Capatilism Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit

The narrative of the individual consumer having the power, having the entire responsibility of regulating the market, and by extension being responsible for the damage to this planet has been overused, or more appropriately; oversold. Please, by all means reduce your consumption and waste. I am doing my part too. But... it won’t be enough in the time we have left. The whales are dying, the animals are dying, the forests are dying. The air, water, soil toxicity levels continue to increase. 

The climate continues to become less hospitable to life. We have trashed this planet and more than just skipping the use of a straw or picking up some junk during a beach cleanup is needed to fix these problems. I’m still going to do my part, I’m still trying to reduce my trash footprint, my carbon footprint, I’m still doing beach cleanups... but I’ll be damned if that’s all I do and I don’t yell as loudly as I can (tactfully) at the corporations who are providing the choices we consumers are offered.

Global Warming Ain’t Nuthin Ta F’ Wit

We are so caught up in our own opinions we don’t bother to say ‘maybe I’m wrong’. I believe that the Earth is getting warmer faster than it naturally would because of human influence and that the rate of warmth is dangerous to our civilization and the planet. 

If I’m wrong I’ve only had to inconvenience myself in some minor ways by changing my consumption habits and spending my time asking people to consider the possible futures of our world, as I’m doing now. 

Film Ideas

 Movie Short 

vlogger scene: Famous vlogger/ social media influencer presents an idea that you can put music on shuffle and when your date/wife/client shows up, the song playing will tell you the fate of that relationship. “The universe is always telling us the path we should be taking. We just need to listen. There is no coincidence. (cut to shots of people watching the videocast and back/forth between vlogger/each audience member). You can put your music on shuffle, let it play, and listen to the result… what is it telling you?”.. vlogger gives an example.. His followers take the advice too seriously.

It's what you think.

Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, and Reality

lucy brought thoughts

The Movie. Lucy. The reviews have missed the mark. The movie did a fair job visually of conveying the fleeting feeling of eternity and timeless unity when the mind is expanded… but missed it emotionally because of the formulaic action and plot sequencing. It could have been so much more as an independent indie film. I don’t care about that though, what I’d like to focus on is intelligence, consciousness, and ultimately, reality.

Hello NSA

Pondered questions regarding governmental spying (and other things).

What if the government accidentally came across you or someone you know, not a terrorist, who is breaking the law?

Is the agent/agency obligated to report it?

Does the agent/agency choose which crimes can be reported and which can be overlooked? (We obviously can’t prosecute every crime that comes to the attention of our government; http://www.schatzanderson.com/information-and-resources/20-common-felony-crimes-u-s/)

Carpe Diem

Tiger Tiger, Awake.

Excerpts from my notebook of madness.

I put my head in my un-deodorized armpit to try to cover up the sickly sweet and all too dominant fragrance wafting and permeating each molecule of the room. But I had already paid.

Dream-Song

Sunlight, moonlight, Twilight, starlight- 

Gloaming at the close of day, And an owl calling, 

Cool dews falling In a wood of oak and may. 

Lantern-light, taper-light, Torchlight, no-light: 

Darkness at the shut of day, And lions roaring, 

Their wrath pouring In wild waste places far away. 

Elf-light, bat-light, Touchwood-light and toad-light, 

And the sea a shimmering gloom of gray, 

And a small face smiling In a dream's beguiling 

In a world of wonders far away. 

Walter de la Mare

The Ghost of Tom Joad

Man walks along the railroad track 

He's Goin' some place and there's no turnin' back 

The Highway Patrol chopper comin' up over the ridge 

Man sleeps by a campfire under the bridge 

The shelter line stretchin' around the corner 

Welcome to the New World Order

Families sleepin' in their cars out in the Southwest 

No job, no home, no peace, no rest, NO REST! 

Fred

The dog growled low and let one obnoxious strand of drool slip past its snarling lips. The salt-and-pepper colored hair on his upper back signaled a body-language warning that was more imposing than the growl. Its beady eyes were locked on mine; paralyzing me beyond movement. Next to this 20 pound demon sat a fat old lady; with arms outstretched and a sedated smile upon her face. I remember looking up at my father for some help in that impossible situation. He only looked back down at me with pity and said, “Go hug your grandma.”

Does Menthol Make Me Less of a Man?

A group of snowboarders were having lunch and causing trouble when a hot, snobby, rich girl walked up and asked if she could have a cigarette. Someone replied, "Can I have your number?"

The Storms are My Own Doing

It is Valentine's day, so a poem is in order... 

Of things I had and did not know 

I had a home that lay under a bright blue sky

above a big blue sea. 

I had a home and it had a roof that kept me dry when it rained. 

bleach white walls that kept out the wind. 

wood for the fireplace… that kept me warm. 

A kitchen with bread and butter garden vegetables… 

food that sizzled and popped when cooked and it kept me from hunger. 

There was a soft feather bed 

it was so soft. 

and when I left… 

I had shoes that kept me safe from broken glass and sharp rocks. 

the kind of rocks upon which the sea lashes with rage. 

its fury its frothy waves its stormy loathing. 

 And when the storm ended? 

I had eyes for the rainbows after such storms. 

for the calm ripples, rolling sand. for the diamond sprinkled water. 

for the morning light through magenta clouds 

for all the things that were meant only for you and me. 

 And now? All I have now is a tongue… 

to tell of the things I had and did not know. 

and to taste the air, 

a salty tear.

Guilt & Psychology

A time saver for some lucky, albeit unprincipled, psychology student... If you happen to use this paper and feel guilty about it please let me know. (I originally shared this on a college student message board, nobody ever let me know).

Guilt: An Interpersonal Approach, Psychological Bulletin, March 1999, Vol. 115, No.2, 243-267, Roy F. Baumeister, Arlene M. Stillwell, and Todd F. Heatherton 

Article Summary: In the article, Guilt: An Interpersonal Approach, by Roy F. Baumeister, Arlene M. Stillwell, and Todd F. Heatherton, the argument is made that guilt should be viewed as a fundamentally social phenomenon. The introduction argues that most occurrences of guilt are, “clearly and essentially linked to interpersonal processes”. It is also noted that the sociocultural perspective is lacking a current hypothesis that allows for the evidence of recent studies and tests. The article proposes that “guilt is something that happens between people rather than just inside them”, and argues that more research is needed to develop such a hypothesis. There are numerous research studies and expert opinions cited in the article and it will be best if the reader does not make assumptions as to whom the ideas belong. The article is divided into eleven sections (not including the introduction or conclusion) and this summary will follow these sections sequentially. 

Slide

Poetry glides
melting snow, down the glacier
interrupted. only by obstacles,
of thought and nature.

It falls;    drops

Down

floating, 

on the paper,





gently.