People Power

Back in the 80's and 90's I used to wonder how much power people actually had.  Back then it seemed like there was not enough power to effect any kind of social or consumer change.  Today we have two things that places power squarely on the people, communications via the internet and the economic recession.  These two enable the types of change we see today.

Revolutions are going on in the Islamic world.  Starting with Iran in 2009 and continuing this month, January 2011, people in the Middle East and Northern Africa are demonstrating in the streets.  They are unhappy with their governments and want them to listen.  They got organized and spread the word among them via the modern communications the internet brings.  Actually, this phenomena is not only affecting politics in Islam dominant countries, but western countries as well.  In the United States, the democrat people have been using it to protest social and political problems.  I heard that the internet was effective early in the campaign of Barak Obama for the Presidency.  Recently, the other side to include Republicans have banned together to form the movement called the Tea Party to bring about political and legislative change.  What change will the people be able to bring about?  In Tunisia, the dictator was ousted, but what kind of government will he be replaced with?  The hope is a democratic government, but we will have to see.

With the effects of the recession being felt, companies are smarting up.  It used to be that they were able to come out with a gadget, market it and sell it and make a profit.  This was in spite of what people actually thought about the product, or how safe it was.  Recently I saw a ad by Radio Shack which was different.  It marketed non-contractual cell phones.  That's prepaid cell phones.  I thought that was remarkable.  It indicates that more people are buying prepaid cell phones rather than the contractual cell phones.  It also indicates that companies like Radio Shack is paying attention.  Usually this means that the company wants to make money in the area its marketing.  So the purchasing power of the people is effecting change.

So here we are in 2011 with some people power in politics and economics.  Its limited, but its there.  So kudos to those who are exercising it.  Its the Democratic way.  To those who are currently protesting, kudos to you for presenting your grievances.  Its an inalienable right.

Essay, A Very Useful Format

In the last few posts, I've written my viewpoint in essay format. Yes the same essay format that is taught in schools and GED programs. Yes that seemingly boring and tedious way of writing that you would never use because its seemed so obtuse. Actually I'm fond of the essay format.  I want to say something about the different essay genres, what is the best genre for blogging, and why blog in essay format.

Did you know there are several different types of genre of essays?  Purdue.edu has a good web site on the different essay genres (click here).  In a writing class I was challenged with the argumentative essay.  In the argumentative essay you have to come up with arguments against your own argument.  If your passionate about your argument in the first place it really forces you to think of the other side(s) of the issue.  Its a real mind bender.

Mostly here I've been using the narrative essay genre.  I think its a good fit for blogging.  The reason is that the narrative format allows the writer or blogger to be creative.  It's the lighter of the essay genres.  It also allows you to speak your mind and that is what blogging is all about.

Why should any essay format be used in blogging?  That's a good question.  Most bloggers just write.  Their format varies but mostly it comes out like a conversation of what my day was like.  That's fine if you just want to share your experiences, but if you want to make a point nothing drives it better than an essay format.  The essay forces you to sum up your thought into one thesis statement that drives the whole piece.  From there you break down what points you want.  Three to five points are great, but you could still only have two points and that's fine as well.  Some teachers mention a five paragraph essay.  That is not written in stone.  The emphasis on five paragraphs was pointing to the essay format in general.  An introduction paragraph, a paragraph for each point, and a conclusion paragraph.  That's really all its about.  I'm afraid people have been put off by the five paragraph requirement by some teachers.  After you put it all together you can see how it makes you explain your argument in a clean concise way that anyone can read.

Well, knowing the different genres, trying out a narrative genre, and organizing your thoughts in an essay format for a blog will explain what you are trying to say to most people.  That's why I believe that essay writing has a place in the blogging movement, and that's why I use it.

Financial War

In the aftermath of the 2009 recession, the financial landscape is pretty decimated.  Jobs are hard to find.  Big business is still trying to find ways to make money and grow.  Housing foreclosures doesn't seem to stop.  Services are tacking more fees on things and reducing service.  Education sector is trying to save money.  States are faced with cutting budgets and services and raising taxes.  Its nothing short of a Financial War.  The enemy is economic fragility.  In such a frail state another financial catastrophe could be sparked.  We have to work in virtual unison to get ourselves financially stable.  I have a few ideas how.


Reduce your costs.  This not only includes shopping costs but also avoiding fees by paying on time or early.  Make a list of shopping needs and another for shopping wants.  Research your shopping wants and make a plan to save money for them one at a time.  This will give you goals to work for and keep you encouraged as time goes on.  Take a calculator to the grocery store and tally up your items as you go.  You may consider what you need versus impulse purchases.  Consider TV via the internet versus Cable or Satellite TV.  Services such as Netflix, HuluPlus, and Amazon On Demand are paid services but much less than the traditional paid TV.  There are also free video stuff online.  Now we have devices that puts the internet streaming video on your television.  So the experience comes as good or better than traditional paid TV.  Look into new technology that you may be able to use.  Recently I found a LED light bulb for under ten dollars.  I bought it because I figured I could use it in a desk lamp I have.  That bulb take the place of a 40 Watt bulb and it only uses 1 Watt.  Take advantage of free services such as the public library and public parks.  These and other ideas you can implement and reduce your cost.  Regardless of how little you can save it pays off in the end because of the frugal habits you gain.

Reduce your debt.  Stop using the credit cards except for emergencies.  Pay the debt on time or off.  If you cannot find a way to pay more than minimum, then you may consider bankruptcy.  Bankruptcy protection is a legal action that at the end leaves you with no debt.  In the process you have to give up your assets as well.  For personal stuff you get to keep a lot.  Avoid credit card debt reduction scams.  If your not sure about an offer don't do it.  If you calculate all you own and take away all your debt, then that's what your basically worth.  For a lot of people that number will be a minus number.  That's when you know that you can benefit from bankruptcy protection.  This is not a popular view because its so emotional to go through it.  The reason is because there is an amount of social shame that comes with it as well as letting go of assets and old habits.  Reducing your debt will strengthen your buying power and your financial situation.

Increase your income.  Finding a job is hard now.  Hopefully, jobs will become more available.  There are a lot of people who have lost their jobs.  To make yourself more competitive, get some education.  If you don't have a High School Diploma, get into a GED program and be serious about it.  For some taking courses at their local Community College could give them some more skills.  Certificates may or may not help you in your field, research it.  You may consider changing fields.  If so, think of what you really want to do.  Then you can look for a job that resembles what you want.  The reason for this is that if you love what you are doing, then you will feel better about it.  Get a part time job.  Part time jobs may add to your full time job income but also may lead you in a different field that you enjoy better.  To find a job try going around your area and see who is hiring.  Talk to people and have some face time networking.  Small business constantly look for people to hire.  Do your research and see where you can fit.   You may be able to increase your income in a small way on the internet.  There is Amazon's Mturk which allows you to do tasks for money.  There is adding Google's adsense to your blog.  There are others opportunities to make some small income.  I look at these as a way to give you income for stuff you are already doing or love to do online.  You can start a business.  This will take a lot of personal work.  Often its better to start a business with a partner.  You will also need investors.  So knowing how to make a business plan is essential.  Above all you have to network to get the business up and running.  Who knows, you may be able to hire people who need to strengthen their financial situation.  Increasing your income even a little may yield good rewards in the future.

Strengthening you financial situation is essential to your future and society's future.  Taking steps in each area of reducing your costs, reducing your debt, and increase your income is a good tactic.  For many it will take courage to take the steps the fear to take but are necessary to take.  I say the sooner you take the steps the sooner you can rebuild, and the better you will be.  Taking care of your finances may enable you to help others in time.  The more people have financial responsibility the better the economy will get.

A Great Artist - Michelle Schaefer

Painting scenery in vibrant colors, Michelle Schaefer impressions us the emotion and majesty of scenery.  Michelle has a few categories of scenery art from different places, but I have to say I enjoy the SouthWest the best.

You can feel the arid air and the hot sun and the cool shade in her Cliff Palace depicting the Anasazi cliff village in the Mesa Verde National Park.  Love how the oranges and browns clash with the blues and greens, the inorganic and the organic in mutual harmony.  Then there's the stark unforgiving brightness of the sun.





Then theres the interpretation of Van Gogh's Starry Night brought to a Southwest village in Michelle's A Pueblo Starry Night.  She captures the watery flow of the renown artist in the sky, tree, and landscape below.  She adds the contrasting blues and oranges depicting hardness and softness with grace.  Isn't life full of such harsh times and beautiful times?





Michelle's website is worth the visit and her artwork is worth the cost.  You can find her website here.

Altrenate Learning

Do you know anyone who seems "different" or "off" mentally?  They think differently, and say odd things.  They may come off as some kind of weird or crazy.  You may feel like you want to stay away from them because you don't know what to expect.  These are the people who learn differently than most.

I know several of these people, and I count myself as one of them.  If you get to know them they may surprise you with some very ingenious gifts.  They may have not done well in traditional school and may be blue collar workers.  You may lose an argument with them if they know what they are talking about.  This is because they do think differently, and come up with things you may never come up with.

One such person I know has a large knowledge of medical injuries and is keen to read about serial killers and other criminals.  In spite of that he has a very sweet way of sharing.  He thinks people should share without the need to expect anything back, and likewise the person he shares with should not feel obligated to share as a return favor, but should share because he wants to.  I admire that perspective and find it remarkable.  Its remarkable because it hearkens to a day where life may have been simpler but harder.

Another man I know used to be a white collar worker but was in a bad car accident and now he's a blue collar worker.  He may have lost some of his cognitive abilities, but he keep learning.  He always tells me about current affairs and has some simple yet remarkable insights.  I deeply respect this man.

So in this Martin Luther King day, think about those who are different than yourself.  Try to see how they learn and perhaps you can find a new way to learn and get a fresh perspective on life.  Its beneficial to embrace those who are different and those who look different.  They are a rich source of life.

Social Responsibility

In the aftermath of the January 8th 2011 shooting in Tucson Arizona, the political talking heads came out pointing fingers at the opposite side of the Congressional isle.  They insinuated blame to each other for the atrocity.  What they did not do is to take responsibility.  What did I say, take responsibility for a crazy shooter guy actions?  Yes, I said take responsibility, but not for the shooter's actions but for the circumstances of that day.  Ike famously said "the buck stops here" referring to himself as President of the United States.  He took responsibility.  In this case the buck really stops with the boss of the President, the People.  We are the People.  We need to take responsibility.  We the People should take responsibility for the circumstances that brought about the shootings in Tucson Arizona.  I will explore what responsibility means and what it means to us, I will layout the circumstances as far as is known, and I will explore possible solutions to help prevent such an atrocity to occur.

  So we know what in the world we are talking about, let's define responsibility.  In the Dictionary.com (or should we say at Dictionary.com, I figure its a dictionary)  the word responsibility has one meaning of "a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible."  The word responsible has a definition of the same source as "answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management."  You may ask how in the world are we the people managers of the circumstances that day?  Its hard to see the responsibility.  One form of responsibility that has been thrown around is the gun and violent references made in today's political rhetoric.  If that has any part in this incident, its a small one, but it is a circumstance.  Beside the obvious legal issues this incident brings up, there exists the concept of social responsibility which is one of the main responsibilities of every citizen.  Social responsibility includes how we interact with one another, how we argue, and how we do on curtailing violence.  How are regular citizens supposed to curtail violence, isn't that the job for the police?  Every act of violence starts with an idea.  These ideas are anti-social and violent in nature.  How are we doing teaching each other to argue ideas civilly rather than resorting to violence?  Not very good as far as I can see.  How many heated arguments are there going on on the internet today?  How many people cause strife on purpose?  There is a social imbalance there.  Causing anger in people is never without its consequences.  Bullying is a social crime.  Bullying can also be a legal crime when its accompanied with verbal abuse or results in a death.  How many people know how to argue civilly or to walk away from verbal abuse?  Apparently, it's not enough.

What were the pertinent circumstances for the Tucson shooting?  There were good and bad circumstances.  Gabrielle Giffords decided to meet her constituents out side a common supermarket.  This was the main circumstance.  This type of circumstance was set up by the nature of our democratic republic.  The Representative of the People must meet the People in person.  They must interact.  Thus a level of insecurity was accepted.  The political rhetoric had been passionate in the last few months.  The rhetoric included violent imagery and wording.  This can explain a passionate crowd and could have helped the shooter take a gun that day to the scene.  Children were present, namely Christina Taylor Green who was nine years old looking to learn about politics and democracy and to help others by meeting her representative in person.  There was a crowd of people in a limited area which prevented movement.  Finally there came the shooter apparently out of his mind.  I heard that he was suffering form a form of schizophrenia or that he lost his grasp on reality.  The shooter had a gun he purchased legally.  These circumstances I gleaned from hearing news reports.  For many of these circumstances, if they were not present some lives could have been saved.  The circumstance of the crowd and no movement was a sign that there was potential risk present.  Any time you have a crowd there is risk involved.  If the crowd cannot move then the risk is very high.  What if some car ran into that crowd?  They could not move away fast enough.  A car did not run into the crowd but a shooter shot into the crowd and the crowd could not move.  There was risk involved there.  These circumstances came together and aided the result we all saw on January 8th.

Now, what how could have socially responsible citizens preventing all these circumstances from intersecting at the place and time of the shooting?  I cannot argue against Giffords' action of setting up or attending the function in front of the grocery store.  Social responsibility calls for interaction and peaceful communication among people.  Passionate rhetoric can get out of hand.  Social responsibility calls to curb the passion, or encourage to argue civilly and not in extremes.  This could have changed the shooter's mind from even going to the scene that day.  It also might have curbed his thoughts about violence.  Having children present is a touchy subject.  Social responsibility requires the chaperon to continually evaluate the situation for danger.  Was there cause to make the chaperon of Christina Taylor Green suspicious of a dangerous situation.  We could speculate here, but I'd rather leave it with her chaperon that day to judge.  Clearly a protective mindset was called for in similar situations.  About the crowd not being able to move, I feel that the citizens participating in Giffords' event could have asked to move the event over to a more open area.  This type of social responsibility we rarely see.  We want to leave it up to some security personnel.  That day there were no security personnel.  In such a case I believe that responsible citizens can look over the situation  and influence a better setup.  The shooter didn't have a grasp on reality.  Where was his support group?  Perhaps he had none.  He seemed to have some friends on the internet, and you have to wonder how they handled him and each other.  Too often people on the internet provoke other people and bully them or manipulate them for some reaction.  This is not social responsibility, but it's social irresponsibility.  We need to watch out how we treat other people even in impersonal formats like the internet.  Above all empathy could have influenced the shooter to not commit such an event.  To empathize with someone is not to condone them or even to like them, but it can be used to influence them and nudge them in a little different way.  You see if any of these circumstances were nudge in different way the results would have been far less tragic.


Social responsibility includes empathy, caring, being aware of circumstances, acting to reduce risk, being a friend, and a myriad of other things.  These things culminate in interacting with other people and not keeping to yourself nor just look out for number one.  As tragic the shooting in Tucson was, there have been other tragic situations in the past and there will be in the future.  If we are socially responsible we can minimize the effects of these situations.  Those who are socially responsible we end up calling heroes.  Heroes of that day were pointed out by President Obama in his speech to Tucson and the nation.

Here is his speech in its entirety from PBS:

Ain't One Of Us

Have you ever looked at a person and found they are not like you?  Discrimination is a big problem in today's world.  People are being discriminated based on sex, race, age, disability, learning ability or a number of other categories.  Why does this occur?  We all do it or think it.  I theorize that the problem is based on our outlook as humans.  The source of discrimination is the attitude people get that says "they ain't one of us".  When people take no group ownership of other people this causes discrimination.  We need to change our outlook of what our community actually includes in this day and age of global economy and global communication.

Its a matter of preserving the group or village.  Humans are community based entities.  We structure our society based on our concept of who we know and how we interact with them, whether it be practical interaction or cognitive empathy.  We naturally consider anyone or anything outside of the community as a potential threat.  We also show a blind eye towards the shortcomings of those in our community.  Therefore we have bias.  One of the first things we do with potential threats is that we demonize them.  We talk among our community and bad talk the potential threats.  Thus, this is where discrimination starts, and it evolves into hate and violence.

Modern man needs to expand his outlook and understand that everybody on the planet is part of his community . He needs to change his mind, from a mindset of living in just a local community to one that matches the structure of a global community working for the same thing.  Humans across the planet are generally working for freedom, economic success, and peaceful life.  We have disputes and wars, but these only stifle our efforts for our posterity.  It takes intelligence to recognize this, but it takes courage to do something about it. What are we really going to leave our sons and daughters with?

We all belong to one big village, Earth.  Look at the stars and count them.  Thus is the old old challenge to people and kids.  If you look at the sky through pictures of many space craft and telescopes eyes, you can see wonders beyond belief.  Super Novas, Gamma Ray Bursts, Nebulas, Super Black Holes are just a few wonders that are vastly greater than our planet.  If you haven't done so you might want to check it out at hubblesite.org.  You get the sense that Earth is an oasis in a desert of blackness and wild energetic stuff.  We are small, yet we are alive.  Earth is our planet and the people on it are our people.  If we are to continue as a society we must embrace this concept.  We need see how useless our petty infighting really is.  We must own all humans, animals, plants on Earth as our community, and as our village.

The realization that our community has expanded over the last 40 years can change our attitude towards others.  Our community is big and beautiful and its name is Earth.  We have global travel with the advent of the Jumbo Jet, and we have global communication with the internet.  We need to get rid of discrimination.  The first step to do that is to include everyone on the planet as part of your community.  This way you can interact with others with empathy.  This does not preclude steps you need to take to protect yourself.  You can empathize and protect yourself at the same time.  Empathy is the way to go.  In the area of relating to others, if you empathize you can engage people in a constructive way.  The time to change is now.


Disclaimer: This post is based on my opinions only.

The Illusion Of Control

We humans like to manage and hoard and control things.  We learn the word "mine" at a very young age.  We lock down our stuff.  We lug our belongings through the years.  We even drag our friends and family through time.  We do all of this because we want a sense of control on our lives, a sense of security.  If we take a step or two back and look at the bigger picture, we may see how small and futile our ability to control actually is.

Starting with the obvious, the economy, its easy to see that money does indeed make itself wings as the old adage goes.  The recession of 2009 made people loose a lot of money and assets.  The housing market collapsed after a period of record high gas prices.  Housing foreclosures began and continued throughout 2010.  People lost home ownership, jobs, credit.  Banks lots billions in bad investments.  Many people filed for bankruptcy.  Nobody could control it.  The only power they might have had is to try to get out of its way by selling off assets early.  The only recourse for people was to blame the government, because how else can you blame society?

Natural disasters is another power that cannot be controlled.  Who can stop an earthquake?  Who can quench a tornado?  How can you redirect a hurricane?  How can you calm a tsunami? Mega natural disasters like hurricane Katrina or the tsunami of 2004 killed thousands.  Five days before Katrina hit, I watched the Weather Channel and knew those people needed to evacuate.  Anybody who watched that program realized that people needed to evacuate.  Nobody listened, not the governments and not the people.  Why didn't they listened?  Even in face of natural disasters, people will try to stay where they are.  It takes courage to get up and go and leave all of your life your friends, your belongings, and your community behind.  Natural disasters change lives.  People are more often than not resistant to change.  They do not want to loose control.  In the end they have no choice, they will loose control.  They loose control over all their belongings and way of life.  It gets ripped from them by a force they barely can understand.  For them, control was an illusion.

There is an invisible force in everyday life that affects us. Its in every business, organization, plan and endeavor we work in.  Its made up of the conditions in which we work and can come back to bite us.  I call it the Nature Of The Beast.  The best illustration I can think of happened back in the 1990's. Companies were downsizing to cut costs.  Lots of companies.  And the companies decided to give someone the job of analyzing and rationalizing whom they were to cut.  Toward the end of the job these workers of job loss had to face the Nature Of The Beast.  The honest ones decided they had no choice but to recommend that they be cut as well, since their job was done and no more monetary benefit was going to come out of them remaining employed for the company.  Beware of the Nature Of The Beast.  Know its circumstances and how it works else you may be its next victim.  If you think you have control over your career, think again.  The Nature Of The Beast quells all illusion of control over your career.


The Economic Recession, Natural Disasters and Nature Of The Beast are only a small sample of the forces out there we cannot control.  So I say, loosen your grip on career, family, friends, belongings.  Give a little, and be more flexible.  You just might find a way to keep them for the long haul.  Sting sang a song, "If you love someone, set them free."  We should heed such advice, or the illusion of control might just vanish away like fog or smoke.