Madhouse Photography

Coming shortly is a fantastic website of primarily New York City photography, I will post the link when they are finished with construction. Consisting of Cityscapes, Sunsets, Nature and Artistic shots; they are incredibly talented and had the luxury of awesome vantage points normally not available; and taken through a truly creative filter and comprised from a truly creative spirit. If you love city photography, in particular New York City and that urban essence, you will love this. There are also Nature shots and Artistic shots for those not into the concrete jungle scene, but appreciate art and are looking for exceptional prints, most of which can be sized up to 2'x4'. Madhouse Photography will suit the needs of office decor, businesses, house decor, etc. looking for that urban element. I love it, I've mentioned I'm always on the lookout for Art of any medium because individual expression, personal creativity and the realm of artistic impression are vital. If you would like more information email HERE.

Mexican in Shining Armor (The Tire Iron and The Tamale)

                                                                        

I encountered an article from The New York Times (you can read it here), called The Tire Iron and The Tamale. It is basically recapping experiences a man named Justin Horner had, as far as having multiple blow outs on the road or car trouble of sorts and the only people to come to his rescue were Mexican immigrants. Justin Horner is a graphic designer from Portland, OR.  Be forewarned this has absolutely nothing to do with illegal immigrants or immigration policies or opinions on the “Arizona” law, (which I’m completely against) it’s about attitude. There are two reasons why this has semblance and has struck me. One, I can painstakingly relate to this ordeal. With one contemptible exception; I had to pay one hundred dollars to the highway patrol for use of their jack… Two, the only thing Americans need to be threatened by sometimes concerning immigrants is their American spirit and humanity.

In the article, the man watched tow truck after tow truck; car after car ; pass him by without a crumb of help being thrown his way, even though he posted signs in the window of his car and offered money. A family of four Mexican immigrants, transiently in the country for the tedious task of picking cherries and peaches on a farms and then returning home; altruistically stopped and donated their assistance. But not to the extensiveness one would expect. At first the jack was too small and the father took out a saw and cut a log that was on the side of the road, to prop the jack on to. The tire iron broke; the wife devotedly and blissfully walked to a gas station to go by a new one. This irksome and burdensome ordeal had taken hours and after trying to pay the Mexicans for their troubles, they so graciously responded by asking the gentleman down on his luck if he was hungry. “The two of us were filthy and sweaty. His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in. I tried to put a 20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up to the van and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could.” He said. The daughter benevolently handed him homemade tamale, where the man discovered the father had put the money inside the wrapper of the tamale. “The guy just smiled and, with what looked like great concentration, said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me.” This family was here for such a brief time, probably underpaid, to perform work most Americans would not and all too grateful of this; all the while portraying the morals and character that Americans say they posses and standby but too often falling short.

                                                                             

When my car broke down on a highway in the south, in the winter and late at night; it was a tire blow out by an exit ramp and right in front of a toll booth; I did not have road service of any kind and I realized the monumental mistake of that. Myself and the person I was with asked the toll booth attendant if she had a jack, or if anyone inside the building had one; there was about seven cars in the parking lot. A security guard came out and said she did not have one either but would call over to the construction crew vigorously working on the opposite side of the highway and see if they had one. In the meantime, I was pitifully asking a couple of people who were stopping to pay a toll if they could offer any assistance. The toll booth attendant “allowed” this a couple of times but then proceeded to say we couldn’t do that anymore, even though no one complained, I suppose it was parallel to panhandling. The attendant had been weary to some degree from the start as if this was a set up and a ploy for a much bigger crime in the process. I made a sign just as the man did in the article, offering money as well and only one group of young kids traveling in a band stopped to help but their equipment was too small for our car. When desperately checked back with the security guard after an hour or so, she said the equipment the construction crew would have would be too big. What am I trapped in the Goldilocks and the Three Bears? I certainly wasn’t running into the surrounding forests; mind you there was nothing for miles and miles that we could see. I didn’t realize how desolate these areas were. I was also under the impression that southern hospitality wasn’t a myth. I certainly vocalized that. The toll booth attendant said to call the highway patrol and after calling, it was out of sheer principle that I wanted to avoid having to pay that much for use of a jack. We decided to drive the car as far as we could take it, in hopes there would be a gas station, going about 10mph with the hazard lights on, I watched state trooper after trooper zoom by with absolutely no regard to one of the only cars on the highway with hazard lights on crawling at a snail’s pace. When I came to the realization of no rescue and no gas stations were present, we pulled the car over, right by wafting wildfire smoke nonetheless, and called the highway patrol.

In the article the man thought to himself “This family, undoubtedly poorer than just about everyone else on that stretch of highway, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours out of their day to help a strange guy on the side of the road while people in tow trucks were just passing him by. I sat in my car eating the best tamale I’ve ever had, and I just started to cry.” It also made me think of my experience and past experiences. I remember once in my early twenties when I was in college and budgeting wasn’t a priority, I was outside of a 7-11 counting change so I could purchase milk. While other patrons were looking at me like I should be mortified and ashamed of my affliction and situation, a Hispanic woman came over and handed me whatever was in her pockets. Thinking of this and the situation with my car trouble; I thought to myself after paying enough for a month’s worth of electricity for use of the highways patrolman’s jack, being jerked around by the only people around for miles at the toll booth and silently being accused of a possible crime suspected I’d commit, being passed by half a dozen state troopers and suffering minor smoke inhalation, in retrospect, I would have given anything for a Mexican immigrant in shining armor.

                                                                              

Incoming...Man Down

                                                              

              First, I want to affirm that I have not read the book Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women are Better Cops, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers and Just About Everything Else By Dan Abrams. I just want to address the overall premise of it. Secondly, I want to reiterate that I would be established at the forefront of any feminist movement, but not to suggest I support radicalism in any sense. I read a quote all too relevant to this. “The anti-male philosophy of radical feminism has filtered into the culture at large is incontestable; indeed, this attitude has become so pervasive that we hardly notice it any longer". Whether I align with Charlotte Hay’s ideologies is a separate issue. I have to agree with that statement. I think that women can execute professionally and succeed as well as a man and should be compensated the same amount in their paycheck. I’m all for women deciding to have families on their own (as opposed to Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin), all for women having complete control over their bodies, to make their own decisions regarding them under privacy protection and I recognize the ongoing battle of sexism in this country. Many woman exhibit traits that some men do not and vice versa, as far as assigned social gender identity roles and that’s the point...individuality, personal characteristics and balance. I’m not a fan of this mantra that women are better than men or the other way around. I’m not a cheerleader for stereotypes articulating males are good in math and females are good with reading comprehension or any other somewhat demeaning "statistics" that are put forth. I’m shocked that is asserted. In fact, the most detrimental and worst thing you could be, is in the box society puts you in. To be packed snuggly in your assigned gender role with corresponding pink or blue foam packing peanuts…which is analogous to other “boxes” potentially set up for us to be packed in, either pertaining to class, creativity, intelligence, sexuality, religion, nationality, race etc. There are women who can build a mean house and a man who picks out killer throw pillows. When you watch talk shows or sitcoms they always portray the husband as a bumbling idiot and the wife as a savior. This is no better than and comparable to (minus the violence) showing the wife always in the kitchen with an apron and the husband raising his fist insinuating he’s going to launch her out of the stratosphere. They always show men trying to watch a game and the wife rolling her eyes. On the talk shows if the man said he thinks he’s better at something the crowd will boo, reverse it and the crowd goes wild. It is damaging enough that double standards run rampant, let us not contribute to it.

There exists examples, justifications, and accounts why sundry statistics are just that. Some women might excel at managing a budget possibly because she’s a single mother solely responsible for children and the finances or she has a degree in accounting, who knows!?! This is not always the case and completely irrelevant. Maybe men might get hit by lightening at a greater rate because their wives sent them out there to fix something or get something or maybe he jumped in the way of danger to protect his wife. It doesn’t matter. Dan Abrams says men are just being “dim bulbs” and their bravado got them in trouble which may be true, however, it’s not lost on me that bravado could save my ass. It’s more likely, a woman will sacrifice herself for her children; a man will sacrifice himself for his whole family or possibly someone else’s. There is an agglomeration of women that are shameful mothers and fathers who are raising children on their own that put others to shame. Some young women now, need to concentrate on being better versions of themselves,  the younger generations who don’t seem to take an interest in all that women had fought for a substantial amount of time to be able to assume form of a CEO or to attain to become president. Not just learning how to submerse your head in bleach, the art of tanning, the skill of finding a good plastic surgeon and fight over a romantic interest. A good number of young men should learn how to treat women with respect and not keep them on a score card deducting points for a girl being a “GRENADE”. It’s been said women have more of a pain threshold over men. Whatever the case may be, I’ve seen some individuals cry over a baby gash on their leg and others walk around with bullet holes, regardless of gender. The United States ranks lower as far as the amount of women in government and it’s been alleged that having more women in government causes it to be less corrupt. .whether that is the case or not, there should be a balance, a yin and yang in all scenarios.

 I’m sure you’ve read that the yin yang symbolizes contradicting forces that are interdependent upon one another in the natural world. They only exist in relation to each other, meaning without each other they don’t exist at all. There are varying degrees of this, many shades, but the principle in nature is always trying to achieve a state of equilibrium, homeostasis is critical to life. It’s a paradox in a sense that it seems in order to give women equal footing they have to push ahead to rise above by pushing men to the side and eventually down. In the same sense that an opponent tries to take out another opponent out of the competition when what should really happen is for the competitors be based on their performance equally and whoever wins…is the winner. We don’t need to keep breeding prejudices, it’s a slippery slope. For sometime men had been accused and convicted of sexual assault and related crimes just based on the woman’s testimony. Men have a presumption of being guilty more so than a woman. Women have a 50% more likely chance of beating a murder conviction. Men are 5x more likely to face the death penalty. There were policies that a man could not sit next to an unaccompanied child on a plane, out of perception that men were prone to be potential child abusers. This presumption that men are more inclined to be dangerous has lead to a disproportionate number of women in fields of nursing ,child care, end of life care, nursing homes, elementary education, and secretarial positions. An unfortunate comparison to the years men were disproportionate in everything else. You don’t have to give credit to an individual or gender or race by putting another down. Didn’t we learn that in elementary school not to bully someone or sabotage someone to make ourselves feel or look better? Women have needed to fight the good fight over the years, as well as minorities and this certainly does nothing to help the fight for people of vastly different lifestyles and sexualities. Misogyny has been all too apparent, let’s not increase the misandry and add that to the ever growing pile of phobias that perpetuate the ever increasing divide amongst us.The overall goal is to work AWAY from discrimination. I’m sure we’ve all felt depending on the situation which friend would best be suited to our time in need when we’ve needed one. It’s the same principle that it depends on individual qualities. I prefer individuals that are not male or female, black or white, gay or straight for the job or predicament, but the better qualified, the best suited and better at not being a jackass.

 

“As far as I'm concerned, being any gender is a drag.”- Patti Smith

The (Not So) Lonely Whale...

                                                                              
 Have you read the story of the “supposed” lonely whale? It was originally printed by the New York Times in 2004. In summary, it’s about a baleen whale (its call identified in 2000) that has been tracked by the NOAA since 1992 after its calls were picked up in 1989. Apparently, since his calls are registered at a higher level frequency, 52 Hz (the lowest note on a tuba) and much higher than other whales, they say he has not been able to find a mate.You can listen to his call here, click on the 241k file. Every year only the mating calls of this mighty stag are recorded at that frequency. It’s also been suggested that whales call out in song for kinship. Furthermore, he does not follow the proverbial migration route of other baleen whales, so he is the only pea in his pod... Why is this? Some scientist believe the whale “might possibly be a hybrid of two whales, but do not speculate upon which species of whale could have got together to produce an animal with calls at a frequency so monumentally dissimilar to other baleen whales” or deformed in some manner or possible the last of an unknown species. “to be classed as a new animal, even if the whale popped out of the water on camera during a live broadcast and posed for photos, unless there was a body, that evidence, would for some scientists, still carry only the same weight as one of their kid’s crayon pictures” said Oll Lewis. The Woods Hole scientists are unable to explain the dramatic difference, but say the chance of it being a new species is unlikely, that the vocal range of the known species might be wider than previously suggested. The Woods Hole scientists were able to track the migratory pattern of the whale over several years, but this was only after the sounds had been declassified and released to them. It’s not probable we would ever know what the whale looks like or even if it is even still alive. The latest article written was 2011. However, baleen whales were presumed to live 50–60 years, but new studies using the changes in amino acids behind eye lenses proved another baleen whale, the bowhead, to be 211 years old. Baleen whales are known to be solitary or travel in small pods. Some believe that the male baleen whales try to show off in the presence of females to increase their mating success in conjunction with song. The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a role in mating. There are many theories.

Dr. Kate Stafford, a researcher at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, says that the lonely whale keeps saying “Hey, I'm out here” but "nobody is phoning home."  Only one set of calls are heard at a time, revealing that the sounds are made by an individual. Do they know for sure that he’s not a “baby daddy”? Maybe he said wham, bam, thank you ma’am and he retreated to his life on the lam. This is where the animal world is not comparable to us. In the animal kingdom, animals are more apt to stick with what works as far as natural selection, it’s too dangerous for them to hedge their bets the way people can…nature is just too risky. There have been studies done that prove (as much as possible) that animals in the wild do not suffer depression of that of humans, exhibit suicidal behavior, die from loneliness, have eating disorders and other psychopathic behaviors unless a cognitive disability, emotional impairment or distress is present. The exception of course is with confinement, human involvement, farms and laboratories. It can be difficult to attribute human afflictions to non- human animals. “Behavioral Disorders are difficult to study in animals because it is difficult to know what animals are thinking and because animals used to determine psychopathologies are done so with experimental preparations developed to study a condition, lacking the ability to use language to study behavioral disorders like depression and stress questions the validity of those studies conducted”. I’m surprised that this amount of time has gone by without being able to find the whale, however I understand the difficulty in locating him and the manpower it would take. It’s difficult for me to imagine that two whales of different species would mate, but not two of the same species because one has a different tone “voice”. If the whale was depressed , lonely and seeking a mate without any success, assuming he had the emotions to the magnitude a human would, would he also exhibit the same behavior a human would in that plight, meaning, would he still try? “Low mood increases an organism's ability to cope with the adaptive challenges characteristic of unpropitious situations in which effort to pursue a major goal will likely result in danger, loss, bodily damage, or wasted effort." Why bother if it’s not going to be possible? Maybe he’s the Sir Francis Drake, Cpt. James Cook, or the Magellan of whales exploring the deep blue. This could be the George Clooney of whales.

I’m a fan of paradoxes and it was said in one article, adapted in my words, that the whale too considerable to amour or befriend other sea souls that it crosses, making him feel so paradoxically slight in the expansiveness of the ocean. I just have a feeling; inkling that that is just is not the case. I don’t imagine the whale moping around the ocean for years debating whether or not to come up for air. “That he would do anything for just one hug”... Maybe it’s not a whale at all, maybe it’s an alien, maybe it’s the military…maybe it’s a lonely person pulling a prank on the marine scholars.What’s more interesting to me is not the articles but how the articles are written and the people that respond so empathetically to it. The original story was extracted from a December issue of Deep Sea Research, but it has been spun into a tale, in which the moral is very pronounced. Someone who themselves is a sentimentalist, a hopeless romantic, or lonely at times or even feeling out casted to an ambit, can appreciate why every article and blog I peruse about the 52 Hz whale insists that this whale is sad, depressed, lonely, looking for love, looking for friends, looking to belong.; it’s possible people are projecting onto the whale, or conceptualizing the whale to posses human cognition and emotions. Relating him to a time in life when they’ve felt this way or someone they’ve known to feel that way or just knowing that people in general perpetually feel that way. There is an abundance of people that live life in solidarity and are perfectly stable and content, taking each day as it is, just happy to have a heartbeat. This whale is probably content just being alive and not having a harpoon up its ass. That’s the lesson in this. Who knows what little whale adventures he has every day. The substantial and essential difference regarding people is, even thought we may differ to breadths and scopes where we are ousted for not meeting certain societal guidelines and standards, our communication being atrocious from time to time or chronically, we have evolved to be so many versions of each other, manifested into many incarnations of what it is to be human. That's the beautiful quality about us, no matter our differences. We have so  many divergent ways of expression and communication, individual styles of leading our lives, methods of attaining our fundamental needs, many ways we interpret and many ways of relating, many ways of learning and many ways of believing, many ways of thinking and many ways of speaking. At times contrasting, but still alike and kindred enough that we manage to find someone to accept us, understand us, relate to us, listen to us, talk to us, take care of us, be with us, love us…and hear our call.

                                                                            

“I saw it all, I knew it all-the million years of waiting alone, for someone to come back who never came back. The million years of isolation at the bottom of the sea, the insanity of time there, while the skies cleared of reptile-birds, the swamps fried on the continental lands, the sloths and sabre-tooths had their day and sank in tar pits, and men ran like white ants upon the hills.”-Ray Bradbury 1951 The Foghorn

Joss & Main Art

A home without art, is like a furnace without fire...like a heart without passion. A fridge with no food? We need to look at things in our home that make us feel tranquil, make us feel at home, inspire us everyday, and if you are not one to paint yourself, then I like to find places where I can find some beautiful things. If you are in the market for any wall art, contemporary furniture, or eco-friendly rugs check it. They're always changing items, they're exclusive, and sales are available daily. http://www.jossandmain.com/store/myinvite/aSx

Climate Initiative Cooperation...Or Rather, Lack Thereof

 I recently staggered across a map of the Regional Climate Initiatives in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, whilst looking for clip art and developed some impressions about it. I was slightly taken back by it at first glance to be candid, right now-” 23 U.S. states have actively participated in the design and/or implementation of three regional cap-and trade programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”. Of course it should read 50 states, why wouldn’t all of our states be involved? It became no surprise to me; I surely wasn’t flabbergasted in the least, that the states that are not participating, concurring, partaking...are in the southeast region primarily, some Midwest, some Mid-Atlantic and Texas. (Butter my biscuit! It’s like two goats in a pepper patch, better not count my chickens ‘cause it’s gonna’ be a snowballs chance in hell that they will!...I just jest with them. I love the South.) The “Solid South’s” representatives can always be depended on in matters such as this!  It really is just like trying to shove an elephant. On the map are- “The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (Midwestern Accord), and the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). Five Canadian provinces are also active participants and five Mexican states”. Our collective and collaborative objective should be to maneuver ourselves to subsist in manners that protect the Earth in all its grandeur and beauty and all its flora and fauna.

Presumably, we’ve all seen these statements from the EPA, “Glaciers around the world are shrinking, and the amount of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has decreased since the 1970s. Average sea level worldwide is projected to rise up to two feet by the end of this century. This rise would eliminate approximately 10,000 square miles of land in the United States. Hurricanes in the Atlantic are likely to become more intense as ocean temperatures rise. As temperatures rise, some migratory birds are spending the winter an average of 35 miles further north than they did 40 years ago.” No matter what the debate is over, causes and consequences, please don’t argue over its obviously apparent existence. Science doesn’t care whether someone believes in it or not. I’ve lived along coastlines my whole life, I’ve been in hurricane prone areas, which would not be a good time to have the sea level rise 6ft or have a category 8 hurricane. Waterworld was an epic FAIL, we don’t need that! I don’t want to have to live in the limestone caves of Missouri or experience not getting a ticket to the ark project being built in china. (Those are movies in case you don’t recognize that). How does seeing the polar bear clinging to the one little piece of glacier, starving, not affect somone?

 I watched CSPAN not too long ago during a bill debate ( I suggest watching while playing a drinking game, take a shot every time you hear the words, yield, gentleman, gentle lady and good friend, then cancel all plans) that would put tighter regulations on the cement companies. Republicans said, regulating the companies will cause them to move to china, and china has little to no regulation (look at the street food) and is responsible for the massive amounts of mercury already that’s contaminating the country particularly the west and the south, and it will become worse. Democrats say that the regulations will not be to the extent that the companies will find it necessary to relocate, and that’s not reason enough for all of the companies that would remain, to not abide by these regulations, considering mercury is a neurotoxin and is causing damage and killing American children, using the equation, 1 American child=10,000 children from the Congo. (OK, not the last part) Good enough reason, though. I wouldn’t crack open an antiquated thermometer and drink it.

 It’s along similar, analogous lines, the states that don’t want the regulation, are from an aforementioned particular region. I deride at the fact the posture of the regions are way too easy to stereotype. The sentiment is not representative of all the citizens in those areas, just the citizens that elect these cretins to represent them. One of the most important reasons against and answer to why those states lack of participation and nihilism (what they do believe it is, is Liberal agenda mumbo-jumbo, hocus-pocus, God's wrath and/or science fiction) is the fact that most of those states are knee-deep in natural gas extraction. It’s a very formidable, unstable, potentially fatal process, it’s not called fracturing for nothing or “fracking” (different spelling, but it is not a term of endearment if you’ve ever watched Battlestar Galactica). Watch the documentary Gasland by Josh Fox. He talks to citizens that live at or around these sites and they suffer from a variety of chronic health problems, amongst other damaging happenings, one being a lack of adequate drinking water (for instance, it’s combustible) to which the companies response, reimbursement, and punitive reaction was to provide the victims with a shiny, new portable water tank. I just jest for the most part with the south, however, it is a serious matter. I would rather NOT be able to set the water that comes out of my sink on FIRE, aflame...no matter how fun it is for the kids!

                                                                           

War on Women Part 3

                                                                           
 It's Time for Women to Take Another Stand for Our Rights.

As I’ve written about this before, this is another example of advancing onslaught on women’s rights and privacy rights, between a woman and her doctor. This is, again, a paradox on behalf of the GOPs part, and nothing short of hypocrisy, being that one of the platforms they stand so tall on is less regulation and less intrusive government. What’s more intrusive then getting involved in women’s sex lives and reproductive matters. In light of the defunding of Planned Parenthood debate (See my post War on Women Part 2), to the redefining of the word “rape” to “forcible rape” (As if the GOP needs to make sure the woman absolutely didn’t consent…come on), I didn’t think the Republican legislators could possible make their plight any more heinous. A Georgia legislator, Rep. Bobby Franklin, introduced a bill that would manage miscarriages as potential crimes, impel jail sentences and possible even a death penalty sentence. There would be police intervention as if it were a crime scene to see if there was any wrongdoing or mal intent on the woman’s part. This is analogous to the bill in North Dakota that alluded to legalizing the murder of abortion providers, deeming it justifiable homicide or the bill sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) that would essentially allow hospitals to let women die, rather than provide a termination of a pregnancy. How this is justifiable to their religious values that surges them to this behavior is baffling, nothing short of hypocrisy and criminality from my determination. It’s the Christian Reconstructionists that are behind all of this. Read ‘What Every American Should Know about Who’s Really Running America; and What You Can Do about It’ by Melissa Rossi and Bill Moyers' 1992 documentary God in Politics: on Earth as It Is in Heaven or as I’ve said, Betty Friedan's 1963 book ‘The Feminine Mystique’.

With this bill there aren’t any guidelines as to how such a determination is to be made, are they going to require women who have had miscarriages to produce evidence that it was an act of nature and not their fault and have it become a criminal investigation? This is so offensive, invasive, and degrading to women. This exremism is manifesting into new evils, very contrary to what they preach their motivation is, crossing boundaries I never imagined and fathomed possible in this country. Not only does Rep. Bobby Franklin share the “small government, less intrusive government” ideals that most of the GOP does, he also opposes public schools and thinks the state has no authority to issue driver's licenses. He also believes government has a “biblically-defined” role. This has absolutely crossed the line for me, the Republicans, since they took control of the house have done nothing but try to take rights away from women and annihilate unions, where are the health care reform options and the job creation, which was of highest priority, they promised? Women have to support women and support women’s rights to privacy. We cannot allow this to happen.

$15 Promotional Giveaway

 

One passion of mine in lieu of drawing and painting is interior decorating, especiallly being what's most affordable and what allows you to DIY. Some methods I'm head over heals for is wall decals. What's great about that particular method is the creative freedom and the INDIVIDUALITY it can provide. They can be applied on almost anything imaginable, for instance along with ambient lights they can be placed around and above LCD TV Stands , bookcases, and fireplaces since that is usually a focal point, please let your mind run free with inspiration and creativity. One of the websites I shop in is csn stores, great stuff. I'm giving away a $15 promotional code for you to use as you like in any of their stores. You won't be dissapointed. All you have to do to win is leave a comment and choose a number between 1-100, closest to the number picked by the random number generator without going over wins! Please give me a way to contact you if you are otherwise not registered. I will choose a winner of the giveaway a week from today at midnight, and announce the winner Thursday, March 10th!

Chocolate Moments and Hours of Energy Ads

 All of the ads for chocolate portraying women having an affair with it have to stop, not that truffles are not one of my most favorite possessions. Awhile ago, Mars was going to come out with a chocolate bar called ‘Fling’ or chocolate “fingers” to be exact (more ladylike) in a pink shiny package, wherein, the ad suggested, this type of cheating you don’t need to feel guilty for and print ads that were composed of saying-pleasure yourself. (Shakes head) Other ads show women having a “moment”, telling them they deserve it, emulating a lustful atmosphere between the woman and her chocolate, in a bathtub, on rose petals, on a train…Should I remind you women are the primary target and consumers when it comes to the billion dollar industry of weight loss? We must also not forget the incessant suggestions that women crave chocolate during certain times designated by nature. (Shakes head) The cocoa butter melts just below body temperature, which gives it the addictive melt in the mouth sensation, combined with the euphoria of sugar, phenylethylamine as a mood enhancer and an energy boost from caffeine…equates to perfection. Obviously, the physiological effects of chocolate and stigmas attached to women are a perfect storm for advertisers. Some little Facts-During WWll manufacturers insisted female air raid wardens buy a box of chocolates because it would provide “extra nutrition”. In the sixties the "me" moments arose, due to cultural changes and women's place in the workforce. In Japan, women actually give chocolates to men on Valentine’s Day...Most of the men I know have more of a reaction to the chocolate in those ads then women. As Bill Mahr said, “Do they make a Viagra for women? Yes, apparently Dove does.”

I have not tried the certain energy drink that we see so frequently advertised, but I have some opinions on this. I had a bad experience with a caffeine pill a long time ago and one time I’ve actually ended up in the hospital after my 9^th cup of coffee. I know, first hand, there are situations that require an artificial boost of alertness and energy...People driving long distances, doctors and nurses, etc.  So I’m not going to saying anything negative about the product, but the commercials are a different issue. You have to love the energy commercial where the man is lethargically slumbering in his kitchen thinking to himself, “Only 20 minutes! No time for coffee”…weren’t automatic timers put on the coffee makers a long time ago? It works in seconds and last for hours...weren't we told to just say no to things of the such? I've had two sips of certain coffee that worked so fast and was so strong, I was practically hallucinating. There is also the other version where the woman is saying even when she leaves work, her job is never done, she walks into the house, the kids are running amok, she has her hands full of grocery bags…and where is her husband? Sitting on the couch reading the paper…she doesn’t need the energy drink, she needs to tell her husband to get off the couch…

                                                                           

Patriotism is Not About Bumper Stickers

                                                                              
Patriotism-is defined as love and devotion to one’s country not frenzied outbursts of emotion. Is there love and devotion to one’s own people? This is the question. To me this is another, almost, paradox. Everybody supports our troops or they should, unconditionally, you don’t have to agree with what they are doing but you have to support them in what they are doing, since they’re not even permitted to question what they are doing. These are our fellow Americans fighting and dying for us. Now if you do oppose what an administration is using them for, a lot of people can call you unpatriotic, the administration itself will. On the contrary, I might be more patriotic because I don’t want to see these soldiers die in vain, they are not an expendable to me. Don’t make the mistake and criticize the distribution of wealth or corporations, now you are an unpatriotic anti-capitalist. Want affordable healthcare and regulation? You are now an unpatriotic, anti-capitalist socialist. It is the most prodigious affair when there is a national disaster or attack (foreign or domestic) or a tragedy of some kind, to see the outpouring of love and support, the slew of emotions and actions that transpires, after such event, from Americans…it is unmatched. We are an intensely compassionate country. However when it comes to caring about each other on a daily basis, when it comes to fundamental needs, there is a lapse and usually attached to some kind of ridicule, hostility or judgment. I’ll start with poverty; Americans incessantly campaign to help other impoverished nations. There are multitudes of American’s, children, adult and elderly…even veterans, that go without fundamental needs…shelter, food, water…healthcare. Roughly 13 to 17% of Americans living below the federal poverty line at any given point in time, and roughly 40% falling below the poverty line at some point within a 10-year time span. Overall, 5.6 percent of veterans lived in poverty in 1999.The youngest veterans, those who served in August 1990 or later, were among the most likely to be poor, with a poverty rate of 6.2 percent.

                                                                           
47 million Americans still have no health insurance and the proportion of children with no health insurance has risen, with the poorest children the most likely to be uninsured. What do we here from the patriotic uncompassionate? Get a job. If a person accepts assistance in anyway, there is a great out lash against it. President Reagan was an individual who greatly looked down on disadvantaged people and the same sentiment exists now tenfold, that the person is lazy or not trying hard enough. However, Reagan’s own family benefited from FDR’s New Deal, leaving to question where his family would have been without it. Was it ever considered that the playing field has become increasingly uneven? How about raising the minimum wage? Quality education is not available to a great number of children. The costs of healthcare are just too great for even members of the upper classes. How about all Americans having the same rights? Just to clarify I’m not talking about abuse of resources. If we are so patriotic, it begs to differ that this does not help our country as a whole on a global competitive level or even exhibit the morals and values that are perpetually preached. This hostility is also directly related to what is happening to unions in this country (See Class Warfare, Fazed and Not Amused). It’s an attack on the classes.

 If we are so patriotic, how can we stand by and see people die from lack of healthcare or going bankrupt as a result, losing their house or business or job, therefore ending up in a situation that we so “despise” needing assistance for food and shelter, if the Americans aren’t dead. A colossal amount of American’s identifies with this being a Christian country. Would Jesus approve? Over 2 billion dollars were given for Faith Based Initiatives under Pres. George W. Bush. The separation of church and state was noted as one of major issues with the Faith-Based Initiatives laws. Critics have claimed that millions in government grants have gone to ministries operated by political supporters of the Bush administration. But to what extent can they help? In fact they cannot provide any assistance, if say, a chemotherapeutic agent that a patient has to take if they have cancer and cannot afford, is almost nine thousand dollars a month. They won’t provide assistance if the medication is over a certain amount. Not to mention there is no regulation with the foods that churches provide to people. People who rely on nutritional assistance provided from a faith based venue, are given foods that are in unmarked packaging, beyond the expiration date, and are composed of highly refined carbohydrates. There in resulting in problems that lead to other problems. “Supporters had hoped the Faith-Based Initiative would be about solving problems of poverty and an over-burdened welfare system, while opponents feared rampant proselytizing with government funds. Instead, these initiatives by and large did not offer substantial new fiscal support to those in need. In the place of this hope and fear, and despite the good intentions of many, these initiatives became powerful political symbols in the fight to reshape church/state relationships and distribution of political power”-Rebecca Sager. I love my county, I love my Americans… It’s not about flying a flag, wearing a pin or decorating bumpers...