These times, they are a changing!

Happy New Year!

I want to start this year off with happy thoughts. Even in the face of what the news tells me. I have to believe that Humanity is smarter than this. We're going to have a mass awakening at the 11th hour and do the undoable!

For one, lets have some peace!  Stop the prick waiving and play nice!

We can accomplish so much more and use our resources better. 

In the mean time. For those who wish to bug out and find a safe place amidst the chaos of change. There are many resources.

http://www.survivaltopics.com/

 http://www.greatdreams.com/survival.htm

http://survivalcache.com/

Sad, but true. You have to be prepared for the worse.  Like.. Zombies! Or something as nasty.

Okay, back to the fun stuff. DIY!

http://www.instructables.com/
Recycle, build, revamp and be creative!
We're all in this together. 
I want to see more cooperation, sharing, and creativity.
The old ways just aren't working. We can do better!
http://sugru.com/about/
Hack the world, culture jammers!

"Be realistic - demand the impossible!"
Anonymous graffiti, Paris 1968

The Element of Life.

Water the element of Life.

From our beginning it surrounds us.

Cushioning our fragile flesh as we dream of being.

Rocking us gently in the womb, our tiny universe.

The damn breaks and we are thrust into a world of brilliant thirst.

We always seek that illusive, oceanic dream of creation.

Drink, bathe, swim, shower and dive.

Water calls to us.

We waste it, horde it, pollute it, share it, fight over it, cherish it and protect it.

Without it, Life ceases.

Patricia Bowne

2009

It's a precious thing. This simple mix of Hydrogen and Oxygen molecules.  

The water we drink today is the same water the dinosaurs drank—there is no new water.

Nearly 450 million people in 29 countries currently face severe water shortages.

• 20 percent more water than is now available will be needed to feed the additional three billion people who will be alive by 2025.
• As much as two-thirds of the world population could be water-stressed by 2025.
• Aquifers, which supply one-third of the world's population, are being pumped out faster than nature can replenish them.
• Half the world's rivers and lakes are seriously polluted.
• Major rivers, such as the Yangtze, Ganges, and Colorado, do not flow to the sea for much of the year because of upstream withdrawals.
  
  http://water.org/learn-about-the-water-crisis/facts/
  

Crisis- noun

a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, esp. for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.

  

We have to make it for better.

We have to stop treating the water like a never ending, self cleaning resource. We need to stop expanding. 

"Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of a cancer cell."

http://www.worldometers.info/water/ 

Stop funking up my home!

We're not the only ones on this planet. Fish, turtles, otters, frogs, beavers, alligators.. They live in water.

Alright, the water is polluted. How about just having access to any water?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2943946.stm

Doing research for this blog and keeping up with world events in general has opened my eyes to most of this information.  In the future, wars will be fought over water. Oil is NOT necessary for life. Water is.

http://blueplanetnetwork.org/water/facts

We take it for granted. We turn on the tap and get drinkable water. Oh, it might taste funky, but we won't die if dysentery after drinking it. 

http://www.irinnews.org/IndepthMain.aspx?IndepthId=13&ReportId=62312

  Let's keep water clean and available. We all need it. Don't waste it!

Idiocracy

It's been on my mind a while, but now I see I'm not the only one.
Have you noticed how stupid the kids are these days?

                                     

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100928/LIFESTYLE/9280310/Are-we-raising-a-generation-of-nincompoops-


Even if your kid is a straight "A" student. Ask yourself. "Would they be able to survive if all the adults disappeared?"
What if technology broke down and they couldn't use their "smart" phone?
They are so used to having things done for them. Their laundry, food prep, basic chores and daily living activities.  Technology has taken away the chore of solving problems and using your imagination. 
I believe that we need to teach children simple, critical thinking skills.  It's a must for our survival as a species.  We came all this way from banging rocks together to smashing tiny buttons. 
We had to think to survive. Now, we order out, flip a switch, call a repair person and Google our questions. Between posting our every thought and action online.  Who leads that exciting of a life!? If you did, would you really want to stop to tweet about it? Update your facebook status?  Almost everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame and they don't care how they get it. 

http://www.king5.com/health/childrens-healthlink/Dangerous-online-stunts-sending-more-kids-to-emergency-rooms-103086969.html 

I fear for the future of my species. I'm afraid we're going to dumb ourselves into extinction. 
The kids don't care about History, Math or Science.  They are in the  "Right Now!"  There is no patience. Food, information and communication is instant. 
My son told me today that a Freshman girl didn't know about 9/11.
WTF!?  She said it didn't concern her. 
What happened to current events?  Am I that old?  I had a weekly assignment to read the news and write about something important and current.

                                          
There is something I came across, researching for this blog. 

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/7112408.html

Scary stuff. I have a cousin who married a brilliant, Chinese researcher. She can't cook, do laundry, interact socially, or take care of her own child!
But in her field, she's great. Just no life skills. 


Then, there are the marginalized. The poor, have nots of the world that don't seem to fit into any, world leader's plan.  Oh, they make for good publicity when funds need to be raised or votes secured.
They get what the rulers decide they deserve.


http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/poordevelopment/

I've said it before and I'll say it again. 
We all do better, when we all do better.

Lets start with our kids. Lets make them more than pop star wannabes. 
http://www.essortment.com/all/childraisingad_rcnj.htm 

Simple, practical and should be common sense.  
 
 

Politics suck!

So, I voted in the primary and try to keep up with all the issues and mud slinging.  Has the majority of people lost their flipping minds? I don't care what party you support. Really I don't. Being involved is good for Democracy.
But, SO IS CRITICAL THINKING AND RESEARCHING!

 
I try to tell my son. "Research a subject from several angles BEFORE you go shooting your mouth off."
Now, I admit. I have ignored my own advice on occasion and had to eat my words later. Humility is also a good thing to have. So many people go off half cocked and think violence will solve things. Then, there are these sleazy, ignorant, attention whores who whip up the easily led masses into a hateful frenzy from the safety of their studios. There is a special place in their hell for them. I'm sure.

"Man seeking power is the most dangerous animal on the planet."

I'm not sure who said that but it is true. One might start out with good intentions but power, money and perks corrupt quickly. Look at how many career politicians there are. NO ONE should be able to vote themselves a raise!! NO ONE!   I want my politicians to punch a time clock and be accountable for their lousy work ethic. If we did that kind of slip shod, lazy ass work. We'd be fired without a golden parachute.  It's bullshit. 

Yet here we are. Voting, protesting and signing petitions. Does it really do any good?  I'm getting a little frustrated. 
Doing the right thing seems obvious and easy but governments tell us how hard and complicated it is. We're just stupid peasants.
I wonder what would happen if everyone just ignored their governments and did the right thing.

 Feed the hungry, heal the sick, house the homeless, clean up environmental messes, help disaster victims and keep your religion to yourself. 
The Divine Wow loves us all equally. Celebrate that in your own way and let me do it my way. Enough said. 

Now, for some loving links!

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/

http://ecolocalizer.com/  


http://www.newscientist.com/


https://www.adbusters.org/

Have fun, kids!

Gratitude

To be grateful. I strive to appreciate my good fortune. 
Under employed but I have a roof over my head, food to eat, my health and beautiful friends.

Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.

- Alfred Painter

                                 
A while back. I went into a store for some water. There was an old, pan handler sitting outside. Sun and wind burned from a life on the streets. I have seen him before. It was blistering hot and I didn't see if he had anything to drink. I picked up an extra bottle of cold water for him.  When I walked by he muttered "Spare change?"
I responded. "No, but take this water. It's hot."
Suddenly, this quiet, beggar sneers at me. "I don't want no water."
I was a little stunned. What an ingrate!  All he wanted was money to buy alcohol with. I rarely give money to pan handlers because of this. But to refuse a simple kindness because it's not what you want seems ludicrous. Especially when you're BEGGING!
Talk about inviting bad karma. Him and me. I was in a terrible mood all day because I let that incident bother me instead of letting it go.

Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.

- Sidney and Suzanne Simon

Life, it's a learning experience.

Beneviolent Anarchy!

I'm back!
Time to share some great ideas in beauty, anarchy and freedom!

Have you noticed how the whole idea of what's beautiful and tasteful is packaged and crammed down our throats like a grease ball hamburger?   I'm tired of it and adore the creative, graffiti artists and street performers who add a bit of beauty and whimsy to our urban jungles.

http://urbanprankster.com/

http://improveverywhere.com/

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/ 

Bringing Smart back.

I have found something, today that got me excited.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090927/ap_on_re_us/us_more_school


Forget sexy, we need to bring smart back.
Our culture does not encourage us to excell in academics. That's for nerds, geeks, dorks and loosers. 
http://householdhacker.com/

We are encoraged to be good looking, cool, thin, have HUGE breasts and be willing to do anything for our 15 minutes of fame. 
What happened to having pride and dignity?
http://omg.yahoo.com/

My son jokes about wanting to develope a vaccine for stupidity.  I think it's a great idea. At least he didn't tell me he wants to be on American Idol or some other "reality" show.
http://www.earthsky.org/

http://www.scifun.org/


As a culture, we need to appreciate our FREE education.  Why is education the first thing on the budget, chopping block?  Do the politicians not want smart people voting? We might make some informed decisions instead of falling for the misleading sound bites.
We have become a nation of people with the attention span of a ferret on speed. We are so busy multitasking that we probably don't understand half of the information that we just absorbed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_span

What is up with Twitter? Who has the time or desire to know every little detail of their "friends" lives? 
I get a twitch in my eye when I see so many people walking around with their attention glued to a small, electronic device. 

The evil twin wants to trip them.  Do they realize that LIFE is happening all around them?

Wake up and smell the text books kids.
Your chance of becoming famous are painfully thin.
That is, unless you can come up with the vaccine for stupidity.


http://www.thinkgeek.com/