Consumerism

On this Thanksgiving, many people have left the dinner table early just to get some deals on retail items for the next upcoming holiday...Christmas. Kmart, Best Buy, Macy's are all a part of the continuously growing consumerism that is continuing to take over our society, no matter how grueling the process of getting gifts may be. Some people feel a rush, others just desperate for that extra couple of dollars off the merchandise them must get. The mindset is clear: must finish Christmas shopping as fast as possible, making sure not to forget anyone and get the best gifts possible to show I CARE (with the gift). Somewhere during the process, actual thought is lost and all that remains is a robotic superhuman that will do anything to get the last iphone.

The average person is spending around $600 for the holidays and mostly putting it on credit card, furthering their dept! Is that the plan for "helping the recession"? If a news report has to tell us how to shop, by making a list and trying to pay cash, then we are in serious trouble.
Go HERE and buy THIS, but be carful, you may get into dept.

They tell us what to do, when to do it and How much. Here is a rundown of who is going to be open for your convenience.



It's just amazing to me how everything in our society revolves around money and consumerism. Material objects are starting to replace what is really important. Why is it that we NEED all of this stuff? Mega stores all competing for our attention and our money and we blindly fall directly into the trap set for us. People will run, grab, trample and turn plain ugly to get what they want. Fights will break out, there may even be bloodshed or death, such as the incident last year.

It would be nice if people could really save their money by making a gift or doing something special with the people you love. Somehow that's not good enough anymore. The more we get, the more we WANT, not need. Besides, if we were all just chilling out, making gifts and spending time together, who would be out there SPENDING??? I guess that's the real problem, we have to fuel the economy by completely screwing ourselves into a world of dept.

I can't believe this still happens

While reading the news this morning I came upon this news article that made me feel as though I was reading the obscene actions of yesteryear.

Somali woman stoned for adultery.

It's interesting to actually hear about this happening now. It puts a lot of theories about social behavior and progress into perspective. I recently went to a discussion on Darwinism relating to social media and how it is affecting the evolution of man. What really defines a more cultured and well behaved society? Well, for one, not stoning women to death after she gave birth to a still born baby.

In the discussion, the professor pointed out that 3rd world countries are just like us, but about 80 years ago. Does this excuse that kind of behavior? I guess doing and seeing wrong are in the eyes of the beholder. So they do things differently, who are we to judge? Who says that's it's the "wrong" way? We do...because burning and stoning people is inhumane and disgusting, right? What if you were brainwashed to think and believe something else? Somehow these people all gather around to watch this spectacle, so their society must not think that torturing a women over having sex with an UNMARRIED man.

That brainwashing happens everywhere, here in America, the main focus is politics and religion, church and state that has never been separated. Yet we are the more "evolved" society. Maybe everyone is wrong, but that's just speculation, an opinion, my free will exploring whatever my semi-brainwashed mind thinks.

Here is some of the article.

A 20-year-old woman divorcee accused of committing adultery in Somalia has been stoned to death by Islamists in front of a crowd of about 200 people.

A judge working for the militant group al-Shabab said she had had an affair with an unmarried 29-year-old man.

He said she gave birth to a still-born baby and was found guilty of adultery. Her boyfriend was given 100 lashes.

It is thought to be the second time a woman has been stoned to death for adultery by al-Shabab.

The group controls large swathes of southern Somalia where they have imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law which has been unpopular with many Somalis.

'Lenient'

According to reports from a small village near the town of Wajid, 250 miles (400km) north-west of the capital, Mogadishu, the woman was taken to the public grounds where she was buried up to her waist.

She was then stoned to death in front of the crowds on Tuesday afternoon.

The judge, Sheikh Ibrahim Abdirahman, said her unmarried boyfriend was given 100 lashes at the same venue.

Under al-Shabab's interpretation of Sharia law, anyone who has ever been married - even a divorcee - who has an affair is liable to be found guilty of adultery, punishable by stoning to death.

An unmarried person who has sex before marriage is liable to be given 100 lashes.

About Meditation

One of the blogs that pops up on my google reader is the Wildmind Buddhist Mediation blog. Sometimes it really makes sense, completely relating to how I feel and think. Here is the part that spoke to me the most:

"We are accustomed to dealing with our problems by trying to find solutions to them, or by trying to escape them altogether. On the one hand, we stress, we worry, we plan and strategize, or we get more outside opinions. On the other hand, we turn on the television, take a drink, plan a party, shop, take a trip, surf the Internet. Even though neither approach seems to get us the results we hope for, we feel that we are at least doing something -– even if it’s just stressing about our problem."

"Stilleto Stoners"

Now this is something I want to see, a controversial topic in the morning, geared to all those running off to the 9-5 grind. The Today show had a great segment on successful business women who smoke marijuana, regularly. Instead of coming home and taking down an entire bottle of wine, in these stressful times, women are now smoking pot.

Check out the video. This is the first time I've seen a conversation about marijuana and not have someone opposing it.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/33087077#33087077

Personally, I think it's a very interesting topic and I'm happy to see that something as big and respected as The Today show is addressing it. Could this mean that perhaps we're heading towards a more mature outlook, a smarter economic plan... a better direction? I sure hope so. The Government could be taxing the people Even MORE! Maybe that will help repay some of that debt...

Can zombies be possible?

Having a strong interest in science, I am often reading articles on how things work, how species live, and our newest advances in space. This morning I came across this article and was blown away. In all of my research and readings, I have never seen anything like this, killer ants turning into zombies by flies. Wasn't there a horror movie about this?

I always thought the idea of zombies was both fascinating and completely illogical. How can someone come back from the dead only fueled by the passion to eat brains? Well, maybe that original thought came from whoever discovered this much smaller, "Alien" like battle on Earth. The flies are like the facehuggers, implanting an their egg into the host, the ant until it takes over the body. Just like in the movie, the fly egg then beomes like a Chestburster, eating the brains of the ant, taking over it's body and then busting out of the host. This originally malicious red ant is now just an incubator, not even in control of it's own body. So this is the real zombies verses aliens. Is there a movie like that yet?

Ever since I was young, I was fascinated by the emotion: fear. Some hate it to feel it, and some love it. Horror movies, science fiction books, and the media...all things to induce fear and make our adrenaline pump faster. Roller coasters, driving fast, extreme sports and hearing bad news all give you that feeling, the hot that hits you quickly and travels from your head down your spine, shaking you to the core.

I guess when you know the source of the fear, it's easier to control. In controlled environments, the adrenaline excites you and gives you just enough to have fun, but still be a bit scared. Sometimes in phobia situations, people are so deeply disturbed by one specific thing that even their rational mind can't reason with them. I consider myself a rational person, so people turning into zombies didn't seem very reasonable to me. However, seeing that this CAN happen on a much smaller scale, right here on earth leads me to believe that even human zombies may be possible.

Maybe this is how to get a job

Here I was scrutinizing over my resume and cover letter wondering what would be the kicker that would land me that perfect job. I search everyday on job boards, forums, and websites on how to "make yourself stick out". I know I'm unique and have a lot of great qualities, but how do you make that come through a stack of papers (or emails rather) and make the employer even call you back?

After changing the format of my resume, writing long thought out cover letters, NOTHING. Years of not getting that job. Some of them, just a job, but a couple of them through the years have been a job I really wanted. However, I just couldn't get to the finish line.

This morning, as part of my daily ritual, I sit down with my coffee to search for jobs and now the additional research necessary to do on blogs and social media sites. These blogs offer something very valuable, almost priceless, for FREE! INFORMATION, real, unadulterated, and mostly honest info that everyone can use. If you have a problem, most likely someone out there has the same thing. These are real people speaking their mind, finally exercising their freedom of speech and making themselves heard. What a country!

Now on to the real issue at hand. On one of the blogs I read, unemploymentality, I saw an interested story on how a man got his dream job. Now, this was the advise I was looking for! Always getting excited about everything, so hopefully that it's going to work out, I dive into the article thinking, now i'm definitely going to get a job. After reading the article, it left me wondering what people are really doing these days to get work and how many of us are out there. (just 1/2 million jobs were lost in April ALONE) People are going to start to get desperate in their job hunt. So many people in need and so few jobs. Some people, like the man in the article may get cute and smart with just a touch of cunning with it, but what I'm worried about is what the people that aren't at the very top of the intellectual food chain will react.

I'm having trouble deciding whether I think what this man did to get the job was morally correct or not. The goal was achieved, he got the job. He did it with research and wit, but in doing so, he deceived some people, but it didn't hurt anyone. So all good right? In this day and age, we're back to survival of the fittest and the smart/strong will prevail, but it's a rough world out there. People will paint their faces to show you and the world as they secretly plot to step all over you. I only hope we remain a civil society in our economic downfall.

Lots of luck to the unemployed!

It's crisp

I woke up with the most delicious weather outside my window yesterday morning. The sun was finally back and the air felt crisp, clean and calm. That's why I don't mind the rain, even for days on end, because when it's over, it's as though the earth experiences a rebirth. It awakens fresher and with more life than before. A good day to start fresh again.

Genitic Alterations

If babies are made in a test tube, then implanted into the mother, born via cesarean section, are they real? That baby would have never been conceived because it was not meant to be. If a women can't get pregnant, I think it's a sign of natural progression, and they were not chosen to reproduce.

Adopt! It's so hot right now. No more fake babies by the dozen!

Picture it: The new, GEN FAKE-produced babies(most of which have a body double, or multiple)will grow up and all look the same, and probably be retarded. An army of 8 over there, a smiling Christan family of 19, a mom and dad plus 12, and they're all looking to bank on the next reality show or media circus.

I believe the children are are future, teach them well and let them lead the way....

Whitney Houston made that song popular in 1986. I think she had some insight then, WAY before the crack. She knew what was up, we just didn't listen, we never listen.

Swine Flu 2009

Now, whose idea was this? With all that is going on in the economy and world right now, people are going to focus on the newest craze, a flu pandemic. It seems that the media grabs on to what people will be most afraid of and exploit the shit out of it. All the hypochondriacs out there have even more reason to set up camp next to next fox five news headline:THE WAR AGAINST THE SWINE FLU. Whenever there is a problem, bring the war against it!

This flu pandemic makes us realize how vulnerable we really are to any kind of spreadable, harmful substance. In times of war, or any time at all, it's difficult not to let the mind wonder to the possibles of biological warfare and how the human race can even survive that. If you think some people are ugly now, imagine the possibilities with some harsh genetic alterations.

I remember seeing a movie called "Threads" in high school about nuclear war and the after effects. Since it was high school, we watched it over several weeks I believe and at the end, i recall sitting there scared stiff. My palms were sweaty and panic was setting in as the realization of that movie became so real in my mind. Ever since then, I await the day where it will come true.

That is the kind of news we need to be aware of. How can we possibly control a "natural illness"? We should focus more on the problems already created, attempt to fix those rather than tyring to stop hurricanes from coming and lava to stop flowing. I think we're having a hard time playing god and understanding what is still natural verses man made.

Blessing of the Sun

I'm not religious, but today is a historic Jewish day. According to rabbinic tradition, on this day, the sun is in the exact position it occupied at the time of Creation. This event happens every 28 years and is even more rare this year because it happens to fall on the same day as Passover, celebrated each spring, commemorating the Jewish exodus out of slavery in Egypt. This year, both coincide today, with sun blessings to begin at sunup and Passover to begin at sundown.

It will mark the fourth such sun blessing-Passover convergence in history - the last fell in 1925, the one before that in 1309 during the Middle Ages. It's amazing that math and science work into religion so precisely and yet still there is this element of "coincidence" that not even the best scientist or highest priest could explain.

Astronomy, science and the way the whole universe works is a constant mystery to me, no matter how much reading i do on the topic. Often I find myself thinking how it's even possible to be traveling a such a speed while rotating in an invisible orbit in a constant perfect balance between the sun and the moon.

For Jewish people, counting the solar years in increments of 28 is just one more way of marking a new beginning. Today is also a full moon, symbolizing a full circle, an end of a cycle, or new beginning. I guess we're always looking for new ways to start over. Maybe this year could be my new beginning.