KateThoughts

'Why' may be the most useLESS question ever asked

Declan Galbraith is a very good singer/songwriter, maybe a great one someday.
And it is certainly true that this is musically beautiful.

But in my opinion, the Why question may sound pertinent but only adds to the confusion and problems that we experience. The question implies an answer, for one thing. And even when there IS one, no answer to this question provides a change in the condition. Constantly screaming/asking/meditating/singing on a why question for any situation simply focuses one's mind on the problem.

Contrast this song (above) with Bette Midler's From a Distance.

Just consider the differences in these verses:

In my dream children sing a song of love for every boy and girl
The sky is blue and fields are green and laughter is the language of the world
Then I wake and all I see is a world full of people in need

Tell me why (why, why, does the tiger run)
Tell me why (why why do we shoot the gun)
Tell me why (why, why do we never learn)
Can someone tell us why we let the forest burn?

(Why, why do we say we care)
Tell me why (why, why do we stand and stare)
Tell me why (why, why do the dolphins cry)
Can some one tell us why we let the ocean die?
                              

    Then this.....

From a distance the world looks blue and green,
and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves,
it's the heart of every man.

It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.
This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
God is watching us from a distance.
                                       

The differences I hear in these lyrics are HUGE. And reflect what I hear in the people around me everyday. We, the editorial we (I pray), simply do not (maybe can not) hear our own negativity. We fell in love with The Secret; we joined Oprah's group to discuss Eckhart Tolle, and for what? I don't know; I can't see any differences anywhere.

I'm running out of people to talk to. I'm hyper-sensitive these days to language and connotation and intent. The world seems to be on such a completely irreversible course straight to extinction. And I can't help but see that (extinction) as the perfectly natural and appropriate consequence of the decisions we have made.

Decisions about how we keep score and what we value are critical to every aspect of our lives. And yet, we seem not to get that connection between those things and the conditions we see around us everyday. We bemoan our educational system without realizing that it suffers because we prefer to reward football players and actors much more than teachers. Many of us suffer and even die because we value drug companies and specialists more than nature and life-style changes. We invest billions in drug companies and gurus to keep us living longer on a planet that we KNOW is dying from overpopulation and disregard. We created a political system that enforces and guarantees a gulf between We the People and those who claim to represent us. And then we watch them argue for power among themselves while they claim to serve.

Here's a 'why' question for you: Why would any rational conscious person on this planet want to live one single second longer than absolutely necessary?

I don't get it. I don't get why there are still starving people in African deserts. Or anywhere else for that matter. We don't have to step back to any great distance to know that many people throw away more food than some villages ever see. We KNOW, if we look, that today's bag of rice is feeding the great-great grandchildren of the same people we sent a bag of rice to yesterday.

Duh!?

My friend, Nancy, and I speak a similar language. She thinks I need to get out more...out of town, that is. This is a  touristy little berg in the boonies of southern New Mexico, full of realtors and retirees and is extremely conservative and fundamental. I suspect she may be right; my horizons here are WAY too narrow.

Perhaps I'm just dancing with my dark side. It's true that my thinking can be a bit compulsive. 

In any case, I've been working on this draft for 3 days and that is more than enough time to spend of something I can effect only in my own heart. Nancy & I are planning a day trip to the Bosque; just we and about a gazillion feathered friends. Undoubtedly, they can blow away these current winds of ...whatever this is...this absence of god...this futility that I feel.

Thankfully, none of those things I decry are real.
It's just me & my mind wallowing in the trough of disconnection. It's a temporary aberration.

I'll be back. 

The Ongoing Saga of the Battle Between Ego & Spirit

There may be more rambling than saga here, but... it's a blog after all - not a thesis.
(I looked thesis up, and it is that, actually: 3. A hypothetical proposition, especially one put forth without proof.)   :)

As some of you may know, raising my consciousness/awareness is a value I hold. It's one that often conflicts with other things going on in my (moderately compulsive) brain.

Increasing my awareness about the food I consume is one of the ways I advance this ideal of mine. Lately, that has been fueled by Michael Pollan and his books. And also by the film Food, Inc. and stuff I'm reading around the web, such as articles by my friend Laura. Moving my body a bit is another way. This manifests as continuing lessons in T'ai Chi but has not yet presented as a regular daily practice.

So, what's the battle?

Well, I was watching a trainer speaking to a group of women the other day (TV). He was teaching them this mantra: "Exercise is not negotiable," and suggesting (strongly) some very drastic (to me) changes in their eating habits. He seemed to want them to believe that they truly had NO choice. Basically, his message was exercise and eat right or DIE. And his absolute, in the 'not negotiable' sentence raised all my hackles and fired up my ego and compelled me to yell at the screen: "Oh, yeah! Of course, it is negotiable, you idiot."
I can choose dying.

And there is the dilemma.

I think that it may be a responsibility of mine to get off this planet as soon as the trip takes me to that point. It's not about suicide; it's about too many people. It's not about me; it's about the planet. It's not about health, per se, it's about consequences.

It's balancing my food addiction and my real love of all things food, with my increasing spirituality and consciousness. I suspect that it's mostly denial, as in that river in which so many of us are floundering.

My addiction is quite active. If I am not eating (or maybe while I'm eating), I'm planning the next food opportunity: recipe search, shopping, prepping, cooking, serving, and back to eating again. I love cooking for other people. And while all my choices for guests consider their own food issues or goals or tastes, I'm drawn, still, to all those old comfort-foods that continue to work for me.
(What fun I am already having preparing the Super Bowl Party food! I could care less about the game.)

So, I have a long way to go here.

I'm sure I will continue to evolve. I think I could not really stop evolving, even if I tried. And I'm fairly sure that spirit/god understands the 'thing' I have with food even though I clearly do not, as  yet.

Balance is the only way I can think of these matters at the moment. And I don't pretend for a moment that I am actually IN balance. (Work-in-progress...hold that thought.)

Some of what feeds the confusion or inability (or unwillingness) to move in one direction or the other is what I see when I look around me at stuff on TV; at some of the people I know; at national and world politics; at the way we teach each other and our kids to value score-keeping over consciousness.

Gotta go play with someone else's computer... I'll be back to this.

getting it wrong/right?!

Oh, my gravy!

Did you know that if you get enough people doing/saying something wrong, it will ultimately become right?

Check this out: read the "usage note"

short-lived

 (shôrtlvd, -lvd)

adj.

Living or lasting only a short time; ephemeral.

---

[short + (long)-lived.]

Usage Note: The pronunciation (-lvd) is etymologically correct since the compound is derived from the noun life, rather than from the verb live. But the pronunciation (-lvd) is by now so common that it cannot be considered an error. In the most recent survey 43 percent of the Usage Panel preferred (-lvd), 39 percent preferred (-lvd), and 18 percent found both pronunciations equally acceptable.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

This - now so common that it cannot be considered an error - is the phrase that chaps my butt.

What? Something wrong becomes common, through laziness or ignorance or carelessness, and then - because it is commonly wrong - the wrong thing is suddenly made right. Wow.

So, why aren't all of us over-eaters suddenly made thin?

Perhaps the reverse is true, also. The old 'use it or lose it' thing...? Could that be what is happening to ethics in politics and punditry? Maybe there are so few examples of ethical behavior in these arenas, that ethics are no longer something for which to strive. Hmmm...

Now, as I was growing up, EVERYBODY told me to be a good girl: Mom, church, teachers, relatives...everyone. I've spent quite a bit of energy through the years examining the guidelines of each; keeping some ideals; making new ones; eliminating others, until I've come to understand what being a good girl means to me.

The very bottom line is that I must add to the love and not to the fear in this world.
That effects how & whether I talk, what I watch on TV, how I relate to family & friends, & who I hang with.

It's beginning to effect what I eat and how I fashion the hours in my day. (thankfully; but no dramatic results to report)

It seems to me that there should be a way to make this all work for the betterment of the planet.

Inspiration v. Marketing...Inspiration & Marketing

This is a lovely video about Nature and her inspiring qualities.

Be ready for the major marketing campaign should you click on anything that comes on your screen after the movie plays.

I don't know the answer (yet) to this current quandary of mine. Perhaps you have opinions that might enlighten me.

HMHC is in the middle of Peace Village - a day camp for young kids that includes a segment on media literacy. I'm wondering who's teaching that subject to the rest of us. And I wonder about the 'real' value of films such as the one linked above when its primary function seems to be about selling books and other products.

Do I need a book on Nature, or do I need to go outside?
I'm feeling a little schizo about this already. I love inspirational books, picture books, things that inspire, and I spend money on them.
Someone takes the photos, finds the quotes, publishes...and all the tons of chores attached to producing the book, the video, the ad campaign.
Hell, I'm even filing a bunch of my own photos under the heading of 'the book project'.

And yet, I'm bothered by....this?
        maybe not...
I guess it's mostly the constant barrage of advertising that comes our way on a minute by minute basis. I believe myself to be at least somewhat literate about such media and I still can be caught in the net. I love HGTV, too. And the shows are becoming increasingly about things to sell.

...
OK.
Enough for now. I'll be better off in this moment to go outside. I don't know the answer; don't really need to know the answer. For my inspiration just now, I'll go outside.  You go, too. Your back yard is far enough, though the world awaits.
:)

Truth is hard to find; too few of us are looking for it.

As this campaign winds down, one of the things I've noticed is the horrendous amount of money that has been raised to support the two major candidates.
The total is a whopping $684,096,144. Holy Cow!
The site of the FEC has more interesting data.

What I have not found - and won't be spending more time looking for - is just how much was spent on all the political commercials & telephone campaigns with which we've been bombarded. And since I live in one of the 'swing states' those things are STILL RUNNING!!! We all know that the amount of money spent on these things must be staggering.

Interestingly, when I searched the phrase 'political advertising regulations', the FEC site is not what came up first. The FCC came up first, but I found only regs about who can/can't, record keeping, etc. In regard to content, there is only Section 315 [47 U.S.C. §315], which is why we here that phrase, "I'm ___  ___ and I approved this message.", and the (often tiny print) phrase that says who paid for that ad.

There were several .orgs, .edus, and a couple of .coms. I don't link those here because you can find them yourself, and because I'm not interested in opinion right now; I'm looking for facts.

Here is an article on FactCheck.Org that discusses the subject of political advertising regulations.This is the first sentence:

Here's a fact that may surprise you: Candidates have a legal right to lie to voters just about as much as they want.

That certainly caught my eye. The article is very interesting and says, basically, what we already know: "candidates have the (constitutional) right to lie to you as much as they want".

So, What's up with that??!!

Here's the FTC's regulations regarding truth in advertising.

This is an interesting, and timely, article from Time Magazine about truth and the 2008 campaign.

One thing that seems clear to me is that political candidates do not hold the 'truth' in high regard. Winning is the end goal, ads are (one of) the means; and many more people will see the ads than will read the fact checkers on any given subject.
And even when we read the facts, we don't necessarily change our minds.

I found several several links to forums, blogs, etc. that discuss this issue. I'm not going to link them here; I'm just worn out and discouraged and if you want to hear another opinion, you'll easily find many.

I remain concerned with the collective ethics of the American citizen, in general. I remain concerned with what seems to me an INCREASE in the us vs them attitude.

Rich people want to stay rich. I get that. I'd like to get rich - and frankly, by most standards I already am rich. (My income just dropped by a bunch and my IRAs are down by 25%.) I think I'd make a very good rich person. I like to think I'd do a lot of good things for my neighbors, my community, my state, etc. should the lottery gods decide to put me in charge of a ton of money.
Would that really be true? I don't know. The statistics on lottery winners doesn't really support that guess.

But, I don't get why we rich folks ride to our posh resorts on the backs of really poor people. Or why a populace who can spend nearly $700 millions dollars to elect one individual over another can't figure out a reasonable way to take care of ALL of our citizens. I don't get it. I don't WANT to get it.

So, I have this idea.

Remember that little box on your income tax form that asks if you want to give $3 to the presidential campaign? The candidates made a big deal of not taking that money this year.
What if we change that?
Let's don't give them ANY public money. Let's change the box. Let's give everyone the opportunity to give $3 to, say, the national debt. You're going to be paying it anyway.  Think how much more quickly we could eliminate that gigantic (and embarassing) number.

Here's another (radical) idea.
Since no one can regulate the content of political advertising, don't sell/allow any more of it.
What if media outlets had to give exactly the same amount of time to each candidate and it was limited to something like 30 minutes a week? There would be no time for mudslinging and lies, would there?
And let's do something about the two-party system. We don't have an effective way of getting those 'others' into the national line of vision.

Then we give a president 4 years in office. What can he accomplish if he spends 2 on campaigning?

I promise my next post will be much more fun than this one.
I don't think it will  be necessarily more important.

Politics and the Art of Conversation ~ Oxymoronic these days

There are SO many things to read about the various candidates, platforms, pundits, and the technical aspects of getting someone elected...

I AM going to put some links at the end of this... but I've noticed something that is, to me at least, a very disheartening phenomena: I have been unable to find, anywhere, a civil conversation about ANY aspect of this year's election.

The best that I know of are two friends, one a Dem and one a Rep, who exchange emails constantly - each one sending their party's content to the other. One has said that she does not read the stuff the other sends (I suspect that is true for both). They just exchange the propaganda, delete or forward, and move on...

Except for this case, the responses seem to be one of these:

• We're sharing (the same) information with those who believe like we do. So we just 'forward' like mad...
• We say (or are told), "don't send any more of that $*#%% to me".
• We shunt a lot of stuff into our 'delete' folders without reading or comment.
• We hear, "Let's don't go there".

And that's probably a good thing, because there seems to be no civility left in conversation around this subject. I think of one of Joel's favorite quotes, "My mind is made up; don't confuse me with facts".  

I haven't been able to find a McCain supporter, for example, who will talk to me about the beliefs they hold that compel them to vote for him, even in an attempt to persuade me to their side. And I haven't found anyone who wants to listen to me talk about why I just voted for Obama. 

No civil conversation: just diatribes, invectives, smears, closed minds, and assorted petty hatefulnesses.

New Mexico is one of the 'pivotal' states, one to still be "won", so we are still being inundated by the political commercial ads of both parties. It is almost embarrassing.

I can't (if I wanted to) keep my opinions totally masked. I do want to share some of the stuff I've been reading. But, even in articles that are otherwise fact-filled, there is so much spite & spin that it is difficult to recommend them to you without qualms.

So, maybe...don't go read these; I'll just post them for the sake of my own journal, my personal history....

My current favorite, written by Frank Schaeffer for The Huffington Post: (not hateful, btw)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obama-will-be-one-of-the_b_132843.html

Another good one, this on S. Palin, from Garrison Keillor posted in The Seattle Post Intelligencer:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/382133_keilloronline08.html

Here's a very funny (and slanted) view from Betty Bowers who claims to be "America's Best Christian".
Her homepage: http://bettybowers.com/betty4president/
The Keith Olberman video I like:  http://bettybowers.com/betty4president/?p=138
And my Favorite from Betty, Palin attack ad bloopers: http://bettybowers.com/betty4president/?cat=44  

Here's one by Tim Dickinson from Rolling Stone magazine:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain 

I just filled out my ballot and will mail it this afternoon. I wish I were more confident that it will be counted.

BTW:
Some links to the opinions of Europeans and other non-Americans:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/european_press_and_the_preside.html

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=bebf8e61-fdd2-41ee-93a6-a0724ff304c9&k=73709

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/2049446/Barack-Obama-beats-John-McCain-in-European-vote-US-election-2008.html 

Here's an interesting page from the BBC on our election - lots of links...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2008/vote_usa_2008/ 

There's lots more; just google it...

Partisanism, Platitudes, Pundits and Principles: which one doesn't fit?

"The measure of the journey is not in the lifespan but in the wingspan."
~Laura Young

What are my principles, and how do they impact my life?
I'm not seeing much of principled behavior in the world these days.
Does it matter to anyone?

There are so many ways to go as I sit to write this post. I don't want to try to 'sell' you my candidate. (Well, I'd LIKE to, but I prefer to hold on to the thought that you are thoughtful, relatively intelligent and self-informed, and therefore capable of making a thoughtful choice of your own.)

But I'm not sure anymore.

It seems to me that we have traded our basic values for the ability to create revenue at the expense of others.
I believe that most of us don't even know what values we hold, or even how to think about the subject. We've created all the laws AND all the loopholes that have led us to where we are right now. And I believe that the level to which you believe you are NOT responsible, is just a measure of your denial.

So what the hell does THAT mean? I'm not sure about that, either.
I'm sure it has to do with making decisions about my values. Here's a very basic one I learned from my former coach, Laura (quoted above):

Will I add to the love in the world; or will I add to the hate in the world?

And, yes; I DO think that is an either/or question. Other questions include:

• Must I seek to blame? When? Why?
• What do I understand about Love - all kinds - and what am I willing to do, say, be to support my conclusions?
• What does honesty mean to me, and what goes into the decision to be honest or not honest? When I choose dishonesty, what are the costs and to whom?
• What are my responsibilities for the behavior of others, and when/how do I act upon them?
• What things are private (if any) and therefore irrelevant to others?
• When (if ever) is what you think of me important?
• How often do I revisit these questions, adding others or subtracting some?

When I've asked myself these questions (and others) and come to some conclusions, then I write my own code of conduct. And these days, I'm really torn in several directions.

There is much to be said for the argument that we 'get what we deserve in this world'. The theory that 'what we focus our attention on gets bigger' is working especially well for those who want to persuade us through fear. There are simply TONS of things on television, radio, and other media outlets, that are perfect illustrations of WHO WE HAVE COME TO BE as human animals on this planet.

I don't want to look like that model.
All I know to do is the best that I can. And for me, that means knowing what I value, learning that I can choose to be involved in many different ways, and behaving with courage now that I know what my principles are. What is most scary to me these days is what I see as a closed-minded, rigid adherence to a set of 'guidelines' that have bypassed the individual consideration  

...oops; gotta go...

http://www.newser.com/story/38842/parker-gets-the-dixie-chick-treatment-after-dissing-palin.html 

This article illustrates some of the fanaticism I see all over this campaign. But more importantly, I see this everywhere these days: in the (extreme) need to blame someone (for ANYthing), in road rage, in the behaviors of some friends & neighbors & family.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obama-will-be-one-of-the_b_132843.html

This link goes to an excellent piece of writing that expresses something of what I feel about Obama & this election, and these times.

"The measure of the journey is not in the lifespan but in the wingspan."
~Laura Young

What are my principles, and how do they impact my life?
I'm not seeing much of principled behavior in the world these days.
Does it matter to anyone?

There are so many ways to go as I sit to write this post. I don't want to try to 'sell' you my candidate. (Well, I'd LIKE to, but I prefer to hold on to the thought that you are thoughtful, relatively intelligent and self-informed, and therefore capable of making a thoughtful choice of your own.)

But I'm not sure anymore.

It seems to me that we have traded our basic values for the ability to create revenue at the expense of others.
I believe that most of us don't even know what values we hold, or even how to think about the subject. We've created all the laws AND all the loopholes that have led us to where we are right now. And I believe that the level to which you believe you are NOT responsible, is just a measure of your denial.

So what the hell does THAT mean? I'm not sure about that, either.
I'm sure it has to do with making decisions about my values. Here's a very basic one I learned from my former coach, Laura (quoted above):

Will I add to the love in the world; or will I add to the hate in the world?

And, yes; I DO think that is an either/or question. Other questions include:

• Must I seek to blame? When? Why?
• What do I understand about Love - all kinds - and what am I willing to do, say, be to support my conclusions?
• What does honesty mean to me, and what goes into the decision to be honest or not honest? When I choose dishonesty, what are the costs and to whom?
• What are my responsibilities for the behavior of others, and when/how do I act upon them?
• What things are private (if any) and therefore irrelevant to others?
• When (if ever) is what you think of me important?
• How often do I revisit these questions, adding others or subtracting some?

When I've asked myself these questions (and others) and come to some conclusions, then I write my own code of conduct. And these days, I'm really torn in several directions.

There is much to be said for the argument that we 'get what we deserve in this world'. The theory that 'what we focus our attention on gets bigger' is working especially well for those who want to persuade us through fear. There are simply TONS of things on television, radio, and other media outlets, that are perfect illustrations of WHO WE HAVE COME TO BE as human animals on this planet.

I don't want to look like that model.
All I know to do is the best that I can. And for me, that means knowing what I value, learning that I can choose to be involved in many different ways, and behaving with courage now that I know what my principles are. What is most scary to me these days is what I see as a closed-minded, rigid adherence to a set of 'guidelines' that have bypassed the individual consideration  

...oops; gotta go...

http://www.newser.com/story/38842/parker-gets-the-dixie-chick-treatment-after-dissing-palin.html 

This article illustrates some of the fanaticism I see all over this campaign. But more importantly, I see this everywhere these days: in the (extreme) need to blame someone (for ANYthing), in road rage, in the behaviors of some friends & neighbors & family.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obama-will-be-one-of-the_b_132843.html

This link goes to an excellent piece of writing that expresses something of what I feel about Obama & this election, and these times.

Politics: What a _____ business!

Politics has always been a tricky subject to discuss reasonably. I'm not totally sure that the words 'politics' and 'reason' aren't oxymoronic when used in the same sentence.

I find it very difficult, also, to paint myself with only one political brush: I don't claim to be a Republican; I'd rather not proclaim myself a Democrat. But I find that being an Independent in the nation who's forefathers penned a Declaration on the subject, actually decreases some of my options in an electoral process - such as voting in primaries.

I find that interesting, and disconcerting.
And, given the nature of political campaigns as they have come to be operated - I refer to the mudslinging, muckraking, 'spinning' - I feel that anyone with an interest in holding a political office, may be, by temperament and character, unqualified to hold that office.

There is also considerable evidence to support the belief that NM poll results may not be a true reflection of how her citizens voted - as is true in about 42 other states.
Here's a Wikipedia article on the subject throughout the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_United_States_election_voting_controversies
This one is from Alternet on the Feb. Democratic caucus in NM:
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/76399/
You know you can find tons more on this subject if you want to do so...

Just so you know, up front, I support Obama now. Mostly, I think of myself as pretty liberal. AND I hold some opinions that agree on some issues with Republicans. I believe that most of us could find some places where we could agree with different parties on different issues - or pieces of issues.

The thing is, the campaign is only marginally about issues anymore.

I started this post with the idea of posting a video that came to me by email. Like I do, I sought to find out all that I could about the "who" of the author(s) of the video. Turns out I like 'em, believe that they mean to be honest in their presentation, etc.

They can be found at Brave New Films. http://bravenewfilms.org/about Click on "http://bravenewfilms.org/about/meet" to see photos and read bios.

The film I meant to embed here is at http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/325.html  and was produced by the Brave New Films group. I hope you'll go watch it, but I'm not going to embed it here.

My favorite fact checker, FactCheck.org, does not mention this one. They deal primarily in critiquing political campaign ads from both parties, not individual online stuff.

I go back to my beliefs that this country needs a major, complete overhaul of our electoral system:

• Down with the Electoral College; the need does not exist and has not for decades.
• Down with campaign commercials entirely. Allow coverage of debates, town meetings, etc. for all candidates equally.
• Down with lobbyists, period. 
• Find a way to eliminate this huge need for a candidate to raise money to fund her/his political campaign; control what each party can spend in an effort to keep all candidates in a race that can then be decided on the issues.

What I really fear is that there are not enough critical thinkers left in this country to see past the 'spin', the misdirection, the outright lies that infest the campaigns we see every day. Whatever your political opinions may be, I truly hope they are informed, and not just knee jerk responses to the political commercials we see on television today. And I hope that in forming these opinions, you rely on much more than the  network news of regular television.

Today's Time Goes By, in an article about elder poverty and the outlook for the future posted a great video by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). Note: Independent! I found the sound-track distracting, so I tracked down this version:  (This is a video I think YOU SHOULD WATCH. And be shocked and embarrassed. I believe that the worst part of nasty politics has made this so.)

 

Heaven Help Us...

I swear, if we gave as much energy to fixing the electoral system or Social Security as we do to keeping the "Others" out of our way, we'd have a whole new country and a lot more global respect.

This particular rant was inspired by yet another group trying to stomp on the rights of some of us - this one about gay marriage. Usually, I link articles I comment on here, but if you want to read any of that kind of stuff, go find it yourself.

But 'others' can be anyone - in certain circles, even you: Gays (that broad category that covers SO many), illegal aliens (in Roswell, they're green), Jews, Hispanics, Little People,...basically anyone different from you.

So, I ask: who do you want to be when you grow up?
Wise?
Christ-like?
Loving?
Open-minded?

Or are you one of those who say, "my mind is made up; don't confuse me with facts."?

Good grief!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to T''ai Chi class in hopes of lowering my blood pressure and enjoying a few deep breaths, and in letting go of my own prejudices for my "others", the ones who want to believe I'm different from themselves.

I don't think it's just me.

Have you noticed just how low the 'common denominator' has become, these days? Or perhaps it's just me.

It's TV that triggered this particular post. Everything from the commercials to prime-time to cable: it's really tricky to find shows worth the time. I do really appreciate much of it: travel channel, NetGeo, food channel, of course, & HGTV.

Now prime-time is a game show festival, some run 2 hours. Holy cow. Prizes are Huge, though it's very difficult for contestants to grab the really big ones. And the contestants are going into them as if they are make-or-break earth-changing events. (Yes, I know, anyone who actually wins a millions dollars will be changed.)
But no one ever seems to notice that anything they win is more than they came with. It's a game.

Even Oprah has jumped on this particular wagon. I'm waiting to see if she repeats - or how she repeats it. At least her contestants didn't even know there was a prize this first time around. That little secret won't ever work again, so I wonder.

I even liked American Idol in the beginning. But the repartee between the host and judges grew old many moons ago, and only the teenie-boppers decide who wins. What a weirdness. And the contestants seem to think (and maybe they're right) that the way to score points is with a catchy comeback. Where is the real musician who wants to hear the critique, learn, improve, and be better. And yes, there is some good critique happening. No, not from that fluff in the middle, I truly don't get her. Like her? yes, why not? Value her opinion? No.  She rarely offers a comment that will educate a musician. She wants 'em to feel good.
The other two really do have useful things to say, but now it is a game to boo their criticisms unless they are flattering. Getting sooooo old.

And standing ovations no longer have meaning. Sigh...

And then, just when we're down to some really good musicians, the creators of this phenomena turn the  decision making over to 'the fans'. Oh, boy: interactive TV.

Now even my favs, like Food Network and HGTV just can't leave the competitions alone. 

It's really weird.

We know a young woman here, age about 25, who sings really well, plays guitar, and composes some really good stuff. Around here, she's the Karaoke Queen. We've done a web site for her, put her up on YouTube, raised money, taken her to competitions, and coached for success. How's that going?
Well, fine - as long as someone else is doing the work. She'd love to be on Idol, or Nashville Star. And she'll go - if someone just covers the travel and the hotel and the food and the, and the...

Don't get me wrong: she writes & sings everyday. It's not that she does nothing; it's that she does nothing to advance her career. She has made two CDs, in Nashville no less, because there was someone to foot the bill. She 'sat in' briefly with a popular band in El Paso, but "can't" move there.
She won't even get off her duff and put together a local band, because, "they won't be able to go with me...".
Guess what? She's not going anywhere.
She's the Karaoke Queen, using someone else's equipment, singing her little heart out, and taking turns with the other wanna-be's and non-singers who show up for Karaoke around here. It would be so tremendously sad if I didn't know that she was choosing this life.
Bless her little heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm guessing these are just some of the dying throes of a soon-to-be-former TV watcher.
I'm fearful that what I see indicates a trend in thinking (or not thinking) of a vast number of Americans who are just too tired, too lazy, too depressed, too distracted, too - something, to see ourselves clearly.

And of course, the winners are all those folks behind the cameras: the networks, the sponsors, and all the retail outlets that carry that stuff we just have to have, now. Shoot, last night I cooked dinner in the spam of time it took for ONE commercial.
(OK, the salad was already made and I was only grilling tuna, but still...that should not be possible.)

OK - end of rant - exhale, sigh...ommmmmmmmmmmmm

 

What you don't (might not) know about Credit

Now that I have (finally) moved to the comfortable side of the credit issue (thanks, Mom!) I'd like to share this link with you. The Secret History of the Credit Card is a collaboration of Frontline and The New York Times "to investigate an industry few Americans understand".
On the site, you can watch the full program, read the articles, and even join a discussion group.

If you have a handle on your credit, then Hooray! This info might still surprise you. And if you don't have your credit dollars under control, this might give you the impetus to work harder at doing so.

I found it very interesting.

OK - enough, already!

I just wrote this and now I am much cooler... The few of you who read this blog now & then have never done this (below); I just wanted a forum for blowing off some steam.  You can skip this, or send it to the last idiot friend emailer who sent you those 42 virus warnings.

Really, folks, I know you mean well. But I'm not stupid or naive, and I don't open email indiscriminately.
Do You?
Do you automatically assume that everyone on your email list is stupid or naive?
Then why must you warn us over & over & over & over & over & over & over.

First - Stop forwarding all these warnings. Please.

In virtually 99% of all warning emails I have received; the warning has proven to be a hoax.
I use Snopes to check, and find it to be the most-frequently updated, and also have bookmarked Truth or Fiction, and HoaxKill.

Hoaxsters get off - big time - on tracking the volume of traffic they inspire, and making us computer users crazy and scared. You don't really want to pump them up, do you?

For the (very) few warnings that prove to be about actual real viruses - only one, actually - I say again, I am not stupid.

And if you simply MUST forward something, PLEASE check it out with Snopes first. YOURSELF. Many of the hoaxsters now start with a line that says, "Snopes says this is real". Check it yourself or do not send it.

Second - if you are stupid, or know someone who is, this is what you need to know:

• Pay Attention. Then you won't miss any of the important details such as the name of the sender...
• Own excellent virus protection software. We use AVG (have done so for years), and love it. We no longer use the 'free' version, but it worked well for us.
• NEVER open an email, or an attachment to an email if you DO NOT PERSONALLY KNOW the person who sent it to you. Period. End of story.
• NEVER respond (or click on ANYTHING) in an email that claims to be from your bank or your credit card company, or PayPal, or such - claiming you need to DO anything or telling you to "click here" to update something. Those companies do NOT contact you in that way. Just to be sure, leave your email program, go online, sign in to that company and check!
• NEVER FORGET that all email is Public. Really. PUBLIC. If you would really publish your Social Security number on the side of a large truck, then you might be comfortable putting it into an email. Otherwise, better not to do so....

To read more on this subject go here, or here, or here, or Google some phrase about identifying email hoaxes.
Whew!