... a collection of recent web articles concerning important issues and challenges we face in our world today... along with some personal 'life' thoughts and observations mixed in.
... if you're using twitter, here are some folks to take a look at and consider 'following'... they're all over the lot... politicos... researchers... journalists... writers... activists... bloggers... comedians... actors... and more.
... always seeking referrals.. can you recommend someone?
... they're a good starting group, all clearly speak their mind, and from them you can learn quickly and really find out what's going on in the world...
... and when you find someone you really like, check and see who they're following.
... will be adding to the list now and again.. so check back...
... and should you have any questions... would be glad to assist...
**...
Matt Taibbi is a favorite source of information.. this Public Banking
panel discussion video exemplifies just how good he is, and how important
it is individuals such as him be sought out and listened to...
...(he begins
speaking at the 5:00 minute mark)...
In new legislation which was enacted May 23rd, the French government decreed that it is forbidden to send all forms of currency - coins and cash and all forms of precious metals – coins, bars and jewellery by mail.
The legislation was published on Legifrance, the French government entity responsible for publishing legal texts online and can be seen here.
It was not announced by the government and not covered in the media. There were no communications and nobody in the government justified or explained this decision.
The legislation says that “the insertion of banknotes, coins and precious metals is prohibited in mailings, including the insured items, registered items and items subject to formalities certifying deposition and distribution. "
Some have suggested that the decree is to limit what is known in France as “the anonymous market”, the market in which no taxes are paid and people are free to trade without the supervision of banks and government.
However, euro coins and notes and gold bullion coins and bars attract no tax in France and therefore this is more likely to be an attempt to discourage the ownership of gold bullion and cash outside of the banking system and is a form of capital control.
It may also be an attempt to restrict the growing private market in France of people buying bullion online through Ebay which is increasingly popular.
The freedom of people to trade amongst themselves is a form of civil liberty as is the right to privacy.
The selling and the buying of precious metals in France are already subject to strict regulations.
Until September 2011, citizens could easily buy and sell gold coins and bars with cash but this was forbidden then when French citizens were forbidden to buy with cash in person and had to buy precious metals by trade mail, crossed cheque and by wire transfer or be “punished by a fine of fifth grade” which is a fine of some €1,500/oz.
The government decree does not specify that other independent companies cannot send gold and or silver coins or bars by mail. Indeed, it is only the French public company or national post company, La Poste that is forbidden in the decree.
However, 3 months ago in March, FedEx began stopping French people from taking delivery of precious metals.
At the start of the year, UPS began stopping French people from taking delivery of precious metals.
Perhaps not coincidentally, in recent days FedEx have stopped allowing companies and individuals to send or receive gold and other precious metal bullion coins and bars by insured mail in Germany and the UK.
This is an important story that bears watching as it appears that governments internationally, from India to France are attempting to control, restrict and make it difficult for their citizens to own bullion.
Been with Facebook the longest, and even that is not all too long. Since it requires 'friending,' it is limited to who you can interact with directly, but you can comment and post without limitation. By 'liking or subscribing' to others accounts you can follow what they are posting without being a friend. Many more friends and family are on Facebook than Twitter, and even fewer blog.
Twitters biggest limiting factor is allowing postings only up to 140 characters.. so whatever you gotta say, you have to do it succinctly. A challenge at times, but it really does make you think what you want to say. At times it's frustrating, but on the whole, it's a good thing.
But you can reach LOTS of people directly.. politicians, researchers, activists, comedians, writers, journalists, celebrities, besides anyone you know personally. If they're on twitter and using it themselves, there's a good chance they will see what you post them. Of course, the more 'followers' they have the more posts they're receiving.. and odds are you are NOT going to be receiving any replies back from them.. it is possible yes, but highly unlikely.
The more individuals you 'follow' on twitter, the more daily posts you'll receive. I've found that following more than 100 is pushing it a bit (now at 140... I gotta slim down some). Of course you do not have to read everything, but then it kinda defeats the purpose doesn't it. Not everyone posts on twitter every day, but say if a third do, and each of them posts several tweets... well, you get the picture, limiting the number you follow is a distinct advantage when you're trying to keep up with what everyone is posting.
There are a couple different ways to select individuals to follow. If you read something, or see someone in a video or film that you find interesting, look up and see if they're on twitter. This is the most often used way I select those I wish to follow. And every once in awhile, I'll check to see who these guys might be following, and I'll read some of their posts. Should I find them exceptionally interesting, I'll add them to my follow list.
Once in awhile you'll come across someone who is very interesting, but they really do over-tweet. Dozens and dozens of posts a day that you'd have to wade through.. so obviously I won't be adding them to the follow group.
What you wind up with are a couple dozen individuals that you'll find you follow regularly. It should be a fluid list.. you will be adding and removing names on a regular basis. And pick the right folks, you become increasingly well informed, and have a pretty darn good time in the process.
As for blogging.. that's an entirely different animal. When I first started blogging, I was posting lots of stuff.. now I blog-post infrequently, and use it just when I want to put something together about a selective subject I want to get up on the www soapbox concerning.
No limitations.. you can write something book length, with pictures, videos, anything and everything included. Who sees and reads it, well anyone searching on the topic, or all those you provide the direct link to the webpage (like posting it on your Facebook or twitter account).
Blogging is putting more of yourself 'out-there,' guess that's why fewer do it. The first few posts are more difficult, once you get over the self-consciousness of it, you don't think about it anymore.
If you have not been reading much of any of the blogs, try and get into it, it's worth the time and effort. On my blog, I've got a tab at the top labeled 'INS' (Independent News Sources)... most on this list are blogs, take a look when you get a chance. Some of the best and most crucial stuff being reported/ written now comes this way from these folks posting on these sites.
And I've mentioned this before.. should you want to start following just one site.. make it 'Common Dreams'... all those highlighted on the INS listing are ones I follow regularly. Always looking for new sources.. let me know if you want to recommend others.
Hope some of this information helps... seeing as we have to do this 'SAVE CIVILIZATION' thing pretty much on our own, fortunately there's lots of very good and worthwhile individuals out there more than wiling to help.
..and anyone's been waiting for the 'cause' to get involved with...
Sixty countries across the world label groceries containing genetically
engineered ingredients, so that consumers can know what is in their
food and make their own choices about what they eat. For months, it
seemed almost certain that California would be the first U.S. state to
join them.
Statewide polls showed that Proposition 37, a ballot
initiative to label genetically engineered (GMO) foods, enjoyed support
from more than 65 percent of Californians. But six weeks before the
election, everything changed. With Monsanto leading the way, the world's
wealthiest biotech, agrochemical and processed foods companies raised
$46,000,000 to defeat Prop 37.
Their misleading ad campaign falsely implied that the World Health
Organization had endorsed GMO foods as safe, and that the Food and Drug
Administration opposed the ballot initiative. Of course, the mainstream
media did not object.
It worked. After weeks of statewide ad runs, the poll numbers flipped, and Prop 37 was defeated.
Big companies like Monsanto spend millions of dollars to skew the truth and keep consumers in the dark.
Crop Circles Secrets: 2012 crop circles latest news and research A couple of friends asked recently for thoughts on this year's formations. Many of the formations from 2012 were interesting, but only a few from this past August and September are most assuredly spectacular.
The mysterious pattern resembles the ancient Tibetan Buddhist symbol of an 'endless knot' - a complex loop of lines and circles used to illustrate the eternal flow of time. The symbol has many meanings but because it has no beginning and no end many people who follow the religion say it represents the wisdom of Buddha. If you were to begin at one end of the path, you could follow it on 'an unbroken and perfect path' all the way through to the end. Even with all the time in the world, it would be an amazing feat to re-create this phenomena... in a few seconds, or minutes, at nightin total darkness... humankind just does not posses these skills at this time.
Crop circles (not all but some) are scientifically proven to be manifestations of 'energy under intelligent guidance.' Over 80 eyewitnesses since 1890 describe them to be made by floating balls or tubes of light, in just what appears to be a few seconds time.
Contrary to popular perception, crop circles are not a modern phenomenon. They were witnessed by policemen and farmers as far back as 1890, they exist in the folklore of South Africa and China, and are mentioned in 17th Century academic texts. Around 1980 they re-appeared as simple circles and rings in southern England, where now up to 75% of modern day designs are reported. By the late 1980s they developed into pictograms, not unlike the petroglyphs found at sacred sites. After 1990 the designs developed exponentially in complexity, and today the crop circles display as fractals and elements expressing fourth dimensional processes in quantum physics.
In genuine crop circle formations, the stems are not broken but bent and swirled; they are subjected to a short and intense burst of heat that softens the stems to hover just above the ground, where they re-harden without damage. Research suggests that infrasound is producing such an effect. It has also been scientifically proven that soil samples taken from within crop circles show changes in its crystalline structure and mineral composition. Expert analysis concludes that heat of 1500ºC would create such a change.. hardly the kind of anomalies created by pranksters with planks in total darkness!
Crop circles also show evidence of ultrasound, and such frequencies are known to exist at ancient sacred sites such as stone circles and pyramids. And like all temples, crop circles appear at the intersecting points of the Earth's magnetic pathways of energy. Consequently, it is not unusual for people to experience heightened states of awareness and healings in crop circles – a situation also common to sacred sites and ancient temples.
Biophysical evidence shows the plants' seed embryos are altered, and the liquid in the stems has been heated from the inside. In genuine crop circles there is also a reorganization of the plant's crystalline structure. Other evidence from crop circles shows how the floors of laid plants are swirled in mathematical proportions relative to the Golden Ratio – the vortex used by nature to create organisms.
Mathematically, genuine crop circles have yielded five new geometric theorems based on Euclidian geometry. They are also encoded with sacred geometry – those harmonic ratios governing the relationship between the orbits of planets. Crop circles alter the local electromagnetic field; affecting the proper function of compasses, cameras and cellular phones; the frequencies are also known to affect aircraft equipment.
Look at the amazing pictures, study the research... and you'll get the message pretty quickly. And when you do, please link and share this extraordinary phenomenon with your friends. It is indeed the most important event shaping our lives. Which is precisely why it is presently being debunked.
Now remember folks, that $1,200,000,000,000,000 is the amount that is being INSURED by the aggregate community of financial institutions that have taken in premiums on the repayment of $1,200,000,000,000,000... (that's 20 times larger than the ENTIRE global economy !!!)
...when (not if) losses do occur to the buyers of these insanely written 'Financial Weapons of Mass Destruction' ... as Warren Buffet likes to refer to them.
George Soros famously said back in 2003: “The more I’ve heard about them, the more I’ve realized they’re truly toxic,” “It’s like buying life insurance on someone else’s life, and owning a license to kill.”
The net affect of the shockingly destructive systemic implosion of this pile of badly written and totally UNFUNDED insurance on the world’s economies is quite simply incalculable ... they are such complex products (by design?)... no one truly knows their actual value !!!
And our major banking sector is outrageously overexposed. All told, the nine banks seen below, including Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase, own almost 1/4 quadrillion worth of derivatives. That's just a little off from topping the total U.S. debt 15 times over!
The Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 (CFMA) was the federal legislation that officially ensured the deregulation of financial products known as over-the-counter derivatives. Signed into law on December 21, 2000 by Bill Clinton. It clarified the law so most over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives transactions between “sophisticated parties” would not be regulated as “futures” under the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936 (CEA).
These derivatives, especially the credit default swap, would be at the heart of the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent 2008–2012 global recession, and are going to be a HUGE part of the immense financial meltdown that is to come.
Does anyone out there vaguely comprehend why AIG Insurance went under and what it cost this country and the world?
When this monster breaks out of his all too small cage, it will prove to be just one of the contributing factors to the SECOND wave of the Super Tsunami breaking over all the financial markets of the earth... in the very foreseeable future (likely 2013, or at the latest 2014) !!!
Only this time, it is going to be the mother of all economic collapses !!! ... and it is going to take decades (not years) to recover.. if such a thing would be possible at all..
... remember, in addition, at this same time we'll be dealing with our 'mother earth' resource and climate calamities.
Frederic Bastiat, the famous French political economist, and author
of some of the most influential political essays of all time including
'The Law' wrote 150 years ago... "When plunder becomes a way
of life for a group of men, they create for themselves in the course of
time a legal system that authorizes it, and a moral code that glorifies
it."
Should you like to learn more about this huge market... this Paul Jay (The Real News Network) interview with Marcus Stanley is a good place to start...
Bottom line... could not say it strongly enough... ignore these most dangerous situations at your own peril. Be sure to be EXTREMELY conservative in all your immediate financial plans and dealings. Most all current assets are going to be taking a tremendous hit, and along with that, the overall unemployment rate more than likely will at least double from current figures throwing untold millions more into financial chaos.
As for what governments can do... very little... printing more money can only hold off the inevitable for so long.. and we've just about run out of that option being of any real value.
What are they gonna print... 20-30-40-50 TRILLION... would be just a drop in the derivative bucket !!
It appears our unavoidable time of reckoning is very close at hand... get ready for 'the shift.'
'Our solution is our problem... its name is growth.'
"This strange twilight moment, in which our experts and systems managers squander resources in attempting to re-create an expanding economic system that is moribund, will inevitably lead to systems collapse. The steady depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels, along with the accelerated pace of climate change, will combine with crippling levels of personal and national debt to thrust us into a global depression that will dwarf any in the history of capitalism. And very few of us are prepared.
All of history’s major 24 civilizations have collapsed and the patterns are strikingly similar. The difference this time around is that we will unravel as a planet.
The quality of our lives will depend on the quality of our communities. If communal structures are strong we will be able to endure. If they are weak we will succumb to the bleakness. It is important that these structures be set in place before the onset of the crisis.
Learning practical skills, becoming more self-sufficient, forming bonds of trust with our neighbors will determine the quality of our lives and the lives of our children."
Please watch the entire film... then pass the link along to everyone you know.. it's THAT important !!
Since the release of the groundbreaking documentary What in the World are They Spraying?, people have woken up to the damaging effects from chemtrail/ geoengineering programs.
As a result, movements around the world are being formed to address these crimes. While many who were previously unaware of these programs are now taking action, the question now that is often asked is why is this happening.
Michael J. Murphy, Originator and Co-Producer of What in the World are They Spraying? in association with Barry Kolsky have produced Why in the World are They Spraying? which will answer that question.
This is an investigative documentary into one of the many agendas associated with chemtrail/geoengineering programs, “weather control“.
Certain events starting to happen now reflect what will be commonplace in our future in disturbing ways.
We recently received the email below (from a neighbor in our community out west). It's pretty much self explanatory.. and does not bode well for our path going forward. For as times get much worse, as they surely must, we'll reflect back and be wishing that this was just the worst of it... (no more than a hope or wish).
FW: Neighborhood Watch reporting on Trespassers/"Magazine Salesmen" 1 message
From:
Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 7:55 PM
To:
"BJ Arias (gmail)" <bjarias@gmail.com>
pain in the ass stuff
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2012 00:14:45 +0200
Subject: Neighborhood Watch reporting on Trespassers/"Magazine Salesmen"
From:
To:
Dear Neighbors,
There
are trespassers still entering the neighborhood, claiming they are
neighbors and selling magazines. They know their way around the
neighborhood, refer to streets within the community, and claim that
their parent is a MacDonald Highland's resident who teaches at UNLV, is a
local physician, or is someone's brother or son. These are all false
claims.
In February, 2012, AlertID Advisory reported an
incident which the resident more accurately described as Attempted Home
Invasion on Liege Drive. Perpetrators, two male Caucasians, claimed to be
selling magazines after banging on windows and yelling obscenities at
the residents.
Also, in February, a resident and
AlertID Advisory reported a magazine salesman, white male Caucasian,
selling books on Foothills Village Drive. The 'salesman' became
antagonistic with one resident after being reported to authorities.
These are all
frightful incidents and we ask our neighbors to be alert and to call the
police and gate immediately if they notice any suspicious activity.
The following incident occurred last Sunday, August
26, on St. Croix Street, at the residence of (omitted),
residents since 2007. Below is the residents' narrative of the incident
as submitted to Neighborhood Watch.
On Sunday around noon, our front
gate intercom was buzzed and a male said "Hi, my name is Mason, my
parents live on Foothills Village. My parents want me to do something
with myself this summer so I'm trying to raise money." While we were
speaking to him (over the intercom), we heard our 7 year old daughter
open the front door to let him in.We immediately ran
downstairs.
When my husband and I got downstairs, she was already
speaking to him, so I asked him what I could do for him. He was
approximately 20, Caucasian, had a winter [touk], over long hair, a dirty
white shirt, and low riding jeans. He was very polite when he asked if I
would purchase any magazines and I said "No, I'm sorry, we can't".
Immediately, he asked for a bottle of water which struck me as feeling
rehearsed. (Later, my husband found another abandoned water bottle on
our lawn, probably from another neighbor). I said "Sure, just wait
here". I closed and locked the front door, got a bottle of water and
passed it to my husband to give to him.
I felt like he wanted to gain
entrance into the home to inspect for future 'Break and Enter' or worse.
Even though he was being polite at the time, I felt threatened and was
glad that my husband was at home. Immediately, we called the front gate and
asked them to look for this person.Rita [guard on duty]
said she would send the rover [patrol] immediately to look for the man. She
followed up with me 10 minutes later to let me know that they could not
find him. About 20 minutes later, I left the house and saw that the
rover had detained the man on the side of the road on MacDonald Ranch.
I inquired at the Stephanie Street gate whether the police were called and
Rita confirmed they were but said they usually take a long time to come
so I telephoned the Henderson police to follow up. After the police
came, Rita called to ask if I wanted to press charges and we did so my
husband went to meet the rover and policeman. He was not charged
because he claimed he had entered the community lawfully.
In
the State of Nevada, a wall is considered a no trespassing sign so the
community has the right to charge him but this young man, who seemed to
know the system very well, had the right answers and was let go.
As
a parent of two young children, you can imagine how upset we were that
this happened in our community. To others, it may seem rather innocent
or not a big deal, ie., a couple of kids soliciting people for money.
From our perspective, we live in a Gated Community for the protection
and security. We don't know who that person is, whether they are armed
or what their intentions are.
We
expect a higher level of security in our community. It is not
acceptable for us to have solicitors ringing our doorbell or lying to us
or our children to get money. We were also very concerned since he
asked everyone for a bottle of water that he was scouting the property
for future B and E or possibly worse. As you know, the neighborhood has
had its fair share of criminal activity over the last couple of years.
We all need to do whatever is necessary to ensure that this does not
happen.
We
fully expect these types of trespassers who enter the neighborhood
unlawfully to be charged to set an example. This is not a community
where the residents take safety and security lightly.
I'd
like to thank and praise Rita for being so responsive and understanding
about this issue. She deserves some kudos for how she handled the
situation. We also thank Paul Bykowski, Tammy Nixon, Guardsmark Manager
and Katherine Apell, Community Association Manager for their prompt
response to this matter.
As a
result of our incident, there will be new, "No Trespassing" signs at the
gates of our community. This means that trespassers may be charged if
found illegally in our neighborhood.
We appreciate your understanding and assistance with this most important matter.
(name omitted)
Solicitors
are not allowed and are illegally entering this community. They are
most likely gaining entry by jumping fences. With the new posted signs,
we should be able to press charges immediately. Please help
Guardsmark, your family and your neighbors by reporting any suspicious
persons or activity immediately. Call the Police and Guardsmark
immediately. Let them determine whether the person(s) is in the
community legitimately or if they are trespassers who are out for
immediate monetary gain/goods OR scouting out the neighborhood for
future criminal acts.
Report all suspicious persons and activities to:
1) Guardsmark, the gate, ask for a Supervisor, demand a report & photo.
2) HOA Manager,
3) Manager-in-Charge, Guardsmark,
4) Call Henderson Police Department immediately if you feel any threat or eminent danger. 9-1-1
Recently I received an email from someone that had an 'about.me' url on the bottom of their email signature. Clicking on it, it turned out to be a one page website, with information about that person, in addition to showing all their media sites, and important url links.
These days more and more people have multiple networking accounts, facebook, twitter, instagram, blogger, you name it… and if you just want an easy place, that looks fairly professional, where you can send someone to let them know some selectively chosen details, and will allow them to get to all your media sites... this could be it!
Set up is user friendly, and it has analytics, showing how many people have viewed your profile, and some other stuff. They also have an 'app' available as well. So check it out... and let me know what you think?
(Here's my splash page: http://about.me/BJArias ... be sure and check-out some other about.me pages as well.. lots of em are pretty cool!)
Great article... must read stuff... here's a small excerpt...
"We can devise all the clever schemes imaginable to clean up politics and get money out of campaigns, but it won't work until the American people collectively give up on certain fond illusions: the Horatio Alger myth, American Exceptionalism, and the whole mass of magical thinking that boils down to the belief that God loves America because we're so virtuous, handsome, and smart, and that we, too, could win the lottery. Well, we're not necessarily any of those things. The truth is that we lucked into adverse possession of a mostly empty continent in a temperate zone with lots of resources, and straddled east and west by two huge moats. We had firearms and resistance to smallpox, and the original owners didn't. Virtue had very little to do with it."
Wither or not we pay enough attention in time to shorten the length of serious pain that must come is anyone's guess... but it does not look promising that it's going to be coming anytime soon... not until it can't be avoided any longer..
... and that means it's going to be one hell-of-a-mess!!
“Life has a way of going in circles. Ideally, it would be a straight path forward, we'd always know where we were going, we'd always be able to move on and leave everything else behind. There would be nothing but the present and the future. Instead, we always find ourselves where we started. When we try to move ahead, we end up taking a step back. We carry everything with us, the weight exhausting us until we want to collapse and give up. We forget things we try to remember. We remember things we'd rather forget. The most frightening thing about memory is that it leaves no choice. It has mastered an incomprehensible art of forgetting. It erases, it smudges, it fills in blank spaces with details that don't exist. But however we remember it, or choose to remember it, the past is the foundation that holds our lives in place. Without its support, we'd have nothing for guidance. We spend so much time focused on what lies ahead, when what has fallen behind is just as important. What defines us isn't where we're going, but where we've been. Although there are places and people we will never see again, and although we move on and let them go, they remain a part of who we are. There are things that will never change, things we will carry along with us always. But as we venture into the murky future, we must find our strength by learning to leave things behind.”
"Canada’s tar sands, deposits of sand saturated with bitumen, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in our entire history.
If we were to fully exploit this new oil source, and continue to burn our conventional oil, gas and coal supplies, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually would reach levels higher than in the Pliocene era, more than 2.5 million years ago, when sea level was at least 50 feet higher than it is now. That level of heat-trapping gases would assure that the disintegration of the ice sheets would accelerate out of control. Sea levels would rise and destroy coastal cities. Global temperatures would become intolerable.
Twenty to 50 percent of the planet’s species would be driven to extinction. Civilization would be at risk."
It's been put off for so long because no one saw much of anything happening right around the corner. It was being mentioned about the possibility of it being 100 to 200 years, or more, into the future before telltale signs would begin to be evidenced.
Guess what... now it's more than likely most all living today will be experiencing an ever greater awareness and first-hand knowledge of exactly what's going to be taking place. What was only being talked about will now be happening to all of us.. with increasing and unnerving regularity...
Recently a group of 18 scientists, using scientific theories, toy ecosystem modeling and paleontological evidence as a crystal ball, are now predicting the Earth’s ecosystems are careering towards an imminent, irreversible collapse.
A threshold-induced planetary state-shift is occurring, and it appears more than likely there will be no opportunity for going back. When a system switches to a new state because lots of energy has been added, even if you take out the new energy, it won’t revert back to the old system. The planet doesn’t have any memory of the old state to revert back to.
These projections directly contradict the popularly held belief that the extent to which human-induced pressures, such as climate change, are destroying our planet is still debatable, and any collapse would be both gradual and centuries away. This study concludes that when we have transformed the Earth’s surface by more than 50% we won’t be able to delay, never mind avert, a planetary collapse. We have already reached the 43% mark through converting landscapes into agricultural and urban areas, making Earth increasingly susceptible to an environmental epidemic.
With all of the troubling news coming at us from every direction today, it's not always easy to see there are some real bright spots. Recently while on twitter, I came across a re-tweet that brought to my attention the name of Maria Springer (@MariaSpringer).
Maria is a wonderful young woman doing her utmost in tying to do some good in this world. She is co-founder and Executive Director of an organization called LivelyHoods. Having grown up in a poor and violent Los
Angeles neighborhood herself, she has a passion for social justice and
international development. Fresh from college, she was going to sign up for the
Peace Corps, but her life took an unexpected turn and dreams of working on a local level to change lives collided…
and multiplied… eventually giving rise to LivelyHoods.
LivelyHoods creates jobs to enable unemployed and marginalized youth to work their way out of poverty. The innovative idea is to utilize these youth's survival skills, resourcefulness, and connection to their communities and employ them as sales agents. Building a sales force (iSmart) that helps companies get products into the hands of customers in hard-to-reach urban slums - an untapped and emerging market with exciting potential.
It's this kind of dedication and effort by Maria, along with co-founder, Tania Laden that should be universally recognized and applauded. We have such a monumental need for re-direction at this time... this is an exemplary place to begin... working with the hundreds of thousands of street-youth in Kenya, Africa. There are over 100 million street kids worldwide, and the number is rising. We can and must break the cycle.
"The world will not be destroyed by those that do evil... but by those that watch without doing anything."
- Albert Einstein
The situation keeps getting more unpredictable and dire each passing day. You look around what's happening, and say to yourself this is absolutely nuts, but feel powerless to do much to affect any change. To keep on going this way and feel increasingly apathetic is a recipe for ultimate disaster.
So what can you do... wouldn't exactly say it's 'simple'.. but there are a few things:
Cannot overemphasize the importance of this first 'to do!' The one way for sure to overcome the tendency to be anxious or fearful of the future, is to learn much more of what is actually happening in the world right now.
You can watch and read mainstream media, but increasingly get more of your information from 'independent news sources' (INS). Subscribe to their feeds and email newsletters (no charge), and then support them financially through voluntary contributions when at all possible. And make it a point that each and every day you will at least spend a minimum amount of time in this pursuit... like anything else, the more time spent, the greater the result.
p.s. - if you only want to start off subscribing to one site.. make it 'Common Dreams'
2. ...with regularity contact your representatives on those issues important to you.
When something really 'gets to you'... don't just bitch and moan to yourself and those immediately around (do that too, but)... find and contact your local representative ..and clearly state your mind. Everyone's got a cellphone.. put the names and contact info for these people in it. Call them (their offices) tell them you want to go on record, and let them know you're either in favor of this.. or you really don't like or want that. A growing chorus of tens of thousands... hundreds of thousands of voices is difficult to silence, and can't forever be ignored.
3. ...ultimately, if you can bring yourself to it... search out, join and get involved with local groups working on specific issues.
This is probably not something that many will jump into right from the start... but there's lots of ways to 'support' those that do get involved. Even just contacting them and letting them know you are on their side is a big morale boost for them. These individuals that are willing to put their bodies 'on-the-line' are real heroes. They don't look at it that way though.. they see as if they have little choice.. and in many ways, they are entirely correct - there are few other alternatives that in the end will enact change.
And again, it's important to support them financially.. one or two dollars multiplied by thousands adds up.. and is critically necessary for them, and for all our future well being.
4. ... set a goal to get at minimum one additional voice involved.
Here's where a 'multiplier effect' has an opportunity to pay HUGE benefits. A turnaround of such magnitude will require an effort beyond anything we have seen before in history. But unless we are able to make this change, the future of all oncoming generations will be fraught with great difficultly, and in all probability will be unbearably harsh.
5. ...fight hard to keep from becoming disillusioned.
The 'system' is unfair and failing...... as all the bad news keeps on mounting up, remaining upbeat and positive will increasingly become more difficult. Again, understand there is no acceptable alternative... stay the course, hope and involvement are our only ways to lead us out from this mess.
"Everyone carries a part of society on
his shoulders; no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by
others. And no one can find a safe way out for himself if society is
sweeping towards destruction. Therefore, everyone, in his own
interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None can stand aside with unconcern; the interests of everyone hangs on the results. Whether he chooses or not, every man is drawn into the
greatest historical struggle, the decisive battle into which our epoch
has plunged us."
... across the Arctic this spring monitoring stations are measuring more than 400 parts per million of CO2. ... years ago, it passed 350 ppm mark that many scientists say is the highest safe levelof CO2 in the atmosphere. ... before the Industrial Age, levels were around 275 parts per million. ... been more than 800,000 years since the Earth saw carbon dioxide levels in the 400's. ... entire decade of 2000 to 2009 was warmest on record. ... unlikely the world can achieve the goal of limiting global warming to just 2 degrees celsius based on increasing pollution and greenhouse gas levels. ... further evidence the world’s political leaders, with a few honorable exceptions, are failing catastrophically to address the climate crisis. ... political dynamics in the U.S. mean there’s no possibility of significant restrictions on man-made greenhouse gases no matter what the levels are in the air.
400 is extremely significant... "... a depressing reminder to everybody we haven’t fixed this... we’re still in grave trouble.”
“It's an indication we’re now living in a very different world.”
Despite over 20 years of climate stabilization campaigns, the year 2010 saw annual greenhouse gas emissions that were the highest ever recorded. Humanity is in a survival crisis... a crisis of identity, conscience and spirit. Who are we as an evolving species... do we really care more about money than our future generations. "If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current level to at most 350 ppm.
If the present overshoot of this target CO2 is not brief, there's probability of seeding irreversible, catastrophic effects."
Survival dictates, there must be a collective spirit stirring millions to rally for more just and equitable societies.
It was Juvenal (a Roman poet active in the late 1st and early 2nd century AD, author of the Satires) that coined this system, a mechanism of influential power over the Roman masses. "Panem et Circensus", literally "bread and circuses", was the formula for the well-being of the population, and thus a political strategy. (We're well learning all about societal and political strategies today aren't we!)
The Roman formula offered a variety of pleasures such as: the distribution of food, public baths, gladiators, exotic animals, chariot races, sports competition, and theater representation. It was an efficient instrument in the hands of the Emperors to keep the population peaceful, and at the same time giving them the opportunity to voice themselves in these places of performance.
Before the construction of the relative buildings that functioned as the city's central administration, the Forum area was the theater for gladiator combat. These gatherings began at the rise of 122 B.C. Reserved stands for respected spectators were constructed around the piazza (square) of the Roman Forum, excluding the poor classes. Successively, Caio Gracco had these exclusive stands destroyed, winning the favor of the common citizens.
The organization of games was an occasion to climb up the ladder of political popularity: this mechanism degenerated in performances so magnificent that they became "folly", described as such by Lavio.
During his youth, Caesar was famous for the magnificent games he organized, as he had hundreds of gladiators fighting each other. His political opponents were worried about the ambitions of this new rival, but he still established a reputation as a generous friend to the public. Caesar organized these games by borrowing a lot of money that was in turn well invested into propaganda earning him important positions in office. Consequently, these positions enabled him to pay back every cent that he had borrowed.
Besides using them as a political strategy, Caesar had a true passion for the games. The people were grateful to him and showered him with honor and positions in large quantities. Caesar is still celebrated as one of the prominent personages of Romanity: it was Caesar that began the Roman Empire.
With time the public became more demanding and began organizing performances that were even more costly and magnificent: Octavian Augustus, Caesar's adopted son and prince of Rome, organized "extraordinary" games where 10,000 men battled against 3,500 wild animals from Africa. Also, in 107 A.D., Trajan, on occasion of the victory against the Dacians, organized battles of over 10,000 gladiators that lasted 123 festival days and in which 11,000 wild animals were killed. This record was never to be exceeded, since Trajan walked away from these battles with a sum of 10,000,000 kilos of gold, 20 million kilos of silver, and 500,000 slaves.
The provinces of the empire also had their games that took place in the amphitheaters constructed by the Romans, including: France, Spain, Britain, and all of Italy. The nobility of every city acquired prestige organizing these games and the Roman Empire earned popularity. Of course, only about ten gladiators fought, which was nothing compared to the splendor seen in the city of Rome.
The majority of gladiators were prisoners of war and slaves that were obligated to fight in order to survive. Also, sentenced criminals were brought to the arena to be almost certainly killed by sword -"ad gladium", or by ferocious wild animals- "ad bestias". Rather, the autocrats, who had free choice to fight, scorned danger and were only interested in becoming rich with prizes. Some of them were true popular heroes.
The gladiators were German, Spanish, Welsh, Britannic, black Africans, nomadic Russians, and Jews from Jerusalem. This also had political significance: using the defeated enemy to entertain the public was a triumph in victory.
The wild animals consisted of elephants, tigers, lions, hippopotamuses, gazelles, panthers, camels, wild boars, bulls, deer, leopards, and elks. Only a few of these animals were saved by being sent off to the emperor's zoo, while the rest were cruelly killed.
The games were often too violent and abusive, like the time when Caligula (37-41 A.D.) sent innocent people from the public to battle because the gladiators were being killed off too fast: the unfortunate had their tongues cut off so they could not yell for help.
The Coliseum, or Flavian amphitheater, was constructed in 70 A.D. in ten years; it was the largest and most magnificent monument dedicated to the games with 50 meters on 4 floors, a diameter of 188 meters, constructed with 100,000 cubic meters of travertine marble and 300 tons of iron, and a capacity with over 50,000 places to sit.
The Circus Maximus was the most grandiose building for public performances ever constructed. Adorned with statues and decorated with noble metals, this place was used for chariot races. 650 meters long by 125 meters wide, it initially had 150,000 places to sit. After the reconstruction that Trajan wanted between 100-104 A.D., available seats expanded to 350,000. Many businesses and stores were located in the Circus Maximus. The races that took place had precise rules that resulted in violence, much appreciated by the public.
But there weren't only violent and cruel performances. The theater was one of the preferred places of the Romans, especially for those looking for a companion. Such was written in 2 B.C. by Ovid in the "Art of Love", an audacious and somewhat obscene book about the tricks for finding a fiance or fleeing from a jealous husband.
In the II century B.C. mimes performed and later were the first playwrights, tragedies, pantomimes, and "canzonettes" (songs).
Therefore, much like our society today, the phenomena of stardom, critics, and scandals, want it or not, becomes a part of our lives.
One of the great parts about blogging is that it is free-flowing... you can keep adding and adapting commentary over time... so check back again for any changes to this post or others to be added.
And some ask... why Cuba? Well, even if it were not for the previous links from the past (two stops while in the Navy at GITMO, and my father's visits to the country when he was a young man... the largest island of the Antilles would still hold a major fascination and be a constant draw. It was a half-century ago that Cuba was the 'Jewel of the Caribbean'.. and still would be if not for cruel fate. It's prominent location smack between the US and South America, and it's resources would have made it a major player in the region. But all that was not meant to be, and now it's future is again in question.. no one knows what direction it will soon be heading.
CUBA Trip - April/May 2012
Time in Cuba stopped 60 years ago, right at the moments after the revolution.. now everyone is still living with the difficult consequences.. and many are struggling just to get by!!
When you consider this wonderful mind-altering country is only a short 40 minute plane ride away from southern Florida.. (you're over the Keys in a few minutes)... it is unbelievably bizarre!!
Infrastructure
So much needs to be done... most everything is corroding and visibly falling apart.
There's lots that is extreme.. the road system's beyond terrible... especially the eastern portion of the country. Everyone uses the roads together.. trucks, buses, cars, people, bicycles, horse and oxen drawn carts... everyone.. all jockeying for position. Unbelievably, in some locations they even use roads for spreading out and drying their rice crops!!
Most areas you can travel for hours having to avoid bumps and potholes the whole time. Roads across the entire country need to be resurfaced and for sure widened (they're exceptionally narrow). And it would surely be a massive undertaking to redo the road crossing the eastern mountains over to Baracoa.. but it really is totally necessary.
Living Conditions
In one word... dire. Go into what was once a remarkable upscale single family building structure that is now housing two dozen or more families... or out in the countryside view the blocks and blocks of the old soviet-style housing complexes, and you can imagine and dread their living conditions inside.
There's such a small band that most all the population live within... not many existing outside above or below. There's not much visible abject poverty, and not large numbers of those very well off. Even within the most well-to-do neighborhoods many signs of decay are present.
In most every hotel outside the main cities there is no immediate hot water.. it has to be 'turned-on'... and soap and toilet paper is at a premium (hair shampoo mostly non-existent).
The one main positive it the fact that there is absolutely no commercial advertising ANYWHERE... no billboards, no advertisements, no signs.. nothing. The only country in the world so far that we have not seen any commercial advertising.
The People
The Cuban people are most deserved of admiration and credit... other populations having to endure 60 years of harsh one-man rule, coming immediately after another of additional torment, they are truly to be marveled. For they are a vibrant, sincere, and most warm & charming people.
We have much to admire and learn from how they exist together.. it's not perfect, but the way we are trending in our country needs to be reexamined, and looking at they way in which Cubans coexist under what are very demanding conditions provides some much needed perspective.
The Food
Cuban food is among the most vibrant, interesting, flavorful cuisines to be found in the Caribbean. Combining elements of traditional Spain with foods indigenous to the region, Cuban food provides a powerful link to island memories and traditions.
And we did have several exceptionally good meals on the trip (La Guarida was a wonderful restaurant.. should ya ever get to Havana, a must visit)... but on the whole for the entire 12 day journey, it was mostly bland and very boring... the same basic salad of tomato, cucumber, shredded cabbage, and the running joke of canned green beans (awful)... then rice with black beans, and beef, chicken, or pork.. and the occasional nondescript overcooked fish.
These meals were what 'they' thought American tourists would prefer to eat... most of the group increasingly complained, but little got changed. The food at those restaurants that were privately run was the much better product, and prices were exceptionally reasonable at these private restaurants when considering the obvious differences to those state run.
The Culture
Cuban culture enjoys a rich heritage in the field of art, music, literature, and dance. Music in Cuba is influenced by the musical styles of Spain, France, US and Americas.
Music and dancing are a main source of entertainment for most all Cubans, and many important dancing forms such as Salsa have their roots in Cuba.
... and you can take the tour lecturer-historian (Frank) out of Cuba.... but when he returns.... watch out!!... ;~)
Frank's presence and invaluable work on the tour was of huge benefit to all participants. It would not at all have been the same experience without him. We're really looking forward to reading his book - Batista.
Religion holds an important place in the life of Cubans with main religions being Catholic and Santeria. There is a large arts presence in the country, especially in the major cities.. small private galleries are down many side streets. Music and dance are most everywhere to be found. Baseball is huge.. and cockfighting is prevalent (videos below).
The only newspapers Cubans see are Granma and Juventud Rebelde (Rebel Youth), two staid mouthpieces of the Castro regime.
Internet access is practically nonexistent for the majority of the people. And when there is limited access, going online in Cuba will try the patience of anyone who's ever had a taste of high-speed connections. And according to the government 1 in 6 Cubans were online in 2011, mostly through work or school, and often just to the intranet... at 3-5kb per-second dial-up transfer speeds. The National Statistics Office said last year just slightly less than 3 % reported having direct internet access, though outside experts estimate the real figure is likely 5-10 % accounting for black market sales of dial-up minutes. For a variety of reasons including the 50-year-old U.S. economic embargo, Cuba is the last country in the Western Hemisphere to get a fiber-optic connection to the outside world, and has relied instead on costly and slow satellite linkups.
Satellite television is an unimagined luxury very few can afford... as are cellphones.
On many issues in the country, there is a substantial generational divide in Cuba.. younger Cubans want immediate change. and older generations the status quo, and are uncertain and fearful of what might happen when the Castros no longer hold power.
Economy
Bottom line.. a basket-case. With a majority of the population (80%+) being government employees making the equivalent of $20 dollars a month... everyone is out to try and make additional income. And then most all of this form of 'commerce' is illegal by government definition (but of course they know it exists). Everyone is out to try and 'work the system'.. not to get rich by any means, but just to survive. The GDP of the entire country of 11.5 million is maybe $60-70 billion dollars... and no one is quite sure just how this compares to the size of the 'shadow' economy existing alongside it (which is rapidly growing).
As for agriculture, this is a very large island, with a very large amount of arable land, yet they import a majority of the food stuffs they require, and a third of their beef consumption is imported.
And they would not be able to afford oil they require without substantial subsides from Venezuela.
Government
When governments have an autocratic rule that supersedes the will and well being of their people, it's an absolute recipe for disaster... (be it forms of socialism or crony capitalism). Any state that controls most all businesses is not going to operate a majority of them any where near effectively, and Cuba is no exception. Go to any of the state run restaurants or state operated hotels, then visit their privately run counterparts .. the differences are obvious and numerous, no matter what anyone might be saying to the contrary. As things move forward within a generation big changes could be coming.. no one attempts to say what will happen. And it goes without saying, little will happen until the 'powers' (mainly that reside in southern Florida & in Havana) allow things to change.. another generation or so needs to go by.. burying ghosts... lessening the wounds.
Tourism
Americans are increasingly traveling to Cuba.. but to do it legally you still must go with a group that has a license to visit. This dramatically increases the cost, and restricts who has the means to travel to the country. You can enter on your own from Canada or Mexico but that adds additional travel and expense.
And as it is right now, you are an American you have got to be ready for a 'travel adventure'... not a vacation. The rest of the world might get to relax on the sun drenched shores at the better run resorts.. but Americans are still forbidden to go to any of these locations.
We are not allowed to be 'tourists'... just cultural exchange participants, that are allowed to stray little from the tightly run tour-group itinerary. The exception are those Americans with family ties in Cuba, they are now allowed to pretty much go back and forth freely and do as they will while in the country... bringing with them to Cuba as much as they can reasonably carry (as the chaos at Miami airport reflected when we were going over).
The Military
There is not a large visible 'military' presence across the country, but you get the feeling that it would not be long for one to appear when needed. As an example, for the Pope's recent visit there were a couple thousand 'precautionary arrests' to stifle the possibility of any activists protests. If you would follow any of the Translating Cuba bloggers you can read about what is really taking place 'on the streets.' And following Yoani Sanchez's tweets, you can learn minute to minute what is transpiring... it is fascinating stuff. (Not being able to meet with her as originally talked about prior to our visit was another major disappointment of the trip.)
There is though a good amount of a visible police presence in most all areas of the country, so call them what you will, they are uniformed, well armed, and in all likelihood would ultimately respond completely to the central command running the country (or else).
...cities visited on our 12-day tour of Cuba...
Cities Visited: Baracoa
Flew into Holguin early one morning from Miami and took the bus to Baracoa. A very remote location all the way on the eastern portion of the island... cut off by a mountain range to the west. It was a very long drive on one of the most continually bad roads we have ever had the misfortune to traverse.
One of our stops here was to have been a maternity home, but it was cancelled (we were told the government would not allow it). It's a distant part of the country where horses and oxen prevail. Had it not been the location where Columbus first landed, we would in all probability not have visited there.
Santiago
The was no Guantanamo Bay stop as had been indicated in the pre-trip material (a major disappointment). In effect we did nothing but a 'drive-by' from 20 miles away (security reasons was the only explanation given).
The hotel we stayed at in Santiago had no working elevator, the material indicated it was being 'fixed'..when in fact the entire elevator 'system' was in the middle of being completely replaced and would probably have been out for weeks already, and several more to come (the way things function in the country).
Several stops in Santiago were for the most part pleasant, but nothing of particular note.
Camaguay
The historical museum detailed in the itinerary we were to have stopped at was not open. And a stop at a violin workshop had to be postponed till another day.
The hotel was decent.. again no working elevator.. same reason - being replaced. The state must have gotten one massive country wide contract to replace all the outdated elevators across-the-land, for we saw this again and again.. everywhere.
Did unexpectedly go out and get to view several state sanctioned cock-fights...
... (after a 20 minute ride outside the city in a '74 Peugeot, with no windshield)...
... and a full 9 inning playoff series baseball game...
..(absolutely marvelous fan support & sportsmanship.. nothing like the absurd spectacle we now have)..
Sancti Spirtius
Originally the tour had been scheduled to stay in a location just slightly outside of Trinidad along the coast... this was altered last minute to a hotel location in the inland city of Sancti Spirtius, which then necessitated bus ride of 3 hours (total -back and forth) to visit Trinidad.
Both cities were again pleasant stays, but would say without too much hesitation, none on the tour would list either of them as a return 'bucket-list' selection.
Trinidad is pretty much a given 2-day tour stop, as part of a 7-day Cuba tour (Havana, being the other 5 days).
Havana
Largest city in Cuba and its' capital with over 2 million inhabitants.. all in what are basically low-rise very deteriorating structures. It once was for sure the jewel of the Caribbean, attempting to emulate the old world cities of Europe in its' opulence... some of which can still be seen to this day. What an absolute crime it could not have been left to continue on.
It's a gritty, vibrant city... but what will remain in the minds of most, it just how much deterioration it has suffered. Had expected to witness some decay, but major thoroughfares show exactly just how limited are resources in this country to restore the city to its' former grandeur... there is NO money!
And what are purported to be five star hotels, by anyone's standards would be three at best in other parts of the world.. and their pricing is a good proportion higher than it should be considering the quality.
And no discussion of Cuba would be complete without talking about...
The Cars ....
Most all from years prior to the revolution. They just keep getting older and more beat up in most cases (few are gorgeous)... but they keep 'em rollin. These folks have a real talent for swapping parts (and/ or inventing solutions) to put off seemingly forever their demise.
It's a true force of will.. a nation of antique car mechanics.
Might be tempted to again visit the country should things 'open-up' to unrestricted American tourism. But not before several years go by, and that which is much needed to get accomplished...gets done.
We'll just have to wait and see.
Just recently came across this video of old Havana... it really makes you wonder where they would have been today under different circumstances...
PS... To post pix from the trip shortly... been so far working to clear the backlog of reading built up from being away for the couple weeks.
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