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The sad truth...

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 23:15:22 -0700

I guess I was naive? I really thought that I could believe in the beautiful idea that I celebrate everyday I wake up. America. Our country has led humanity to experience and evolve at a rate no other has. We have led the technologic revolution of humanity and are the only country that has been able to focus it’s scientific resources in such manner, that it has sent human beings to another planet. For a country, which is comprised of the sum ideologies of it’s people, America is a remarkable mark in history. I am very proud to be a member of this phenomenon.

I started this site to write about things that I thought were important for my fellow members of humanity to see. Sometimes, we are given the ability to see or understand things differently than other people. Many of us excel at math, while others do better with music. Some are naturally gifted athletes, while others are wired to be remarkable artists. So I analyze situations in our current way of life, in relation to history, philosophy, medicine, physics, spirituality, and economy, and derive conclusions that are different than the average person. Being that I use logic as my guidance, not emotion, or political ideology, or any other form of decision making, other than pure logic that relies only on fundamental truths of what we consider reality (that is reality reality, not the reality that most people consider society), I do not prescribe to any camp of belief systems. Most “ready-made” ideologies that are “available” to the logically lazy public, are somehow skewed. Whether you look at religion, political parties, football teams, or environmental position, most of the pre-packaged ideologic systems require a certain level of follow me, sheep mentality, rather than the imposition of figuring things out yourself by the “rules of logic” kind of life.

So I started to write about things that matter to all of humanity. Not just a certain race, political party, religion or any other strata. These topics ultimately all resolve to a discussion about the next level of thought processing. Something that is clearly missing in the authors of the last few comments on the Being Prey… Door A or B? article. These individuals are obviously (as evidenced by their approach, vocabulary and complete lack of ability to make a logical argument), completely ignorant of reality or any facts about it.

I have said many times, in many of my articles, that I hope to be wrong. I write this entire blog because I want to be proven wrong. I want someone to write an article, a rebuttal, or do something to change the situation and prove me wrong. I don’t want to live in a shitty world? I want to live in a good world where the air is clean, and people aren’t being sold food that makes them obese; and the government agency that they pay for with their tax dollars to protect them, IS ALLOWING companies to make stuff that they KNOWS is hurting them. I want to live in a world, where the most important document I have read in my life, The Constitution of the United States of America, is honored, and respected, and upheld at all costs.

I want to be wrong about the Federal Reserve, and how it is enslaving millions of American’s with it’s unscrupulous behavior. I decided to let people write their thoughts, and share their ideas about the problems we face, and opened up the site to comments. I realized there are a lot of brilliant people our there… with worthwhile ideas. Attorneys who are some of the busiest in the country, taking time to participate in the community of healing America back to it’s glory. But then came children. Children who can’t communicate their ideas without the ad hominem tactic of argumentation (I’m sorry if you don’t understand what that means kids). And instead of PARTICIPATING in the process of being a REAL American, and writing INTELLIGENT counterpoints and perspectives that the rest of us could LEARN from and advance from, they make comments that puerile and do nothing but prove their own ignorance.

I have now restricted comments on this site.

Not because your comments effect anything I or every other previous commenter on this site believes in, but because I care way too much about the result of this next stage of America’s evolution to let your lack of participation and continued ignorance take everybody else down with you.

The only thing that you have accomplished is that nobody will be able to share in their ideas and contributions on this site. But what you don’t realize is that the truth always prevails. It is by definition, truth. So people will still read this site. Just like when YOU read this site, I moved you enough to write an inane comment, other people will be moved enough to continue reading, and refer other friends to read. They will start TALKING about these things to each other, and their kids. They will start being active members of this world. Taking their lives back into their own hands. They will start looking around them and realizing that they will no longer live blind to the conditioning that is around them every day. Brainwashing them to buy more stuff, and consume more than they need, eventually resulting in their own demise.

This will spread, and even YOU will have to make a decision… will you still walk around believing that the Earth is flat?

So I close this by shaming you. Shame on you as a breathing, living human being, for being such a rude and inconsiderate individual. Not to me. I don’t care what you say. But to my readers. Shame on you for being the person that refuses to let human beings realize their full potential and waking up to what they really CAN be. Shame on you for being so ignorant, that you are not capable of understanding that my message is one for humanity, and life; not for a political belief or personal gain.

Despite all of this, I still believe in you. After all, you are a human being, and you are born with the capacity to evolve psychologically. All you have to do is open your eyes, and learn to live your life with some new ideals at your core: to think, and to love.

I’m not sure really, why I even do this? Does anything I write change your lives? Are you guys just reading this as entertainment? I mean, are you ACTUALLY changing your lives? Are changing the world actively or do you read this, agree with it, and then go back to life as usual? I owe much to my newly found “friendly commenters”, because you helped me come to a realization.

So I often ask myself, maybe I shouldn’t divert my energy to this format. In the past few months, some remarkable things have come to fruition with my dearest friends. We have started what you will all recognize in a few years as companies that have advanced the movement toward a more sustainable, planet friendly America. A country that can stand amongst the new global community with respect and lead the world in innovation. We have created the most innovative companies that will provide you with the opportunity to actually participate in the process of become a sustainable, forward thinking country; rather than an ignorant wasteland with entertainment as it’s only commodity.

I might write an essay here or there. I might share some advancement with you. I might even have the desire to share a philosophic perspective with you. But will no longer contribute regular articles. It has been proven to me that my efforts are much more effective on the front lines of this problem. I need to lead the way for some serious evolution in our perspective of how we do business in our country.

Americans line up like sheep to vote for a system that will nationalize their health care, yet none of them ask the important questions. The very system that they are saying should provide for their health care, is also allowing the USDA and the FDA to approve for consumption things like High Fructose Corn Syrup, and Crystalline Fructose. Every day, food is being shipped to restaurants and grocery stores that is making people sick, and no one cares. No one asks why?

The unfortunate reality of Mike Judge’s film, Idiocracy is becoming our reality. People live their lives, never realizing what their irrational, and herd mentality ideals are doing to their overall freedoms, independence, and fulfillment of a rich, spiritual life. People eat what is given to them by corporations, and buy what is placed in magazines for them as trend; what is sold to them as “what’s hip, and cool”. It doesn’t matter what level you think you’re in, you’ve been given the idea that what you buy puts you in that level by someone else. If you buy a Benz, you’re putting yourself in one category, telling everyone else “look at me, I made it to this level”. None of it is warranted by actually obtaining something real. Something of substance like a higher level of consciousness, Rather, as long you agree to participate in the Social Contract, you can purchase your level.

Purchase your level. That is what this has come to. Consumers. It makes me sad to think that thousands of years of evolutionary strife, and hundreds of years of effort put into the mastery of agriculture, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, quantum mechanics and other sciences, have led to the human race dedicating it’s purpose to massive bailouts to ensure that “Consumer Confidence” remains strong.

Is that why we are here? Is that why you were created? Do you really think that millions of years of probabilities to create you were done in the name of your adventures in the Mall? Why have we become these superficial, mass consuming and shallow idiocrats? Members of the modern society of slavery. In this modern society slaves don’t roam in shackles, they roam in the shadow of their conditioned desires. Wanting that bigger house, the unnecessarily expensive car, the excesses of gluttony that empower poverty on the other side of the world.

These modern slaves work brainlessly reaching for the illusion of happiness. They never look up. They never ponder the magnificence of the stars above them, and think about how absolutely unique and special LIFE is. Actual life. You know, cellular processes, DNA, animated organisms composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They never give a second reality reality. And the irony is that it’s literally under all of your noses, all you have to do is take a second and notice it.

The philosophy of not eating meat escapes 90% of the people I meet. The idea of fashion being ridiculous is baffling to 97% of the people I talk to. The fact that our planet was not designed for this method of digging into it’s bowels for natural resources evokes a look of confusion from 99% of the people I interact with. Why is that we lost these ideals? Have any of you ever pondered that? Isn’t it your duty to your ancestors and the difficulties they went through to get you here to ponder that question? Every one of us on this Earth come from a people that suffered through bad harvests, natural disasters that wiped out half of their populations, and fighting with nature every day to pass on their genes. I’m talking about your ancestors, not your grand or great-grand parents.

We ALL share in this. So is not fair to say that we owe it to our past to evaluate our role in all of this. Homo Sapien Sapien. The masterpiece of nature and evolution (or creation, it really doesn’t matter what you believe because in every belief system, mankind was the pinnacle of creation). Here we are, this exquisite sampling of what nature (or God) can create from matter, and we focus our energies on building Malls, and blowing each other up? Look back at human history, and how many ridiculous and irrational wars do you see? Fought over someone’s decree that “this land is mine!”

This is what you participate in when you choose to keep your eyes closed. I say it’s time to grow. It’s time to step up to the plate and stop our childish tantrums. An excellent book dedicated to the discussion of why we stay as children and never grow up is Why We Hate Us by Dick Meyer. We behave impulsively and this behavior is glorified in the media. Self centered and indulgent we don’t taste but rather gulp from the cup of life. This is the new world order. One that people don’t think about the choices in front of them, but rather take what fits them into the category they want to be in.

And so enter the devolution of the human race. If you need proof, no need not look further than the comments in the Being Prey… Door A or B? article. Soon, you will choose a microchip ID card that will store your category (your spending ability) on it. And you will roam around, indulging your appetite for stuff. As long as you buy stuff, you’re good. But once you start questioning why, you won’t fit. People will want you to shut up, they’ll eve go so far as to ask you to “commit suicide” they are so scared of you. They are scared of the reality that they are no more special that anyone else in this world. Homo Sapien Sapien. That is all they are. Not Homo Sapien Louis Vuittonicus, or Homo Sapien Bentlicus, but plain old Sapien.

I really want to be wrong. I have such a deep respect for the life and the logic that we are given. Our ability to create such amazing technology. The wonders of medicine and science (to our knowledge) have never been replicated anywhere else in the universe. Why are we wasting our time on such trite, banal preoccupations like shopping? What has come over the human race?

So if this question escapes you Anonymous children, then not being part of this world seems like a much more enticing option for me, rather than watch infestation of this pristine world with your children. But I know it doesn’t. Because you resort to ad hominem. You hear and understand what I am saying, and you are so scared of the reality of who you are, that you attack me, rather than speak with ration. I know. I lived your life. I had the nice car, the nice things, the fancy life. You name it. But you should try a little thing called reading, maybe you will understand too.

Until then, I promise my readers honest, truthful perspectives from my experience of this life. Hopefully we can all share in the beauty and perfection of this grand spaceship we all live on called Earth. If any reader on my email list has a comment they feel is important to post, you are welcome to reply to me via email and I will post it for you. My sincerest apologies readers who feel that this is censorship. The principle which we are standing for is much bigger than risking it’s derailment. The best thing you can to to participate in the revolution is to talk to your people. Ask questions, and engage in dialog about the things that are happening around us. Start taking back your world and your lives. Don’t sit behind your televisions sets and listen to stories about bank bailouts being the only solution to a better life. Life is ALREADY good. We have all the technology, and all the resources to create a healthy, free from suffering life for every person on this planet, our leadership and economic model just don’t believe that this is a priority.

This really is up to you. Every one of your choices add up. Your decision to continue buying clothes every season they change. Your decision NOT to go and look through your kitchen cabinets after you read this article to check for foods that contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. Your choice to remain ignorant about how your food is created and how the animals you eat are treated.

Every one of these choices adds up to your future, not mine. I’m creating mine every day. Come back and read about it.

Cheers.

You have to listen to this band...

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 00:59:02 -0800

I want to share a very special experience I was fortunate to have today. I was walking in Santa Monica and went to the Apple Store to pick up a a fire-wire cable for one of my office hard drives. As I walked in, I noticed there was an event in the back of the store. There was a band, called elevaters. This was different. A band was playing this deep, thick, funky soul infused with a distinct multi-cultural feel. This was different music. Something was added to this music? I moved my self closer, through the crowd (the store was full of people, all gyrating happily to the music by the way), and was slowly infected with the insatiable desire to move to the thick funk coming out of the bass guitar. But then the visual came into view. Sam and Ben singing so genuinely, from the heart that you connect with the artist at a visceral level. The venue was perfect, small enough to capture the energy of the small crowd who was now transformed into a small community of human beings loving the experience of dancing together and singing together. At one point Sam (one of the lead singers), after having already involved the audience with dance, asks them to give their neighbor a hug, and the result was something that would never happen on its own, 150 random adults giving each other hugs with smiles and joy exuding from their bodies. It really was a sight.

What a beautiful and ancient tradition you elicited tonight guys. My deepest kudos and thanks to the band of six incredible young men who have created something remarkable.

This was a treat for me. To see the movement of people waking up to the calling of cultural and human connection. This band truly represents that. Not only are they comprised of a mish-mash of unlikely cultures all celebrating beauty and happiness in the form of music; but they also sing about these topics, and engage the audience in the experience of the message. Something very, very unique to a music band.

I recommend you recreate this experience for yourself, buy their album. Listen to it with your family, on the stereo you have. Dance together and sing with their song “Patience” and see what it does to you. Elevaters have harnessed the trigger for release of endorphins and will move you from resting heart rate to excitement in 60 seconds.

The irony was revealed when I met the band after the show to ask their permission to write an article about this phenomenon. When I met the guys, it turned out that Sam was Iranian. There are band mates who South American and African American. The band is truly diverse and they create happiness, despite the political issues that plague their governments.

Most of my friends have heard me complain recently how I feel that music and entertainment have failed their viewers. Instead of fostering the intelligent, positive and good message (ethical message), they foster destructive messages. It’s truly refreshing to see a band that has a happy and positive message with honest, real, and original music. Not old riffs stolen with a new twist. These guys ACTUALLY play their instruments. No production here… the singing sounds exactly like the album (I know, I heard them live, and then immediately downloaded it onto my iPhone).

Pop music fails to create artists that sing about the environment, culture, race, humanity or any other morally valuable tenet. We have eliminated these values and replaced them with sex, status and money. Every song is about boys and girls hooking up. Nothing of substance, even when love is portrayed, the poetic metaphors are gone, for easier material representations like vacations in St. Tropez, Ferraris and Diamond Rings.

Simple, Honest, Happy, Funky, Timeless, and just down right good; thank you Sam, Ben, Miles, Andre, David, and Itai. You dudes are the real deal… keep up the good work, the world needs you.

Watch their video… it will put you in a very good mood in 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

Being prey... Door A or B?

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 00:57:48 -0800

I wanted to write an essay in response to some excellent comments. I usually comment back on the site, but I feel too many of us are so wrapped up in the busy-ness of life that we don’t have enough time or energy left to go back to read comments made to our comments. Conversations building up on top of one another. More and more data in our lives. Iphones with schedules, and emails, and texts, and music, and facebook, and instant messaging everywhere we go. Who would want to build a stockpile of comment link to check on every night for other comments.

So our ideas are being sold cheap. They are merely digital bits of expression that are piled high on top of one another to be forgotten in the time you can say millisecond. So I decided to take comments that should not be forgotten and refresh them once in a while.

Charlie recently posted how despite our insane way of life, the earth will live on. Indeed, you are right my friend. You and I witnessed first hand how powerful the balance of nature is. While we were in Africa, part of our stay was in a national park called Tarangire. This park was unique in a sense that you stayed in tents. You had not room. Rather you slept in the middle of the Serengetti with animals that consider you prey, in a tent. All that separates you from them at night is a thin sheet of cloth. And I lest I remind you that most of these predators are nocturnal.

The rules were if you had to leave your tent after Sundown, you had to blow a whistle. A national guard would then come to your tent, who by the way is armed with a live AK-47, banana clip and all. He would then escort you from your tent. This procedure was so that you weren’t dinner for a lion, or some other skilled predator.

The power of nature and it’s ability to continue is a reality. We truly are insignificant. But that is not the core philosophy of The Ultimate Spaceship. The perspective that I want to share with people is one that places us, homo sapien sapien, in the role of responsibility. We are the conscious, cognitive scientists of the planet. Our reason is what is capable of engineering measures to protect the Earth from catastrophic death. We have in a short time (10,000 years of civilization) travelled off our home planet, harnessed the force of electricity, understood the principles of the most basic building blocks of life (atoms), and developed a parallel universe that has a life blood of it’s own (the internet… don’t believe me? Play with this tool: http://www.stumbleupon.com/toolbar

With this kind of ability, it would not be long before we would be able to figure out how to develop solutions that protect life from a warming Sun, or catastrophic asteroid collision. These seem like outlandish ideas… science fiction. But imagine a primitive human 10,000 years ago forecasting for another human a future where everyone would have thin plastic devices in their hands that they could talk to each other and see each other when ever they wanted. In that era, you would be considered crazy, but today it’s normal. Cell phones with internet access and video streaming have made that a reality.

So yes, the world will live on. But all that does for us is prove that we are failures as the most costly and advanced creation of nature. That is because for us to get this advanced, we HAD to use nature’s resources to become this advanced. It would be impossible to understand the atom in a comprehensive scientific way without the use particle accelerators. Making all this science cost nature a lot of it’s resources, but if you look at this as an investment, it makes sense. Homo sapien with the expenditure of a big chunk of resources, can educate itself to a level that could save the rest of life, indefinitely.

This sounds great in theory, but there was a derailment. We lost our way. We developed science and started to learn. But then somewhere along the way we developed consumerism and started to use science to develop products for easier consumption. Easier food to eat, easier drinks to have, easier and lazier. Lazier and lazier.

Today, our science is trying to dig itself out of a self imposed drowning in the quicksand of symptoms associated with our mass consumption. Diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, psychologic problems, and depression. We are so lost that we can’t even diagnose that these diseases come from our insatiable appetite to consume.

This really is the final moment, the final act for humanity to show that it IS worth the effort and sacrifice nature put into creating the masterpiece we call homo sapien sapien. Look at it this way, with the amount of bailing out that’s going on today, how valuable is that Louis Vuitton purse of yours? Money is losing is luster. It is starting to crack under pressure. Unlike the elegant strength in a mountain like Kilimanjaro. Every one of us sleeping under the canopy of our moon has to remember that our role is not to buy things, but to protect and create life.

I think what’s more powerful than our leaders making changes for us is what WE do. What WE buy. How we CHOOSE to spend our money and our time. Imagine if EVERY American stopped buying Coca Cola because it used High Fructose Corn Syrup? Imagine what would happen if EVERY American turned off their televisions and started spending time OUTSIDE with their families, interacting? Imagine what would happen is people started investing in education instead of the stock market?

These seem like impossibilities, but none of the above scenarios is obscene or so different than our normal “standard” human lives, that we would suffer considerably doing them. I can’t imagine any American that would notice a decrease in their health if they stopped drinking soda. All of these habits are in your heads. They were sold to you and made okay with complex and well designed marketing. And you are so deeply entrapped in the illusion, that you cannot imagine a world without strong leaders changing things. Where really, the change happens from within.

Every time I write, I remember a comment made by Narges, that it is human nature to satisfy our own urges and desires first before looking outside to help others. But like I commented, that really truly makes me sad. It actually breaks my heart… that we are so deeply brainwashed that we cannot remember just a few thousand years ago, we lived in villages where each of us participated in the care taking of others. Where doing what benefitted the tribe outweighed what benefited you. This was an era before economy (or one like our model).

If you want a shortcut to awakening, all you have to do is try to experience what it feels like being prey again. Most humans live their entire lives (and deaths) without ever being worried or concerned about being eaten. We are no longer prey. Like I have said before, we have pulled ourselves out of the food chain. Immerse yourself in nature, and you will quickly realize that your Blackberry, your flashlight, even your gun, are eventually useless, because you will run out of batteries, and bullets. Nature will carry on.

So in Tarangire, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the Serengetti, Charlie and I decided to break the rules and hang out outside of our tent watching the stars and listen to music (one of the other miracles of being human). The proof of my essay is when our neighbor tent shushed us, as if we were violating some city ordinance code in the middle of f*ing nowhere. Talk about conditioned hairless apes, they follow the rules, even in a place where there are no rules.

So let’s take some bets. Who bets that

A) Humans wake up before it’s too late, and end the era of consumerism, and start the era of sustainability?

Or

B) We keep buying shit from WalMart and Costco, taking it home in our SUVs, only to move it to storage units because we already have too much shit... oh and it all ends in catastrophe?

And please, please, please don’t turn this into a religious thing… every religion has a “revelations” chapter and the coming of their respective savior… so that is a cop out way not to participate… because if you choose A, then you are committing to participate. And if you choose B, you are coming up with an excuse not to.

There is more...

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 22:50:08 -0800

I wanted to discuss something with you all today. Most of you who know me, have been wrapped up in one of my favorite things to do… to start a conversation about topics and ideas that most of us don’t talk about everyday.

Things that were understood and deeply engrained into society back in generations of the past. Ideas that most people never massage their brains with. One of those thoughts and discussions is this: why is it that we live in a world, which we no longer perceive as an absolutely rare and prized creation of nature, science, God or whatever else you believe? I mean, let’s put aside our personal ideas about creation for a second, and realize that the common denominator for these ideas is the fact that we are a unique creation of the cold, harsh conditions of space and of darkness.

We feel this. When you hold your cat, or your dog… you feel the warmth of their life. When you hold your child, or hug your parents, you feel the heat of their breath and their life in their bodies. Those of us who have been in a situation to experience a dead body, have experienced the lack of warmth, and energy in that body.

You guys realize that life, the very essence of what makes this planet what it is, is in fact a rare gem in a universe of cold, lifeless matter. This is a big statement. Imagine yourself on a very very cold night, absolutely naked outside in a blizzard. Other planets are ten times colder than that. Space is colder than that. Everywhere in space is like that (except regions too close to stars thus too hot). Life on this world of ours is a miracle. We HAVE to realize this fact. It is CRITICAL to our continuation as a species.

It fascinates me how people immediately get into a defensive position when they are told this. As if battling against this point of mine, makes them better for their world or something of a champion of defending the intelligent counter-perspective. But rather, if they were logical individuals, they would realize that by arguing against this idea, they are entertaining a possibility of a conclusion that would lead to devastation of life on this world. Why would you consider it okay to gamble with the possibility of damage to life in this world? In worst case scenario of an environmentalist position, the world continues as it is. In the worst case scenario of a climate change challengers perspective, the world does experience climate change, and everything eventually falls apart.

Why is that okay? I don’t think it is… I don’t think anyone who challenges climate change and the human activity that contributes to it, AND the external conditions that are effecting it (i.e. the Sun, solar winds, or whatever), has ANY right to even think they are right. That is because they are not taking into consideration that they do not have a right to gamble with thousands of years of strife, and challenge, and struggle to just STAY ALIVE. Animals, plants, bacteria, and every other life form on this world, experiences a challenge EVERY single moment of their lives. They struggle. They look for food. They fight off prey. They fight environmental conditions. And they live on. We however, engineer around struggle. We develop artificial climate controlled environments. We GROW food, and by grow, I don’t mean vegetables people… I mean animals. Do your research and understand why we don’t raise animals, but actually grow them.

We have removed ourselves from the appreciation of how difficulty it is to maintain life. That is why it is okay for a person to drive a 18 mpg SUV and justify why they do it. There is no justification what-so-ever. No matter how hard yo utry to argue the counterpoint, you my dear friend are in a logical losing game. You are obligated to protect and create sustainable solutions to every action you partake in. If you don’t, you are gambling with the possibility that life on this planet may end. And it you do that, then you are proving that you cannot think clearly. You are proving that you’re ability to secure your own future is flawed; hence a corrupted product of the species, which is undermining the species will to survive.

I know that was a logical mess to read through… but I truly hope that everyone of you who read the above paragraph realize what it imposes on a person. The idea that we are responsible for each other, BECAUSE we are responsible for ourselves. The idea that if we live in a manner that possibly endangers life on this small rock we call Earth, we are the flawed product of nature. Other animals stay in the balance that is struck for them by nature to insure the consistent flow of life. We on the other hand are able to grow extra amounts of meat, we are able to tame the land and grow more food than naturally intended (we add nitrogen to soil and call it fertilizer). We suck the remains of life forms in the past and burn them to power our transportation. We dump our waste in any corner possible. We live like a virus with complete disregard for our surroundings, or the effects it could have on the organism that hosts us.

So we live armed with tools to fight the environmental lifestyle. We can’t imagine a world where we didn’t have the new jeans every year? Or we can’t imagine what it would be like if we had to own a car for 20 years and maintain it? We live in a world where we can’t make coffee using a standard non-polluting method like an Italian press, but we have to not have them in pods, prepackaged ready for purchase in another package, that was shipped to the store in yet another package.

Our new argument is that, “are you crazy, you want to go back to a world where we lived in caves?” But people don’t realize that this extreme retaliation proves their lack of understanding. Simple doesn’t mean in caves. It means taking into consideration what you leave behind. When you go to a friend’s house for a weekend, or visit family, do you leave a mess in the guest room when you leave? Or rather do you take the time to clean up your mess? I would think most of use cleaned up? Why is it then that we don’t treat our world like that? Our world is really the ONLY home we have.

I hate to bear the bad news folks… but Earth is your only home in the universe. I say that with confidence, despite being an astronomer myself. I say that because as long as we waste our energy, our consciousness on making malls, and building centers for businesses, and wasting our technologic innovations on entertainment, we are plummeting down the unfortunate hole of doom. Imagine the scientific innovations that would be possible if all the minds of humanity were focused on them. Imagine if WE ALL focused on the problem of hunger. Imagine if we all paid attention to the problem of animal abuse. Imagine if we all looked at the problem of climate change. We are the most advanced creation of nature. There are creations with advancements in other areas that are remarkable, but arguing that they are more superior is a derailment of a very important argument. WE are responsible for what happens to this planet. Not just now, but in the future. Even many many thousands of years. That is because we have science. We have math. We have logic. We can think, and create solutions. Other animals cannot.

We would teach our children about the possible warming of the Sun in the future and their imaginations would ponder creating solutions to moving life to another planet, and keeping this rare miracle safe. Instead we teach them to think about being rich so they can afford better cars, and better homes, and better stuff. If we focused ALL of our resources on fixing this world, we could insure life continued as long as the human will could imagine it to. We have that power.

Shame on the media for not ACTUALLY teaching you. Shame on the education system for not ACTUALLY teaching this. Shame on religion for not ACTUALLY focusing on this. Shame on the environmentalist who still eat meat. Shame on us for not choosing to realize this.

Just recently I was having a conversation with a friend at a local coffee shop. At the register, I asked the server to make my cup in porcelain, I knew I was going to drink the coffee, during my conversation with my friend. I care about our world and am cognoscente at every moment of my life about this. 10 minutes after us, a man walked in. He was alone and came in to for a cup of coffee at the end of his day. He sat and drank a relaxing cup of coffee, read the paper, and then went home. Except, there was one critical problem. This man ordered his drink, was NOT present, and took what he was given. He then drank his coffee and littered in this world with his paper cup. With his choice, he voted that it is okay to kill a tree for his 10 minutes of consumption of a product that could have been done sustainably. This person used a paper cup for a sheer ten minutes of coffee. Threw it in the trash and walked away, without any consideration of how negligent and gross his decision was.

THAT ladies and gentleman is the problem with out world today. The fact that every one of us, fail to accept our faulty way, and the destruction it is bringing to our world. Just look around you and look at what humanity does to it’s surroundings compared to a natural balance?

I think one of the reasons for this condition that we suffer from is the disconnection between the young and the elderly. The elder is wise. Wisdom is something that cannot be created artificially or synthetically. Wisdom is earned with the difficult and unrelenting passage of TIME. Our elderly can teach us a lot. They lived through a depression, they can teach us that frugality is the key to balance. Greed and consumption lead to an inevitable and painful death. Can’t you see the signs around you?

But instead we bury our elderly in fancy, glorified jails we call assisted living. We disconnect with our elders and refuse the care and embrace family provides in this critical time of life, in exchange for the ease of an assisted care facility. So all the energy that was put into us by the elders to raise us, is now wasted on comfort rather than reinvested in their ability to contribute to us by sharing their thoughts about experience with us. Our new world era tribe doesn’t sit around the fire and listen to the elders tell us stories about the past. Rather, we visit them once a week in a facility and ask how the food is and how they like their neighbors. We talk about what they thought of the Clay Aiken performance on American Idol and our plans for Thanksgiving.

Our education system is corrupt as well. They segregate children from teenagers and get extremely militant when you confront them with this severe mistake. Rather than realizing that this behavior of separating a 7 year old in the 2nd grade from a 16 year old in the 10th grade is a first ever in history. In the natural world, and ancient human civilizations, children are immersed in the world of adults and deal with and develop around complex relationships and experiences. But we, in our infinite wisdom, take children and put them with kids of their own age. So when they learn, everything they process is on a single dimension of that age, rather than the input and adaptation to higher age groups, as well the tenderness a 17 year old sees in a 7 year old’s behavior. Would this not add more peace and appreciation to our world? Our elders lived this way… why aren’t we?

We are sick. Our consciousness is ill. The human race is suffering from a disease and history as well as religion has attempt to convey the message for a very long time. The story of the original sin and the magical apple. But really, regardless of your belief system, the core of this story, is that man, made a bad decision. Man chose to bite from the “forbidden” fruit. The fruit of knowledge. Which led up to clothing, and humility, and ultimately economy. And economy has led to our current world.
To unravel this complex knot, we have to open our eyes, and undo the disease of the fruit. We have to realize the importance of the metaphor of the “Garden of Eden” and the relevance of “eternal” happiness. Our current prescription for this lifestyle is not working, and will never work. It does not take into consideration the fact that we are budding at exponential rates wanting and taking from our world at rates much faster than it can heal from.

Only one question remains, when are YOU going to realize this, and ACTUALLY change YOUR life? Not knowing or being wrong is not the problem… Hearing that you are wrong, and not listening is.

You can still change.

CLICK HERE

That feeling?

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:32:06 -0800

Late posts. They happen because I wake up for unknown reasons. I always felt that our mind connects with our hearts when we sleep. The feelings we hold in our hearts during the day, are accounted for by our brains at night.

My mind works when I sleep, and the more I write, the more it works. I think I am processing things that concern me deeper than what most of us worry about... living our lives concerned about the economy, and what’s going to happen to our retirement funds if the market doesn’t perform well this election term.

But maybe suppressed under all those “conditioned concerns” is some fundamental truth, that we all know. Maybe we all know about the miracle that makes our precious world such a rare gem in the universe. I have to believe that every person understands that this world and the life it harbors is a very special thing, and that how we are living today is not sustainable with life continuing as we knew it... better yet, I think we all feel it.

This feeling is real. It’s special because it’s familiar. It’s comfortable, and rests deep in my heart.

If I don’t believe that this familiar feeling of love for our planet, our home, rests in every persons heart, then I have to believe that our legacy is doomed. Humanity is destined to be remembered as a blip in time. A faint memory of some “intelligent” beings who existed in in the past, it were consumed form within because of their own greed. We have stories and tales like that in our current world, and I often wonder did these people really exist, and why did they disappear?

But alas, the layers that have been laid over our consciousness are many. And we forget this feeling. I hold my breath to see where this is going to end. Until then, I wake up in the middle of the night, hoping I missed the phone call, or read a text message, telling me that you got my message.

From another angle:

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 01:59:48 -0800

If you have 10 minutes to spare and you want to let your eyes and your brain indulge on magnificent time lapse photography of nature set to beautiful music, then watch this video. You will be in awe of how amazing our world is when viewing from a different gauge of time.

When you press play to stream the video, keep your mouse on the video and click the X next to Vimeo. This will make the video full screen and really add to your experience.

Impeccability

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:15:30 -0800

I’ve mentioned Dorene on this site before. She is a friend. She comments on the site. But she is more that that. Dorene is one of the inspiring contributors to this site. When I first started reading and discovering the different version of our reality, she played a very important role in sharing authors with me that are on the cutting edge of the spiritual evolution of humankind.

I received an email from her not too long ago with a quote. I wanted to share it with you all and tell you that there are a lot of people seeing the reality behind the reality. When people participate in something as abstract as the The Ultimate Spaceship... it proves to the rest of us that others are awake as well, and it is possible to awaken the rest of humanity. The quote is by Carlos Castenada, author of The Yaqui Way of Knowledge.

"All that is required is impeccability energy, and that begins with a single act that has to be deliberate, precise and sustained.

If that act is repeated long enough, one acquires a sense of unbending intent, which can be applied to anything else.

If that is accomplished the road is clear.

One thing will lead to another until the warrior realizes his full potential."

Carlos Castenada

It all started with this...

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:12:45 -0800

It all started with this… what you are looking at is a vegan roll. It’s made with collard greens that wrap a medley of ingredients that you wouldn’t imagine are lunch. Dates, Almonds, Saffron, Celery, Lima Beans? But when you eat this, and you are a sensate connected person, you can feel the freshness. The life in the food. Unlike meat, raw food is not dead. You are not eating decaying flesh.

I know this might be graphic for you. I apologize. But I ask you, why should I keep up the decorum that is the mask that everyone wears? We lie to ourselves every time we bite a piece of meat. We justify our consumption of dead sentient beings by making arguments like “we’re carnivores”, or “it’s natural to eat meat, look at other animals”. But I argue that you are wrong. I believe that human beings are the most incredible creation of nature. And the very essence of this “incredibleness” lies in our ability to contemplate. Our ability to understand complex pathways of logic. Our ability to appreciate and create music. And our ability to observe, collect data and propose theories, that are held to the highest of standards for merit… the ability to be proven wrong. Human beings are the most sophisticated creation of nature, because we fashion tools.

The relevance of the tool in all of this is that without them, we could not eat meat. Think about it. How would we carve into a cow without tools? How would we skin it? We have no claws. Our teeth are not developed for tearing meat. We are not even agile enough or strong enough to even actually catch our own meat. We set traps, and use tools like spears and guns to kill our prey and more tools to prepare it for eating, and more tools to cook it so we can digest it.

Most of the people who argue that it is okay for human beings to consume meat, also argue that we are the most advanced beings on this world, the special ones. I wouldn’t disagree with the last part of that discussion, however being the most advanced species, also comes with great responsibility. The ability to contemplate and to reflect allows us to examine our instinctual behaviors and improve on ourselves into a plane where most other animals cannot evolve. The spiritual plan is one that every modern religion claims to provide it’s hungry followers. But, where most religions compliment mankind by accentuating the creation of man in God’s image, they fail in telling their disciples that the other sentient beings on this world are also entitled to a life without pain or violation. Whereas lions HAVE to eat meat to survive, mankind doesn’t.

We are capable of thought outside of the instinctual plane. That is what makes us human. Why is it then, that we just absolutely resist the idea of not eating meat. Every person that finds out that I’m vegan immediately replies with “so then, what do you eat?” What bothers me more than their actual diet, is the common-knowledge, herd mentality that most humans suffer from. No original thought put into the logic of their own behaviors. Just reasons that sound official because they are attached to mass numbers of followers.

I discovered this new philosophy later in life. Like everyone else in this world, I was born into the world of well packaged marketing, which has been in began the moment the first images were broadcast out of the television. But what brought me to this point in my life was that crucial first step of not eating meat. It’s not that eating meat is just about animals and their feelings. This topic is much more complex than that. It would be an injustice to vegetarians and vegans to call it just that. Rather, the choice to not eat meat is also based in environmental and economic ideals. At this point in the human story, we can no longer afford to eat meat. Our planet is being intoxicated by the requirements to feed, manufacture and dispose of the byproducts of the meat industry.

Being conscious of your surroundings, of the beings around you, and of your role in this world is the pinnacle of being enlightened in this life. At that point, a person cannot help but to understand why it is important not to wander through life with their eyes closed. There are so many other things we do that are conditioned into us, and we blindly go on living. But reason has to be the force that moves us forward.

If you start the process on yourself, the way I did 2 years ago, you will see a change in your consciousness. Consider it from an energy perspective: all living, sentient beings harbor energy. And the energy you are consuming in a modern farm raised cow is that of suffering, lack of normal animal social development, lack of freedom, lack of natural divine sunlight, and lack of dignity.

So I embarked on an experiment to see what would happen to my consciousness if I stopped eating meat. At first it didn’t shift my perspective. But then, because I am so stubborn and was convinced there must be some difference in energy transfer, I delved deeper and became vegan. After a few months of understanding the real values of a vegan lifestyle, the ripple effect had already taken shape in my life. Because I cannot live a life without integrity, changes took place in areas of my life that did not show themselves in the past. My choice of transportation, my clothing, and where that head of broccoli comes from at the market? My perspective to conflict changed and I became less militant. Reason prevailed.

I’m not saying I’m right and you need to listen to me. That would be contradictory to what I try to convey with this site. What I am saying, is that I tried an experiment to prove to myself what I suspected to be true, and experienced the truth without conditioning playing a role. I challenge you to do the same with your life. In any arena, this will work to start the process of waking up and de-conditioning your mind. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t want to have my mind susceptible to hidden marketing. I want to control my own decisions without social themes dictating their outcomes. To do that, I will make and effort to stay aware. You should to.

For those of you who still are convinced that meat is important to your diet. I again challenge you to provide the burden of evidence called experimentation. Watch THIS documentary called King Corn. This film is also available on the iTunes Music Store for download HERE.

Anglo vs. Asian

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:43:23 -0800

You can’t argue with the fact that we live in some pretty strange times? Our world seems terribly terrible? You ever wonder why? I do. But I still have a hard time arriving at the conclusion that we are bad. It’s hard for me to accept that. I think that human beings are open beings, much like animals in the wild. When you observe animals in their natural conditions without a master, they operate with instinct and logical natural law. But under the control or influence of the master, the animal can be trained. It can be conditioned. We have known this for many years. Our use of animals as entertainment (circus), as food, as protection, as transportation and for experimentation proves this fact. There is no reason that at one point, someone wouldn’t figure out that these principles apply to human beings as well.

Someone did. And they developed marketing. Conditioning of the human being with imagery. When you get a catalog for clothing, what you are really looking at is the imagery the marketing team came up with that would invoke a felling of identification with the values that the image presents. That is, when you see that cute girl in the Banana Republic catalog or the hip skater in the Urban Outfitters brochure, you get a feeling from that character, and the imagery around him or her. And if that feeling is a good one, then you will buy their product. Culture being a product of our decisions and value placement, is also susceptible to conditioning. Our behavior is modified by marketing, and our cumulative behavior is called culture. So then it is logical to conclude that culture can be modified by marketing secondarily.

I propose that we need to rethink our values, and we need to do this fast, before the problems we face get even bigger. I was sent a very interesting email from a family member with a graphic art story about the differences between Anglo culture characteristics and Asian. I thought this was compelling enough to post for you all to see.

The blue side is the Anglo behavior or characteristic. The Red side is the Asian response. Now, it is a given that these icons are based on the “average” cultural response or behavior. I posted the slides in the photo gallery so you can access it with THIS link. Take the 5 minutes and look at these. It shows the highs and lows of our value systems. For me, it reaffirmed that some of our values must be reconsidered.

Priceless?

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:21:08 -0800

I recently came across a great article on the web. It was neat because the author was commenting on what kind of MasterCard commercial he would like to see. Some of you might know that some close friends of mine have started to produce commercials to spread virally on the internet to wake people up. The first project we completed was a quick and dirty MasterCard parody. The crew was incredible. They put this masterpiece together in a day. You can view it HERE. Do me a favor. If you liked it, send it out to friends. What I really liked about his comment was not that he was making a political commentary, but he did the research and made it visible to the public.

Here is the highlight of the article... think about what you are about to read, and see if makes you want to live a little differently? (Oh, and as a final note, take a closer look at the image above... it’s a picture of the MasterCard Priceless website... anything seem strange to you?)

Amount spent each year in Europe and the United States on pet food: $17 billion.

Cost per year to achieve basic health and nutrition for the entire world: $13 billion.

Amount spent on perfumes each year: $12 billion.

Clean water for all the world: $9 billion.

Amount spent on cosmetics in the US: $8 billion

Basic education for the world’s children: $6 billion..

Total amount the US spends on Christmas each year: $450 billion (or 16 years worth of food, water, and education for the world).

Initial cost of the US Government bailout of failing financial institutions: $700 billion (or 25 years worth of food, water, and education for the world).

Coming to grips with the alarming disconnects of our consumerist society: Priceless

What a joke!

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 23:55:41 -0800

There is a car named Aptera. It was supposed to go into production in the last month or two. I am number 42 on the reservation list. I love this company because it was started by people who decided to take matters into their own hands and redesign what we consider “a car” and make it environmentally conscious. They didn’t adhere to conventional opinion and make a car that looks like a car. They made a car that is designed AROUND the idea it was intended to be. A car that leaves the smallest foot print possible in the world. A car that is intelligent, and at the forefront of our engineering abilities (at least on their budget). The result was a car that had a drag coefficient that was less than mirror on a regular car. But something bad happened. A few months ago they sent out an email to deposit holders and asked them to participate in a survey. The survey was intelligent. It asked about product design, and function and the ideology around the product and why people are buying it.

The result saddens me. Aptera sent an email to depositors recently which had this paragraph:

“For months we have been receiving important feedback from you, our depositor community, and we have come to realize there were flaws in our initial product assumptions -- specifically as it pertains to satisfying the needs of real-world consumers. Our greatest degree of learning came just a few months ago when we asked all of you to participate in a brief survey. This critical piece of research requested insights about your expectations for our company and our products, and we discovered a notable disconnect between our product plan and realistic expectations. Some modifications had to be made. For example, you helped us realize that some trade-offs for convenience (like being able to grab a burger in a drive-thru) might be necessary to make the ownership experience more palatable, even if it cost us a couple tenths of a point on our drag coefficient.”

So they are going to make the car LESS advanced for the lazy, overweight fast food culture of America. if they don’t, they are self admittedly going to fail in their sales thus potentially end the product and it’s market viability.

That is business. But what about ethics. Isn’t it sad that our world is so derailed from ethics that the consumer’s desire is what demotes the superiority of a product? Why don’t we have consumers that are more informed? I have an answer. The proof is in an article recently posted on www.treehugger.com. This article also covers the Aptera email. I read it. And decided to write a comment on the site. Let’s see if the comment posts after they read what I said? And if it does post, let’s see what other people say? I included my comment below. Reading it will give you insight to the point I am trying to make here. I hope you are different than these other consumers that changed and demoted this remarkable car’s design philosophy.

Visit the site (scroll to bottom to see if they posted me or not?) and see if my comment is up. It will prove to you their intent http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/aptera-delays-production-2e-electric-car.php

TreeHugger Comment Copy:
I think this is ridiculous! People who are eating hamburgers are effecting the design of a highly advanced automobile that will set a new bar for useless companies like the ones in Detroit. This is a company that was started by a brilliant man to create a product that will change the landscape of automobile design and function, and help the environment. But because of the false environmentalists who want to be part of the “hype” and the “feel good” green movement, they have actually changed the company's position to sell a no compromise product. Instead their confused brains voted that they should be able to go to a DRIVE THRU TO GET A BURGER with this car.

Now where do we put the blame for this? The consumer? Partially, but not effectively. Why? Because the consumer is called “consumer” because of their intrinsic INABILITY to decide their purchases rationally and intelligently. Hence the all the companies in our current economic model that are feeding on the “consumer mind” with "conventional" products. These products have minimal environmental consideration because of the inconvenience this would cause. Let’s look at the plastic bottle industry as an example.

The real blame lies with the weak media and news systems. ALL of them, including TreeHugger.

You see, I am a lover of this planet. I also want our world to be a better place. And I am an avid environmentalist. I have changed my life in the past 10 years to be part of what really matters… our world. I am number 42 on the list of depositors for an Aptera. I have invested in Solar Panels that will charge my Aptera. I practice medicine in a the first of it’s kind, green medical office that I designed. I started a nonprofit environmental activist agency. I am vegan.

The last one is the most important. Not eating meat is agreed to be one of the most effective means of bettering our environment. Not only just because of the CO2 emissions associated with the meat industry, but because of all the environmental effects of the industries that are peripheral to meat. This is a well documented and understood fact. Regardless of your position on the relevance of CO2 in the discussion of climate change, Meat is a problem. From water, to feed to transportation and containment, meat is an issue that MUST be addressed.

But here we have new sources that current and future environmentalists refer to for perspective, and the meat issue is never pressed. Take TreeHugger for instance. Here is the source, a well respected resource for the “beginner environmentally concerned” individual, and instead of aggressively pushing the meat issue, hence making the most impact of our environment, they report on a loft in Florence made of recycled materials? http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/stair-reno-b-arch-florence.php Now, how many actual people in this country can afford to live like that? And even if they could… how many would change their entire living condition to live like that and be environmentally conscious. But how many of those people could easily reduce or stop their meat intake? Almost all.

So the fact that TreeHugger doesn’t take a harder line against the meat industry and the effects of meat in our diets and it’s effects on our environment proves that they are another in-effectual environmental resource facade.

If you really want an accurate and honest perspective about the environment, visit http://thegoldenspiral.org and there you will read honest and reporting about what is happening and what you should be doing. I know there will be challenge to this, but most you are informed about the upper 30% of the issue. I haven’t even discussed the environmental effects of meat taking medical diseases into consideration. So rather than argue the fact, get educated about the facts and then come to the table.

The bottom line is that until we have strong, non conventional news sources who show the public the real issues and push them, nothing will change. Future Aptera’s of the world will release products that are made to concede to the lazy and overweight fat food culture of America. Not because they are unethical, but because they see that the greater good is served by releasing a product that WILL raise the bar for the competition; even if that means making a small compromise in your philosophy. The sad part is not the compromise. It’s the fact that the media hasn’t educated the public well enough that they WOULDN’T desire an Aptera that can be functional in a drive through.

This is why things are going to change fast enough.

Can you see me?

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 01:00:28 -0800

It all begins with the story of light. Since the beginning we have been draped with the comforting glimmer of the heavens above. Stars, billions and billions of them sparkling in the sky. Reminding us that we are just a blip in the infinite journey of time.

You see, when you look up at the stars, what you are seeing is pictures of those stars, millions and millions of years ago. That is because based on current theories in physics, light travels at a maximum speed of 3 times 10 to the 8th power meters per second (299,792,458 meters per second). That translates to 670,616,629 miles per hour. That means that a blip of light that leaves Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our star (the Sun), takes 4.37 years to get here. So if Alpha Centauri were to explode tomorrow morning (Super Nova) we wouldn’t see it disappear for another 4.37 years.

This give you an idea of how far the stars are in the universe. Some of the stars you see at night are millions of light years away. So what they look like in the sky, is really what they looked like that many millions of years ago. Imagine, being on a star somewhere out in the universe, and you observe Sol, our star. Except if you are looking at our sun, literally RIGHT NOW, from this other star (millions of light years away); you see the Sol that existed millions of years ago. Before man was on Earth.

And there are billions of old stars, much older than ours. Imagine the complex planetary systems around these stars and the chances of planets with just the right conditions. Suspended in the volatility of space like a shining gem, harboring a miracle called life.

But what does it mean when we say light travels? What is light? This is where the rabbit hole began. In the late 19th century research by J.J. Thompson revealed the dual nature of cathode rays (similar to light for your purposes). So light was thought of as a wave, but it also exhibited particle like characteristics. This can be confusing, so I will explain.

Think of traffic. The cars are particles that are participating in the compression wave we call traffic. If you look at traffic from the sky, you see a slinky like effect. This movement of “the wave” through slinky is nothing more than a wave. A wave is not an item of matter. It is a probability. The wave that moves through the slinky, or traffic, or the ocean is really an effect of the individual particles being at a certain point in space at a certain time. Hold this thought.

As physics and chemistry advanced, we opened up the understanding of the atom. This was important because everything, I mean EVERYTHING in this world is made up of atoms. And atoms are the same every where you go. So the pieces that make up atoms are protons and electrons. And electrons are just like light particles (photons). These little (-) charged particles are defined by orbital positions. When the atom is in it’s resting state, the electron is likely to be found in an electron cloud region defined as an orbital.

The confusion happens when we try to observe atoms. Right now, we have the technology to observe and even place atoms where we want. This image is a series organized atoms, paving the way for what we call Nano-Technology. When we observe atoms the electrons behave as particles. But when the atoms is not being observed (in it’s natural state) it is actually a wave, meaning it is a probability.

And thus, the doorway that connects physics and philosophy. When the electron is being observed it assumes physical particulate behavior, and when it is without an observer, it is a probability, a wave form.

This duality concept puts the perception of what we call reality, in the key position. Without perception, observation, experience, the stuff that makes everything is just a probability. The observer plays a central role in calling to action the particulate form of that atom.

This concept is very strange. It is hard to consolidate into regular life. You get up in the morning, turn off your alarm clock and our yourself a cup of coffee and think, where the hell does Ali’s crazy rant about duality fit into this? But once you understand this idea, the next few steps will make more sense.

What are we doing?

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 00:44:06 -0800

2009 is here. Now I can say, next year in 2010. Wow. I really can’t believe that it is that close. My amazement is not because of the numbers. Rather, I am in shock because I remember the little boy Ali, thinking of 2010 with hopes of a clean, advanced future, where people didn’t live in poverty and war was a bad memory from the past era. It’s hard to look forward one year and consider us even slightly close to that vision.

The human being is such an incredible creation. A self contained supercomputer, with appendages that can manipulate and refine tools. With technologic capabilities where this animal can edit, and modify it’s own genome. We have so much potential. Yet, we are lost. Or we are losing. Drifting off course in the dark ocean of consumerism, and war. The two evil past times of humanity.

I’ve admitted in the past of getting off track with my site. There are a lot of things that I see, or experience in the outside world that bothers me, so I write about it hoping that someone else agrees, and strives for a more conscious, aware society. But I have made a decision to take a positive action towards this goal. Rather than complain about the bad things around us and point them all out. I am going to take you somewhere that no else has. I am going to use a skill that I have been given by my particular destiny and bring the complex science of quantum mechanics to simple understandable terms for you. This is important.

The reason is that quantum mechanics is the study of the smallest pieces of matter / energy that make EVERYTHING up. Understanding what makes everything what it is... including us. This knowledge is no secret. Many people have canned it in a variation of sorts and profited from it (i.e. The Secret). But they all fail to actually make the connection. To help you actually understand why you are who you are, and what connects you with everything else in this world.

I firmly believe that when people understand and participate with this information. Their perspective changes. They redefine their role in this world. That is one of the gifts of being human, we learn. I know if people learn that our role is not to rape and pillage this world, but to protect it, they would stop participating in horrendous behavior like THIS lady in New York.

I am only sharing with you information that scholars much bigger than me have discovered. I am going compile a long journey of reading and learning into a concise easy to follow blog. Each episode will provide clarity into a new topic that connects to the final destination. Understanding what the pieces of this puzzle we call life, really are. No more politics. That is something you have to gather the nerve to change. The longer you sit around waiting for it to change, the worse it will get.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

An THAT... is America.

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:47:27 -0800

Thank you. To all 16 of you wrote. Not just wrote, but actually wrote something of worth. Something with intelligence. You took time. Instead of clicking, reading, getting a little amusement and moving on. You cared enough about what is happening, and you wrote.

That is really important... because THAT is America. For you all to be engaged; to interact and let each know and get involved in the exchange. To be informed, and to inform each other.

Everyone wrote such excellent perspectives. I truly enjoyed everyone of them. Reading your thoughts and ideas gave me a new hope in the future of our country. I just hope that you all value what you did as much as I do. Your writing and engagement let others know (people you guys don’t know) that there are others like them. People that agree that government has lost it’s focus and become greedy.

To see Keith leave a comment shows that even the busiest person, can take a second to let others know, (the ones of you who do have time to write) that no matter how busy you are, there is always time to talk to each other and interact with each other about important issues. To engage.

Jerry, you are so absolutely right. What you wrote is the fundamental point isn’t it? How many people actually write their local congressmen, or visit them? That is why America is slipping through the cracks of time folks, because WE aren’t paying attention! THIS is what we all need to be talking about. Not American Idol. Not the Lakers. Not tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy. We need to be writing to our EMPLOYEES... our ELECTED officials, and EXPECT of them to perform and to DO what they were HIRED to do.

Apathy. Yes Loris. Apathy. I agree. We sit there and hope someone else will do it. It’s funny. It’s a human condition actually. A disease. I live in a condominium complex with only 12 units. A small building so we don’t have the association funds for services that a lot of the other places do. But almost everyone in the building acts as if someone else will pick up after them. Just because there is a communal garage it doesn’t mean you are not responsible for your area of it. And how different is America? We treat it as if someone else will handle it for us... laws, government, legislation and stuff... you know.

Narges... I was surprised to see you post... human nature... that makes me sad. Is that our nature? To be self serving beasts? Is that what our beautiful evolution has gotten us to? The most advanced creation of nature, the human brain, is only capable of an exaggeration of a simple animal instinct? It’s sad that we are not using this incredible tool of understanding to connect with the world around us and each other. Instead, we use it to out smart each other and continue to take... human nature? How sad?

2009 guys. It’s right around the corner. Can you believe in a week I will be able to tell you “next year... in 2010”. Can you even BELIEVE that this sentence is going to come out of my mouth in a few days?

Just take a second please. Think back to when you where a kid... remember back then, and remember thinking about 2010 back then. What did you imagine back then? Did you imagine our world as it is today? I’m willing to bet most of you didn’t.

Most of us imagined a future that was advanced. And ironically clean. A modern sustainable future... you know solar panels and minimalist stuff everywhere. But we actually live in a world, with government greed, with corporatocracy ruling the world. With war. With disease, and with climate change. With consumerism gone mad and profit being our only motive to do anything.

Please everyone, spread the words you took the time to put down on this site so eloquently.  
I am extending a formal and sincere invitation to you all. If you would like, you can write, and I will post your writing under a cameo. Soon, I will be upgrading this site to a more advanced version for 2009. It will support sections, and more complex browsing abilities to make your reading experience better.

As always... NO ADVERTISING. EVER. But I want you all to have place on the internet... a connection to the WORLD to speak and be heard. This is our new revolution people. Where people everywhere can read what your thoughts are. I am going to have the site optimized to pop up on searches for key terms so people everywhere in American and the world will stumble upon our articles when they search for a buzz word.

Submit your writing, and I will post it for you. With your name, or a cameo. You guys know me, and know that I am not in this for profit or self gain. This is bigger than me. Thus, I am going to be true to the purpose and always keep it non-profit, advertising free, and private (for those writers who do not want to be known publicly).

A magazine for humanity. A real editorial site.

Welcome to 2009. 233 years after the beginning of this great country. How much longer before we make it live up to what it was created for?

** About the Photo: Picasso, Dying Bull. 1934

A face only a mother could love...

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:44:21 -0800

This is the kind of stuff I want my site to show everyone. This is the purpose of what I write. I want people to open their eyes to the world that is around them and realize that they are being manipulated.

CNBC has a show called Mad Money. This show is hosted by a guy named Jim Cramer. It’s watched by most of the regular people out there. The premise of the show is that a successful hedge fund manager is giving the “common-joe”, easy and reliable investment advice. So everyone I know listens to this guy. You can’t go to the doctor’s lounge without having one of the docs comment on the stock market and tune in or refer to this guy.

So then I stumble across this interview this guy is doing... totally out of character. I mean his role on the show is to be this loud, punchy no BS investment strategist. But in this interview, he is heartfelt, and sincere. He has this plastery fake look on his face that “Please, please listen to me...” So this interview is supposed to be more important that his normal advice on his crazy loud show.

What is his advice? I do want you to watch the video, but once you do... also read the rest of the article and see what the breakdown is.

This guy is telling you to sell all your stocks. Isn’t that what caused the crash of the market in 1929? Mass sell offs? Mass cash in’s? People panicking driving the very system they created into chaos?

This guy is one of the tactics the new world order is using to manipulate and create the crash of 2009, and allow for the coming in of the Amero. Think about it. All you have to do is WikiPedia this guy’s background and you will see how evident his motive is. WikiPedia is an online editable encyclopedia (for those of who don’t know) which is EDITABLE by anyone. Meaning, if the information about Jim Cramer was innaccurate or he himself disagrees with it, he can post a modification or a inaccuracy and thus it’s validity is challenged. So here is what I found without any challenges.

According to the WikiPedia Post, “This article is about the television personality and host of Mad Money.” It goes on to describe when “he graduated Harvard in 1977, he was also president of the Harvard Crimson. At this point in his life, Cramer was a staunch leftist, naming his plan to revitalize the Crimson after Lenin's "What Is To Be Done?"

He then went on from being a journalist, to being a lawyer. At which time, he became interested in the market and started as a stock broker with Goldman Sachs. He then started his own hedge fund. That last part was important. This means that he understands the concepts behind creating a successful hedge fund. He knows this system that makes a hedge fund successful. That’s good, because then Wiki continues...

In March 2007, a December 2006 interview from TheStreet.com's "Wall Street Confidential" webcast stirred controversy after it appeared on YouTube. In the video, Cramer described activities used by hedge fund managers to manipulate stock prices; some illegal and some debatably legal.

Still, all good. But if you connect the dots, it makes sense. This is a socialist, who would love to see the one money system. He earns your trust, under the guise of being a capitalist. After all, he gives great stock advice for you to make money... right? So now that the freedom loving crowd trusts this dude, he tells them to sell off all the their stocks... to create a crash, thus devalue the dollar even further, so that his socialist party can present you the Amero. Taking the world one step further to a one world financial system, thus one world ruling class.

Remember, he admits that “hedge fund managers can manipulate stock prices”. Isn’t that what is is doing by giving this silly parade of advice in this “solemn” video?

Oh, now he cares extra. Everyday, he cares normal... you know... get angry and crazy acting normal. But this... THIS is serious people.... Go, go out and sell your stocks... if you want to live the way you do now for the next 5 years. The fact that he equates 5 years of savings to a “normal” person (the people he is supposed to be giving advice to) is silly? Which normal person do YOU know that can live for the next five years on their investments? Normal people, the kind I know, can’t.

So here he is admitting he is completely oblivious of who the normal people are, but is advising them.

His technique is definitely smart, and creative. But the bottom line is, his resume shows it, and his interview admits it. He is manipulating the market. For his own ideals. And for the ideals of the network he works for. They hired him. They put him on the air for you to see.

This network wants the world to operate on one money system because the networks you watch on your television sets, are the networks that are owned by the people that own the corporations that want to see a one world money system. One money means everyone is controlled.

This crazy situation also proves another thing. It shows that we are allowing this to happen. Why? Because instead of investing in companies that we believe in. Instead of investing the way investing used to be... the way the word actually describes itself... to put money into a company a vested interest. We invest for profit. Profit is good. But it is not good alone. Profit with ethics is good.

We do not invest, because we are placing faith and trust in the activities and products of that company. If that was the case, would anyone invest in McDonnel Douglas? Would anyone invest in Lockheed? Companies that make machines that kill other human beings? Would we invest in companies like Monsanto that have patented over 11,000 seeds and sue farmers for planting the offspring of their crop because Monsanto owns the genes in those seeds? Would you invest in ANY of the companies listed on THIS web page that participate in taking the potential of feeding the world with food, and capitalizing on it by making High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) instead? (which will kill you).

We don’t care about the values or morals of these companies... we just want profit. So we buy stocks for profit. And thus our belief in the ownership of our stock is fickle. We sell at a whim... because we might lose our profit. But imagine if you owned a stock because you believed in the company. If you didn’t dump it at the beckoned call of an analyst, the company might still be around, thus the market might stay strong for the right reasons... quality, and integrity.

My point is not abstract or strange. This guy is a self admitted socialist. He is on TV. He is always crazy, now he is not? So which personality are we supposed to believe? And now he is advising us, having admitted to the fact that his type of people (hedge fund managers) manipulate the market! So let’s the see the manipulation of the market unfold. For your sake, I hope I am wrong about this one.

You guys won’t hear me say this often, but this kind of human being makes me sick.

I need your help.

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:40:29 -0800

After an insightful conversation with Shelley, I am compelled to ask you all to help me. I need your help.

I need you (and I really mean EVERY one of you) to comment at the end of this article, and let me know what you think the answer to the question I am going to ask in the article below is. Please, I really want every one of you to participate. Please read the whole article and let me know what you think is the answer?

We live in a world where a system that is dedicated to elected public officials (people chosen by the public, to do good for the public) is an illusion. Just look around and you can see that the majority of our public officials; from our President, Vice President, and even local congress, are driven not by the desire to fulfill their duty to the public, but by special interests. Why is that?

I mean isn’t this the world where we supposedly have evolved to the point that we participate in Democracy, and elect individuals from our own society, to represent us. These people are paid for the “time” they dedicate to serving the public instead of pursuing their own profession.

So then why is it that when these people fill these positions, they never do anything just because it is the right thing to do? Why is there always a special interest involved? Special interests can be corporate, religious, racial, sexist, or even occult (i.e. Skull & Bones, Freemasons, etc.)

Here We Go...

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:52:39 -0800

Thank you to my uncle. He knows the things that intrigue me, and the things I think about. He sent me a link to a video from 60 Minutes that shows you why. I recommend you make 12 minutes of our time available and watch this video to the end.

Many of you have heard me talk about or theorize about the path that is somewhat inevitable... the human computer interface. Ever since we developed these silicon devices that process data and are now being uploaded with software that mimics intelligence, the quest for actually connecting our brains to the machine has been the holy grail of computer science. Thoughts are made by a series of complex interconnections in the brain by neurons. Neurons are cells that function by sending electrical impulses. These are called action potentials) down what is called an axon. These in turn stimulate other neurons that ultimately translates into action, thought, or memory.

A computer works in a very similar way. There are microprocessors or what we call microchips (chips for short). These ‘chips’ are made of silicon and have tiny transistors cut into them. These transistors act as gateways for information. Information in it’s purest form is in binary, i.e. 0 or 1. Zero and one. The most basic form of information. On or off. Yes or no. And if we build a language around this fundamental form of information, then we can have complex tasks and complex processes completed by a very simple gateway. As we add more gateways, the ability to process tasks in parallel and faster is obtained.

The human brain is just that. Think of it as a warehouse full of the most powerful supercomputers all networked together to act as one computer. So the trillions of gateways on the millions of chips that are inside of these thousands of computers, are all acting so solve a series of commands or tasks.

Your brain does this without any effort. To get the virtual world to do this is the task that we have embarked on the moment we started to evolve our computer technology. The problem lies in this part: getting the organic gateways or our brains (neurons) to connect and interact with the inorganic silicone gateways of a computer (the microchip).

Well a part of the process is resolved and this opens the doors for a steady progression to a virtual presence of the human brain. The question has been asked since the beginning of time... who are we? Are we spirits living in organic bodies or are we just a sum total of action potentials between the neurons of our brains that give us the illusion of being ‘somebody’. This advancement will definitely take humanity to the threshold of this answer.

Just as computer technology advanced at astronomical rates compared to all of the prior human achievements (to understand this, look at how far computer science has come in such a short time, compared to medicine in such a long time), the advancements that will come from this new interface between man and machine will also rocket forward.

If 30 years ago (just put yourself there for a second) I asked you to imagine a 3 x 5 thin piece of plastic that will connect you to anyone else in the world wirelessly via voice, text, video and at the same time give you on demand access to the entire human catalog of information (theoretically Wikipedia), locate you anywhere in the world (via GPS), give you access to real time navigation with STREET VIEW maps, etc. etc... You would call me crazy! But look at the iPhone and you will see that this creation from one of the creators of computers is just that.

So with this progression being a sure thing, imagine if we had the ability to scan and record all the neuronal connections of your brain and then recreate that in digital form in a computer. Would you have a consciousness in the machine? These are questions that will be answered with the new developments we have made. As they evolve, these technologies will open doors that will lead to answering some of philosophy’s most difficult questions.

It’s also highly probable that in the not so distant future, you will be able to go to your local electronics retailer and buy a memory chip. Except this chip is meant to be implanted into your brain. An outside interface with this chip will then let you connect to the cloud (the internet) and download any topic you wanted to learn... let’s say biology, and now you have the complete textbook of biology uploaded into your chip. Access to knowledge databases like Wikipedia will give everyone access to the collective information of our time... without any effort.

I find this to be astounding... and at the same time, ironic. I sum up the sum total of all the efforts of humanity with one word. Lazy. We are lazy creatures. We work when we have to, but would rather not. So over time, we have used our great evolutionary gift (tool making) to develop solutions to our work for us. We have worked to create cars, plows, washing machines, cooking machines, industrial farms, clothing manufacturers, food processors, restaurants, and almost every other aspect of our modern world, is there to reduce our workload. At a lecture by Paul Roberts, he started his talk by commenting on the sum of humanity as the search for “cheap calories”. Cheap calories, meaning food you didn’t have to work hard for. Food that is available on demand.

Think about this folks. The very fundamental values of our society support the ideals of minimal ACTUAL work. We work, but in fruitless ways of retail, and consumerism. Real work is growing food, cultivating communities, healing people, putting out fires, teaching children, contributing to science. But our modern world values something else.

So to solve my riddle, I’ll explain what I find ironic... the fact that our of our laziness, we have created something, that just might save us from our doomed future. Conquering the final boundary of work, we are close to a solution to having to learn information. Learning a subject will mimic downloading and MP3 to your iPod. This will allow for millions of people to have access to information that the greatest human creation, the internet, provides. If people have access to information and knowledge, things might change.

Education is everything. Everyone should have the opportunity to get a free education.

Science is the understanding of the intrinsic and automatic mechanisms of everything. Solving problems based on logic, and pure reasoning. As we develop a new appreciation for our world through science, explanations that once kept our consciousness away from the truth, (such as the Gods carried the Sun across the sky in their chariots) are being replaced by the reality behind reality.

Knowing ourselves and who we are, will open the doors to finally living the way we were intended to live in this symphony some call Nature. It will take science to get us there. Our society has deviated so far from the internal path to this truth, that science is our only hope at this point.

Open Your Eyes in 6:45

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:48:23 -0800

Are you really serious about learning where all this is heading? Have I really sparked your interest about the biggest scam perpetrated on the America?

It’s a 6:45 expose on the who know the truth and who is keeping it from you; and once you watch the simple and honest question Ron Paul asks Ben Bernanke answered by a stray and generic answer, you will see why the elusive Fed is the most dangerous of forces in this country.

PLEASE watch the video below until the end.

The only solution to end this debauchery is to live a life based on the tenets of your grandparents: live on what you can afford. Don’t get suckered into buying things you don’t really know why your are buying other than keeping up with the social norms set for you to buy them. This consumer based world around is fed by the insatiable appetite of credit.

The Federal Reserve chairman is declaring his power over our government, by not answering their questions with honesty and clarity. When I am in the room with a patient and I am asked a question about a complication after a surgery, I am obligated to answer honestly by the code of ethics instilled in my profession.

But in this profession, there are no ethics. You do not answer to the honesty. If that was the case, these officials would work for the benefit of the ACTUAL employers... the American Public. But they behave as THEY are the employers and you (the Government) is your employee.

This all started with the Federal Reserve act of 1913. Once you legislate a private bank can control the nation’s money supply, it’s over. History has shown this numerous times.

So when you see the Fed flood the market with money, and inflation sets in, you can look back at this video and see who the real public officials are. We need more people like Ron Paul in our government. People who actually understand their job description and what they have been HIRED to do for the Public.

Runaway Train

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:53:14 -0800

I just got an email from a reader who I have known personally for many years. They took the time to point something out that I realized after reading the suggestion and agree with.

I want to apologize for the dire and grim images, or the negative tone of the site recently. Most of you who know me, know that I am a very optimistic, and passionate person. I never let life get the best of me and am constantly ahead of the curve.

I realize that the site if focused on our home, Earth and what we are doing to it. Recently the writing has taken a political shift, and started to tackle issues like the bailouts, the Federal Reserve, the dollar, and global corporate domination. I haven’t derailed the message to get political on purpose. It’s just that after deeper investigation and reading about the issues that are driving our world into the chaotic mess that it is, I find that it all winds up in the same place. Our leaders, our banks, our monetary system, our economy. These are the underpinnings of the troubles we are in.

So I will make an effort to put a positive spin on my writing. The issues are negative by nature. I can’t change that. But I can restrict myself from fueling the negativity fire. What appears as negativity is really reality... it sucks but it’s time we stopped pretending it isn’t so, because it is.

And I will use better images. I know that the last email with the gun against the old man’s head was not the most “user friendly” visual. But I was trying to send the message that we are shooting ourselves in the head if we let these things continue.

I love our world. I spend a lot of time in nature, and it makes me sad to see things keep spiraling down, and people continue to life their lives thinking that it’s not happening in their back yard. The truth is that every persons actions effect the situation.  
I know (or hope) that most of you are doing your part. Thank you. As always, your feedback and suggestions and participation is an integral part of this online forum. The real effectivity of the site is when you pass it on, and have new readers visit and review the ideas for themselves. We can stop this if we all band together to open each others eyes. Maybe then we can look forward to a world that our children can live in that is better than ours.

P.S. Thank you Mel for your insightful observation :-)

Who’s Yo Daddy?

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:49:10 -0800

When generations change, a lot is given up. It wasn’t always like this. In the past, wisdom was passed from one generation to another because the family unit was connected at many levels. Grandparents were a part of grandchildren’s lives. Communication was slow and complex because the fast sound bite mediums like TV, email, and text messaging didn’t exist.

But in today’s world, the ideals that our elders had; the ideals that built this great country, are lost like reruns of an old sitcom. Shelved to gather dust forever, paving way for more obtuse, and less compelling entertainment like reality TV and competition shows like American Idol.

Generations of the past, taught their children not to live in debt. Owning something that you couldn’t afford or didn’t have the money for up-front, was frowned upon. But things have changed. This is not what is taught to the new generation. The word ‘credit’ is thrown around synonymously with economic well-being. Don’t believe me? Just turn on your TV right now and tune into any news or financial channel. “The very heart of America’s economy is at stake... Credit.”

Stories are popping up everywhere exposing exactly how much our country is indebted to others. This months Atlantic Monthly has an excellent article that covers and interview with Gao Xiqing, General Manager and Chief Investment Officer of the China Investment Corporation, China's sovereign investment fund. That is, this guy is the one who oversees $200 billion of China’s $2 trillion in dollar holdings. In this article he explains why he’s betting against the dollar, praises American pragmatism, and wonders about enormous Wall Street paychecks. And he has a friendly piece of advice: “Be Nice to the Countries That Lend You Money”.

Read the article. It is chilling. In one of the last questions, Xiqing is asked how American’s should feel about the growing Chinese presence in their economy? He answers with this:

“This generation of Americans is so used to your supremacy. Your being treated nicely by everyone. It hurts to think, Okay, now we have to be on equal footing to other people. “On equal footing” would necessarily mean that sometimes you have to stoop to appear to be humble to other people...

And you can’t think as a soldier. You put yourself at the enemy end of everyone...

But over the years, I believe I learned to be humble. To treat other people nicely. I learned that, from a social point of view, no matter how lowly statured a person you are talking to, as a person, they are the same human being as you are. You have to respect them. You have to apologize if you inadvertently hurt them...

Americans are not sensitive in that regard. I mean, as a whole. The simple truth today is that your economy is built on the global economy. And it’s built on the support, the gratuitous support, of a lot of countries. So why don’t you come over and … I won’t say kowtow [with a laugh], but at least, be nice to the countries that lend you money.

Talk to the Chinese! Talk to the Middle Easterners! And pull your troops back! Take the troops back, demobilize many of the troops, so that you can save some money rather than spending $2 billion every day on them.

And then tell your people that you need to save, and come out with a long-term, sustainable financial policy.

Maybe we should all visit those nursing homes we cram our elders into a little more often and listen to what they have to say about all this?

Profit vs. Ethics... The Doom of Humanity

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:47:17 -0800

I had to write this essay. It is a recurrent question in my mind, and topic in my conversations with people. I recently had a discussion with one of very close friends about this issue. We had a discussion about THIS article, and I then asked the question: “Why is it that ethics is not an intrinsic part of business.” I don’t mean business ethics. Yes, that is a course that is taught in most business schools. I am talking about the kind of ethics that is the underpinning of the very foundation of doing business.

For example, in medicine there is an understood value system, that is not just taught as a system, but built into the foundation of doing medicine. “Do no harm” is the premise of doctoring. Law has the same basic principle. In the study of the law and the ultimate end point of practicing law, the attorney is trained to seek the truth. To represent the truth. In other words, justice is the core of law. Wether you are on the prosecuting or defending side of the argument, you are both attempting to obtain justice. Almost every skill or profession has an implied ethics system that is built in to the very core of doing that profession... except business.

Living in times like ours, these are important questions to ask. We live in an era where economic earthquakes of the past are dwarfed by the magnanimous numbers being thrown around every day in the news today. Hundreds of billions, Trillions, and now double digits of Trillions. These are values and amounts that the average person cannot even fathom. These numbers have desensitized us to the value of money and economy itself. Yet, I ask you still, why is it okay to live in a system where profit is private and loss is public? Why is okay for the American public to be swindled into bailing out companies that are in trouble because of their inability to compete and win fair and square? Isn’t that the very basis for American Capitalism?

Our government, our public servants... YOUR ELECTED EMPLOYEES, have voted to give more of your children’s and grandchildren’s money to big, private firms like General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. Just like the bailouts for the banks, the package is wrapped in a shiny, supposedly well regulated promissory note that is supposed to benefit the American public once the “loan” is paid off. But as you have seen (and it didn’t take long) with the first bailout package, what your public servants promised you, didn’t pain out did it? The first bailout changed form very quickly and the mortgages that were supposed to land in the government’s hands, wound up in the Fed’s hands. And not to beat a dead horse, but if you STILL think that the Fed is the government, you need quit your browser, turn off your computer, and go to your public library and start reading up on the facts.

The reality is that these times are unprecedented... but let’s get back to the ethics. The very core of business, the very ideology of business is based on profit. Profit at any cost. There is no backbone or underpinning in business that compels the proprietor to reconsider their product, or their business plan because it detriments the planet, or because it could detriment future generations. Rather, if it costs less to make something, somewhere else, then you must act on that. So the viscous spiral began when we started playing with this fire we call economy. Profit being the ultimate master, commanded decisions that have nailed our coffins closed. And because of it, we are on the brink of some serious problems.

Problems with our water. Problems with our food. Problems with our air. Problems with disease, population, poverty, housing, war, famine, limited resources religious persecution, racism, slavery, over consumption, and so many more; but these will kill us before the rest of the list.

We are like an ostrich with its head in the sand. We pretend that these issues are figments of the imaginations of those people we call scientists. We pretend that all will get better if we vote for Change. If we have a new feeling or shift in our ideals.

I hate to break the news to you... but you are wrong. Like many of the authors I quote and refer to in my writing (like BIll McKibben, Kenneth Galbraith, Naomi Klein, Morris Berman, etc. etc. etc.) we need to change things immediately. They and I mean literally CHANGE things overnight. Research is leading us down the path that is painted with a grim picture. THIS recent article by McKibben reveals how important and almost instant shift in lifestyle is.

So ethics, consideration and respect for our planet, for each other, and for our future is NOT built into business. This GM/Chrysler/Ford scam is a perfect example. I clearly remember 20 years ago GM and the other 2 dimwits had many opportunities to scrap their antiquated business models for innovative truly American plans. Rather, they stuck to their old ways and kept on doing business as usual. Not one of those greedy overpaid CEOs did what they were supposed to. Instead of looking at the next 20 years and shifting their production from fat lazy and obscenely inefficient SUVs to smaller, more advanced hybrids or completely electric cars... they got back into bed with their old mistress big oil and delivered products that the lemmings we can call the American public lapped up and parked in their over-mortgaged driveways.

I was debating this issue during surgery today, and one of the arguments made by a ultra-conservative ditto-head plastic surgeon friend was “GM is in this mess because they’ve been paying inflated pensions to their retirees which cuts into their profits unlike Japanese carmakers”. Now with all due respect sir, let’s take a deeper look at the reality of the situation... if companies like GM conducted their businesses on an ethical foundation, they would consider the crappy products that they churned out for many years, and would look long and hard at decisions made to produce gluttonous cars like the Ford Explorer, and Chevy Suburban, AND they would stop paying the $50+ Millions of dollars every year to lobby politicians for looser EPA regulations.

We used to be the UNITED States of America. A place where our combined resources and innovation put men on the Moon with the computing power of a handheld calculator today. Now, we have been reduced to a fledgeling, indebted consumer population that can’t move left or right because every option involves debt, or more debt.

What I am arguing about cannot be changed. You cannot marry profit with ethics. Somewhere, there will be a leak. You can reduce the ethical impacts, but if you are trying to profit, you will at one point have to make a decision that may not be beneficial to someone, somewhere. That is business. Hence our expression “It’s only business”, referring to “Don’t take it personally... it’s just business”.

So instead of getting mad, instead of holding GM accountable for the irreversible damage they have caused to your environment, you are going to bail them out. All the hard work, all the taxes you’ve paid into the system... will be going to keep a defunct, archaic megalith car manufacturer that doesn’t believe in innovation or ethical business decisions. Bailing out companies like GM, Chrysler, and Ford is rewarding villainy and allowing them to hide behind their smoke screen that American jobs are at stake, when in reality... THEY are responsible for these jobs being at stake.

This is it folks. This is what you can consider “setting of the stage”. The next few years are going to being changes like non-other. Changes that American’s have never seen. Mass nationalization of private companies and assets. A let’s not forget about Amero.

Umm... hey... can you be a sport and actually click on the link of the word before this sentence... yeah, that one... the one you read and pretended to know what it was... Click it... and then actually watch the video to the end.

Oh, and one more thing... please...
Then start researching the Amero... and see where you’ll be taken on this path of enlightenment.

Maybe then, you’ll be as upset as I am.

Get My Face OFF Your Book!

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 12:56:55 -0800

I thought it would be appropriate to write an article on my birthday. Of course, it will deal with social issues, environmental issues, and political issues that plague our society. I’ll stay true to connecting the dots between multiple parts of our world to show the root of the problem. And I’ll keep it to less than two pages. But what can I write about that also pays homage to the fact that on this day, I entered the world and began to experience the dichotomy of the real world (Nature) and our real world, (Society) expressing themselves on me to create this problem citizen of Earth most of you refer to as Ali.

Today I cancelled my FaceBook account. I only recently opened it. I have always been against social networking on the internet. I consider the internet to be one of the more important creations of humanity. A network that connects the consciousness of all humans real time. There is excellent article written by one of my friends Matt describing his theory on the Information Technology and how it will impact our consciousness. The origins of the internet were for that reason. Before the days of Google, Yahoo, Netscape or even Internet Explorer, primitive access to an information only network of computers was delivered by project browsers like NCSA Mosaic. The internet was pure information access.

But as time passed, our illness infested this creation too. Marketing and commerce found it’s way into the net. This changed the face of business as we know it. I can admit that there have been some beneficial things that came to the world and to humanity. Virtual stores like Nau have reduced their ecological footprint by having only virtual presence eliminating tons of CO2 emissions by removing the retail end of the store. Packaging is reduced significantly since products sit in a warehouse and are shipped to the customer, rather than being shipped to the retail store first (which requires packaging) and then the customer purchases it at the retail location which requires a new kind of packaging. Just think of what kind of packaging your clothing is sent to the store from the manufacturer versus what kind of packaging your retailer sells it to you in?

So the internet, despite it being hijacked by commerce, has helped advanced and improve things. But consistent with the trend in our current societal evolution, individualism, hyper-individualism and lack of community continue to grow. Once again the internet comes to the rescue.

Enter... The Social Network. A brilliant idea that allows people to have a virtual presence on the internet. Giving them the ability to have a custom location in the virtual world of binary code we rely on so heavily today. This concept has now decayed to an even sadder form of virtualization of reality called Second Life. If you haven’t seen or heard of this unfortunate monstrosity, consider yourself lucky.

Second Life is a site where you create a virtual self and that “Avatar” has a job, a home, and earns “Linden Dollars” which can be spent in this virtual Second Life world. The sad part is that the monetary value of this fake world, it tied to real money. That is you buy Linden Dollars with real dollars on a credit card. Then you use that money to buy virtual land, virtual houses, or even virtual businesses in this very real virtual world illusion. So people are giving real money (which is really not real, read my Federal Reserve articles to see why) to buy virtual money. Now I really have to say... Are you fucking kidding me?

Human beings have become such distant animals from one another that they have created and participate in a fake world and live a fake life which in turn let’s them cope with their real lives? Where is this going to stop?

So sites like MySpace and FaceBook blossomed with the new generation of lost and lonely teens. Individual pages on these sites got more detailed, and colorful. Profiles with minute by minute status updates, letting everyone know what your are up to in YOUR life. Pictures galore, tags, instant messaging, virtual hugs, and virtual anything else you can image. Just to keep you plugged in for the next step...

What next step? This one. You see, none of these sites are really trying to be true to their original ideology. Take FaceBook for instance. I thought it was cool that this little kid CEO decided to dominate the industry with a mix of humble ideology and aggressive internet business tactics. If you watch these videos (it has two parts) below, and you will understand what I mean.

But now, the tune has changed. FaceBook is selling information, advertising and using your face to market a product you bought to your friends. They call it an endorsement, but really, what is happening is information is being collected about your spending habits and then being used to market to your friends online. This goes against the very grain of what this site was started for. A simple location that allowed friends to have a portal to one another when they were far away, or separated because of work etc. Mark Zuckerberg even admits to this in the interview.

What’s even more ironic is now there are reports of universities using FaceBook profiles in consideration of applicants for college entrance. This really cracks me up! The students who have pictures of their partying habits with their friends, and then “pad” their college entrance applications with grand stories of community work and being a picture perfect student are being called out on their shit! All because they couldn’t figure out that friendship on the internet is not the same as friendship in real life.

Nothing in the binary world can replace real life. That is because once you unplug the computer, it’s all gone. Period. Life however goes on, until a bigger plug is pulled... the Sun.

What does any of this have to do with my birthday and my “relevant” birthday article? On the day of my birth, I thought it would be appropriate to eliminate one more useless conditioned and detrimental habit or behavior that I engage in that contributes partly to the slow demise of our world. Just like when I got rid of my TV, or stopped eating meat, or decided to ride my bike to work whenever possible; I closed my FaceBook account.

I think if we’re spending even 3 seconds to type in a new status on our cellphones to update our FaceBook page on what we are doing right now... we need help! Although I opened an account to connect with fellow riders in biking groups I ride with, I soon realized that I quickly built a list of friends. And I had to manage their emails, and IMs and all sorts of other silly software trinkets that weren’t real, but were being sent to my page? Managing my FaceBook account become one more, little piece of the puzzle taking me away from the actual world we live and interact in.   And being that I am a person the believes in being resolute, the current position FaceBook is taking is something that conflicts with my ethics. So I closed it.

This site is no different. I write articles to share my thoughts with friends, friends of friends, and strangers who may stumble upon it. But as my readership grows, and I sold out the concept of this site to make money on you, and the site is about consumerism gone bad... there is a flaw in my philosophy. So in essence, I can promise you all that this site will never have any ads and never use you to it’s benefit.

Long Live the Queen

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 00:13:43 -0800

Thank you lovely United Kingdom. We can always count on you to set the trend on coming events towards the life we can expect under the rule of our new world order.

Internet service providers in the United Kingdom has started to filter access to Wikipedia since the site was added to the Internet Watch Foundation’s blacklist.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10116543-93.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0

This is serious folks. What you can learn is being restricted because of legislation based on ethical smokescreens. Let me explain.

Wikipedia is one of the creations of mankind that I feel is what our evolutionarily developed advancement relative to animals is meant for. The development of a free, accessible and open source of all human knowledge. A place where the entire human race (given their access to the internet) can modify the plastic, dynamic and ever growing database of combined human knowledge. The idea that all of humanity should be able to access the entire catalog of knowledge it has compiled without discrimination to any is one of the great achievements of mankind. Throughout history, those who were in power, have been those with access to information.

Even now, this exists. We all compete for higher education. Even a basic education. The fact is that education is linked to a better quality of life. It always has been. Even before “socially mandated” education, if you lived in a tribe, and you knew a new method of working the land, or a new method of setting traps, or any basic knowledge that gave you an edge, you were more likely to survive. The passing on of this knowledge was what made groups of people more advanced than others.

If you have the knowledge that gives you a skill, then you have a better chance of creating a better quality of life in this current model of life than if you were uneducated. The problem is that in our current model of life, access to education is not equal. We reward education with monetary gain and better quality of life, but we do not provide equal access to the education. A perfect example of how important free access to education is watch this video and pay attention to the 6:35 time mark and see how other countries handle their education systems:

Wikipedia is the first medium that gives EVERY* person on earth access to the intellectual progress of the human race. *This statement is only valid if access to the internet was given to every person on earth. Although this seems improbable, it is highly likely that in the next 20 years, we will see access to the internet available to every person in the civilized world. This is important in reference to this essay because people in the civilized world are those whose lives can be molded into the success ladder based on their access to information. Education equals better quality of life.

The problem is that now governments are allowing internt service providers to restrict access to this access to open information. They are doing this with the guise that they are protecting children, but what is not being discussed is that access to an open source of human knowledge is vital to the checks and balances which keeps those in power honest in relation to those who are not.

In Wikipedia, the story of Adam and Eve is also available to the reader. However, in Wikipedia, you have access to every position: scientific, religious, or poetic on the story. The relevance and the references to the story of Adam and Eve can constantly be changed and edited. This keeps information alive and honest. Wikipedia doesn’t give you information with an “angle”. It is only a vessel or communicating raw and honest information.

It is sad that the government of England has not stepped to require the internet in England to be what it was meant to be, a means of conveying information without censorship. Censoring is the beginning of totalitarian rule. When companies can censor what information you do and do not have access to, you are beginning to live in a totalitarian world.

Considering that almost every restrictive action in the past 30 years in our country is modeled after previous events in England, we should be concerned.

Sites like Wikipedia allow for people like me to edit articles about Woodrow Wilson and the 1913 Federal Reserve act that handed this country over to a privately held Central Bank illusively named the Federal Reserve.

Without access to Wikipedia, all you have access to is the information given to you by the Federal Reserve, about the Federal Reserve. And once it’s okay to restrict access to Wikipedia, other sites will follow.

The fact is that child pornography is unacceptable. But it is equally unacceptable to restrict access to the internet and censor what the public can learn. This will foster the continuation of the society which continues to churn out child pornographers, and criminals. A world where access to knowledge and advancement is selective.

The blocking of access to Wikipedia is no less than a gesture to warn us of the coming world... so much like the one in “V” for Vendetta.

For me this is one of those events that serves to prove irrefutably that we are headed towards a global order everything is controlled by the elite. Wikipedia is my home page. I start every internet experience with a review of what’s new in the encyclopedia of humanity. As much as I run from the mass marketing of ideas from one way sources such as TV, the inevitable control of the ultimate open platform, the internet, seems to be looming around the corner?

“It was just like the movies”

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 23:46:06 -0800

When you don’t have a TV, things start to look different. I have not paid a cable or satellite bill for over 5 years. Not having television for that long pushes you to other sources for news and information. Not the kind of news the tube feeds you. Relevant, insightful news. The kind that requires critical thinking, patience, the ability to put together 3-4 pages of text and how it ties in with your opinions and thoughts on the issues. Reading is really the only way a person can get this to happen. News delivered through television is just not going to make that happen.

The medium is too valuable of an economy to allow for the humdrum details of verbiage like the kind I use in my articles to get a point across. There are numerous books on this issue. Some are referenced in my Books section.

Recently my reading has brought me to some resonating ideas. Marketing has taken over our way of life. What we called Capitalism, is now Marketing. I’m not talking about marketing like advertising your services. I’m talking about corporate phenomenon described by well respected authors like John Kenneth Galbraith in 1967: “The United States is no longer a free enterprise society, but a structured state controlled by the largest companies. Advertising is the means by which these companies manage demand, and create consumer “need” where none perviously existed. Multinational corporations are the continuation of this power system on an international level. The goal of these companies is not the betterment of society, but immorality though an uninterrupted stream of earnings.” J.K. Galbraith, The New Industrial State.

This is an important part of what is about to be uncovered. 9/11 is a sensitive topic. We all experienced how frightening it was. But this part of my article is not about politics. It’s about the people talking in the “other news”... you know, the one you can read. There is a lot of chatter about Building 7. To be honest, I didn’t know much about this part of the 9/11 story. After the second tower started to fall, I packed my stuff, checked my ammo supply, and sat patiently for the beginning of the end.

But seriously, as I dug deeper, I began to find that there are A LOT of people, writing about, talking about and showing footage about this topic. And then I came across this “overlooked” Fox broadcast on an independent news site. I’m not sure what to make of this, but it definitely is compelling. Watch it until the end:

Now the point of this article is the title. The Building 7 topic is one version of this point. If you listen carefully, Fox... a large private corporation that has it’s fingers in many, many cookie jars... is marketing to you, how to perceive the video. Here is the quote from the reporter: “We are seeing video today, that only Hollywood could have produced at another time”.

One of my favorite contributors always says to me “every movie and every TV show is made for a reason”. I have to agree with her. I don’t think that there is a strange coincidence that recently we have had a surge in the number of “Quarantine” type films where people are struck with illness or some national catastrophe that puts them into the streets in protest and the government is swift in stopping or quarantining this civil disobedience.

This is no different than what you saw in my article Your Rights... HAVE BEEN REVOKED. Remember, read. Read NSPD 51 which “claims power to the President to execute procedures for continuity of the federal government (i.e. Martial Law) in the event of a catastrophic emergency. Such an emergency is construed as any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions."

If you haven’t been to London recently, then you haven’t seen the writing on the wall. I had a 3 day layover in London on my way to Africa. There are CCTV cameras everywhere. In fact, there are so many (4.2 Million) that it makes George Orwell’s 1984 look like a walk in the park. Today, there is technology being used that will PREDICT if you are about to commit a crime... sound familiar? Here’s a hint... our buddy Speilberg got us ready for this in the Minority Report with characters called “precogs”. In 2008, we have software called “Crystal Ball” that is being used with CCTV camera systems in Portsmouth, England that recognizes “aberrant” behavior and warns of an impending crime.

Now let’s put it all together. Can you see it... the market continues to tumble, jobless rates increase. Inflation continues to wreak havoc on society. Social unrest begins as despite this bleeding of the Nation, the Government continues to stipend it’s Billion Dollar a day war. People pour out into the streets demanding answers and ACCOUNTABILITY from their elected leaders. NSPD 51 kicks in. Civil unrest is quelled, quarantined and shut down. Compliant “good citizens” are interviewed on the the mainstream media, and you hear this statement resonate on the idiot tube:

“I couldn’t believe it... it was just like the movies... “

If you’ve seen these images before, you’re less likely to be shocked. You’re more likely to accept it as the norm. Just look at all the trends that fictional characters from TV land have started in the last 40 years.

You’re being marketed to America. Wake up and read.

It finally happened

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 23:07:32 -0800

It gives me great pleasure to write about something that connects with the the last article I wrote and some of the comments made about it. Thank you Exstasis for your insightful comment. You are very right... where is the V for Vendetta? Where are the people in the streets, showing government that they are the ones who need to fear us, not the other way around?

The fact is, it won’t happen. That’s because people have been conditioned very well over the past 100 years of our country’s history. There are so many details that I can write to support much of what I speak of... but there is not enough room in a two page article (and you all know that most readers lose focus after two paragraphs)... so if you read on... you will be very delighted.

This week, The Free & Independent Nation of Lakota opened it’s first bank. This is a very unique bank however... it is a bank based on metal! Not fake money like the one your Federal Reserve has defrauded you into carrying in your wallet... real money that is based on honest value and trade. The Free Lakota Bank is the world’s first, non-reserve, non-fractional bank that accepts only silver and gold currencies for deposit.

I find it ironic that it took the Native people of our land (I won’t call them Native American’s because we named this country America and they were here before us) to gather the gumption and take a big step and announcing it’s cessation from our current form of banking... which you all too well are familiar... is failing! If you are still in disbelief that your government is being had by a private bank... I recommend you gather the facts, read the history of how the Federal Reserve came to be, and then regroup for discussion in the comments section. The fact is that the federal reserve (I will not be using caps from here on since they are not owned by the US Government, i.e. You and Me). is a quasi-public (are you kidding me?) banking system. That is a quote from Wikipedia with references to the federal reserve website. What that means to you... is that it has been coined as a department in government that is actually owned privately. So the people that determine the value of your money and loan it to the government... are private bankers.

If you don’t know this yet. You can stop now. Carry on with your routine life, and make sure to get as much holiday shopping in before the shit hits the fan as Citigroup thinks HERE. For those of us who read, read and then read some more... here is some more insight.

Today is a great day for us, a day that we begin to exercise our rights as a sovereign people with strength and pride," comments Canupa Gluha Mani, Tetuwan Council Judicial Member of the Cante Tenza "Strong Heart" Warrior Society. This makes me smile. It reminds me of those really cool people we all learned about who are now the heros of the past... good ole General Washington, our friend Benjamin, and of every other person, famous or anonymous who stood up against the tyranny of the English King and the Bank of England and decided to stop the insanity once and for all.

What most people don’t know is that the United States government printed it’s own money (backed by Silver) for the long time, and it has even been referenced in Benjamin Franklin’s memoirs. During a visit to Britain in 1763, The Bank of England asked Benjamin Franklin how he would account for the newfound prosperity in the colonies. Franklin replied, "That is simple. In the colonies we issue our own money. It is called 'Colonial Script'. We issue it in proper proportion to the demands of trade and industry to make the products pass easily from the producers to the consumers...In this manner, creating for ourselves our own paper money, we control its purchasing power, and we have no interest to pay to no one."

But you dear Mr. or Mrs. American, will pay interest to the federal reserve. We call it the National Debt.

It’s sad how when we came to this country, we came by the boat loads, looking for freedom from tyranny and began building a new life based on virtues that were guided by one of what I consider the most important documents in human history... the Constitution of the United States.

But the real American’s, ironically, are now people who were, the REAL American’s... the Natives. They have broken from the federal reserve system that bases money on the good will and faith of the United States government, which translates into the United States economy. Which by the way, translates into consumerism. Oh, which by the way translates into debt.

As long as you are in debt, and you are shopping, things will keep moving. But as soon as you stop spending, a magic power called CONSUMER CONFIDENCE begins to fade and all over the news you hear sad and depressing reports about numbers (Dow Jones, NASDAQ, etc.) that in all actuality don’t really mean anything in your day to day life (if you structure your life the right way).

I really wish I could write chapters on this for you... but this article is just an article. I hope that you follow the links, keep reading and educate yourself... and educate me on what you find. I am working on a book about this topic. I have done a lot of research. The book will be cheap (only covering printing costs) and will have complete references to the facts and excerpts from other books written by prominent economists, historians, and politicians. All of these will talk about one thing... how a group of private bankers hijacked your American life.

To the Native people of this land... I commend you. I hope that the rest of us Americans (all of which are immigrants) will wake up and bring back the soul of this beautiful idea... the Free, and Independent, United States of America.

Your Rights... HAVE BEEN REVOKED!

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:57:32 -0800

Remember the idea that our country was a shining gem in the middle of a sad history of humanity? A country made from the backlash of colonials who wanted justice from their government? To understand this, you only have to read the Declaration of Independence and read the word usage to get a feel for what these people were dealing with.

I recently read the Declaration. The whole thing. And I discovered something very interesting... I realized that as I was reading this great document that started the first country based on the preservation of rights, and the freedoms that we consider sacred, I was in agreement with the authors.... But in reference to our government today.

This document is a perfect template to hold the current governing authority of this great United States of America accountable for the obscene way they have violated the rights and liberties granted to us by God (whoever your God may be) and by the Constitution of the United States.

I wonder how many people will challenge this notion in their minds? How many people are so deep into the brainwash cycle that they cannot see past the artificial world built for their amusement so that they do not pay attention to the systematic decay of their rights?

An interesting event happened recently before the election. I wonder how much the media covered this event and how in depth and honestly they let the public know what happened? On October 15th, 2008 at the Hofstra Presidential Debate in Hempstead, New York, a group of Iraq Veterans who are against the war went to protest. The protest was video taped by participant of this event.

What you will see in shocking... but real. The police systermatically break down the peaceful crowd, on horseback. Despite the presence of elderly people in the crowd, the police with full riot gear crush the protest. Click play to view the embedded video below.

This is nothing new people. While you were asleep in the malls, your government has been taking away your rights. While you the American public were sleeping at the wheel, the big boys stepped in an decided to take the very ideals of the Constitution and trash them. Instead you have been handed laws like National Security Presidential Directive 51 (NSPD 51) which give the President the power to execute procedures for continuity of the federal government in the event of a "catastrophic emergency". Such an emergency is construed as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions."

Now... is it just me, or were we taught that the United States government is special of the distinct balance of power built into it? Remember the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches of government?

Videos like this should not shock you. When you live in a world where your media source shuts off the truth, you shouldn’t be surprised. Recently, Peter Schiff (President of Euro Pacific Capital, and advisor to Ron Paul) was being interviewed live on C.N.N. In this interview, he really gave his opinion clearly without reservations.

He mentioned that he opposed the bailout, and would let failing corporations like AIG and CITI simply fail because "there´s a reason they failed".

"We should also not promote public spending or boost the economy, this is exactly why the U.S. economy failed in the first place. We have been spending way too much on credit and have had others pick up the bills we cannot possibly pay back".

He went on to say that Americans should create and save instead of spend.

On and on, hard truth after hard truth. The moment he started to make comments about the Federal Reserve system and why their policies have brought the U.S. where it is today, he was cutoff in mid-sentence (the screen went to colored bars) leaving the interviewer baffled for about five seconds after which she went on to mumble "Technical difficulties" and jumping right on the good news of todays market recovery.

So you can’t speak out against a war, and you can’t speak out against the bailout. Ironic how this all works. You work and pay taxes, that employ people who are in place to defend and stand up for your rights. These people in turn legislate to give your hard earned money, to big banks that made bad business decisions based on a fictitious economic bubble created by a grumpy old bald man named Alan Greenspan. These banks however, are getting this bailout on the backs of the American public, because the most interesting part of this story its this: the Federal Reserve is a privately held central bank that loans the money to the government, to give to the big banks. Why? Because in 1913 the Federal Reserve Act gave power over the value of the US Dollar to the ancient money changers.

So not only has the Federal Reserve created the economic crisis you are suffering from right now, you paid them to do it.  
There is one more point that is so important, and then I can shut up... not only are you paying for these people to legislate this crap, but you are feeding on their system. The idea of consumer confidence and credit is one of the greatest debaucheries of all time.

If you analyze humanity and it’s history, you will see that every great empire was built on the backs of slaves. From the Egyptians, to the Persians, to the Romans, to the Mayans. Slavery has been part of the humanities disgusting past since the beginning. Today is no different. Except there is new way to keep slaves. By their own will. Their own inability to see what is real, and desire what is false, i.e. Consumerism. The new kind of slavery. Give them credit, and they will work willingly, forever.

Please tell me that you listen to what they are actually saying to you when they tell you that the bailouts are necessary to stimulate the economy and get credit flowing again?

It all reminds me of a recent trailer I saw for an animated movie coming soon called Coraline. The premise of this story is about a little girl who lives an unhappy life with boring parents, but finds a portal to a perfect world where anything she wants, she gets, with perfects parents and perfect everything. With one minor detail... to stay she has to sew buttons over her eyes like everyone else in this imaginary perfect world. The metaphor is beautiful.

Click here for the trailer.

Sew the buttons over your eyes, don’t see or question whether this is okay, and you can have everything at your disposal. Look with open eyes, and you will see the facade.

Loss of Rights. 8.4 Trillion Dollars in bailouts to banks. Budget cuts in education. Detroit Car Company Executives flying 20 million dollar jets to ask Congress for aid. Am I missing something or this all just mad?

My only question is what do plan on doing about it?

A Billion a Day Keeps the Citizenry at Bay!

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:29:56 -0800

An great email I got that needs to be read by everyone, Thank you Shannon!

How many zeros in a billion? Keep reading... this is too true to be funny.   The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the “politicians” spending YOUR tax money.   A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of it's releases.   A billion seconds ago it was 1959.   A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.   A billion hours ago our ancestors were  living in the Stone Age.   A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.   A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.   It's NOT Republican versus Democrat... It's the corrupt and greedy members on BOTH sides who have sat in Congress and watched the financial insanity grow as it made millionaires of a few and has now created an ENORMOUS fiscal burden on the succeeding generations !  Washington... HELLO!  Are all your calculators broken??   Accounts Receivable Tax  Building Permit Tax  CDL License Tax  Cigarette Tax  Corporate Income Tax  Dog License Tax  Federal Income Tax  Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)  Fishing License Tax  Food License Tax  Fuel Permit Tax  Gasoline Tax  Hunting License Tax  Inheritance Tax  Inventory Tax  IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)  IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)  Liquor Tax  Luxury Tax  Marriage License Tax  Medicare Tax  Property Tax  Real Estate Tax  Service charge taxes  Social Security Tax  Road Usage Tax (Truckers)  Sales Taxes  Recreational Vehicle Tax School Tax  State Income Tax  State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)  Telephone Federal Excise Tax  Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax  Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax  Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax  Telephone State and Local Tax  Telephone Usage Charge Tax  Utility Tax  Vehicle License Registration Tax  Vehicle Sales Tax  Watercraft Registration Tax  Well Permit Tax  Workers Compensation Tax   STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?   Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago... and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.   We had absolutely no national debt...  We had the largest middle class in the world...  and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.   What happened?  Can you spell 'politicians!'   And I still have to press '1' for English.

Completely Unacceptable

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:14:42 -0800

Most of you guys know that I ride my bike to work 3 or 4 times a week. I came across this horrific article (HERE) about a biker who lost his leg because some douche bag cab driver. Another example of people being completely oblivious of their surroundings because they are insulant morons who are conditioned by TV that the world revolves around them.

The articles reads: “last night in Toronto, a cyclist had a loud argument with a cab driver and the next thing residents heard was a sickening crunch and a man screaming for help- the cabbie rammed the cyclist against a pole and severed his leg. Doctors couldn't fix it and the leg was amputated.

The cabbie took off and then three hours later called police and said he was defending himself against a robbery attempt. From a guy on a bike? Using the rear end of your car in reverse to defend yourself? And whenever people talk about how bicyclists contribute to their own demise, look at the difference, a couple of dents vs a leg. A cyclist may be wrong to get angry (neighbors say there was arguing) but that doesn't mean he should get dead.”

The sad part is that people comment on these articles and they bash on the cyclist. People don’t understand that no matter how offensive the cyclist was, it does not justify a car hitting him. The car can kill, the bicycle cannot. Period.

I posted a comment on www.midnightridazz.com a cycling group site that I go to check on rides around LA, and many cyclists commented (http://www.midnightridazz.com/forums.php?topicId=6042&pgnum=1). I thought this video posted by one of the readers captured our current situation very well... an old Disney cartoon complaining of drivers back then... nothing has changed. In fact, I argue that with the advent of the SUV, things have gotten even worse...

How many times have one of you almost been plowed over by one of those totally unnecessary gluten mobiles with an oblivious soccer mom with a kid named Billy who is on two different ADHD drugs and watching videos while his mom is trying to get him to stop throwing his Burger King fries over the back seat? Get my drift...

So how about when one of you sees a runner or a biker on the road, you make an effort to STEER clear of them... unless you’ve been on the road contenting with 2 ton boxes of steel... you don’t know how scary it is to have one of these oblivion drive by you within 3 feet even.

You’ve GOT to be Joking!

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:59:45 -0800

Just scrolling through my usual daily tech blogs and stumbled across this absolute piece of absurdity. It’s not bad enough that I am spending time ranting about how lazy and complacent we have all become... now this!

TiVO (you know, that thing you are all addicted to because you think it actually saves you time because you don’t have to watch commercials) has joined efforts with Domino’s to bring you this masterpiece of human evolution... digital TV Pizza ordering.

Yes ladies and gentlemen... now you can sit at home, on your lazy you know what and no even have to talk to someone to get your artificial food delivered to your door. Excellent! I LOVE, and I mean LOVE technology used for the benefit of humanity.

Here is the link to the article on Gizmodo with the full press release included:

http://gizmodo.com/5090418/tivo-completes-the-evening-tv-dinner-adds-dominos-pizza-ordering

So doesn’t this make some of you think? I mean really? Last night when I was running I ran by a Carl’s Jr. Now it’s Sunday at 9 PM and most of the restaurants were closed or empty. But this place was “busting at the seams” (as you’ll read further... literally). I looked inside as I ran by and observed something somewhat horrifying. Almost EVERY person in there (except for 3... and yes I counted) was overweight (in non PC language... fat). I was saddened. The lack of thinking about what we eat has become so common that these people don’t see each other with the same perspective anymore. It was like a scene out of
Wall-E when the future humans ballooned to an average weight of 300 lbs. over 500 years of being lazy.

So here it is, your friendly Cable Provider/TiVO/Government Mandated Broadband Digital TV dudes giving you the finest use for this new technology.

I am retarded.

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:55:27 -0800

Last week I was going to post a little article. Then I got an update on comments made on the site. ANONYMOUS had made a comment on THIS article. The comment was “ARE YOU FUCKING RETARDED?” I chuckled... I think I am.

You see. I believe in open dialog. Intelligence. Discussion. Hence me sharing and writing. And if the comment was written in any other fashion, I would have left it in place. But being that this is my site, I will not tolerate that kind of language and tone. Mostly because once again, I am retarded.

Here’s why. You see, the world you live in ANONYMOUS, is one that you make these comments anonymously. A world without accountability. With a degree of cowardice that results in 900 Billion Dollar bailouts for legal thieves. Just by being who you are, and posting how you do, you prove that. But forget about that, I’m attacking you and not explaining why I am retarded.

I am writing this response after coming back from a long run. At 9:30 PM. So while you and everyone else like you was in their homes, with their TVs on, wasting their lives away, I was running in your community, in your streets, experiencing them a way that you probably never will. That takes a SIGNIFICANT level or mental retardation to do. After all, who in their right mind would run at 9 o’clock on a Sunday night? who in their right mind would jump up and down with a bunch of African villagers? A retard...

Your mind is much more developed. Except, not in the way you’d like to think. Your mind has developed to believe that all the stuff you own, and the things you value, the Dow Jones industrial average, the make of your car, the place you live etc. etc. etc. is what matters, those are the things that are real. Your mind has been molded and designed (marketed to) to develop this kind of existence. One that visits this site, probably reads the articles, and can’t grasp the relevance and reality behind the words. So you redefine your self importance with this fictitious construct of a reality you call your life.

My appreciation and gratitude to you, for revealing to other readers the level of clarity and lack of development my brain has. I for once am very pleased to find myself as part of the less developed group of humans... the group that might have a chance of continuing the human race once your daydream of reality crumbles in on itself.

Oh, to my other readers... I apologize for my harsh tone, hopefully you’re not as developed as ANONYMOUS and get what’s real and what’s not.

“How was Africa?”

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:53:48 -0800

Since I have been back, everyone is compelled to ask... “How was Africa?” I thought that when I got back, this would be an easy question to answer... right? I mean, Africa... and epic journey that since the beginning of western civilization has been the holy grail of expedition travel. When I told people I was going to Africa, they reacted very different that if they were to converse about my upcoming to say, Italy.

Rather, a look of amazement on their faces, as if I had reached a point of personal development that had driven me mad. Why I would chose to spend my vacation time in a difficult experience, with dust, dirt, challenges like altitude, and weather. Limited luxuries and amenities that we take for granted every single moment in America? Why would I go to Africa? And how did I get to this point.

Ironically, this look of bewilderment also has a subtle tinge of jealousy to it. Not that I’m going on vacation, but that I can choose to take my time and spend time at a place where the things we define as real here, are not so real there.

The idea of a fine sports car representing a certain level of social achievement does not hold merit there. Maybe in the “polluted” cities where the people live and operate under similar social rules inflicted on them by us. But in the wild, things are different.

In the wild you are brought face to face with the rules that have existed millions of years before us. Millions of years before we made courts and banks and economies. These rules are simple and everything, EVERYTHING that operated in that system was intrinsically operating within them.

Being in that environment gives you a new appreciation for what matters in our “reality”. When you are placed in that kind of environment where the wild is only a tent thickness away from you, being back in this version of the wild seems simple and mundane. One can argue that spending time in the wilderness here in America has the same effect. But it doesn’t. The predatory load here in the US is not the same as in Africa. When we conquested and stole this land from the Natives, we spread rapidly from the east to the west and along with the extermination of the Native people, we exterminated the majority of diverse wildlife in our country.

Where these animals roamed freely in mass numbers like the Wildebeest of Africa, now there are farms. Sections of land called “National Reserve” or “National Parks” hold the remaining lot of these once free creatures. We visit these well regulated sections of land and fin ourselves amazed at nature, but in reality, this little piece of what once dominated this world is still, really under our control. Like everything else, we dictate when hunting season opens for various species to regulate their populations. So it’s a “Natural” amusement park for those of us who are interested in Nature. The real wild... is in Africa.

Over there... you are food. Even in a Land Rover, it’s when you have an 11,000 pound African elephant standing 10 feet away showing aggression because you are too close to her calf. Then is when you realize... you are still a little speck on the food chain.

How do you explain this experience? I mean really get the listener into the experience? Not easily. Hence my difficulty in writing about Africa and talking up conversation with you in person about it.

But I recently came across that can start giving you that feeling by proxy. I found a site that a group of remarkable people in Africa started to bring “reality reality” to you.

Earth Touch is this group. Their web site www.earth-touch.com is a daily updated video site. Here you can view videos that are done with amazing class, simplicity and respect for the objective view of this “reality reality”. Sometimes you might not watch one... it might “gross you out”. But I have a challenge for you all: I want you to sit through some of the most disgusting ones. Take this one for example (http://www.earth-touch.com/result.php?i=Maggots-writhe-on-nyala-carcass) where maggots writhe on a carcass... up close and personal. These are also available through the iTunes Music Store in the PodCast section.

Just to reassure those of you who are concerned, I haven’t lost my mind, I am trying to shock you and let you observe your reaction to what happens every day in nature. This balanced circle of life that we are “not” supposed to be part of (according to our modern philosophy and way of life). If you really watch the complex relationship of this little bugs and how everything depends on everything else, and how no action stands alone and is dependent and resultant to, a series of other actions, you might begin to get the effect this trip has on a person. So I posted some photos to show you. You can view them HERE.

Africa...

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:16:05 -0700

I am back. The use of “I” however is questionable. I wonder how people can take a journey like this and return unchanged? For me, the secondary effects of being transplanted into a world where the basic pressures that our ancestors felt was enough to finalize what I always believed. Before I share with you all how Africa is special and what I experienced on my journey, I would like to thank you.

I started writing this site not to change people or deliver a specific message. I just wanted a site to share my thoughts, and see if there was anyone out there other than me who saw these things about our world? Because as most of you would agree, talking about these things with most people out there gets you a confused look and a fascinated listener that says to you: “huh… you really thought of all these things? Don’t you have any fun in your life? I mean you’re so serious dude…”

So when I posted an article or two and I started to get feedback from people I never expected to hear from, I was amazed. More over, readers started to refer other people to the site, and now strangers are emailing telling me about the revolution that has begun in their own lives because of a certain idea or article. Not to say that the articles I write are my ideas, or revolutionary. Rather that I want you all to know and understand that these ideas are not mine. These have been discovered by me, as they have been by many, many other people before me and after me. These ideas about our world, about how we all relate, and about what is real and what is happening in our societies are part of the wisdom that has been kept safe from the reach of consumerism.

It makes me happy, deeply happy to see that eyes are opening all around me, and that people who care actually exist. It doesn’t matter if we are too late. It doesn’t matter if there aren’t enough of us. The only thing that matters is that you know and live the truth.

Africa is very special. Very few places in the world play host to so many of the parts of nature that work together to create the real reality. Much of the world we live in today has been changed by us to remove the feeling of being part of the food chain from our daily lives. The cities we build, our roads, our cars, our homes, our water systems, our power systems, etc. etc. etc. Human civilization is winning the war with Nature. Even with a valiant fight back, we “out-engineer” Nature regularly to prove that we will not be subjects to the laws indoctrinated millions of years ago. So we roam our concrete jungles feeling almighty and powerful. Masters of our universes… in control, large and in charge. But little do we remember that if our fragile little bodies are transplanted into the world that nature rules, we are low on the list. Hiding and cunning our way around in small packs trying keep our little domain in the world of more powerful, more agile, higher skilled animals. Our strength lies in our brain. Our ability to create synthetic natural selectors that prevent our demise.

When you enter a place where you are now part of the complex system that revolves around the idea of “what am I going to eat today?”, your priorities are on check. Now that Maserati you’ve been eyeing doesn’t really seem of value in comparison to that wilderness course on how to identify edible plants. Skills and wisdom become valuable assets. When you have an opportunity to stay in a world where time and schedule does not effect the time you are awake, but the light from the sun, your perspective about what you do with your life changes. In Africa you see people who choose to stay true to the wisdom their ancestors have passed down for thousands of years. Despite their proximity to the modern world and the ability to easily incorporate modern life into their society, these people stay true to ancient ways. Their life is immersed in the natural order, not removed from it.

I met these people. I spoke with them, and observed them. I watched their subtle gestures, and facial expressions. They are pure and simple. Even in their relative poverty, they seemed complete. Although from our perspective they would live so much easier and happier with modern conveniences, they still exude a happiness that is so rare in the modern world, that when we see a person that lives in that way, we look at them as if they’ve “checked out” and lost their minds.

The idea that happiness is tied to money. The idea that happiness is tied to success, career, and obtaining wealth is what our society has been conditioned to live by. Not to say that money does not secure comfort… it does… in this system. But not happiness. True happiness is found where people are connected. Where a member of the “community” depends on the other members of the community And because EVERY person is part of a community, and is directly responsible for other people, in-turn making them responsible for themselves, every person does their part.

In our world of money worship, responsibility has been deferred. Money is the measure of right and wrong. In a world where if you have the money you can be elected as leader, it is clear that success is measured in dollars, not in how responsible you are to your fellow community members. We celebrate people like Donald Trump, and Michael Milken and reward legal thieves like corporate banks and military contractors with our children’s reserves.

I’m didn’t go to Africa and come back realizing we all have to live in caves. Rather that we have a really good thing. We are talented and highly evolved creatures. We have a ability to help fix so many problems that can occur for life and nature, and us. But instead of taking our intellect and science and using it for good, we have been derailed by a force so powerful that not only is humanity doomed, but nature and life as we know it is at risk. Consumerism. Greed. Insatiable desire. Immediate gratification. All manifestations of the successful player in the game of modern society.

This revolution I keep talking about has been around since the beginning of man, and there are special people in parts of the world who have mastered the balance and the art of not letting this disease derail them from the truth and pure happiness. Over the next week I will post articles on specifics of my journey. I will give you insight as best I can to what is happening in a part of the world that few of us actually get to experience.

I met amazing people. Remarkable human beings from the old world, and the new. I made life long friendships. I suffered and was pampered. I felt vulnerable yet was the master at the same time. All these contradictions happening at the same time. That was Africa. The birthplace of mankind still holds the answers for its salvation. I will explain each of these as I post articles in the coming days.

It was good to know that people were waiting for my return and the rest of the story. I’m proud to be part of the other species of human being… homo sapien sapien sapien

To the top of the world

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:05:52 -0700

Monday I leave the safety of our dear United States of America. The world I have come to understand as home. The ideology and way of life I have grown to identify with. The idea that a car is normal part of everyday life. The idea that food in the grocery store is always going to be there. The lack of attention to little things that have been and still are the coveted luxuries of life, like hot water on demand. The expectation that when I squeeze the nozzle at the gas station, gasoline will come out.

Monday I leave for Africa. This will be an epic journey. One that will imprint in the story of my life. An experience that will be unlike other trips or vacations. This is a journey of realization; not a personal realization. Not an awakening of direction and goals, but rather the realization that despite the impression that other continents are so far that what happens there does not effect us, we are actually closely connected.

I will be spending 2 weeks on Mount Kilimanjaro and climbing to Uhuru Peak at 5895 meters (19341 feet). I will have a chance to witness the sun rising over the flat horizon of the Serengeti as man’s first ancestors did. Standing on top of the world seeing the stars as they were seen 10,000 years ago. No city lights, no traffic, no grocery store, no running water. Only what we were given by nature… stars, and the promise of the sun rising tomorrow. All under the blanket that connects us all, our sky.

The journey to the top will be physically demanding. But like every challenge our lives deal us, if your personal convictions and mind are focused on the destination the journey will be sweet, once you look back from the top and see where it was you stood, not so long ago.

As the ice cap of the famous volcano in the desert shrinks, I wonder will my world be the same as I left it 3 weeks ago? With no connection to our modern world, no phone, no email, no news, I wonder will the $700 Billion bail out of the banking criminals by the American Tax Payer leave my beautiful America in desperate debt and bankruptcy? Will I come back to a country where there is no foresight for it’s youth? No investment in the intellectual growth and conscious advancement of its citizens? Will I return to a country where the value of constant entertainment and the pursuit to instantly satisfy every desire are valued more than the connection to community and our home planet. I wonder and worry.

It saddens me that this journey is overshadowed by the beginning of the demise of the great and noble United States of America. The fall of one of the greatest ideas of mankind… a land where the place you came from does not identify you, but participation in the way of life that gives this land, this country is divinity… the land of liberty.

Our generation is the one that will live to see the changes that will define the next rendition of human consciousness. I have called this the spiritual revolution. But as with all the other revolutionary steps of human development, this one also has an achilles heel. The rapid regression of our society into the diseased state of mass consumption and unrelenting greed is the ultimate blockade to the final evolutionary stage of human consciousness. If we do not open our eyes this great “snow capped mountain” that stands proud and pristine in the history book of human development will be tarnished and fall the ranks of the Romans, the Mongols, the Persians or the Greeks. The common denominator with the fall of all of our historical mile markers has been greed. The never ending cycle of consumption beyond our needs is the beginning of the disease that ultimately kills our golden goose.

The first symptoms have started. Government (the name of the organization YOU employ to manage your home… i.e. Your nations housekeeper) is now taking over major banking, and the largest insurance company in the world. Decisions like what to do with a $700 Billion nest egg of the PUBLIC are no longer made with the public involved, but in the classic authoritarian way the Romans, the Mongols, the Persians and the Greeks did. A sad and disgraceful slap in the face of the greatest document in human history, the Constitution of the United States of America.

It took 20 years. I remember watching President George Herbert Walker Bush in his 1991 joint session of Congress speech repeat the announcement of the New World Order. Today banks topple and your money is spend to bail out billionaire cronies of the men who sit at the top; your world is systematically being shaped into a big government, credit based, consumer economy where if you stop running on the mill, life becomes impossible.

We have systematically been pulled away from our wisdom of 10,000 years into an illusory version of reality that at the very core is based on your dependancy on forces unseen for every part of life. As I pack to live in the wilderness for 2 weeks, I realize that clean water, clean food, medical care, even warmth and protection from nature are all factors that I do not have to pay attention to living my version of life in Studio City. If you read my essay Disease vs. Debt in the World, you will appreciate how different our experience of life is compared to others.

How did we get here? Why have we let go of our instincts and wisdom that was passed onto us by our elders for this facade of reality? Are we afraid of something? Is it the ominous feeling of being an inconsequential blip in the universe every time we look up to the heavens at night? Is that why we build cities to drown out the stars and make the sky appear dull, and the flickering cityscape appear heavenly?

Going to Africa would not have come up in conversation if we spoke last year. Close friends of mine can attest to that. But it is proof that we all have the potential to grow beyond what we limit ourselves to. I know that every one of you have the ability to open your eyes and relearn the wisdom to insure your families make it through this dangerous transition unscathed by the powerful marketing machine of consumerism. Going to the continent that gave birth to life, I will have the opportunity to experience real poverty. Not what we consider poor or homeless here in America. True poverty. A life where access to the basic luxuries we take for granted is a fairy tale.  
I can’t wait to be back and let you see what I saw, so that maybe we can better appreciate this gift we call America and start living our lives in a way that leads the world in spiritual development to a new higher consciousness.

Stay Brave. Live Awake.

Whole Foods = Whole Fraud

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:41:05 -0700

I am really tired of greed. Greed is not a natural phenomenon. The desire to take more than you need does not exist in the natural world. We are masters of this skill however.

This essay is not about greed in the corporate world, or greed within capitalism. This essay is about the most dangerous kind of greed. The kind that takes you off course and takes everyone else down with you. I experienced a perfect example of this today. Of course, as always, coupled with the “average” customer’s lack of attention, and inability to engage and complain, the problem only adds up and gets bigger and bigger. So what am I talking about? Whole Foods.

“Ali!!!” you say, shocked and appalled, “Whole Foods is not greedy, they are the pinnacle of environmental and organic food sources. They are one of the major reasons people are eating better and becoming aware of the food crisis we have in our country today! You have totally lost your mind… this Ultimate Spaceship business of yours needs to stop!”

I say, you kind sir, have either been asleep at the wheel, or haven’t been to the newer larger Whole Foods stores popping up everywhere like chicken pox on a babies ass! Let’s not even begin to grapple with the energy costs of keeping one of these behemoth stores open. How about the fact that they compete and smother local smaller organic sources (like FARMER’S!!!) because of their quantity and bulk programs. I will defer to the ultimate sleuth on researching the data behind this mess (Shelley) to let you in on the secrets behind where Whole Foods gets their stuff!

But this… this is the kicker… I took this picture at the Whole Foods in Thousand Oaks, California:

Go ahead, save the photo on your desktop and zoom in to see what’s on the menu… looks JUST like a regular market huh? Bottom line… SELL OUTS! Big time! What makes you think that innocent Whole Foods really give a S%*@ about your or your planet’s well being… if there is a benefit to the planet and your life as a result of you satisfying your guilt in buying crap at the regular market, and they can profit from that… cool. But they didn’t open to actually SAVE your world, or your local farmer… or your health. They opened because they saw and capitalized on a void in the food industry and as any good businessperson does, analyzed the trends to come in the next decade and there you have it… Whole Foods.

http://michaelbluejay.com/main/wholefoods.html

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/05/15/060515crat_atlarge

http://www.mindfully.org/Food/2006/Whole-Foods-Pastoral2006.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS173972+11-Apr-2008+BW20080411

There is nothing Whole about stuff in the picture. Or for that matter, it is not Food. This company is now part of the big Green Washing machine. This idea of mixing junk, processed prepared foods for modern lazy consumers into the organic stuff is just the beginning of how this company is going to grow their profit margins. You think that the organic beef that Whole Foods sells is a happy cow hanging around a green untouched pasture in middle America, but that is your misunderstanding of the reality. If you haven’t watched Earthlings yet, you need to. Chickens? Same story. Organic means no extra stuff… but it doesn’t mean no methane for the environment, no animal abuse, no heart disease from the abnormal consumption of meat in the 21st century.

I for one have added another one to my list... Whole Foods is now on my sell out list, and they won’t have the pleasure of getting my dollars. I hope you do the same. If you really want good ole’ fashioned organic food, find a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm nearby, and support a local farmer. Then you will know for sure what you are eating, because you can go there and see it. Plus you are staying local.

I keep telling everyone to read. I don’t know how many of you actually read… by read I mean books. But if you are going to start, please, being with Bill McKibben’s Deep Economy. This book can serve as your primer and portal to enlightenment. He writes logical, in simple terms, with clear approach to what the fundamental principles our great country was founded on.

Absurd. Mislead. Obscure.

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:26:20 -0700

Absurd. Mislead. Obtuse. All words that exist on the periphery of our descriptions of people we commune with in the modern world. We look at our fellow journey-mates through this thing we call life as average representations of what it means to be human. But all you have to do is remove the shroud from your eyes, and the world appears different.

Undertaking this experience is ridiculed by our society. As David Icke puts it, “we govern ourselves... they don’t need to govern us, we govern ourselves on what is “normal” and what is not”. When you consider the well being of the Earth a more important endeavor than the “war on terror”, you are immediately categorized. People look at this world from the same adolescent perspective that started their smoking habit in high school… peer pressure.

Judging ourselves and our way of life is a seriously difficult proposition. Getting a person to judge themselves has been a failure of humanity since the infancy of civilization. So religion stepped in and commanded center stage with guilt, and sin. But even then, certain ideals escaped the strong arm of God and damnation of your soul to hell forever. I mean, “Though shall not kill” was pretty clear. But “Though shall respect Thy home, Thy planet, and Thy co-habitants of it” was a little too complicated… let’s leave that one out and stay on task… besides, doesn’t 10 Commandments seem more even, more balanced, marketable?

So we live and evolve even faster into a strange perturbation of evolution making a bad mistake. (Evolution speaking… “Geez, I thought creating a complex being like a human would give the world the eyes and ears it needed to be appreciated with? I mean a creature that cherishes art, appreciates music, and can engineer tools? That has got to have SOME benefit for the world?”) Unfortunately for Nature though, evolution dealt it a raw hand.

Homo Sapien Sapien has evolved into a self serving creature, taking from this world whatever it seems fit. No consideration for the disruption of balance in the equation, we are the privileged ones here. Other beings, and non-beings do not matter. Not only will we take beings that are alive today and turn them into food, clothing, entertainment, and laboratories; we are entitled to their remains so that we can drive our SUVs to our McMansions.

I recently stumbled across an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal. This was sent to me by a colleague warning of the impending financial future of the United States. The article is linked here and is titled “As Times Turn Tough,  New York's Wealthy Economize: Plastic Surgeons, Jewelers, Yacht Builders Brace for Leaner Times; Saying No to Caviar”. It discusses the tough financial situation that we are experiencing having an effect on a “regular” well off American family the Ashers. A rhinoplasty (a nose job) was “something of a rite of passage for Joan Asher's children”, and it continues on “But when her fourth and last child was ready for her own rhinoplasty recently, Ms. Asher asked her to postpone it. The financial markets were simply more out of whack than her 16-year-old's proboscis. "The other noses were more prominent," the stay-at-home mother from a tiny New York City suburb in Westchester County told her 16-year-old daughter, she could get hers done when things settled down.”

Again, so what right? Read between the lines folks. A major newspaper is writing about the effects of the financial strain on families who were buying nose jobs for their 16 year old children, without one mention of how absurd the idea of buying a 16 year old a nose job even is! We have become so weak in dealing with realities that we see it okay to allow this to bleed into our children’s worlds. If you have a body image problem when you are 16, go ahead and fix it honey… don’t grow and work around the issues… just fix the nose and look like everyone else. Give in to the peer pressure.

But my essay is not just about that… I want you to see that the Wall Street Journal makes no mention of this. It is never mentioned in the light that maybe we are screwed up, and the financial crisis is but one facet of some of the results of this obtuse life we lead. Think about it? Why is it that we need to even point out the relevancy of the financial crisis by using an abnormal behavior as one of the victims as well? Is it not good enough to point out that people are losing their homes, or that inflation, unemployment, poor education systems, and taxpayers financing a never ending war are crippling our society?

The story sends the subtle message that wealthy people are able to pay for their 16 year old kids to look normal, or perfect. So if you’re wealthy, or want to live like you’re wealthy, you might simulate that behavior to be part of that herd. If you need an example of this, remember a show about a successful, single mid-thirties editor and her 3 other single female friends living in New York City circa 1998? The main character mentions a love for her shoes, and boom…the Manolo Blahnik craze begins. We are SO herd mentality, that in denial, we create versions of individualism, then package and sell these to each other and a herd is created of “unique individuals” who dress the same, listen to the same music, live by the same ideals.

The mainstream media is untrustworthy because they have failed to provide you with introspective writing that opens and discusses the deeper issues that operate behind the scenes. It has dumbed us down and provided us with only the fluff on top. No more complex essays that dissect the issue into the history behind it and what the past and present mean together. All you need to do is read the Wall Street Journal Article (Here) and then read another article written in this months Le Monde Diplomatique (Here), a french newspaper well known for its objective reporting.

You may have suffered from the very disease that I am going to point out now. The fact that you clicked on the links to the articles, but scanned the first few paragraphs and noticed the length and complexity of the articles, but decided you’re time is spent better elsewhere, heck Ali summarized it for me, so why should I read the original? (I know, believe me, I used to suffer from that disease too…) Or maybe you didn’t even click on the links?

The point is that (maybe) you didn’t get into the complexities of the situations. A summary will do. Give me the info in a sound bite, and let’s me move on to the next topic. I know this because as many emails I have from you all complimenting the site, just as many emails have jumped into my inbox telling me that “the articles are excellent and really make you think… but could you make them shorter?” Or I really like this one… I see one of you, and you say “Hey I read your recent article… excellent point!”, I ask, “Really? Thank you… did you like the part about the how justify using oil to fight war?, and I get this answer: “Oh… no, I only had time to read the beginning of that one… but I was going to read it later…”

So we live in a society that has tipped past the point of no return, where even discussion about absurdity and obtuse ideology is no longer entertained. Let’s focus our attention on what to buy next? What’s “in” for Spring at the house of Chanel, or I wonder what new material Louis Vuitton will use for the new line in the Fall… they made purses out of jeans, vinyl, and dead Cow… what’s next? (oooh, how exciting!)

And our media celebrates this… like that friend that holds the crack pipe for you on your first time. I’ve always been an optimistic person, and believe in the imagination and spirit in Homo Sapien Sapien. But every day that passes, I realize that this disease that we suffer from, is not only terminal, but highly contagious. It spreads like an epidemic and spares no one it infects. Once in your psyche, the “virus” operates via the reptilian mind to steer our choices based on fear. Fear of rejection, fear of being hurt in a car accident, or fear of looking like a failure. So we change our faces, we buy bigger cars, and we live in bigger fancier homes.

Please show me that I am wrong. Please prove to me that I am completely wrong about this whole process unfolding in front of all of our eyes. Start by reading the Le Monde article (Here). Not because of what it is written about, but how it is written. Stay the course. See if you can get your wrap your brain around this article, not just read it, but feel the ideas, place yourself in the reader’s mind and truly comprehend the intent.

If you’ve done this already (because I would never insinuate that you all haven’t read it), begin to speak like this. Talk to people about these relevant ideas. Begin the process of opening other people’s eyes. The vaccine for this disease is spread only by awareness and dialog. I know I ask this of you often, but I need you all to prove me wrong. Because if I am right, you and I are doomed.

Scenes from Network, 1976

Video Section

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:19:56 -0700

Alas, the Video section of the site beat the PodCast section of the site in development. I have many audio files ready for PodCast deployment for your download and listen pleasure, but what I am short on is time!

So visit the Video section to watch some very interesting discussions, and ideas.

I think therefore...

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:11:32 -0700

Today I received an interesting email from a close friend. He and I talk about some of the issues in this web site. We have in-depth conversations about the state of affairs in our world today. Sometimes we differ in our understanding of certain issues, and sometimes our ideas about the solutions differ as well. But consistently, despite our sometimes opposing views on economics or politics, we wind up agreeing on the important issues. That gives me a certain amount of relief.

I have been writing for a few months now, and this web site was intended to start a cascade of events. I know that I as an individual cannot change the world. Indeed, even the greatest men and women of the past, didn’t change the world by themselves. History, and other great individuals, and their respect and holding of their convictions, led to the changes were started by the original person. I hoped that this site would maybe start, or enhance the wonder and charm that already exists in all of your spirits.

You see, I believe everyone of us has been given this gift. The gift of touching other people, the gift of changing another persons life for the better. The gift of loving not only ourselves, our neighbors, but the very world which gave rise to this all. But I also believe that in our current state, we have deviated away from what connects us to each other and to our home, the Earth. So I hoped to start a site that delivers a message and maybe starts a fire in your hearts. Then maybe during a mid-day coffee, or a an evening conversation with your loved ones, or a conversation with your friend on an afternoon hike, you would bring up one the topics or ideas that resonated with you. And that would spark another fire. And soon, the awakening would spread.

Idealistic at best, I know. But I truly believe this is possible. I have witnessed this with my own experience and eyes. My friend that referred to in the beginning of this essay, he sent me this email today:

“Here is an idea for an article on your website. "How far have we gone?" I was watching ABC news last night (national news) and they did a piece on the goats of downtown LA. You might remember this. I mentioned it to you once. There is a big field in the middle of downtown LA owned by the city. The weeds were growing out of control and the city decided to pay $3,500 for several goats to do the job of what humans would do for $6,000 per year. No emissions, no noise, just nature taking its course. But that is not the interesting part of the story. What caught my attention was the hundreds of people gathered around the field, taking pictures, staring, as if Aliens had landed from a distant planet. These were not aliens, just nature presenting itself to us. The irony was incredible. People standing, pointing, staring at goats and taking pictures. And in the background, 40 story glass and steel structures that stretch far into the sky. Its incredible how far removed we have become from nature.”

Now, this is a story that can be posted and stand on its own two feet. (View the article HERE) But the idea is bigger. Once you digest his elegant observation of his surroundings, I want everyone to realize that this is the spreading of the fire. He was always observant, but to convey that observance, and ask for an article about it… this is not typical of my friend, and for that I commend him on his awakening. The realization that we need to let each other know about our insanity. The fact that it is not okay, to let our loved ones lull through their lives under the influence of well crafted marketing and habit control.

I realize that this movement is growing, and it makes me happy. I regain my trust that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I only need to do what I do and wait to see if we caught it in time… like a intricate domino setup where once you start the first chip, the end depends on the speed and complexity of the course.

My charming life has led to so many incredible people. Almost every one of you that I mail are part of this list. People that I believe, people that I feel are worthy a life of complete happiness.

Like the picture that leads this post, I often wonder, when will we stop to consider who we actually are, and why we are here? We romanticize of our robot creations some time in the future asking this question… I wonder, will our creations ask this question, before their creators?

Every small action leads to reactions of far greater magnitude. Kudos to you my friend, for taking pen to paper (or in this case fingers to keyboard) and conveying this observation about us, about yourself, to the rest of your kind. I briefly mentioned in my first email that I value your thoughts and contributions. This site is not mine. This site is a place that we commune, and exchange ideas. I hope more of you submit thoughts, observations, musings, and opinions about the world around us.

In the coming months, you will see a transformation of this site, to a revolutionary forum. One that will increase the humbling number of 1300+ visits in 3 months to over 130,000. This forum with adorn the name of Jain’a, a concept that was dreamt up in one of the experiences of my complex world. Jain’a will be a place that people can educate, be educated and share in the common goal of making our world a better place.

I encourage everyone of you to contribute to this site, to our site, to your site. You cannot live your life hoping that someone else will change this. You have to be part of it. And the only way to do this is to participate. I can promise your experience will enrich your life. Reading your first essay on the internet, and having random strangers comment on your ideas and relate how you made their world better is using our modern world and it’s technologies in the right way.

Until Jain’a is revealed, please write, share, and let us into your view of all this. I will post your essays for you, and keep you anonymous if you wish. You can email your essays directly to me. If you see something and snap a photo of it, I will post that as well. My goal is to make this experience of bringing your into the world of community action as easy as possible.

A perfect example of a successful model is Shelley’s blog spot, Golden Spiral. Not only has she maintained a strong readership, who are active participants, but national magazines, and other companies have found her site, and sent emails complimenting it on the message and the action. You should all visit this site, and read the articles. They are informative, well written, and most of all researched to give you the information you need the next time someone challenges you on High Fructose Corn Syrup.

We can make a difference together.

Earthlings

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 22:33:53 -0700

Things have changed. Technologic advancement is exponential. Two generations ago, we discovered how to harness electricity; one generation ago we built tubes that emit light and deliver pictures into our living rooms; now we have ½ inch thick pocket sized devices that not only allow us to communicate via radio waves, but allow us to view moving pictures wherever we want on the planet, access the masterpiece of human communal connectivity (the internet) and carry computing power more than that of servers a decade ago in our pockets… iPhones.

Our world is a becoming a different place faster and faster. Our consciousness is changing to adapt with these new times. Most of what a 7 year old child who lived 3 generations ago learned, was comprised of 90% of what most of the generations before it learned. Now, a first grade child learns to interact with devices and machines that the adults of it’s generation have a hard time catching up to and utilizing efficiently (if you wonder about this, just visit the genius bar at any local Apple store and listen in on the conversations).

The speed of our conscious development when we are children in the new world matches that of our technologic development. When you lay out the entire modern human existence on this planet in a graph, and plot the advancements of technology in relation to time, we would observe a logarithmic curve. As time goes by, our knowledge adds to itself exponentially. Like ants working together, we compound our knowledge and scurry along the superhighway of technologic advancement. We build ideas on top of ideas and merge technologies to advance our state of being in this world to a level where no other organism has. Humans in such a short time of evolutionary development have developed the ability to (physically) travel off of their home planet and to see beyond their own star system (the solar system). We have the ability to heal and protect ourselves from infection and virus. We have developed the ability to mechanically do what other life forms on the planet can do naturally, i.e. fly, see in the dark, swim underwater. We have even technologically beat the limits of travel and speed. We have the ability to harness energy from natural resources, and to harness one of the great natural forces (electricity).

Our brain; the unique gift that nature has given us, gives us the ability to dream and create things that other organisms cannot. But how does this compare to the natural gifts that our fellow earthlings have inherited? Are we that much better?

As a scientist, an artist and a philosopher, I marvel at the achievements of humanity. I have been fortunate to have access to an education in many of these topics. Like most of you, I am fortunate to have destiny place me in such circumstances that I was given the opportunity to read, understand, and learn about these topics. Learning about the inner workings of the human body, the inner workings of atoms, and chemicals. Learning physics, astronomy, philosophy, sociology, and biology… and of course the universal language of the universe, mathematics. These opportunities have given me the ability to appreciate the intricacies of the workings of the world we live in, and the technologic contributions we created for our lives, and their context in relation to this world.

Almost like a connoisseur, trained to appreciate the subtleties of a fine wine; once this knowledge has been passed onto you, the way you see the world, and what it means, changes forever.

So I look into the workings of all the facets of science, and its relevance and context in how this relates to our physical world. How are we better than other earthlings? How have we beat them in the game of survival, and evolutionary advancement?

With every model I observe, we have intrinsically lost one very important component that other earthlings still possess… balance. We lack balance.

Like a viral process that cares nothing of what happens to it’s host, we replicate and lean on the crutch of our technology to save us from the disease process we manifest in our host. We have an idea. We develop it. We advance because of it, and remove ourselves from one of the hardships of what is called life. Every idea we develop removes one more hardship.

Living is hard. As philosopher Thomas Hobbes discussed, to live in the natural world is a brutish and dangerous proposition. Any person who has lived in nature for an extended period of time without any technologic assistance knows, living as a part of the food chain, “within” the food chain, is hard. But as we advance, we remove the stressors on our existence, allowing us to replicate further. Like a virus that mutates, we develop “work arounds” for life’s inconveniences.

Disease, we’re working on it.
Life span, we’ve doubled it.
Geographic limitation, we’ve engineered around it.
Genetic deformities, we cracked it’s code and are now putting the pieces together.

This all adds up to more humans, living longer, and in more places than ever before in the entire history of the planet. No other animal can do this in such short a time. To be able to populate the entire planet, and organism needs to pass through their natural evolutionary rites of passage for each selective factor. This process can take generations if not more. But we, because of technology, have access to a shortcut.

The result is your life. Look around you. Look at all the things you see and use, but don’t truly acknowledge. Think of the engineering and scientific advancements that went into your car. Or your cellphone? How about the vaccines that you have on board? Imagine for one minute, having to depend on the sun, the land, the weather and your learned skill, to grow food? In today’s world , if you are hungry, you get into a moving box (a car), which at the flick of a key, burns the remains of decomposed life-forms from millions of years ago (oil), which moves you to your food source without any effort from you (minus the effort to steer the thing). Then you give the clerk a piece of paper (money) and in return, you are given food.

Some of the that food is grown from the earth, and unfortunately some of it, is another earthling. Another sentient being. Another being that has been living, and competing in the game of life, for millions of years, just as we have. But now, instead of having to earn the right (hunt) to consume this life, we have the technology to “grow” or raise them in captivity for our own ends. So eating is now easy, compared to what humans would have to know and do just 100 years ago; this has significant philosophic and sociologic implications.

So we consume and adopt technology without giving any thought to how it effects our world, how it effects our sociology, or our relationship to our home. Technology has the answer, if things go bad, we can fix it.

We are now at a pivotal moment in history. I have given some thought to our course in time. Thinking about the major forks in the road for human development, for my own understanding, I have organized our time in this world into four general stages of evolution. I also call these revolutions since each of these steps revolutionized the state of our lives in our world.

Regardless of your religious or scientific beliefs, humanity first underwent a physical evolution. This movement from our primate ancestors to human (if your an evolutionist), or spirit form to human (if your are a creationist), signified the first appearance of the human being on the stage of life. It didn’t take long for us to undergo the second, and very important intellectual evolution. This stage happened a few hundred years ago, and humanity developed a place for education, and the reverence of art (universities and museums). We began to proliferate our knowledge and technology in an institutionalized form, schools and colleges. This then led to the third evolutionary stage of human advancement, the industrial evolution. This important stage is where we combined our technologic and intellectual products and our physical abilities to create machines, that world carry the burden of work for us. No longer did we depend on the sun for light, or the ox to move the earth. Humanity was freeing itself from the chains of physical labor. But the fourth and most important stage is yet to come. We have yet to experience the spiritual evolution.

Although we have the ability to send tons of steel into the air and carry a payload of humans safely from one side of our world to another, we still cannot agree on a 2% difference of opinion in our religious views, in our political views or our economics views. Despite this immense history of advancement, we are still primitive primates bashing each other in the head for possession of material goods, natural resources, or the right to pass on our genes. We are still no better than our fellow earthlings. Competing on a simple level, waging war against each other, and arguing over ideas that are figments of our imagination. Ideas that ultimately have no real bearing on the actual world we live in. As we fight and bicker, we forget about the damage we are doing to our host, our home, our earth.

Despite our now complete acknowledgement of shortages of oil and the potential to run out of oil in the next generation, we justify using millions of gallons of it to power our fighter planes, our tanks, and our machinery to get our soldiers to where we need to be, to fight the wars we need to fight. Human beings have lost balance.

Leo Tolstoy said, “As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields”. We have lost the connection with the very spirit that connects each and every one of us. We have lost the ability to understand and relate to each other as a unit. Hence our inability to see why it is not okay for us to live in a society where we spend more money on fighting each other, than we do on educating each other.

This is not limited to our nation, but all nations. This discussion is about the human nation. Our beautiful, expansive, but primitive brains, cannot contain these two ideals together: technologic advancement and love each other and our world. So we advance, we evolve, and we harm each other, and rape our world.

I find it fascinating that not only does our disconnect from nature manifest itself in our apparent way of life, but it permeates into our death. We do not allow for our bodies, our final, and only contribution to nature, to go back to nature. We bury ourselves in boxes and separate our physical being from nature indefinitely. So if you were solve the human vs. Nature equation, the solution would be one that yields a net negative for every human that was born. Since every human that is born now, does not go back into the natural order of things. So our consciousness now believes this lie that we are separate from nature so deeply, that we do not question our idea of death and what happens to our bodies (exclusive of those who might want to be cremated and put back into nature).

My intention behind writing this essay is not to degrade humanity or insult our marvelous ability to create and shape tools. Rather, it is to put into perspective the derailment that we are undergoing from our fourth and very important revolutionary stage. To achieve our spiritual evolution, we need to cling onto the idea that despite our ideologic differences, we are one living organism. Harming each other only harms ourselves. We need to realize that we were given these amazing brains to observe, and to learn. My grandfather used to tell me that we are given 2 ears and 1 mouth (although I still talk more than I should). Our awareness of each other, not just human, but of all earthlings, needs to elevate so we an evolve past this brutal and primitive notion of fighting at every opportunity we differ.

Our fellow earthlings may lack the ability to develop technology like we do, but they understand the importance of “not extending their feet, beyond their blankets”. Will we learn this in our generation? Are we; YOU and I, the ones who will be responsible for giving this final stage of evolution to humankind? Is it going to be us, that delivers humanity from it’s twisted history of fighting and bickering?  
The next time you open your eyes, and use anything that you bought, anything that was made in a factory, anything that was prepared for you, or eat anything YOU didn’t grow or kill, think about this? Are you doing justice to the thousands of years before you that built up to having these things? Are you acting every day in a way to spread the ideas of spiritual evolution to your fellow human beings? Do you effect other people in a way that opens their eyes and let’s them effect other people? Or do you live a life of a consumer... buying what is needed to sustain your life (and lifestyle), until you expire?

We live in a wonderful world, and I urge you to take an exit once in a while, let the beauty of this world enter into every one of your cells. I know that every person is capable of connecting with their neighbor and reprogramming their own minds from the conditioned ideas of the past. I think living on the verge of 7 Billion human beings in the world, we don’t have a choice. We need to wake up and wake up fast.

Ali

A Day Without a Mexican!

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:17:13 -0700

I often joke with my friends that I was Mexican in my last life; probably a Mexican revolutionary or something? I love Mexican food. I love Mexican people. They are simple, hard working, honest and family oriented (some are quick to comment on gangs, illegal immigrants, and welfare, but read more and see the big picture).

I recently had an interesting experience. I have an office in Thousand Oaks and with the unique nature of what I do, I have a lot of patients from further north near Santa Barbara. It wasn’t smart to have 10 or 15 patients commute to see me, so I see patients a half day a week in Oxnard. Oxnard is in Ventura County. It is an hour outside of what you can consider Los Angeles. It is mostly farm land, although in the last few years, urban sprawl and big box development (Wal-Mart, Costco, Best Buy) has defaced this pristine region. Driving to Oxnard, you pass many farms. Most of provide a lot of the produce here in Los Angeles. I used to work in a gas station off of Rice Avenue and the 101 freeway, and I remember the farmer who worked the plot of land next to the station would always bring me fresh cilantro in bundles. He was a little old Mexican man, and he was always smiling.

Many years later, as I commute to the Oxnard office, I see the migrant workers hunched over in the hot sun, working the land. Picking strawberries, tomatoes, and other goodies. One day, while waiting at the light off the exit, with the farm and the workers in plain view, I saw a man standing on the corner with a sign reading “will work for food”. I couldn’t help but engage. I pulled up to him and asked this guy (who looked able bodied and strong) “look behind you… there is a farm with work available, why don’t you get a job?” He looked at me, with a dead stare and clearly replied “I’m not Mexican!” His tone was not that he wouldn’t get hired because he wasn’t Mexican, his tone was of disgust, as if he was better than picking fruit in the sun for money.

Our society’s position on illegal immigration is baffling. I am an immigrant. My family and I came here legally. My dad worked diligently to keep us legal. He paid a lot of money to lawyers and into the system, only to find that after 12 years of staying legal, the government had a new way to become a permanent citizen... that was to be illegal? At that time, the Amnesty laws had been enacted which allowed illegal workers that were here during a certain window of time to be grandfathered into permanent residency. It was real slap in the face to the effort and money my parents spent on trying to stay legal. Regardless, over time, we became proud citizens of this country. But today, our immigration policies are a web of confusion and misinformation. The public doesn’t really know what happens since none of them has had to stand in line at the immigration office in downtown LA for 5 hours, only to get to a counter where the person who works there can barely speak proper english themselves, and is treating you like cattle at a slaughterhouse. Mind you, that most of the people who are in line, are legal residents, in the system to be processed into permanent residency or citizenship. Which means that we are tax paying individuals; which means that the person behind the counter is employed (partly) by us.

But forget about this, I always take tangents. Let’s talk about Mexicans and immigration. These people are our neighbors. And since we as Americans, have lost the ideal of the importance of loving thy neighbor, we treat Mexicans as a nuisance. Just look at the words “illegal alien”. When I was called an alien for the first time in the immigration office, I thought that they had never heard of an Iranian. I was shocked. Alien? I was human? But these are only words right? Sticks and stones are what matters!

The fact is that we do not appreciate the importance of Mexicans. These people fill in the holes where no other American wants to work. Mexicans bus tables (most waiters are Americans, most bus staff are Mexican), they do lawn work, they are cooks, they work in janitorial positions, they work in farms, they clean houses, they move your furniture, they build your furniture, and on and on and on. This is because one thing these people have is a solid work ethic. They earn their money. They come here for a better future, just as the immigrants of the past did. Remember the pilgrims? Plymouth rock? The Irish, the French, the Germans, the Italians? Ellis Island? The fact is that being American is not defined by “a kind of person”, it is a way of life. America is the torch that has led hope for millions of people since 1776. Our neighbors do the things our own people won’t. For much less money. With far less benefits. The irony that these are the people that are doing the work that defined the core of American values… farming, yet we discriminate against them amazes me.

I understand the tax issues that surround illegal workers. I agree with these points. That is why, as a logical individual understanding the tax code and how it works is important. Soon I will post an article on Fair Tax written by my good friend Vladimir, which will open most of your eyes on how upside down our taxation is. So the tax argument is valid, but not only because the tax code is wrong, and it doesn’t justify this rift of “Mexican Abuse”.

I had a discussion one day in surgery with one of the surgical staff. It was about English and Spanish teaching in schools. She was upset (being Latino) that there was a proposition to end teaching bilingually in schools. I argued that I thought this was very good for immigrants and their children. Why not? Isn’t time that we leveled the paying field and educated immigrants so that their linguistic abilities matched those of the upper, and middle class. If you learn in a system where you are kept behind, you will never be able to compete. But if everyone learns English (the language of America) then you will grow to be linguistically equal, and can compete in areas like law, medicine, science, education etc. But this has a twist… I then argued that it is only proper, that like many other countries who deliver an educated and advanced youth to their societies, we educate ALL of our youth in Spanish.

None of this elective language BS. I mean, in 9th grade, every single student, no matter what your ethnic background, has to take Spanish. Because this is the language of our neighbors, and we respect and care about our neighbors. Look at European countries where it is not uncommon to find kids speak 3 languages fluently by the time they graduate middle school. This would level the playing field for migrant cultures and embrace where they come from. It would also make our own children smarter since their brains would have to learn 2 languages (smarter kids… what a shocker!)

It’s time we respected our neighbors and gave them some credit for the labor and effort they put into the very back bone of America. Without them, America would be a limp amputee. So maybe immigration reform should focus on not “securing” our borders from the Mexican boogie man, but creating a program that allows people to enter with priority access so they can continue to work and do the things that they do, without the stigma of being an “alien”. It’s funny how most of the legislators who are against immigration reform that is pro-Mexican have been busted for having migrant workers working in their own homes.

I think the legislative alchemy of turning “aliens” into humans would make any presidential candidate my hero! And to the homeless dude who proudly states he’s not a Mexican… I reply, “Of course not my friend, you are a lazy freeloader.”

Drugging America... The New Reform for Health Care

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:26:21 -0700

Video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHXXTCc-IVg&feature=rec-fresh

I am a health care provider. I am also part of the new generation of health care providers. Pharmaceuticals is a big part of how we practice. We are marketed to from every direction from big pharma. These companies have money. More than you can imagine. There is so much money, that a few years back, there had to be legislation on how that money was spent on doctors. I remember I got into practice on the tail end of the what some doctors call the “Golden Era”. Drug reps would often come by with not only mass amounts of samples, but extravagant gifts like front row seats to Basketball and Hockey games, tickets to Operas, weekend getaways at golf resorts, and expensive wine. This is a only a sample of some the “appreciation” gifts reps would bring to get docs to prescribe their product over the competition.

As reimbursements to doctors go down, the need to meet expenses stays or like most other things in life goes up. Have you taken a minute to give this thought? Many of my patients have heard this talk at one point in time from me. I remember when I first got into practice with Dr. Clemente, I hadn’t tasted the business aspect of running a practice yet. I just wanted to be a surgeon and start making a living. We were cleaning out the office to make room for new charts and computers and I remember coming across some EOBs (Explanation of Benefits... Payment stubs from insurance companies for services performed) and they were dated from 10 years before. What was amazing was the payment amount. In 10 years... what has happened to the cost of living? The cost of doing business? The price of food, gas, college, etc etc etc.? It’s gone up, almost double. But what was amazing was that the payment for a procedure that we still perform today, (i.e. a bunionectomy) was now HALF of what it used to be 10 years before. HALF! So the cost of living is going up, but the reimbursement to the doctor has gone down. For those of you who argue that the costs of health care have gone up, I argue politely that you do not have a firm understanding of the issues... more on this later (I promise to write an article of the health care debacle in detail).

The fact is that the money is in the middle. The money is being siphoned to the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical companies. They spend millions of dollars trying to “re-educate” doctors that their product is the panacea for health care and a healthier America, where really, the ultimate Rx for health is eating better, and moving more.

Health care, like most other things in this country is big business. Not at the doctor level. Doctors and patients are the core of health care. They are the peak of the pyramid. Big business health care is the institutional system. Private insurance (for profit), Pharmaceutical companies, Hospitals, Medical Supply companies, Ancillary Medical Care industries (home health care, adult day health care, etc.) These components consistently are taking a bigger chunk of your health care dollar.

Your doctor is getting less and less every year. This is one of the reasons I decided to drop my participation wit Blue Cross this year, because of their unethical and un-American way of doing business. I was no longer willing to participate in the extortionary ways of their business model. Now that we are no longer contracted with insurance companies, we can practice how we like, really treat our patients with quality without being locked into a discounted rate that forces a practice to increase its volume (doctor’s without contracts with insurance companies still get paid by the insurance company, but at higher rates since they have not agreed to a contracted discount payment schedule).

So when I come across videos like the the one linked in this post, I feel good that at least the media is sending a worthwhile message (sometimes).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHXXTCc-IVg&feature=rec-fresh

I hope most of you think and learn about the issues when you are being bombarded by advertising for elections, or where to eat, or what to eat. Think about what it costs for a 1 minute spot on TV for an ad, and the next time you see an ad for an anti-depressant, or a sleep aid, or a diet pill, ask yourself, where did the company get the money to pay for this ad? Are they really that concerned about your ailment, or are they just pushing you their product?

The Modern Rendition of the Grasshopper & the Ant

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:31:24 -0700

Parables, although very important, sometimes become dated. So for the new HD CNN viewing generation, I thought of including a new version of the Grasshopper and the Ant story, so they too can relate... Umm, by the way, as a disclaimer, I think you all know my ideals but now... right? (Meaning this is satire on how cluttered and messy our policy making has become).

If you are reading this post first, read the previous post (Food Prices) before you read this one.

The Grasshopper and the Ant, 2008

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he’s the ant is a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he freezes out in the cold.

Americans are stunned that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so while others have plenty.

There are demonstrations in front of the ant’s house. ABC, NBC and CBS interrupt coverage of the Presidential campaigns and the War on Terror with breaking news, broadcasting the protestors singing “We Shall Overcome.”

Senators rant in interviews with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his “fair share.”

In response to polls, Congress drafts the Economic Equity and Grasshopper Anti-Discrimination Act, retrospective to the beginning of the summer.

It is quickly passed through the Senate. The ant’s taxes are reassessed and he is also fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as helpers.

Without enough money to pay both the fine and his newly imposed retrospective taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

The ant moves to Asia, and starts a successful agribusiness company.

The TV stations later show the now fat grasshopper finishing up the last of the ant’s food though Spring is still months away, while the government owned house he is in, which just happens to be the ant’s old house crumbles around him because he hadn’t maintained it. Inadequate government funding is blamed, Congress appoints a commission that will lead an inquiry which will cost $10,000,000.

The grasshopper is soon dead of a drug overdose. The Los Angeles Times blames it on obvious failure of government to address the root causes of despair arising from social inequity.

The abandoned house is taken over by a gang of immigrant spiders, who come from “the axis of evil”, and buy up big chunks of land and turn them into strip malls with 7 Eleven’s, Domino’s Pizza and BlockBuster Video’s, in turn promptly terrorizing the community.

Who says we don’t live in a democracy?

USDA Projects Highest Food Price Increase in 20 Years!

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:01:27 -0700

Some articles in Reuters, TreeHugger are thought provoking.

The parable of the Grasshopper and Ant. The old story shows how the ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he’s the ant is a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

The USDA warns that “U.S. consumers should brace for the biggest increase in food prices in nearly 20 years in 2008 and even more pain next year due to surging meat and produce prices.

Food prices are forecast to rise by 5 percent to 6 percent this year, making it the largest annual increase since 1990. Just last month, USDA forecast food prices would climb between 4.5 and 5.5 percent in 2008.”

Americans spend more than $1 trillion a year on groceries, snacks, carry-out food and meals in restaurants. Farmers get 20 cents of the food dollar and the rest goes to processing, labor, transportation and distribution

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2047383220080820?sp=true

TreeHugger comments that this is “No surprise really, given the corn-to-ethanol incentives debacle, grain yield losses due to Mid-west flooding, and fuel price increases. One more reason to modify the Grasshopper Lifestyle and get ready for winter the old fashioned way. Those cheap cuts of meat Grandma used to make in the pressure cooker will be back in fashion. Victory Gardens all around; and, no more throwing out the leftovers please!”

I remember when I was a kid, my mom could stay home, she managed the food supply. She cooked healthy, wholesome food for us. My dad would bring home fresh vegetables from local farms that were his friends. We always had left overs that we ate. We had a pressure cooker. We would stock up food. We would get together as a family on weekends (we were kids so we had no choice ;-) and squeeze lemons for our annual lemon juice supply one weekend, or go the one of many fruit trees my dad had co-oped to pick fruits in bulk so my mom could preserve it and make delicious jams.

But times change. Economic pressures and the pursuit of more changes the financial and familial landscape. Things are reverting back to the old ways though. That’s a good thing. Think back to when you were a kid. Think about how different the food was then. How good it was to eat a home made meal that mom made from scratch? In retrospect I should thank my folks for giving us the backbone of simplicity that I take for granted now. Thanks pops, thanks momma Z. (My Folks)

**About the Photo:
This is a picture of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond. I hope that most of you had Walden as one of the readings in your education. If not, it should be one of the staples of your collection and part of your brain’s hard wiring. I have it linked here for you all to get and read:
Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify...

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:42:51 -0700

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
– Albert Einstein

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without.” – Henry David Thoreau

Quotes referenced in a great article by Megan Prusynski on www.planetsave.com that poses 7 questions to ask before you purchase something.

I remember in one of my philosophy courses in college, Dr. Daruty (one of my favorite professors) commented that “the most important duty a citizen of society has, is to be a good consumer”. The depth of this statement is complex, and will be discussed over time on this site, but it is indeed true.

Visit the article and test yourselves on your next purchase and see if you think this way?

http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/08/22/simplify-simplify-simplify-less-is-more-when-living-green/

**About the Photo:
Orangutans. (derived from the Malay and Indonesian words orang meaning "person" and hutan meaning "forest",[4] thus "person of the forest") are currently critically endangered. These peaceful apes are vegetarian whose diet is made up mostly of fruit (65%). Fruits with sugary or fatty pulp are favored. The fruit of fig trees are also commonly eaten since it is easy to both harvest and digest. Other food items include: young leaves, shoots, seeds and bark. Insects and bird eggs are also included.[12]

According to recent research by the psychologist Robert Deaner and his colleagues, orangutans are the world's most intelligent animal other than humans, with higher learning and problem solving ability than chimpanzees, which were previously considered to have greater abilities. A study of orangutans by Carel van Schaik, a Dutch primatologist at Duke University, found them capable of tasks well beyond chimpanzees’ abilities — such as using leaves to make rain hats and leakproof roofs over their sleeping nests. He also found that, in some food-rich areas, the creatures had developed a complex culture in which adults would teach youngsters how to make tools and find food.

Another unfortunate victim of our rampant growth. They, like ALL other animals on this earth, have endured their evolutionary rites of passage, however now they are victims of the virulent growth of human consumption and the insatiable appetite for economic growth.

Bad news for you text-a-holics

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:55:43 -0700

Finally!

LAist (http://laist.com/) posted a great article is wonderful news: http://laist.com/2008/08/21/text_messaging_to_be_iilegal_while.php

Text Messaging to be IIlegal While Driving...

... if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill that's headed to his desk.
Senate Bill 28, that begun making its way around the capitol in 2007 seeks to "prohibit drivers from sending or reading text messages while operating a motor vehicle. The law would go into effect on January 1, 2009, as an adjunct to the existing prohibitions against the operation of a cell phone without a hands-free device," according to State Senator Joe Simitian's website, who represents parts of Northern California.
The bill is headed towards Schwarzenegger's desk, says the Associated Press. Currently, the hands free law is silent on text messaging while driving for adults.

Photo by benimoto via Flickr

Go to College & Shop, Shop, Shop

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:19:35 -0700

Seriously, I know I might sound like I sit on my high horse, and rant and rave about how to live a sustainable, just life. But I only share with you what I feel are points that fall on my lap, and serve to prove the premise that I believe so soundly supports the conclusions.

I received an email from Sallie Mae (the governmental division securing education loans). My education was paid for by loans. Some private and some from the government. I pay on time, and responsible and grateful for the opportunity to get and education that affords me the ability to do what I do.

But this is ridiculous. This email (the photo of the attachment in the email is above), basically advocates that you need to shop to reduce your loans. The first line in the email sums it up:

“Loans helped pay for college. Now shopping can help pay down the loans”.

This reminds me of how President Bush was asked how the nation can cope with the devastation of September 11th, and his response was “shop… go shopping”. Is this really what we have become? Have you been to a mall recently? People in malls crack me up… the entire idea of a mall cracks me up. A totally inefficient structure that using mass energy, mass resources, so you can walk, waste time and shop. Get more stuff. Change your wardrobe every season.

So now our shopping and consumer addiction has permeated into our education system. We are indirectly advocating that financing for an education will be provided, and and you will rewarded if shop by reducing the debt. Nothing mentioned about reducing your debt if you perform well, if you make the deans list, if you innovate a new chemical composition, or a surgical technique… even if you get a Nobel Prize! Nothing… just if you shop, we will reduce your loans. This is sad.

I think I’m onto something though… I’m going to buy A LOT of the items on the list, and then sell them on eBay… so in essence pay of my loans for free.

One of the books that I advocate every one of you pick up and read is Bill McKibben’s “The Age of Missing Information”. This book is will give you a new perspective on TV and consumerism and the American way of life. The link is included in my books tab. When you buys books from Amazon on this tab I think you get a little discount. Regardless, you should read the books on this reading list. I have read them and advocate others do as well. I intend on eventually having my entire library on this section.

So for now, keep shopping.

Air Conditioning the Sidewalk

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:09:14 -0700

Golden Spiral has started the west coast version of the “This Store Blows”. This is a web site I came across that posts pictures of stores that keep their doors open and cool the streets, despite common knowledge of our impending energy crisis.

The beautiful part of this is that, people got involved. I think you guys should to... I’m will to bet that all of you have a camera phone. So people snap pictures of store fronts that are wasting energy to cool the side walk and after gaining enough momentum, the site along with the local legislature, made a difference. On August 14th, 2008, the city council in (NYC) approved a measure that fines stores that leave their doors open $200 for the first offense, $400 for repeat offenses.

http://racked.com/archives/2008/08/13/this_store_blows_the_law.php

This is the best example folks, that the people always have the power to make a change. It’s just that they need to do their respective jobs. I urge you all to participate in Shelley’s “This Store Blows”, and post photos. Just snap a photo and send it to her, she will do the rest. We can change this.

Here is my contribution to her site last week:

http://goldenspiral.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/this-store-blows-08-12-08/

“So here it is folks: absolute stupidity in our very own Studio City!

I was walking back from lunch at Vegan Plate, when I saw the Lucky Brand store with it's doors open! I thought... THIS STORE BLOWS! So I took a picture with my handy dandy militant environmentalist iPhone... and then the retard you see in the store, walks up to me and tells me I CAN"T TAKE PICTURES! Now, last I checked, this is the United States of America; and unless I am stupid or ignorant of reality, this is NOT a totalitarian country.

This guy actually came up to me and argued that I can't take a photo. Well... BIG MISTAKE... he didn't know who he was dealing with... I told him off, and told him why I am taking the picture and what I intend to do with it, and why he and his company are ignorant. After educating him about the waste of energy and the open door with A/C blasting in 84° weather... he just shook his head and walked away... like he didn't care! So to the retard who works at Lucky Brand Jeans in Studio City, I say "you are one of the idiots who is drowning in his own ignorance, and for that I now consider you my enemy. You are causing damage and necrosis to my temple... the Earth.".

Dr. Ali Sadrieh”

Disease vs. Debt in the World

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:53:33 -0700

I was reading an article in the New York Times web site about debt in America. The article had a nice break down of the world wide consumer debt burden and it’s distribution. I clipped the article and saved the graphic to my desktop for later use.

It came in handy. Often times cross correlation between topics is important to have a complete appreciation of where we stand in this world.

Fast forward two weeks to Wednesday. I went to my friend who is a Traveler’s Medicine doctor. He specializes in immunizations for and treatment of diseases that are endemic or epidemics in the world. Some of you might know, that in October I am going to Africa for two weeks to experience Mt. Kilimanjaro before the snow is gone (first time in history that this mountain will be without snow). So before you go to Africa, you need to get all your shots. Yellow Fever, Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid, etc etc etc. While I was waiting for Dr. Kapoor to come in the room for the consultation, I was checking out the room. Being a doctor, and being in another doctor’s office as a patient, you can’t help but to check out how the patient experience in their office differs from yours.

On the wall he has posters that relate to the status of these diseases around the world. One poster that particularly caught my attention was a large poster that had little maps of the world (similar to the one above) that had each country shaded in one color relating the severity of a certain disease (e.g. Yellow Fever, Malaria etc.) in a certain area. But that was not the interesting part. What I noticed was the consistent color of the United States and North America in general… White. There was no color. Except for Lyme Disease, every other disease did not significantly effect our great country.

I found this interesting, because then I remembered my JPG of “What the World Owes” and I realized that we were the darkest country. Meaning we owe the most money as individuals.

This I found truly fascinating. We are free from diseases that riddle the world, but we are infected with our own special form of disease. Credit, debt and what I consider modern slavery. Ironic don’t you think? I think that this should be motivation for us as a people to change our society and aim for a spot on the map that is “white” for every version. Imagine, no debt, and no disease. Of course this example is somewhat overly simplified since we cannot be entirely disease free.

We have one of largest per capita health care budgets in the world. One might ask, “wait a minute Ali, you just said that the U.S. Didn’t have many diseases?” Right. Real diseases, we have pretty much eradicated from our day to day world. But our way of life (and the photo above) brings with it, a whole new and wonderful set of presents! Diabetes, Heart disease, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Obesity, Atherosclerosis, Depression, Attention Defecit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) and Cancer. The list goes one. The point is that we have a whole new set of diseases that don’t exist in such numbers in the natural world. The irony is that if you make the connection, you will see that these are “manufactured” disease by our way of life.
Take Diabetes for instance. I have colleagues who dedicate their entire practice to this disease. They have published, do research and prescribe Rx after Rx to control a disease that can be prevented by just living a different lifestyle. This of course is not including the classic “type 1” diabetic which is genetic.

I find it sad that every seminar I attend for continuing medical education, the topics are the same: Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity and Cancer. So I think it might be safe to say that according to all this data, the “average American” can be described as an debt ridden diabetic with clogged arteries who has 400 channels on their HD 60 inch plasma TV living in a house they can’t afford, with cars that get and average of 13 MPG. Did I forget to mention their kids are on Ritalin but have an X-Box 360, and a Wii so they can play Guitar Hero, and a TV in each of their rooms?

All this energy we are putting into curing diseases that the cure is right under our noses (change our way of life) can be put into helping the world and other humans live a better life. Not our life, just a little better. A little happier, a little less suffering, a little less illness. Most of the world diseases can be prevented with vaccination. I got mine on Wednesday. I walked into an office, sat in comfortable air conditioning, got a couple of shots, and now I am protected. How sad that for such a small cost we think it is ok to let the rest of human beings suffer from this illnesses, AND we live a life that then leads to other new disorders that we are trying to solve and treat. We won’t entertain the idea of changing out lifestyles… we keep putting money into fixing the diseases. I love all the money and time wasted by companies like Pfizer and Lilly to come out with better cholesterol medications, better diabetic control medications. All because we don’t want to get our butts off our couches, move our bodies more, eat how we were designed to eat and TURN OFF THE TV.

So we creatively create new financial products. ARM loans, NegAM loans, and a slew of fancy credit products to keep the cycle of debtor, worker, debtor continue.

You can save yourself though. The real world is a beautiful place. Just try it one weekend. Put on your tennis shoes, get your kids, or your wife/husband and go a local trail. Listen to the sounds, smell the air, feel the cool expiration of the trees. They are giving us life. These old wise beings have been on this planet long before humanity, and they quietly and humbly give us the very basis of our existence… oxygen.

On October 9th, 2008 I will summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. After a 5 day climb through 5 differnt ecosystems, sahara, rain forests, and glaciers. The summit hike will begin at 11:30 PM and at 19,340 ft. I will watch the sun rise over the earth. This mountain is special. It is one of the 7 Summits. The 7 highest peaks on the 7 continents. Kilimanjaro is unique because it is the highest free standing mountain in the world. I am looking forward to seeing this sunrise in particular. In the cradle of life, Africa, without our modern amenities to give me shelter or comfort, I will wonder… “What’s happening on Desperate Housewives this week?”

Pay off your debt. Don’t be a consumer. Eat like your ancestors. And LIVE life.

Wisdom & Knowledge of the Elders

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:46:06 -0700

As I grow older, one of the wonderful things about this experience is the appreciation of the words and the stories of our elders. When I was younger, I, like others would say “they don’t understand what it’s like to to be young in this society”. But now, after growing an learning, I have learned that there some ideals that have been passed on and withstood the test of time, regardless of the conditions.

A quote I came across recently, was made in reference to the economic growth in a middle eastern country and how it has effected the cultural values of those people. I wanted to share it with you all because I feel it has merit in our world, and our individual lives as well.

“We did not listen to our ancestors’ proverb,” Mr. Kaya said. “ ‘Stretch your leg only as far as your blanket.’ ”

**About the Photo:
A beautiful view indeed. A fresh view of deforestation in Brazil. We are so responsible that we make sure to leave some trees to make sure the ecosystem can survive. (I hope by now you can pick up on my sarcasm)

Seeing L.A. from a bike... in 78 Miles!

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:30:17 -0700

I thought it would be appropriate to write a little something on what I did last weekend. Not for story telling reasons, but rather the introspection of what I experienced and sharing it with you all. Some of you know that I have been riding a lot. For many reasons, some environmental, some physical, and some for challenge. I came up with the crazy idea of riding from Los Angeles to New York, and after some time, the idea became a real goal. Now after 2 months of training, I have taken my course to the level of covering a lot of mileage in a day; to see if this goal is realistic for me to complete.

So I dedicate as much as I can to riding. I ride after work. I ride to work. Sometimes I ride before. And on weekends I try to experience “car-less” weekends. This has reduced my footprint to a very minimal one. I drive at most 2 days a week. Remember, I live in Los Angeles. The car city, the place where people get in their cars to go 2 miles. Our city isn’t designed to be pedestrian or cyclist friendly. The entire design and architecture of the city development is based around the car. Just take a minute to think about this and you will see that the level of conditioning that we are exposed to in this city is beyond simple advertising. The very way of life in Los Angeles is based on the car. And the car is the ultimate symbol of individualism. There are even movies about this, Crash (Crash, 2005) was based on the individualism that LA is based on, and American culture. The premise of the movie is that we are so isolated from one another that we need to crash into one another to realize we are connected.

So here was this lofty goal… Bike Across the Country! Wow… what an accomplishment… but really under the crazy idea is a fundamental lesson. That our society is so deeply rooted in individualistic ideals, that the very way we build our cities, our communities is based on, and engineered around the separation we desire so much. I realized this by thinking of this goal, undertaking the challenge, which forced me onto my bike for major mileage, which then in-turn made me flip over the “tipping point” of biking to car-less weekends and thus I saw the reality of what was happening.

Are you following me people? The point here is that a huge and un-imaginable goal (for most people) turned out to open my eyes to the faults of our current accepted societal standards. Imagine the implications of this in other aspects of our lives? Like living in cities with a sense of community? Treating each other as important connected pieces of the whole. Living in our world without placing the universe around ourselves, but rather seeing ourselves as a part of the universe as a whole. These ideas are not new, they have been around since the beginning of humankind, recently however we have somehow deviated away from them. Somehow we have sold ourselves the illusion that being an individual is better than being part of a community. We create a world around us that reinforces this idea.

There are those that would argue that we do live in communities, but a more insightful and well thought out observation would lead to seeing that although we say we live in communities, our actions are actually not communal at all. We do not agree on issues like government ensuring that every child in this country goes to college and gets educated. We not promote the idea of having a system of health for every individual. In fact, (this topic is one of my favorites and will have an essay of it’s own) we promote health care only for those who are willing to wield a gun in the name of our country, not for those who work for it, or pursue academia.

Our world that we have created is one that rewards the decision to commit to fighting war rather than the decision to commit your life to education.

These are the messages we are sending with our actions, and our social decisions. And they are a product of our individualism. Which in turn is proven by all that we allow to represent our society.

Some of you might be saying “Have you lost your mind? You started talking about biking, and now you are talking about health care, and education!” But again, read more carefully… Once I was committed to this goal, and started riding on a bicycle through LA (affectionately referred to as “The Belly of the Beast” by some of my dearest friends), I started to actually “SEE” what was around us. The viewpoint from a car is very different than a bike. Once you are immersed into society as a biker, you realize how self centered and oblivious people are to their surroundings. Their cars are merely another container that carries them from one point to another. They are involved or interested in the environment they live in, they only want to get to their destination. Alone. In their own box. Now, we have even added social value to the box, and some travel in a $400,000 box, while others in a $4,000 box. And we place the value of those people in the box based on the price or style of their box. Really fascinating.

So here I am, riding along PCH, on my 50th mile, and people drive by and cut me off, they swerve and cuss. Constantly trying to show you that they own the road, not the dude on the bicycle. You bicycle weirdo’s belong somewhere else. The road belongs to cars. People expressing the value of their social indicators, their cars. I was informed of an interesting article today by Shelley (Editor of Golden Spiral) that shows how insulant people can be (and co-incidentally has written a very interesting essay on the major US Export). The article is about a an idiot who actually sued the city of San Francisco because bikes cause global warming. His argument is that bike lanes, thus more bikes create more traffic jams, thus more air pollution because of cars stuck in traffic jams! This guys actually doesn’t even own a car, and admits to his hatred for bikes thus his motive. Can you believe this? There are actually lawsuits (and attorneys who are willing to fight for them) that will intentionally try to harm the environment with rhetoric. The article is here (Grist).

People are oblivious to their surroundings, their real surroundings, that they cannot see the importance of allowing and respecting for more bicycles on the road. Whether by their legal actions, or their driving actions. Look at cities like Copenhagen or Madrid where bicycle sharing programs (NY Times) are part of normal city life and society is designed around walking and bicycling.

By mile 72, it didn’t matter. I had done something that 95% of those conditioned box-dwellers on the road hadn’t, or couldn’t. I conquered what I considered unthinkable a few weeks before. The thought of riding 80 miles climbing Kanan to PCH and through LA was insane, if not unthinkable. But with commitment to what sometimes seems unthinkable or impossible, is the only thing that can save us from the prison of a conditioned mindless existence. The beauty and delicious parts of this quest, weren’t contained in the destination, but in every little step of the journey that hurt so much, and instead of quitting, I kept pushing and moved further.

When you open your eyes, and see what the real world around you is about, the journey is going to be one of difficulty. The canyons will be treacherous, you travel mates will be in large machines that can kill you with one hit. The climbing will hurt every muscle in your body. It will be hot, and you will be tired. But every obstacle you pass, will build you, and strengthen you to a level where the sheltered followers can never imagine.

I realized that riding my bicycle around Los Angeles is not just an environmental, or social statement. It is the connector to reality. Where you can appreciate the world you live in, without the safety of your metal box. Where you have to experience results of society’s choices up close. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get everyone else out of their boxes, and into the world.

**About the photo:
This was my second flat on the 80 mile ride through Kanan to PCH and through LA. Thank you Paul for being there to give us evidence of our musings that day! You’re a great riding partner.
You can view more photos here: 80 Mile Ride

My Tower is BIGGER than Yours!

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 03:15:34 -0700

When I was little I was in Private Christian School in London. I recall many things about my childhood that were wonderful, but the one I value most is the exposure to different ways of cultural upbringing. Having read the Bible many times, I find the stories and accounts passed on from our elders fascinating. One story that I remember dazzled me at the time, was the reason for multiple languages. The tower of Babel, was the time when God decided to cast humamity into a frenzy by splitting all their tongues and breaking apart their ability to speak to one another in one language.

I look past the actual story though (as most stories from the elders of past were meant to be read) and look at the recurrent theme. Once we tried to build a tower high enough to touch God, and he cast us into years of oblivion when God struck us with the ailment of language barrier.

So now, in the new era. The era that heralds the age of Aquarius, I ask… what will be cast upon us now? Now that we have the ability to build towers that kiss the sky, what awaits us? If language was given for the first attempt… what would be the appropriate gift?

By the way, for those of you who might be questioning... I am not religious. My use of God is a respect to those who are. I find the use of the tower of Babel and the times that that story portrayed to be of particular similarity to those of today.

**About the picture: Ariel view of the Burj al Dubai, the tallest building in the world, which signifies the beginng of a new series of unfortunate events for the human race, i.e. Babylonian era x 1100 years.