truth . like when the garage tells you it will be several hundred dollars to get your car fixed and it will be done in several hours . can't you just feel the rage building up .
this is why people did not like the phone at first . it was the greatest tool for liars ever invented . now, as then you can not see who are you are talking to . you can not read their body language . it is always easier to lie to someone when you do not have to look them in the eye .
this is small potatoes compared to big business . the HMO that tells you they are cutting some services and raising your co-pay to better serve their customers . like simple and compound interest on loans and credit cards .
warranties are another huge lie . have you ever tried to get a company to honor their warranties . root canals are less painful . how about the rebates that never come . these are just a few examples of the lies we have to suffer every day from our corporate Friends .
let us not forget the U.S. government . lying is a rich and long tradition with these guys . the list is so long i will only cite one example . " no child left behind " this would be funny if it was not so sad . children are left behind everyday .
there is a big drug problem in the public schools , but no drug rehab programs in the schools . teachers are just now getting smart boards , class rooms are packed with 32 students . it is sufficient to say the kids have been left far behind .
so we live with the lies everyday . until we are so apathetic and cynical we do not believe much of anything, or anyone . i think that is the real damage . to get a society to the point where you can tell them anything and they just do not care . perhaps we can not handle the truth .
perhaps the contradictions are so great we could not function in society if we did not just ignore all the lies . and try and believe in something better . perhaps this is why we are alienated from one another . we have to build our own personal world , our own personal truth . perhaps we should just go back to burying our heads in the nice warm sand in own personal universe . now isn't that better.
this is why people did not like the phone at first . it was the greatest tool for liars ever invented . now, as then you can not see who are you are talking to . you can not read their body language . it is always easier to lie to someone when you do not have to look them in the eye .
this is small potatoes compared to big business . the HMO that tells you they are cutting some services and raising your co-pay to better serve their customers . like simple and compound interest on loans and credit cards .
warranties are another huge lie . have you ever tried to get a company to honor their warranties . root canals are less painful . how about the rebates that never come . these are just a few examples of the lies we have to suffer every day from our corporate Friends .
let us not forget the U.S. government . lying is a rich and long tradition with these guys . the list is so long i will only cite one example . " no child left behind " this would be funny if it was not so sad . children are left behind everyday .
there is a big drug problem in the public schools , but no drug rehab programs in the schools . teachers are just now getting smart boards , class rooms are packed with 32 students . it is sufficient to say the kids have been left far behind .
so we live with the lies everyday . until we are so apathetic and cynical we do not believe much of anything, or anyone . i think that is the real damage . to get a society to the point where you can tell them anything and they just do not care . perhaps we can not handle the truth .
perhaps the contradictions are so great we could not function in society if we did not just ignore all the lies . and try and believe in something better . perhaps this is why we are alienated from one another . we have to build our own personal world , our own personal truth . perhaps we should just go back to burying our heads in the nice warm sand in own personal universe . now isn't that better.
Monday, July 23, 2007
scion of the suberbs or middle class hustler
Let's turn on the way-back machine . Back to 1975, when I believe that the single best benefit to the working man was passed by congress . The IRA . For the first time in the history of man , the common man or woman, by putting $2000.00 hard earned dollars into a IRA every year, could theoretically have a million dollars by the time they were 62 .
This has worked pretty well for most people . Unfortunately, it gave birth to the 401k in which employers have shifted the total responsibility for a pension to the employee and his 401k . This has had mixed results, but one result is most people cannot retire when they want to because their 401k goes up and down like a roller coaster, usually with the same physical sensations .
What was happening at the personal level? Well, when our parents bought a suburban split level in the suburbs in 1963 for $35,000, they watched over the next 20 years as their mortgage paid off the value of their home, soar to 4x times it's original value . Their wildest dreams come true. It was bitter sweet though. The home they raised their children in and had so many wonderful memories now became a golden goose for medicare if they went into a nursing home, or a ticket to a Florida retirement community . Such is life .
What about the baby boomers who were starting out in the 1970's? They were working like Hebrew slaves trying to keep up with inflation and high interest rates . All the young dudes with a pick-up truck and a smile were doing side jobs to supplement their income, picking up the last of the gravy train factory jobs , which unfortunately ran out of track rather abruptly in the 1990's causing a lot wreckage .
But we boomers still had our homes and our 401ks which in the gay 90's blossomed like a money tree . While our homes did not soar in value there was still some healthy equity there, which by the next decade had been borrowed out to pay off the credit cards that we had a pitiful addiction to. Which we used to purchase the life we thought we should have. Well all good things come to and end .
So where is the suburban person now? Since women have been so involved in the work force since the advent of the Pill and abortions - he and she have evolved up to am economic unit of one, where each has their investments and careers and their own lives as well as their married lives. The suburban persons life has now become a complex web of money and emotions as we pass into middle age, oh well it is lonely at the top .
Perhaps we should try and let go of the fantasy of who we think we are and start being who we really are. Perhaps we should try and reconnect with people on a personal level instead of a professional level, forget about padding our resumes, and look into each others eyes instead of looking into each others wallets.
This has worked pretty well for most people . Unfortunately, it gave birth to the 401k in which employers have shifted the total responsibility for a pension to the employee and his 401k . This has had mixed results, but one result is most people cannot retire when they want to because their 401k goes up and down like a roller coaster, usually with the same physical sensations .
What was happening at the personal level? Well, when our parents bought a suburban split level in the suburbs in 1963 for $35,000, they watched over the next 20 years as their mortgage paid off the value of their home, soar to 4x times it's original value . Their wildest dreams come true. It was bitter sweet though. The home they raised their children in and had so many wonderful memories now became a golden goose for medicare if they went into a nursing home, or a ticket to a Florida retirement community . Such is life .
What about the baby boomers who were starting out in the 1970's? They were working like Hebrew slaves trying to keep up with inflation and high interest rates . All the young dudes with a pick-up truck and a smile were doing side jobs to supplement their income, picking up the last of the gravy train factory jobs , which unfortunately ran out of track rather abruptly in the 1990's causing a lot wreckage .
But we boomers still had our homes and our 401ks which in the gay 90's blossomed like a money tree . While our homes did not soar in value there was still some healthy equity there, which by the next decade had been borrowed out to pay off the credit cards that we had a pitiful addiction to. Which we used to purchase the life we thought we should have. Well all good things come to and end .
So where is the suburban person now? Since women have been so involved in the work force since the advent of the Pill and abortions - he and she have evolved up to am economic unit of one, where each has their investments and careers and their own lives as well as their married lives. The suburban persons life has now become a complex web of money and emotions as we pass into middle age, oh well it is lonely at the top .
Perhaps we should try and let go of the fantasy of who we think we are and start being who we really are. Perhaps we should try and reconnect with people on a personal level instead of a professional level, forget about padding our resumes, and look into each others eyes instead of looking into each others wallets.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
raising the bar of decline
there was a time in America when people advanced themselves and their families thru hard work , risk taking and luck . this is the standared republican / conservative line . there is alot of truth in that belief , but it avoids a significant trend .
up until 1973 America had been in growth mode for 75 years . after that the industrial revolution ran out of steam . for the next 30 years we created a growth industry in building and finance . housing tracts , office parks and retirement communities . not factory's or warehouses . all that was sent over seas . that was fine because no one wanted a mind deading assembly line job that robbed one of their humanity . everyone was going to go to college and get an education . then they could have a professional career and make a positive contribution to America . it was a good idea that has worked in a lot of different fields . particulary medicine .
there are no clean deals though . when higher education became an industry on to itself . it became packaged and sold like any other industry . university's should be proud of the jargon and system that has developed for getting as many dollars as possible out of the pockets of students their parents and the government . for creating meaningless sport scholarships . that hold out a empty promise to minority youth . On the promise that at the end of the road their son or daughter would have a career that would make them much more money than the had spent . in some cases it is true , but sadly many people can not find a job in their field .
unfortunately most college and university students are forced to take many courses that have nothing to do with what they are majoring in. just to shake them down for more tuition , books and lab fees . taking a course means sitting in a large room or lecture hall with hundreds of other students . while a professor lectures from a text book he or she has written . no questions please . the professor is very busy .
taking courses on line has become a big industry too . reselling professors lectures . students buying course work and tests off the Internet . it is a capitalist dream come true . now for the bad news . America has an over abundance of over educated people . who make their living by going from one job to the next, padding their resumes with meaningless awards an achievements while climbing their career ladder .
education , corporations and health care are full of people who waste huge amounts of time having seminars , workshops and strategy meetings that find ways to shift responsibilities for problems , instead of finding solutions . no one wants to take responsibility . this is not surprising in our " i have issues culture ."
it is a race with no end . we have people in professions they have no passion for . we have hospital patients calling 911 from the emergency ward because no one will treat them , we have whole industries that do nothing but do studies an analysis on anything but real growth . maybe it is time we got out of the race and did something as an individual that is meaningful and profitable . maybe it is time we got our humanity back .
up until 1973 America had been in growth mode for 75 years . after that the industrial revolution ran out of steam . for the next 30 years we created a growth industry in building and finance . housing tracts , office parks and retirement communities . not factory's or warehouses . all that was sent over seas . that was fine because no one wanted a mind deading assembly line job that robbed one of their humanity . everyone was going to go to college and get an education . then they could have a professional career and make a positive contribution to America . it was a good idea that has worked in a lot of different fields . particulary medicine .
there are no clean deals though . when higher education became an industry on to itself . it became packaged and sold like any other industry . university's should be proud of the jargon and system that has developed for getting as many dollars as possible out of the pockets of students their parents and the government . for creating meaningless sport scholarships . that hold out a empty promise to minority youth . On the promise that at the end of the road their son or daughter would have a career that would make them much more money than the had spent . in some cases it is true , but sadly many people can not find a job in their field .
unfortunately most college and university students are forced to take many courses that have nothing to do with what they are majoring in. just to shake them down for more tuition , books and lab fees . taking a course means sitting in a large room or lecture hall with hundreds of other students . while a professor lectures from a text book he or she has written . no questions please . the professor is very busy .
taking courses on line has become a big industry too . reselling professors lectures . students buying course work and tests off the Internet . it is a capitalist dream come true . now for the bad news . America has an over abundance of over educated people . who make their living by going from one job to the next, padding their resumes with meaningless awards an achievements while climbing their career ladder .
education , corporations and health care are full of people who waste huge amounts of time having seminars , workshops and strategy meetings that find ways to shift responsibilities for problems , instead of finding solutions . no one wants to take responsibility . this is not surprising in our " i have issues culture ."
it is a race with no end . we have people in professions they have no passion for . we have hospital patients calling 911 from the emergency ward because no one will treat them , we have whole industries that do nothing but do studies an analysis on anything but real growth . maybe it is time we got out of the race and did something as an individual that is meaningful and profitable . maybe it is time we got our humanity back .
Monday, July 9, 2007
mirror mirror on the wall .
being a baby boomer is unique experience . the advertisers have told us so . the media is constantly showing us images of our selves . in doing so they shape our perception of our success or failure .
how much of our self esteem has been given to us by the advertising media . at one time they showed all of us walking around with cigarettes hanging out of mouths . did alot of boomers quit smoking for health reasons or because we were given a image of our selves as non-smokers .
we have been a generation constantly in search of ourselves . who we really are . have we accepted from the advertisers the belief that it is our career , the clothes we wear , the cars we drive the houses we live in , the golf vacations we have taken . that define us . we know longer try to keep up with the Jones , we are trying to keep up with the image we have been given of ourselves .this image is every where . in the sitcoms , the movies , and the newspapers and magazines .
i would suggest that we as a generation should step back and take a hard look at who we have become and why . maybe it is time to start living some of the ideals we talked about in the 1960s . it we easy in 1969 to talk about about phony materialism when we were young and had nothing . lets start talking about that now that we have all made it and have all we want . lets look in the mirror and see the truth .
how much of our self esteem has been given to us by the advertising media . at one time they showed all of us walking around with cigarettes hanging out of mouths . did alot of boomers quit smoking for health reasons or because we were given a image of our selves as non-smokers .
we have been a generation constantly in search of ourselves . who we really are . have we accepted from the advertisers the belief that it is our career , the clothes we wear , the cars we drive the houses we live in , the golf vacations we have taken . that define us . we know longer try to keep up with the Jones , we are trying to keep up with the image we have been given of ourselves .this image is every where . in the sitcoms , the movies , and the newspapers and magazines .
i would suggest that we as a generation should step back and take a hard look at who we have become and why . maybe it is time to start living some of the ideals we talked about in the 1960s . it we easy in 1969 to talk about about phony materialism when we were young and had nothing . lets start talking about that now that we have all made it and have all we want . lets look in the mirror and see the truth .
Sunday, July 1, 2007
walmart vs the mall
wal-mart vs the mall Where did it all begin ? Walmart vs the mall . Let's turn on the 'way back' machine . It is 1976 and cable TV has just gone nation wide. Now courtesy of Ted Turner, we can watch 24-hour TV , 24/7 news and sports and reruns of Bewitched at 4:00 am in the morning. America - what a country !
Of course with this orgy of TV came 24/7 commercials and with all that advertising came the huge expansion of retail space. Hence the mall, which began the era of "build it and they will come ". Suburban sprawl exploded. More TVs , more commercials , more malls and more suburban housing tracts. This was America by 1980 and the growth never stopped . Now the housing and land development has replaced the lost manufacturing as Americas number one industry. Build it and pray that they buy.I
am sure we all know there are no clean deals . There has been one problem with all this wonderful expansion. In 2007 there is 20.5 square feet of retail space for every American as compared to 2.5 for Europeans. The jargon of retailers is precise. The mall is impulse shopping. Walmart is destination shopping. The problem with the malls (with the exception of Sears) is the malls do not sell useful items. The malls sell clothes , purses , shoes and oh yes atmosphere . We should all be impressed by the amount of money that is spent in an effort to create an atmosphere that encourages impulse shopping. Another surprising fact is that advertisers and developers use marketing firms that use psychologists to help them create advertisements and environments that pull all of our emotional triggers. We have been brain washed into shopping. Clean minds and cleaned out pockets.
The whole advertising culture has morphed into creating messages that make you feel good about a product or service whether you need it or not. Ever notice all the advertisements seldom show anyone using the product or service. Just people talking about how good the product or service makes them feel, while sitting in settings that are decorated in early rich with plenty of diffused sunlight creating a glow. Ahh, I feel better already.
This is where Walmart comes in among all this bliss and gratitude for the American way of life. Americans began to feel the pinch of higher gasoline prices and utilities . Hello Walmart! So many useful items and so cheap. It has become America's dirty little secret. Buy your clothes at the mall and everything else at Walmart.
Unfortunately, again there are no clean deals in the land of plenty. To do this Wal-mart has to run a warehouse on wheels and those little fellers in China have to eat our inflation by working for 50 cents an hour . It's OK the Mexicans ate our inflation for less. So what happens when diesel fuel is $7.00 a gallon and the Chinese are making $1.00 an hour? What happens when the emotional triggers of heat and eat are being pulled daily? The fantasy land of mall shopping may become history and memories. What will happen to the malls when the price of designer clothes triples and the Bon-Ton says bye-bye?
I think the malls will then be turned into useful places. They really have such a marvelous atmosphere .
Of course with this orgy of TV came 24/7 commercials and with all that advertising came the huge expansion of retail space. Hence the mall, which began the era of "build it and they will come ". Suburban sprawl exploded. More TVs , more commercials , more malls and more suburban housing tracts. This was America by 1980 and the growth never stopped . Now the housing and land development has replaced the lost manufacturing as Americas number one industry. Build it and pray that they buy.I
am sure we all know there are no clean deals . There has been one problem with all this wonderful expansion. In 2007 there is 20.5 square feet of retail space for every American as compared to 2.5 for Europeans. The jargon of retailers is precise. The mall is impulse shopping. Walmart is destination shopping. The problem with the malls (with the exception of Sears) is the malls do not sell useful items. The malls sell clothes , purses , shoes and oh yes atmosphere . We should all be impressed by the amount of money that is spent in an effort to create an atmosphere that encourages impulse shopping. Another surprising fact is that advertisers and developers use marketing firms that use psychologists to help them create advertisements and environments that pull all of our emotional triggers. We have been brain washed into shopping. Clean minds and cleaned out pockets.
The whole advertising culture has morphed into creating messages that make you feel good about a product or service whether you need it or not. Ever notice all the advertisements seldom show anyone using the product or service. Just people talking about how good the product or service makes them feel, while sitting in settings that are decorated in early rich with plenty of diffused sunlight creating a glow. Ahh, I feel better already.
This is where Walmart comes in among all this bliss and gratitude for the American way of life. Americans began to feel the pinch of higher gasoline prices and utilities . Hello Walmart! So many useful items and so cheap. It has become America's dirty little secret. Buy your clothes at the mall and everything else at Walmart.
Unfortunately, again there are no clean deals in the land of plenty. To do this Wal-mart has to run a warehouse on wheels and those little fellers in China have to eat our inflation by working for 50 cents an hour . It's OK the Mexicans ate our inflation for less. So what happens when diesel fuel is $7.00 a gallon and the Chinese are making $1.00 an hour? What happens when the emotional triggers of heat and eat are being pulled daily? The fantasy land of mall shopping may become history and memories. What will happen to the malls when the price of designer clothes triples and the Bon-Ton says bye-bye?
I think the malls will then be turned into useful places. They really have such a marvelous atmosphere .
Friday, June 22, 2007
are these racist questions ?
the question i am about to ask could get one fired from their job , if asked at work . my question is what have African Americans and native Americans [Indians] contributed to the American economy . is it wrong to ask this question ?
native American [Indians] and African Americans have been seeking compensation for injustice that was done their ancestors . these groups are are not exaggerating . terrible injustices were done to their ancestors .
it seems to me that for any group of people to fully enjoy the benefits of being an American . that group has to become part of the American main stream . at least economically . you have to put something in to get something out . unfortunately there is no free lunch . i wish there was .
the Amish and the Mennonites live outside of the American mainstream they do not pay tax's nor do they collect social security or any other government benefits . main stream America does not bother these people or restrict their life style . so it is true groups of people can live in their own world in America .
it seems to me that the mainstream in America changes quickly and those who are not in the economic game . become irrelevant and are left behind . racism seems to have little to do with it . it is more how reality works . weather we like it or not .
native American [Indians] and African Americans have been seeking compensation for injustice that was done their ancestors . these groups are are not exaggerating . terrible injustices were done to their ancestors .
it seems to me that for any group of people to fully enjoy the benefits of being an American . that group has to become part of the American main stream . at least economically . you have to put something in to get something out . unfortunately there is no free lunch . i wish there was .
the Amish and the Mennonites live outside of the American mainstream they do not pay tax's nor do they collect social security or any other government benefits . main stream America does not bother these people or restrict their life style . so it is true groups of people can live in their own world in America .
it seems to me that the mainstream in America changes quickly and those who are not in the economic game . become irrelevant and are left behind . racism seems to have little to do with it . it is more how reality works . weather we like it or not .
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