tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25825260325115208672024-03-08T13:38:05.769-06:00The Smog ChroniclesBenjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-35653552474889533122024-02-08T13:45:00.003-06:002024-02-08T13:55:26.115-06:00 THE SMOG CHRONICLES : REDUX<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">“It is now highly feasible to take care of everybody on Earth at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. It no longer has to be you or me. Selfishness is unnecessary. War is obsolete. It is a matter of converting our high technology from weaponry to livingry."<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">BUCKMINSTER FULLER</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's been 8 years since I last shared my thoughts, but all the while I've been recording my impressions, personal aspirations, and self exploration in my notebook. So much has taken place in this time; personally, nationally, and globally. This blog was born from my distrust in the information being presented to the masses. My move from Los Angeles to Chicago was propelled by motivation to spread my truth to a greater audience. My foray into radio evolved into a generally light-hearted podcast focused on our favorite pastimes and distractions; baseball, cinema, television, popular culture, etc. I express myself with humor on "High & Tight", and through music in "Cloud City & Echobase Sessions". I expressed my frustrations and exposed some truth through the written word in "The Smog Chronicles". I've worked to keep positive and focus on my blessings. I've worked towards inner peace, focusing on things within my control, tuning out unnecessary noise, worries, and news that does not effect my life. Since we last spoke, the state of things and the accuracy of how they've been reported has unfortunately taken another step in the wrong direction.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the months ahead I will look forward to presenting researched, focused reports providing the best possible insight into world events that shape our reality. We will take a giant step back to see a larger picture and gain greater perspective on the times in which we live. The information that engulfs us today leaves less room for doubt than ever before, independent thought and alternative views have never been less acknowledged in our history. Fortunately, some of us remain with our feet firmly on the ground, rooted in the common sense forged from a lifetime of reading between the lines and embracing the true nature of what brought us to this point. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">On that note, here's a short recap of North American history:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Norse Vikings were the first European settlers, setting up camp around present day Newfoundland around 1000AD. Columbus and his Spanish expedition arrived in the late 1400s, beginning a long history of European colonialization and spread of Christianity on the native population. The first recorded African slave arrived in 1502 from Spain. Over the next century, slaves are sent sporadically to Spanish Colonies in all three Americas. The Portuguese, and French were the next players, also claiming lands in all Americas. The British arrived in the early 1600s which is where commonly "our US History begins". The first record of slaves in the colonies is 1619, over the next 250 years the nation is built through African slave labor coupled with the extortion and removal of Native Americans and their way of life. In the middle 1800s, the nation is split on the subject of slavery, a divide is created between the North and South, The Civil War begins. 1862, the Emancipation Proclamation is issued by Abraham Lincoln, northern slaves enlist and support the Union Army, widely credited with securing the Union victory in the war. 1865: Ratification of thirteenth amendment, slavery abolished in the United States, leading to new labor requirements and practices, segregation remains. A working wage is established for American laborers, just pennies more than what was offered to newly freed slaves (the original minimum wage). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1892 Ellis Island opens to the next generation of American laborers who will take on the heavy lifting previously held by those in bondage. The American Dream is born; a safe haven from famine and war, a place where you find religious and political freedom, opportunities around every corner. Over the next half-century, 12 million new Americans are processed. Today, an estimated 40% of Americans can trace at least one member of their families to Ellis Island. What other purpose might this mass influx of humanity serve aside from the tireless construction of a nation's infrastructure? War. The American Indian Wars were wrapping up, the US sets her sights set elsewhere. Enter the Banana Wars and formation of the United States tropical empire. The first of the American funded rigging of elections and appointing leaders in countries of value to the US. Next: the Mexican Revolution, and the World Wars leading to the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency. Since its inception in the middle 1900s, the CIA has had a hand in 81 international elections, purchasing politicians and votes, replacing unwanted leaders with agreeable actors promoting American interests. Next up: the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, War on Terror etc. As a result, a US military base can be found in 85 out of 194 foreign countries around the globe. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">At some point around the American declaration of independence from English rule, the future of our nation was planned and a course was set by those in positions of power. A government was designed with the image of a democratically elected body of representatives of the American people. The greater the population, the greater the representation. In truth, the greater amount of wealth and land owned, the greater influence you'd have on the government of this new nation. This design, although far more advanced and complex, is still in play today. The illusion of choice, the feeling of involvement in the democratic process, the power wielded with the right to vote, all cherished and celebrated.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is our official reintroduction. We have to learn who we are before we attempt to process the world in which we currently reside. If we fail to acknowledge where we've been, it's impossible to understand where we are, and where we're going. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Is the smog starting to clear? Is the population beginning to wake and see things as they are versus what we're being told? I guess we'll find out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">"The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie." </span><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN</span></b></span></p>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-8283111758893233722016-01-02T20:15:00.000-06:002016-01-02T22:13:31.509-06:00MMXVI<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="color: #274e13;">Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. </span> <b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">BENJAMIN FRANKLIN</span></b><br /><br />What's in a number? Every twelve months the calender rolls over and a fresh canvas of time is laid out for us to pen another year. Many of us use this as a catapult to make positive changes in our lives. More often than not these changes are short lived or never realized. We are most certainly creatures of habit, changing our ways is more than just "doing what's right", more often than not, it's breaking comfortable habits, practicing discipline, and resisting temptation. Most of the things that make us healthier, physically and mentally, are more difficult and less tasty than enjoyable alternatives. You often hear about the results of hard work, be it getting in shape, executing a project, or climbing the so-called corporate ladder. "Hard work" is synonymous with "not fun". <br /><br />The greatest balance one can achieve is a fusion between effort and enjoyment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For too long we've lived under the pretext that you work all week and play on the weekends. We punch a clock and become the property of our employer. We labor against our better judgement, working in a position of mental strain in order to put food on our table. The fortunate few have discovered a way out, a way to earn an income for what they're most inclined to do. It seems the key is to figure out exactly what it is we're most inclined to do. What gives us the most satisfaction in our lives and how could that be applied to an employment opportunity. What skills to we possess that could be honed and channeled into a gainful occupation? <br /><br />Though it sounds simple, this proposition is deceptively difficult. I've been aware of this way forward for many years, yet thus far, I've failed to convert into such a line. Like so many, my interests are varied and vast, but the older I get, the easier it is to narrow them down. The more exposure to different people and experiences, the better I understand myself and my place in this world. It becomes less about knowing answers and more about understanding the questions. <br /><br />Identifying areas in need of improvement is halfway to finding their solution.<br /><br />My proposal at the beginning of this new year, is for each of us take inventory of our lives, jobs, relationships, and inner depths. Define which elements are positive and in need of endorsement, and which are negative, and in need of tending to. Rather than setting lofty, unrealistic goals for ourselves, we should decide where we'd like to be a year from now, and generate a list of actions that might get us there from here. At the same time, work to define your interests and what makes you different from everyone else. What efforts bring you the greatest satisfaction?<br /><br />Once you've a clear understanding of yourself and your personal destination, match that with your definition of an ideal occupation. Once you know who you are, you are equipped for the journey that lies before you. <br /><br />Envision the peak of Mount Olympus, set your course, and enjoy the trip.<br /><br /><span style="color: #bf9000;">And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.</span> <b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">RANIER MARIA RILKE</span></b></span></div>
Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-18145771467063929792015-12-01T20:30:00.000-06:002015-12-01T20:56:50.112-06:00KNOWLEDGE OF SELF<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #783f04;">“Ninety percent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves.” </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>SYDNEY J HARRIS</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">They say there are two seasons in Chicago, construction season, and Winter. I witness construction season first hand as this is also "ride to work season" for me personally. I've seen buildings vacated, demolished, and carted away in trucks. Foundations excavated and re-poured, steel frames erected, buildings constructed around them. Essentially the exchange of one aged structure with a new one in it's place. Streets go through the same process of renewal. One week a stretch of concrete is scraped and removed, hot black asphalt laid down in its place. Just as I begin to enjoy this smooth new surface under my tires, a thirty foot hole is dug in the middle of another road just down the way. A city in a constant state of repair and upgrade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Successful, progressive human lives go through a similar process when people are intent on improving themselves and living a healthy life. The food and drink we consume is the foundation for our physical well being. Our training and exercise build physical strength and endurance in our muscular, vascular, and respiratory systems. The media we ingest; books and articles read, films and television watched, Internet content browsed, all contribute to the structure of our minds. Relationships we hold with family, friends, co-workers all shape our experience and interaction with the world. Our knowledge, beliefs, actions, abilities, and compassion compose our inner framework. Our bodies are the exterior structure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The older we get, the better we understand ourselves. With each passing day we should have a clearer picture of the unique traits that make us, us. From a very early age we begin to form tastes and opinions. Our cultural surroundings, family and friends have a large influence on what we think and how we feel. Early on, it occurred to me that popular opinion frequently, even more often than not, was off-base or incorrect. Something felt wrong for such dynamic, multi-dimensional beings to be corralled into a uniformed, linear line of thinking. Since my earliest memories, it was important for me to "think outside the box". It was clear that most people had a diet of "low hanging fruit", preferring to chose from what's right in front of them, and from what everyone else is doing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I think my early enthusiasm and attraction to film came not only from sheer entertainment, but also how it was a subject not taught in school. Such a hugely influential medium almost absent in our education. The same existed with music, outside of radio and television, finding your own sound required research, exploring record stores and liner notes. Before the Internet, sports, outside your local market, also took some effort to get the whole picture. Growing up in an American League market, naturally I was drawn to National League baseball early on. The public library was the only true resource outside of magazine subscriptions to keep up with what was happening outside of Boston.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">These factors combined to build a foundation of me, my interests, and my ambition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Next week I take on a new position at a new property, only my second job since moving to Chicago six years ago. Though moving to an advanced position at a vastly superior hotel, I still won't be "max realizing" my potential. Although I take great pride in my work, I'm not yet truly yielding the impact I am destined to. As long as I can remember, my tastes and opinions have influenced my friends and contemporaries. The movies and music I enjoy, the sports figures and teams I follow, my photography, illustrations, use of language, and philosophy have long left an impression. My passion, research, and knowledge have increased exponentially since studying film all those years ago in Boston. I know myself better today than I did yesterday, and my future creative endeavors remain an unwritten script. I will continue to push my creative efforts while trusting each of you are taking similar steps towards becoming the most unique, authentic, and expressive individuals you can be. I've been taking inventory of my abilities and experience lately while generating a list of talented and inspirational friends with similar constructive interests. I very much look forward to the future, and my creative collaborations with them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">And by them, I mean you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b> LAO TZU</b></span></span>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-80375793642714018912015-01-31T17:19:00.000-06:002015-02-10T12:13:55.954-06:00PROGRESSION<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Without continual
growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have
no meaning.</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b> </b><span style="color: white;"><b>BENJAMIN FRANKLIN</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">My hair is thick, and it grows rather quick. I understand it comes from my grandmother on my mothers side, Irish-American from Aroostook County Maine. I was born with a full head of dark brown hair, which incidentally all fell out in my first few months on earth. Of course it all grew back, with a vengeance. During my formative years, my parents would get me a haircut about once a month at Haircutters LTD on DW Highway in Merrimack. Inspired by the likes of Scottie Pippen, Kendall Gill, Chris Mullen and other superstars of the NBA, I was likely the first white male in New Hampshire to have his hair cut with the assistance of a styling tool called "The Flat-Topper". This was essentially a large hair-pick with a tubular spirit level between the comb and the handle. With a little guidance, "Kim" got my style down pat, and would freshen me up once a month. In a time before I would entertain using hair gel or other styling products, the thickness of my hair combined with the speed of growth created somewhat of a fuzzy, straight-haired "afro" a few weeks after each cut. Towards the end of middle school, like many of us, I became increasingly more image conscious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">During the summer of 1994, as I prepared to enter high school, I bought my first pair of hair clippers, and shaved my head.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">One of the many highlights enjoyed at Merrimack High School is the freedom to wear a hat if one so chooses. Baseball hats were the style then just as much as they are today. Though I only fully shaved my head that one time, a page had been turned. There would be no more concerns about an afro-puff look as haircuts had become abundant and free of charge. I had time to develop a style and technique with the ability to "cover up" with a cap at school. Still inspired by the NBA, I began to develop a fade technique. In order to see the sides and back of my head I knew I'd need a proper mirror setup. I went to Home Depot and bought a box of 12" x 12" mirrors and a roll of duct tape. I taped the edges of 3 mirrors then attached them, protecting the edges and creating a flexible 3-way mirror with 360 degree views of my scalp. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">Starting at age 14, I'd cut my hair almost every week. It's an interesting process learning the contours of your skull and all of the directions in which your hair grows. At the same time, you have a close inspection of your face. I'm sure many girls around this age get a similar experience when they begin to use makeup, but I imagine there is a small percentage of us males who have a similar familiarity with our faces. I had a close-up view as facial hair began to grow in as I progressed through high school. After college, I reduced my cuts to about once every two weeks. Exposure to the California sun also expedited the formation of wrinkle lines, mainly around the eyes and on my forehead. Fifteen years of cuts before I noticed my first gray hair. I was at Wrigley Field just a few years back when my young nephew pointed out that I had 3 colors of hair in my beard. The brown and gray had been identified but the sunlight in the northside ballpark highlighted the red, which I also inherited from my grandmother.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">I remember around this same time my friend Kevin telling me how his girlfriend would pull them out whenever she found one sprouted from his head. Only during the past year or two have I noticed a significant increase in the number of grey and white colored hairs on my head, and in my beard. These days, I wait approximately 3 weeks between cuts, the light-colored hairs are more visible as they grow in length. More than ever I've been reflecting on the 20 plus years I've been looking so closely at myself . . .</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">Where I've been, what I've done, people I've known, where I'm going . .</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">Who I am.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">I am a good distance from where I thought I'd be when I began cutting my own hair two decades ago, yet I feel each gray hair tells a story. So many miles, so many adventures, so many friends, so many discoveries. Our appearance along with our expressions tell a great deal to those able to read them. Life is for all of us a journey of highs and lows, ebbs and flows. We have control of our outlook and are the spark required to ignite action and change.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">Look into you own eyes. Reflect on who you are, and where you've been. Explore you mind's eye, unearth your potential, meditate on your future, your position, your location . .</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">Hair turns gray.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13px;">Become what you think about. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Progress is
impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot
change anything</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">.</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GEORGE BERNARD SHAW</span></b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-34473422021224287922014-05-25T17:13:00.005-05:002014-05-25T17:21:08.934-05:00TRANSIENT<div style="font-family: Georgia;">
<span style="color: #45818e;">It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.<b style="font-size: small;"> </b></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <b><span style="color: white;">ELISABETH KLUBER-ROSS</span></b></span></div>
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The temporary nature of our time on this planet has been in the front of my mind of late. It seems like almost once a week, someone of some importance to me or to someone I value is lost. More and more often, celebrities of personal significance are passing also. As I continue my cinema self-education through watching and reading, I find myself fascinated with the lives and times of the industries greatest artists of days gone by. I often feel saddened by my affection for these creative individuals whose light has extinguished. So many I hoped to speak with, perhaps even work with, no longer possible.</div>
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"The older I get the more things I gotta leave behind, that's life." </div>
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These words have resonated with me since I first heard them spoken by Rocky Balboa in 2006. There is no denying the truth in the former champion’s words. Whether you're 9 or 90, with each passing year, you are faced with loss. From a beloved security blanket or teddy bear, to your closest friends and family members. From the house you grew up in, to your shoes and undergarments with holes worn through. We spend much of our compassion and focus much of our love on those things no longer accessible.</div>
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At the same time, we are always collecting new things. We can easily replace our old worn out clothes and shoes with new ones. Through time and transition we may move away from our friends and colleagues, collecting new ones in our new surroundings. We even add family members through marriage, and sadly, sometimes subtract them in divorce. </div>
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As each and every cell in us and all living things will eventually die, new cells are in constant development to replace them during that lifespan. Leaves fall from the trees in autumn; bud, and are reborn in the spring. Grass turns brown and gray in winter, and grows back green and lush in the summer.</div>
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Life in the animal kingdom works differently than that of the plant kingdom.</div>
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When life power exits a body, no one truly knows what happens to that energy. It's been contemplated and defined by countless systems of belief since the dawn of man, but there's no true way to track the metamorphosis of a living soul. Does it jump into another life form in its earliest phase via "reincarnation"? Does it transfer to an eternal dimension commonly known as "the afterlife"? Perhaps as it slips from the body, your soul enters the earth and adds to the collective life energy of the planet, a sort of metaphysical fertilization. </div>
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I believe this pondering is the main source of grief when someone is lost. Most of us can eventually find a way to cope with the absence of that person from our own lives; the major challenge is the concept of where they've gone, and if we'll ever "meet again". </div>
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These unexpected passing’s that effect our lives are a constant reminder of the insecure nature of life on earth. With an average lifespan of less than 80 years, life is indeed fleeting. We are here for a while and then we're gone.</div>
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Habits and decisions we make have a huge impact on our earthly time lines. Many will argue that "you only live once" and you might as well enjoy yourself as best you can while you're here. Others strive to live as long as humanly possible via diet and exercise routines.</div>
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Yet there is no sure fire way to seal your fate. </div>
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All things are temporary, including life itself. Our b0dies will carry our souls for a short period of time in the vast expanse of human history. What happens next remains a mystery.</div>
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So live as if you'll die tomorrow, live as if you'll live forever, live as if your earthy impact will resonate after you're gone, live as if you're auditioning for the next phase, live and enjoy the ride.</div>
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LIVE. </div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small; font-weight: bold;">TECUMSEH</span></div>
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Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-86548039768236790762014-01-09T15:12:00.004-06:002014-01-09T19:23:52.206-06:00HUMAN ENGINE<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> </span> <b><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">LEONARDO da VINCI</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The wind chill factor plummeted the air temperature to an icy 40 degrees below zero on Monday in Chicago. As far as I remember, when I walked to the theater and back, I was exposed to the lowest temperatures I've ever experienced. The local meteorologists have attributed this weather to a "Polar Vortex" which blanketed much of the Midwest, and is heading northeast. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cold came earlier this year than the 4 winters since our move from the west coast. I determined late last year that 20 degrees was my personal threshold when it came to riding my bike to work. Below 20 degrees, regardless of glove and sock layering, my immobile fingers and toes inevitably feel the freeze before the 8 mile journey is up. It's been a month since I've been on the bike, and at negative 40, I imagine we've reached the frozen peak.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Again and again we've explored the invaluable lessons and wonders of nature. At times we feel powerless as victims of natural circumstance. Fortunately we have the luxury of air conditioning in the hot months, fireplaces, and heating systems in the cold ones. We dress down in Summer, and bundle up in winter. Some question my tolerance of cold, wondering how I can stand riding in such low temperatures and wind. Some of the same people wonder how I might think or act outside of popular opinion and action. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They're really one in the same. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The overwhelming majority prefer to think and act within "the limits" to which they are confined. Ordering from a menu of set dining options, as if it were impossible to incorporate other ingredients plainly visible on the menu. Choosing television programs, movies, and books from the new release section, when countless classic stories and photo-plays are readily available at your fingertips. It's almost like a race to see who can achieve ultimate parody, who can see all the movies everyone says they should see, read all the fiction everyone has recommended, and watch all the same shows as everyone they have regular contact with. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As is frequently the case in our society, that which is most easily accessible, is rarely the best available. Most prefer directions in navigation rather than exploration of the world around them. Most would rather take cues from society than contribute their own discoveries and sense of self. They would rather avoid nature than be immersed in it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was cued to write this in the face of so much puzzlement over my willingness to ride in sub-freezing temperatures at the end of the year. While I am far from a fitness guru or professional athlete, it's obvious that physical action generates heat and energy to a body in motion. To a large extent, we need not rely exclusively on outside forces to keep warm in cold surroundings. Each of us is a self-sustaining power plant of flesh and blood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each of us is a living, breathing, "Human Engine". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not only do we possess a miraculous physical form in our body, but also an infinitely powerful heart-based emotional force, and equally powerful mind-based intellectual capacity. Though physical results are only externally visible with the body, the same effort and exercise is required of the heart and mind to build strength in both. Conformity and imitation build nothing, and generally promote weakness. Staying "in-line", doing as others do, make you more of a part, than a whole. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We each face countless decisions in our lives, and have access to an infinite number of choices. 7+ billion independent human engines on this planet, all of free thought, most of free will . . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why strive to be anything other than ONE in 7,000,000,000? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. </span> <span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><b>ALBERT CAMUS</b></span></span>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-28593342251589936902013-09-05T23:07:00.000-05:002013-09-06T23:14:01.930-05:00THE FUNDRAISER<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose. </span><b><span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: xx-small;">KIN HUBBARD</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Money. <br /> <br />What's your first thought when you read that word? Gut reaction is too complex, give it ten seconds and you can flush it out. Money is a symbol of value, a means to an end, paper to exchange for work, wealth to exchange for materials, services, and comforts. <br /><br /> Our collective response to calamity is to contribute money. These days it's as simple as sending a text message or making a PayPal transaction. At the same time, all just causes are in search of donations; Hunger, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">land devastation, poverty, equal rights, clean water, and every known sickness that plagues mankind. The message as I understand it is simple, the more money directed at a problem, the more time, energy, materials, and manpower are dedicated to its eradication. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /> Money solves problems. <br /><br /> Baseball is our national pastime, and the only major professional sports league without a cap to regulate the maximum amount spent on players. There are 162 regular season games that span half the calendar year, all televised. On special days throughout the season, the league showcases alternate uniforms, or bright colored accessories to promote awareness of specific afflictions, at the same time encouraging donations towards a cure. <br /><br /> For the time being, baseball has no spending limit. Payrolls have been bolstered to new heights by long term television contracts; players receive yearly contracts larger than any other athletes in America. As always in a Capitalist system, players are paid in proportion to the money they generate. The demand for baseball is such that those responsible for keeping viewership up receive lion's share of the profits, and this makes sense. <br /><br /> Ballplayers are just one group at the top of the pyramid exerting major influence over the masses, while commanding some of the greatest personal fortunes in world history. Humans will always pay for entertainment, indeed it is priority for many. Ironically, most of those generating top dollar in their field of entertainment are doing exactly what they love to do. Big-budget Hollywood filmmaking is another huge example of this. We've all seen telethons and fundraisers hosted by celebrities aiming to bring relief to people in need, but have we embraced the true potential of this method? <br /><br /> Baseball players, like all athletes, are signed to mega-contracts based on past performance on the ball field. The team brass can only keep fingers crossed that prolific statistical numbers of a players past continue through their new contract. This means a man can bring in more than $20 million a year regardless of his production. Moreover, a player can get injured, unable to play at all and still bring in a salary large enough to feed a nation. This year, between 2 players the Anaheim Angels are spending more than a combined $50 million; 1st basemen Albert Pujols, and outfielder Josh Hamilton. This total's more than the entire payrolls of the Miami Marlins and Houston Astros combined. Pujols season was cut short by injury, and Hamilton's second season in Anaheim is just as unimpressive as his first, yet he's one of the highest paid athletes in the world. This example is not to single these players out, simply another strong example of the imbalance of this system. <br /><br /> Millions of dollars spent, very little return. <br /><br /> This situation clearly exposes the misappropriation of funds in our society, at the same time, perhaps brings into focus the greatest fundraising concept of all time. <br /><br /> Most anyone in our society would tell you, no matter how much money we earn, we make enough to live on. Even if a ballplayer desires a lavish life with many luxuries, he can still afford to sacrifice most of his salary towards the common good. Never mind telethons, pink bats, pink gloves, and car dealerships pledging $500 for every home team home run hit. If capital actually has the ability to generate a cure, put your money where your mouth is and show the world what a true fundraiser looks like. If every player in baseball alone, from those making league minimum to those earning $20+ million annually, were to donate half of their salaries, the yield would be incredible. The result would be one of two things, both problems and sickness would begin to dissolve, or the cyclical system of endless donation drives would be exposed for what it truly is. <br /><br /> Talking trillions is usually reserved for costs like our defense budget or national deficit. Imagine a news report revealing a donation totaling more than a trillion dollars. If the major news outlets were allowed to spread such news, if such staggering donations were permitted by the powers that be, the fabric of fundraising would be boosted across the globe. Imagine the trend formed from such an offering, a challenge and benchmark to be met and exceeded by the mega-corporations of this planet. The thoughtless and selfish would be exposed for their non-participation. The men and women composing the corporations of the so-called 1% would be observed on a level playing field and forced to at least acknowledge the global trend. As society starts to understand exactly what type of transformation is taking place, corporate non-involvement in the program would result in either reduced revenue or changes in policy. <br /><br /> Successful new trends in business promote changes across the field. If the people are wise enough to embrace such a healing development, the demand for such corporate action will rise accordingly. Over time, the more charitable a corporation, the greater its profits would become. <br /><br /> Can huge amounts of money truly solve the problems of the world? If so, the solution seems self-evident. <br /><br /> Several trillion dollars should do the trick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #999999;">Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver. </span><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><b style="background-color: black;">AYN RAND</b></span></span></div>
Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-58226371729404052562013-05-17T08:38:00.004-05:002013-05-17T08:41:17.660-05:00WHITE MOUNTAIN STATE<br />
The two-toned tune of the Eastern Phoebe pierces the fog from the woods surrounding the house through my bedroom window. The lawn glistens with morning dew and perhaps some rain that fell last night while I slept. Sweatpants on, down the stairs, through the dining room, around the corner into the "mud room." To my surprise Emma is also just waking. I walk in to witness a ceremonial full-bodied, four legged stretch immediately followed by an emphatic yawn. She rises slowly and begins a relaxed tail wag, no doubt looking forward to our walk. She draws her ears back in anticipation as I take the leash from the closet.<br />
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We walk down the driveway, across the street into the woods. To this day I do not know what purpose or service that path served in the years it was formed. A 15 foot wide trail leading from the street a half mile through the woods to a brook. Several trails have branched off since recreational snowmobiles were introduced to the region. I veer off onto one of the branches while Emma sniffs each and every element as if she's investigating a crime scene, all the curious seasonal smells found in the woods of New Hampshire. The brook is coated with a thin layer of yellow pollen, water partially held in place by a small beaver dam. Our oddly unique state flower, The Pink Lady Slipper, found sporadically throughout the woods. There is almost complete silence walking alongside the brook, just the crackle of twigs and leaves under our feet, and the sound of the birds in the trees as bright clear sun shines through us and onto the brooks clearing. <br />
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A few years from now, I will have been away from the Granite State as long as I lived there. The more time passes, the stronger the connection I've found over the past decade and a half. I've always looked forward to my return visits with anticipation towards achieving a greater knowledge and connection to where I spent my first 18 years on Earth. I've always placed emphasis on a persons upbringing and habitat of origin. From natural landscapes to urban organization, surroundings have a huge effect on formulation of self. Since my earliest memories I've had a connection with the woods of Merrimack. <br />
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For just as long, I've been fascinated with and drawn to the city. Sparked from family trips into Boston for baseball games, Quincy Market, museums, Newbury Street etc. Stoked by trips into Manchester when Dad worked some Saturdays; I'd stroll up and down Elm Street, marveling the tallest building in the state towering 20 stories above Manchester at 259 feet. I knew I'd go to college in either Boston or New York, ended up in Boston. Four years completely immersed in the urban scape; brownstones, skyscrapers, parks, the esplanade, neighborhoods, history. <br />
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On to Los Angeles for 7, then Chicago the past 4. <br />
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It's been 2 years since I've been home. Only once before have I been away for longer. <br />
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I'll be back on Friday. <br />
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Over the next 2 weeks I will cover more miles on more roads, view more mountains, lakes, rivers, parks, cities and towns from more angles than ever before. My natural sensors will be on high alert as we select a proper location for our wedding next summer. I very much look forward to seeing some of you, reminiscing on the past and looking toward the future.</div>
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No matter how long it's been, no matter where I go, the granite state will always remain home in my heart . . . long live the old man of the mountain.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">"Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men."</span><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><b>DANIEL WEBSTER</b></span></div>
Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-80390469872430273262013-03-18T11:07:00.002-05:002013-03-18T11:22:15.347-05:00FULL INTEGRATION<br />
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Remember when going to a ballgame meant skipping the commercials endured while taking in the game via television or radio? Remember when sweet trailers and posters for upcoming movies were the only advertising found at the theater? We use to be able to "get away" to these places and others, able to remove ourselves from the "day to day". While going to games and movies remain a few of my favorite activities, the money spent no longer pays for freedom from pesky commercial advertising.<br />
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We've identified the connection between professional sports and the US military in the past. Though budget cuts may have ended "fly overs" for the foreseeable future, we have to expect continued, likely enhanced, use of wounded veterans of war in professional sports. Honored for their sacrifice before the start of the game, throwing out the first pitch, flipping a coin on the 50 yard line, bearing the flag during <i>The Star Spangled Banner</i>, saying "gentlemen, start your engines." <br />
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Lets be clear on a point before moving forward. Few respect the talents, efforts, technology, and power of the US armed services more than I do. Few acknowledge the sacrifices made, understand the value of lost life, or respect the bravery of men and woman in combat more clearly than I do. At the same time, I am among the very few are willing to dig deep and recognize the misuse and exploitation of these brave men and women, a member of the select few belonging to the un-silent minority willing to call a spade a spade and speak the truth about power misused and abused. <br />
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As has been well established over the chronicles, the same corporate interests that run our government/military also own the mass media. It should come as no surprise that Hollywood has once again romanticized American military activity, however this time, they've gone too far. Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, film and television have been painting technicolor pictures to recount the toils of war. From inserted just cause to exaggerated tales of heroism and valor, history has quite literally been re-told and re-sold as a big-budget blockbuster.<br />
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Many of us, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, found <i>The Hurt Locker</i> to be one of the great war films of all time. In addition to collecting the Oscar for Best Picture, Kathryn Bigelow was awarded the Academy Award for Best Director. Along with its technical and artistic merit as a film, it also served as one of the most accurate representations of our current conflict in the Middle East. These elements combined to create the perfect platform for what was to come; telling the story of the events surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden.<br />
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Lets keep the framework simple. The story of the mission was crafted and broadcasted in unison by the aforementioned architects. Bin Laden shot dead in a CIA led operation by an elite Navy SEAL team, 1 round in the head, 2 in the chest. Body taken to Afghanistan for identification, wrapped and dropped into the North Arabian Sea because no country would "accept his remains". The President watched live on television via satellite.<br />
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This is the story that will soon appear in history books and encyclopedias. <br />
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Unquestioned.<br />
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Like clockwork, within 18 months, <i>Zero Dark Thirty</i> is produced, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture. If the ramifications are not big enough, just prior to the announcement of Best Picture at this years ceremony, on the screen above the stage appears our nations First Lady. Mrs. Obama delivering a message of congratulations to all the nominees and the Hollywood community in general. The military has cooperated with Hollywood for years, providing aircraft, watercraft, hovercraft, tanks, trucks, weapons of all kinds, even servicemen and women in bit parts and as extras. But never before has a feature film been so meticulously crafted by the CIA with such a resounding endorsement from the Hollywood community. <br />
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A precursor that should have foreshadowed this films arrival was another titled <i>Act of Valor</i>. You may have noticed how television commercials for joining the military and those for combat video games like Call of Duty are almost indiscernible. From music, to camera moves, to weapons and vehicles, it's tough to tell which is which until the end. When I first saw the trailer for<i> Act of Valor</i> is when the theme of this entry was conceived. I didn't know if it was another annoying movie theater TV commercial, an ad for joining an armed service, a video game, or a reality show. Turned out is was none of the above. It was a new breed, a feature film starring actual members of US Special Forces in a story "inspired by true events".<br />
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Full integration.<br />
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I watched <i>Battleship</i> for the first time on HBO a few weeks back. Director Peter Berg is a good filmmaker who makes entertaining movies (though I think he wants to be Michael Bay). It seems Berg, like Gary Sinise, is a huge supporter of our military, and more importantly, our veterans. Though based on the board game from Hasbro, <i>Battleship</i> was largely an advertisement for the US Navy. Army is also represented as the film takes place on Oahu, home to a base from each of Americas armed forces. <br />
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Shortly into the film we meet angry Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales, portrayed by Colonel Gregory D. Gadson. It turns out in real life Col. Gadson is actually a highly decorated combat veteran, having served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Joint Forge, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In May of 2007 he lost both legs and badly injured his right arm in a rode side blast in Baghdad. He was retuning from a memorial service for 2 men in his brigade when the incident occurred. The image of "Mick Canales" begrudgingly walking on his prosthetic legs is enough to stir the emotions of most viewers. His frustration feels genuine, he even says "I lost my fight when I lost my legs." As a viewer, I was already upset thinking about the price he paid and to what end. My deep concern was that the general population would perceive his loss as "for a good cause" such as "protecting our freedom." Things take a turn for the worse in the film when one of many aliens threatening civilian safety is within reach of Col. Canales. He looks to the woman on his left and says "I got this," then precedes to charge one of the aliens, wrapping it up in a bear hug, striking it with a few head shots, grabbing it by its head, pulling towards his mechanical knee crushing its face shield exposing it to dangerous UV radiation. From here the Colonial proceeds to pummel the alien with his fists, pugilist style, ultimately, effectively kicking the aliens ass. So in this case, it seems Lt. Col. Canales has the advantage, perhaps his new legs are better than the old.</div>
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If you get cut in half on Uncle Sam's behalf, he's got new legs for you to stand on. Keep your trust in him. Prepare to go back out and fight for him with those new legs. Continue to serve your fellow man and follow your nations interests without a second thought. You witnessed it live at your favorite sporting event, you heard it in 6.1 surround sound on your car stereo, you got the message in the palm of your hand on your smartphone, you saw it on the big screen at the theater, and you saw it at home on your HD TV in 1080p. </div>
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You've been fully integrated.</div>
Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-38113819023436380362013-02-11T00:08:00.003-06:002013-02-11T00:11:41.017-06:00FRESH<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change. This is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> <b><span style="color: white;">BRUCE BARTON</span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally the crunch of ice, snow, and slush under my boots as I walk to the train. Dozens of unique footprints pattern the sidewalk from the morning commute. The mixed frozen precipitation of the past four days has ceased and the temperature has remained low enough to preserve a canvas of white across the city. The scene has resembled a Christmas card of late, a welcomed site, bolstering faith in natures four season balance which seems less and less predictable as the years go by. As far as I'm concerned, snow is a part of life. Though I'm many years removed from active winter sporting, the element is essential in my concept of a year. I very much appreciate warm climates, but the variety of seasons is what makes each special. What kind of life would be with no rain to counterbalance the dry seasons? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Variety is vital in our lives, it enables growth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The older I get the more I appreciate new experiences, the more I value exposure to original people, original music, film, art, thinking. The patterns of the masses become more predictable as the follow the follower mentality continues to spread. The internet and its social tentacles have streamlined popular thought and opinion into the simplest and fastest feed in history. Word literally cannot travel faster than it does today. Each member of the first world has a supercomputer in their pocket or handbag. Every typed word, every site visited, all content explored now quantifiable should it be of interest to anyone for commercial or political reasons. All thoughts and interests now calculated to absolutely understand the consumer/citizen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How refreshing it is to meet people of unique and original taste, people who value the subtle differences found on the road less traveled. Whether you ski or not, you must acknowledge the special circumstances required to generate snow. You must appreciate what a rare occurrence it is, out of 365 days it might snow 20-30 times in a region known for it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Things rare are special.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When you hear about an up and coming athlete referred to as "a special talent" it means they have more than outstanding fundamentals. A human being is born with characteristics different than every other person who has ever lived. From appearance to fingerprints to motor skills, we are blessed with tools unique from everyone we will ever meet. Only through the passage of time, exploring ourselves and our interests, do we discover who we are and what we're best equipped to do. If you spend your time trying to be something or someone you're not, you'll end up being no one at all. Take the gifts and skills you were blessed with and do something with them, big or small. Make an impression, be yourself, present a fresh perspective.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They say no two snowflakes are alike. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The same goes for us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #45818e;">Forget all you know about yourself; forget all you have ever thought about yourself; we are going to start as if we knew nothing. It rained last night heavily; and now the skies are beginning to clear; it is a new fresh day. Let us start on our journey together with all the remembrance of yesterday left behind - and begin to understand ourselves for the first time. </span><b> <span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI</span><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-small;"> </span></b></span>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-64445439904299364582012-11-10T21:23:00.000-06:002012-11-11T10:12:05.786-06:00MOMENTUM<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #7f6000;">Most of life is routine - dull and grubby, but routine is the momentum that keeps a man going. If you wait for inspiration you'll be standing on the corner after the parade is a mile down the street.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>BEN NICHOLAS</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />It's the 4th quarter and the clock is counting down on the year of our lord two thousand twelve. Leaves continue to fall, temperatures continue to drop. Another season of our pastime concludes, the gridiron is packed, and roundball is back. The holidays approach, the New Year will be here before you know it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />2013 is coming.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />The year is like an analog clock, each month represented by a number on its face. As our routines are organized by the yearly calendar, emotional momentum builds towards year’s end. Consideration of family and friends around Thanksgiving and Christmas, the end of one year and dawn of a new one, humanity steps to the forefront.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />I've come down hard on the state of the average man's position since the beginning of these Chronicles. I've wanted more for him the same as myself. I've looked to mend broken methods and form new, more constructive ones. I've hoped to strengthen our resolve and belief in our unlimited human potential.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />The great majority have found stride in their work and relationships, though to varying degrees of content. Like most of us, at times I grow frustrated with the routine that has us all caught up. As much as I'd love to rise above this rat race, we all must do what we have to. The trick, as we all know, is to focus on the highlights of the journey. The holidays make this easier for us, bring it into clearer focus. The agents of commerce do their best to put a price tag and material value on this period, but the older we get, the easier it is to compartmentalize this unfortunate attachment, and focus instead on the happy traditions and holiday elements of years gone by.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Not everyone is born into this world with the capacity to create or build, and that's fine. All of us should, however, posses the means to define our tastes. For example, the inability to design an automobile or skyscraper should not prevent you from admiring that craft as executed by others. Just because you cannot play the piano does not keep you from appreciating the symphony. The problem we face as a society is that too few who can create have the ability to get paid for it, and that those who appreciate others work seldom are able to make it part of their occupation. In short, we generally are not able to get paid for what we are most suited to do. More often than not, we work in fields that originally have nothing to do with our nature, only after molding our minds and routines do we claim a career. We are programmed from an early age that upon graduation, we are to "pick" a profession.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />"What are you going to be when you grow up?"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Historically, society dictates that we are born to fall in line. We are given information and then tested on how well it's been ingrained, how much we remember. The US history taught, polished of many flaws and much of its controversy, provides a good framework for what once was and can be again. Though the truly lasting lessons learned in school are largely those associated with problem solving, how to work with numbers, order of operations, proper use of language, physical science and all the systems of our natural world. Yet all the while, our minds are geared towards choosing our own fate by way of occupation. While some instructors will look to your strengths and encourage you to follow your creative dreams, the overall theme is what can you do that will absolutely make money, what role you will play in the tested fields.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Only through absolute maturity, which many will never achieve, do we recognize the useless purpose to which much of our efforts serve. As tough as it may come to digest, when all jobs are broken down to their basic elements, more often than not an employee can be replaced by automation. The simple fact is that most work exists principally to continue what we know as "the economy". Even now I work in a position in which the majority would prefer to circumnavigate altogether with the assistance of the internet. And though many of my friends hold well paying positions, I would be hard-pressed to find one of them who feels a genuine sense of achievement at the end of each work day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />There is no easy solution for this situation, only a necessary gut-check on the theme. We will to continue to generate funds in which to survive and plan for the future while playing our perpetual roles in this global capitalist system. All I ask is we continue to more clearly define ourselves as unique individuals and attempt to sharpen focus on what truly drives us, what entertains us, and what inspires us. Recognize your strengths, what separates you from the crowd; acknowledge your independence and imagine making a living exploiting you best traits and tastes. Think of a world where each day we take another step towards achieving our potential, becoming who we were meant to be.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />When I grow up, I'm going to be me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #7f6000;">The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum. </span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>FRANCES WILLARD</b></span></span></div>
Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-83238159735832560172012-09-24T22:37:00.001-05:002012-09-28T00:01:45.433-05:00POWER OUTAGE<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;">It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">ALBERT EINSTEIN</span></b></span><br /><br />Think back four years to the months leading up to our last Presidential election. The Smog Chronicles had yet to begin, but those who knew me understood my position. This was the peak of Obamamania. Under George W. Bush our nation had endured eight long years of war and recession, dishonesty and corruption, almost everyone seemed eager to turn the page and move forward. <br /><br />The United States had been introduced to its potential savior four years prior at the Democratic National Convention where Senator John Kerry accepted his party’s nomination. This was our first sign that the artificial, reality show nature of American politics was in full swing. Dangled in our view like the mechanical bunny in front of the Greyhounds at the dog track, was America's best "hope" of electing it's first black president. <br /><br />Not long after taking office we saw our newly elected Commander in Chief transition from "yes we can" to "thought we could". It soon rang clear to those of sound mind that we'd once again been taken for a ride. One of our principles is awareness of the holographic nature of US government. The fact that in elections you are essentially presented two choices, frequently out of the blue, neither of which you helped place on the ballot. From these two choices you voice your opinion and receive a feeling of satisfaction from "helping elect" the nation's next leader. Once there is a change in the executive branch, we discover the same problems persist, we pick up right where we left off.<br /><br />In reality, a vote could be compared to the effect of a person putting their all against a mountain in attempt to move it. For generations we've been disillusioned into believing we live in a true democracy. Our reality has been prescribed since the earliest stage of printed media. Agencies responsible for reporting the news are run by the same ones being reported on. Imagine yourself a popular musician performing a concert then receiving the task of reviewing your own performance, thereby influencing your own record sales. How can you expect a corporate owned media to give honest unbiased coverage of a government owned by the same corporations? <br /><br />It doesn't add up. <br /><br />Have we gotten so hypnotized by our digital baby rattles that reality has become less familiar than fiction? It seems as though wireless internet connections have become the new umbilical cords, living in an age where we've never been further removed from our mothers. While our technology enables us to be better informed and closer in-touch, it seems to be yielding something else entirely. Have you noticed how our latest political pawns like Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan resemble virtual or artificial humans? Have you noticed how Americans are almost without feeling towards this upcoming election? I believe it's the combination of unconsciously recognizing the futility of believing in actual change combined with electronically infused pacification. Something along the lines of "I don't care who sits in the oval office as long as it doesn't interrupt my wireless digital freedom."<br /><br />My grandfather used to say "everyone born after 1950 came out of the womb like this" (arm bent at the elbow, hand in a "C" as if holding a drink). He had an excellent point, one we'll cover another time. I submit that it seems these same people came out with their necks at an angle, other arm bent at the elbow with hand clasped (around a phone) in front of their chests.<br /><br />What are we evolving into?<br /><br />I've gone on and on for years about the importance of our connection to nature and how we're drifting from it. I've mentioned time and again how most everything we need to truly understand is available to us in our natural world. As time progresses, I see us growing less and less human. The more individualized we become, the greater we rely on digital communications, the weaker we become as a species. Only when this technology is used for organization or spreading the good word to a large audience can we lean back towards the righteous path. Our grip on reality will continue to slip until we awaken and begin to re-identify with what once defined us as us. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Men have become tools of their tools.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><b>HENRY DAVID THOREAU</b></span></span></div>
Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-32159102281636512222012-07-03T00:04:00.002-05:002012-07-03T18:59:22.092-05:00THE RAIN<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Thank God for the rain which has helped wash away the garbage and the trash off the sidewalks . . . someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">TAXI DRIVER 1976</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Weather is likely the most user friendly topic of conversation on planet earth. According to this age old discussion, there is a generally agreed upon air temperature and climate. If the temp falls in the preferred 15 degree window and there are no significant clouds in the sky, people will comment on how nice the weather is. Temperatures above or below this scale, any natural weather elements or wind will generate discontent. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Water composes 75% of your brain, 83% of your blood, 22% of your bones, and 75% of your muscles. Most humans love oceans, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, hot showers, cool swimming pools, and hot tubs. But when rain comes, the collective population cowers and complains in unison. We want the trees, plants, grass, and flowers to grow; we want clean air and fresh water; yet regardless of how many years in our species' existence, without fail, we continue to gripe about rainfall. Our planet depends on the water cycle just as people and other animals depend on drinking water. The rain must fall yet we don't want it. We want life to flourish but resist what is necessary to facilitate it. It's like the person who wants to be rich but refuses to put in the necessary work, or the person who wants to be ripped but won't sacrifice the necessary hours in the gym. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cook county and the midwest at large are currently experiencing serious drought conditions. Irrigation, sprinklers, and hoses have served as lifelines for our abundant parks and gardens. Temperatures have hovered around 90 for weeks; rain of more than a few inches has fallen only half a dozen times this year. This entry was inspired by an unexpected spring shower a few weeks back. As the rain began, people began to cower and run for cover, shielding themselves with whatever they could find. I instantly recognized how rain compares to truth. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rain can be unwelcome, cold, and unexpected. It's different and far less frequent than clear skies. It forces you to step more cautiously and drive slower. It can interrupt plans and force you to make new ones. It has you think and interpret your situation differently; reevaluate circumstance. Like truth, rain can spoil your preconceived notions of the world around you.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But it cannot hurt you. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rain, like truth, nurtures, promotes growth and good health. Both are required for clear vision and a strong life force. I've written before about the satisfaction gained by appropriate outfitting to combat frozen elements, naturally I feel the same when it comes to fluid elements. Waterproof footwear, water resistant outerwear, ballcaps, rimmed hats, hoods, and umbrellas serve as excellent protection from wet socks, clothing, hair, et al. We live in an age where synthetic materials are so advanced, there is no excuse not to properly shield from dreaded precipitation. The key is not to avoid being affected by rain, but to appreciate its value while walking between the rain drops. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The same goes for truth.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We must not drown in the bleakness of the world stage, but be aware of it. Our common sense is our greatest guide though many forces work daily to divert it. We must reach inside for our guiding light and work towards the healing necessary in our lives and in our world. Let the rain fall all around you, watch as it brings fourth fresh new life while washing away corruption and decay from generations of imbalance. Bring fourth a true rain to purify our understanding and create a clean, life-rich canvas so that future generations might enjoy what we know can be.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That someday will be.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I am a being of Heaven and Earth, of thunder and lightning, of rain and wind, of the galaxies.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b>EDEN AHBEZ</b></span></span></span></div>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-69446885378253448002012-02-27T17:43:00.010-06:002012-02-27T23:45:00.828-06:00BALANCE<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #bf9000;">Life is the result of the struggle between dynamic opposites.<br />
Form & Chaos, Substance & Oblivion, Light & Dark,<br />
and all the infinite variations of Yin & Yang.<br />
When the pendulum swings in favor of one,<br />
it will eventually swing in favor of it's opposite.<br />
Thus the balance of the universe is maintained.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">FIST OF THE NORTH STAR / JERU THE DAMAJA</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For years I would meditate on six noble virtues: strength, health, patience, knowledge, peace, and ultimately, enlightenment. I practiced this prayer as frequently as possible, always accompanied by my Kata, breathing out over the Pacific or Lake Michigan. In my opinion these are the most important virtues in a human life. However, around a year ago, when I was feeling particularly off-centered, realizing what I had been in search of came over me like a blanket of warm sunlight.<br />
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Balance. <br />
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Though "Enlightenment" (the continued search for meaning in the world around us) remains a critical pursuit, I realized that day the rest of what I was truly seeking was optimum balance. <br />
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One of the amazing systems of nature is the built-in navigation mechanism of animals. From birds to insects to mammals, all maintain particular patterns with the changing of seasons. Whether flying south, burrowing deep underground, or migrating in search of food or water, something deep inside guides these creatures to sustainable surroundings nearly without fail. In the past we've covered how much human society stands to learn from natural cycles and systems, how simple observation of the living planet is our best guide for an enduring culture. However, a major inspiration for this entry is the interpretation and reaction of said creatures to unorthodox seasonal patterns, this season and year of great transition in particular.<br />
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Chicago is currently experiencing one of the mildest winters in its history. We received our fourth accumulation of snow last week and like the first three it amounted to about two inches and remained on the ground approximately</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 72 hours before melting away. The season leading up to this latest accumulation was generating a state of confusion in animals </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">visible </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in Chicago, and for at least one of its human inhabitants.</span><br />
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One of the principle reasons I left the southwest for this great metropolis was a return to a 4 season set. A return to what my mind and body had been conditioned to understand as "normal" from growing up in a similar climate in New England. While climate change is undeniable, though it's causes are not clearly defined, the way in which different areas are affected at different times are unpredictable. No longer can you expect "X" amount of rain, snowfall, or sunshine in a particular season. After nearly 8 years of living without a "traditional" winter, I had prepared for the elements. As it turned out, I had over-prepared, I assumed, made the mistake of expecting, even depending on regular snowfall. I allowed my balance to pend on unpredictable natural events when I should have been focusing on personal balance, separate from the world around me.<br />
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Winter is one of the great settings on Earth. It provides a beautiful, clean white contrast to the other bright colorful seasons. It causes inhabitants to practice greater consideration regarding outdoor activities due to low temperatures and frozen elements. It generally yields greater appreciation for our warm homes and the people in which we choose to spend our time. It helps bring balance to some who have relied upon it since earliest memories.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But it is not guaranteed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is no promise of winter.<br />
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Just as I was beginning to steam at this seasons lack of weather, I was fortunate enough to recognize the error of my ways. Snow came to Chicago, and the following day I went to see <a href="http://thegreythemovie.com/" target="_blank"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">The Gray</span></i></a>. A real-life mild winter storm in Illinois followed by a film depicting a life and death struggle against the rugged conditions of Alaska. I was reminded of the raw human connection to our planet. Reminded that our best mode is one prepared for all weather in any season. <br />
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The man who can endure the sweltering heat of summer and embrace the deep freeze of winter; the man who can appreciate the value of spring rain and recognize the beauty of ice . . <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Is a man properly balanced. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">One day a man was watching a professional football game on television. His five year old son kept bothering him so he took a page of the Sunday paper with a full page airline add on it with a picture of the world; the planet earth seen from space, he tore the page up into a dozen pieces and gave them to his son and he said: 'Here put this back together with some cellophane tape and show daddy how smart you are'. Then he went back to watching his football game. Within a surprisingly short time, the youngster had put the picture back together. 'Hey that's amazing', the father said, 'how did you put that together so quickly?'. And the little boy said: 'There was a picture of a man on the other side. I just put the man back together and then the world was all together'. The youngster was no doubt surprised by the warm hug he received from his father. 'That's right son, when the man's all together, his world's all together too.'</span> <strong><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">EARL NIGHTINGALE</span></strong></span>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-31265339875439166262011-11-10T23:32:00.016-06:002011-11-12T10:05:24.420-06:00MOMENTUM SHIFT<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Times of great calamity and confusion have been productive for the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace. The brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the darkest storm.</span> <span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><b>CC</b></span><b style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> COLTON</span></b> <br />
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It seems many people around the planet are unhappy with the actions and policies of the global financial system. The corporatocracy has successfully controlled the system for nearly 100 years, only mildly challenged by an idealistic audience over this period. The argument has to do with loans, fees, and other extractions from honest citizen's bank accounts while owners mismanage their "assets" and are rewarded with tens of billions of dollars in "bailouts" by their respective "governments" (World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Federal Reserve Bank).<br />
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They are commonly known as the 99%, although the greedy and fraudulent upper class actually represents about one tenth of one percent.<br />
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The argument is simple and just.<br />
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America represents 5% of the world's population and consumes 24% of its energy. Roughly one third of the planet's people lack access to clean water . .<br />
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Life on Earth is out of balance, yet there is hope.<br />
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There is no telling what long-term impact this movement will have, nor how long it will last. It's too early to decipher its actual size based on television and internet coverage. There have been no changes in economic policy as of yet, but the movement has been verbally acknowledged by members of the government. No doubt this uprising will be spun in all sorts of different directions during the upcoming election.<br />
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Regardless of the long-term impact of this movement, there are clear signs of unity among people around the world. Believe it or not, some media outlets are actually covering the protests objectively. As unlikely as it sounds, it seems a mainstream news outlet is actually broadcasting unfiltered reality. Do not confuse this with a blind subscription to ANY individual information source, only that from a handful of observations it seems Dylan Ratigan of MSNBC is providing a stream of common sense. In the past on the same network, there were instances when Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow had impressed me with rants of different intensities blasting BOTH sides for their willfully damaging incompetence. Ratigan is a new breed. In a media consisting of clowns from the left like Bill Maher and Anderson Cooper, and jokers from the right like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, MSNBC is the first national network I've seen placing shared blame on the corporate owned, equally ineffective American political parties.<br />
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The movement, with its many faces and ambitions, combined with breakthrough media coverage is the momentum shift. Of course we're not pretending all news outlets will now follow suit and begin telling it like it is; far from it. We're not saying "the lion sleeps no more" and the population has all at once become aware of the criminal nature of its leadership. What we're saying is that there have been a few signs of hope in a public arena. Decades have rolled by like a freight train leaving little room for questioning or detailed scrutiny by the people. Now, thanks in large part to the internet, pockets of enlightened citizens have begun joining forces to combat the injustices enacted by their leaders. Finally, retired members of our economic/intelligence apparatus and Armed Forces are coming out of the shadows to expose long kept secrets, ending years of guilt-ridden silence.<br />
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All those willing and able to tune into intuition and inner voices currently recognize early signs of a great shift on this planet. A shift that transcends politics and economics, goes beyond personal relationships and family heritage. There is a new era visible on the horizon destined to rise from the chaos of our current lifestyle and direction. The sound minds and righteous hearts are out there as far as the eye can see . .<br />
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The tide is turning worldwide.<br />
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How will we respond to this critical calling?<br />
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave. </span><b style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">MUHAMMAD</span></b>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-44388641048526485122011-10-31T11:56:00.015-05:002011-10-31T20:49:53.748-05:00THE CONNECTION<span style="color: #bf9000;">Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.</span> <span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><strong>BUDDAH</strong></span> <br />
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Last weekend, I attended a gathering at a friend of a friend's house in New England. With all the happenings in our nation, my personal life, and the world at large, my mind was wide open . .<br />
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I walked out onto the deck and noticed a German Shepard crouching near a picnic table in the backyard. I'd already met a jubilant young mutt in the house, but this one was silent and cautious. As I approached to make the animal's acquaintance, I sensed fear. My first thought was that she was a rescue or had been abused. I extended one hand, then the other, she kept her eyes on me as she sniffed each individually. After determining I could be trusted, she moved in and allowed me to scratch her back and under her collar. It's important to note that dogs and other pets will be in your debt if you scratch these two inaccessible places. I walked back up the steps to the deck and asked my friend what he knew of the dog. He informed me that "Carmen" was an expert trained guard dog imported from Deutschland several years prior. I looked back out at her and recognized she was studying our every move, crouched to avoid attracting any attention, poised to attack without hesitation if necessary.<br />
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Since my earliest memories I've had a close connection with animals, dogs in particular. Before reading about "dark matter," or the space between all things, I was brought closer to nature by forming a kinship with canine. Relationships of back and forth, give and take, with an animal unable to communicate through the English language was a tremendous life lesson, though I didn't know it at the time. I've written of this unspoken connection before, and how it translates to human interaction. For a lifetime I've been able to get a sense of a person's attitude and intentions upon initial contact simply by opening my awareness to the micro-nuances and invisible energy shared between living things. In time it has matured into an awareness allowing me to decipher between reality and fiction in many arenas.<br />
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The weekend leading up to this encounter was crucial on several fronts. I had been observing and getting to know a number of new people, friends and family of one of my best friends. The most important connection, the inspiration for this entry, was a six-year-old boy named Keegan. I brought over the <a href="http://aerobie.com/products/skylighter.htm"><span style="color: #ffe599;">Aerobie Skylighter</span></a> I had given to my friend as a house warming gift, and asked Keegan if he wanted to play catch. We threw back and forth a few dozen times under Carmen's watchful eye, before she finally snapped and engaged. She'd race over and pick up the disc anytime it hit the ground, releasing it upon my request. On the other end, when Keegan couldn't handle a throw and Carmen would scoop in, he would plead and whine for her to drop it. I explained how all he needed to do was to say her name with authority and she would release the disc. I explained how he was the boss and that Carmen was aware of this fact. It wasn't his size, age, or depth of his voice that alerted Carmen of her role; it was the projection of his energy. It was a great feeling watching Keegan's discovery of this inner power over his dog.<br />
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After Carmen's relentless pursuit of the flying disc got old, we brought her into the house. While up on the porch, people kept coming and going through the screen door. Naturally, some would pass through without sliding the door shut behind them. Keegan walked up to the doorway and slammed it shut. "I don't know why you people keep leaving this door open. We have an indoor cat that will escape if she gets the chance!" followed by a deep expressive sigh. <br />
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This young man had the greatest natural advantage of anyone at the party due to the simple fact that he's had less time on Earth than the rest. His media exposure has been so short, the shaping and manipulation of his mind so limited. His focus remains on what matters here and now. Surely the amount of information he's exposed to through technology dwarfs that of all preceding generations; perhaps dwarfing all preceding generations combined. Yet with such a short conscious time in this life, he remains tuned to nature and the reality that surrounds him. Social status, material goods, local, national, and world "news events" have not yet reached him. His mind is ripe and ready for information when offered by a trusted source, hungry for a greater understanding of how things work. What a world this would be if all children around this age were enlightened with the greatest, most valuable information at this "seed-time" for learning. If the children were made aware of their role in nature, the importance of balance, and how it can be achieved and maintained, they would be more than equipped to face all of the challenges afflicting mankind.<br />
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A second lesson was sparked from the interaction between Carmen and Keegan; it came to me in a flash. Carmen was born into this world on German soil two or three years ago. From her first days she was separated from her litter, from her mother, and trained by professionals for a very specific purpose. She is an excellent learner; a programmed animal. She is born from nature and therefore possesses ancient qualities of the heart, having the ability to show affection and loyalty. <br />
<br />
She represents the system.<br />
<br />
The brilliant, glowing, flying disc, gliding back and fourth across the yard represents liberty and justice. It is the honest, good-intentioned government by and for the people, built on progress, peace, and prosperity.<br />
<br />
Keegan represents each of us.<br />
<br />
The ultimate decision maker, unaware of his own strengths and abilities. The one with power to affect all human choices. The person who will inherit the Earth. The boss. <br />
<br />
When the young boy (boss) tells the dog (system) to release what does not belong to her (all the marbles), she listens and obeys. We are responsible for our ruling class; if we no longer elect our leadership, it's our duty to find a way to reconstruct what we call democracy. If we've lost confidence in our economic system, we have to design and implement a better one. If we demand that corrupt leaders stand down we must prepare ourselves to fill their positions.<br />
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We are constantly reminded of how balance is established and maintained simply by watching the cycles of nature. From weather, to vegetation, to animals; natural life cycles are constantly at work, wide open for our observation. These cycles are designed for one purpose: survival. They have no ego, no vanity, no government, no money, no media, no technology, no distractions, and no excuses. Our bond with nature is the greatest connection we have. The less we recognise it, the further we separate ourselves from our living planet, the less chance we have for survival. Nature does not care if we remain and thrive, or consume ourselves into extinction. Mankind's impact on Earth has not been a positive one. Extreme weather conditions are our only competition in disrupting the cycle of life on our planet. <br />
<br />
We must embrace our responsibility and respect the simple laws of natural order. We have all the tools required; we must find the wisdom to use them. The fate of the world depends on it. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="color: #bf9000;"><span lang="EN">Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures & the whole of nature in its beauty. <span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><strong>ALBERT EINSTEIN</strong></span></span></span></span>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-49764072893499663492011-09-02T12:38:00.006-05:002011-09-02T12:54:59.399-05:00CONDOR AND EAGLE<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232;">Nearly every culture I know prophesies that in the late 1990's we entered a period of remarkable transition. At monasteries in the Himalayas, ceremonial sites in Indonesia, and indigenous reservations in North America, from the depths of the Amazon to the peaks of the Andes, and into the ancient Mayan cities of Central America, I have heard that ours is a special moment in human history, and that each of us was born at this time because we have a mission to accomplish.<br />
<br />
The titles and the words of the prophecies differ slightly. They tell variously of a New Age, the Third Millennium, the Age of Aquarius, the Beginning of the Fifth Sun, or the end of old calendars and the commencement of new ones. Despite the varying terminologies, however, they have a great deal in common, and "The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle" is typical. It states that back in the mists of history, human societies divided and took different paths: that of the condor (representing the heart, intuitive and mystical) and that of the eagle (representing the brain, rational and material). In the 1490's, the prophesy said, the two paths would converge and the eagle would drive the condor to the verge of extinction. Then, five hundred years later, in the 1990's a new epoch would begin, one in which the condor and the eagle will have the opportunity to reunite and fly together in the same sky, along the same path. If the condor and eagle accept this opportunity, they will create a most remarkable offspring, unlike any seen before.<br />
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"The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle" can be taken at many levels — the standard interpretation is that it foretells the sharing of indigenous knowledge with the technologies of science, the balancing of yin and yang, and the bridging of northern and southern cultures. However, most powerful is the message it offers about consciousness; it says that we have entered a time when we can benefit from the many diverse ways of seeing ourselves and the world, and that we can use these as a springboard to higher levels of awareness. As human beings we can truly wake up and evolve into a more conscious species.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d;"> </span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">JOHN PERKINS</span></span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> Chicago's Green Festival was held at McCormick Place in the south side four months back. I rode 3 miles along the coast through a heavy mist in a light rain jacket to get there. It cost only $5 to get in due to my eco-friendly mode of transport. I was there to meet John Perkins.<br />
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Before telling the story of the condor and eagle, he spoke of how some indigenous cultures from North America believe that each of us are born into this world with a specific purpose, or "legend". They say we are born into certain surroundings among particular people and circumstances exactly when and where intended. We are born to spend our lives working towards the achievement of whichever specific purpose we were brought here to perform.<br />
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What a clear and uncanny perspective. How contrary to so much of what we've been led to believe in western culture. By now you're well aware that thinking is not taught, and far from encouraged in our society. Assimilation is the norm. Pick an established field based first on its expected paying salary, then on its interest to you, and fall in line. What if instead we were convinced of our unlimited potential at an early age, that those who blaze their own paths rather than following crowds have historically made greater progress and led more fulfilling lives? Quite simply, positive changes would emerge and the planet would begin to mature as a whole. They've always said one should decide what he or she loves most; then find a way to make money doing it. But how many of us actually do this? How many of us earn a living and feel rewarded with our labor at the end of the day? How many of us have jobs that truly make a difference? (other than numbers on the bank statements of those at the top of the pyramid) The answer is simply not many.<br />
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Somewhere along the line, emphasis went from progress to profit. We lost our way when materials began to take precedence over ideals. The outside became more important than the inside. The goal has become to acquire and amass; human achievement has become essentially a bi-product of our efforts.<br />
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The unification of the condor and the eagle is coming.<br />
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The choices we're offered are unacceptable. Left versus right is an invalid contest. The system is broken. Our decisions and actions must soon be based upon common sense and the common good. What works best in one nation need be what works best for the entire planet. A time is coming where fake politics and the economic shell game will be a matter of life and death.<br />
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Balance is what's required. Balance between light and dark, masculine and feminine, left and right, mind and heart.<br />
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The prophesy must come to pass; all other outcomes lead to failure.</span> <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Each time we choose a new way to deal with the challenges of life, our solution contributes to the diversity of human will that ensures our survival. As one of us pioneers a new creative solution to the seemingly small challenges of our individual lives, we become a living bridge for the next person who finds himself or herself faced with the same challenge, and the next, and so on. Each time one of us faces the condition that others have faced in the past, we have more options from our collective response to draw from. Relatively few individuals may create possibilities that become choices for the whole.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"> </span> </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">GREGG BRADEN</span></span></b></span>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-21811841199845982362011-05-07T01:28:00.023-05:002011-05-07T02:11:49.621-05:00SYSTEM CHECK<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since the beginning, I've never needed to coax myself into logging a Smog Chronicle. Issues have simply sprung fourth, caught my attention, then been placed under fire. Much of the content published over the past few years has been personal venting over some of the vexing circumstances we endure and how they are misunderstood by much of the population. Two years back I moved to a point on the map directly between the two greatest concentrations of those close to me. Face to face conversation gone; telephone communications cut drastically. For years I'd been reading between the lines and sharing my thoughts freely with friends eager to listen. I had people readily available to absorb some steam that needed blowing off while in Los Angeles. Moving to Chicago with my one and only; I couldn't expect her to carry what had previously been spread amongst many . .<br />
<br />
After years of thought and preparation, The Smog Chronicles were born.<br />
<br />
Since inception late last year, Cloud City Sessions have provided another vehicle for my perspective. They've proven a more encouraging forum for my expression. Though the music contains a powerful message; listening can also be used to motivate production. Whether driving, working out, or thinking creatively; music can be transformed from sound to work. Taking a step back from focusing on manufactured news reports and contrived conflict, I've been working to explore and ingest as many musical forms and stylings as possible to provide the best possible radio.<br />
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My love for baseball has also found a groove with High & Tight; another healthy outlet of late. I've long credited MLB as my distraction of choice, my focus on it now yields an hour of discussion each week. Thanks to those of you who've taken time out to listen to my programing.<br />
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Balance is the key to all things; mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As involved as I may get into these distractions; they will not sway me from my true calling. Balance is the goal. Focus on discipline; constructive thinking and action. As natural earth events, international political and economic activity continue to unravel, an increase in creative thought and action is required to maintain balance. While I've leaned heavily towards audio of late; events have naturally drawn me right back to the soul of The Smog Chronicles.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #7f6000;">In intelligence parlance a legend is defined as the complete cover story developed for an under or deep-cover operative. A trail or record has to be put in place over a long period to establish credibility matching the operative's assigned cover.<br />
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The Osama bin Laden that was killed yesterday was a straw man who, among other things, gave a significant boost to Barack Obama's 2012 re-election hopes. But I sense there is much more to the story than this. The first step in assessing the theater surrounding last night's late announcement is to not fall into the trap of analyzing it as if it were the truth.<br />
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Killing a legend made of lies requires an entire new set of lies, which present new, well-chosen options to control and influence public opinion. The second step is to not yield to the instinctive desire to find immediate explanations. It took me three years of totally dedicated research to conclude, argue and state that Dick Cheney and the United States government orchestrated and executed the attacks of September 11th as a pretext to seize oil reserves in the Middle East.<br />
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When a legend fabricated from lies dies the only way to kill that legend is to tell more lies, all in furtherance of a (perhaps new) specific agenda.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #7f6000;"></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Michael C. Ruppert 5/2/11</span></b></span><br />
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Society has once again been served an assimilating event on which to hang it's hat. Though it's too early to dissect and determine the exact motive for this story and its construction; some components are obvious straight out of the gate.<br />
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The young white "crowds" featured on Sunday night and Monday morning celebrating the alleged killing were clearly assembled by the same agency responsible for generating "crowds" protesting the US and it's military action in Pakistan. This same agency invented the so-called "Al Qaeda" classification and has once again invented threats against the US and produced similar contrived "crowds" of bin Laden sympathizers for the news cameras to capture. Concentrated, televised groups (made to look like masses) serving the same agenda though separated by thousands of miles and international borders. Note the fresh-out-of-the-package American flags waived by our smiling youth on the streets of NY and DC; while burned at the same time by their screaming counterpart in the Middle East. Note the playing to the camera and stretching to fill the frame by all. Mr. John Perkins, the self-dubbed "Economic Hitman" has spoken and written extensively about this technique and it's use over the past half-century.<br />
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Those in charge acknowledged the power of media, the vulnerability of the people and how easily they could be manipulated long ago.<br />
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The story told thus far is based exclusively on hearsay via the White House and national media. No first hand accounts, no witnesses, and only a rumor of photographic evidence support the legend. More "information" is uncovered with each passing hour, much like the days following 9/11. The scene, the compound, the special forces team and it's accolades, the plan reportedly initiated by the president, the intelligence gathered leading up to the mission, what's been uncovered at the site, stories with new details released throughout the day. The script of "what happened" will continue to be written in the weeks ahead. I expect in the end an "official" timeline will be agreed upon and logged like The 9/11 Commission Report; the most insulting book in American history.<br />
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I implore you to find the courage to think independently, use your intuition and rational mind as your senses are barraged with details of this fable as it continues to unfold. We are living in a time of radically advanced thinking, learning, and accessibility to information. The history books our grandchildren inherit must contain the true accounts of events that unfolded creating the Earth they experience. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Integrity is the most important lesson children can be taught, it is required that we lead by example.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <br />
The time is now.</span></div>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-18630546235714976532011-03-08T03:42:00.004-06:002011-03-08T15:37:58.969-06:00INTERFACE<div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #7f6000;">"You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here, you're beginning to believe that the tube is reality and your own lives are unreal. You do. Why, whatever the tube tells you: you dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs. In God's name, you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #000cff;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #7f6000;">"</span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #000cff;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">-HOWARD BEALE, UBS; 1976</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #000cff;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;"><br />
The line dividing Internet from television is so fine at this point it's barely visible. This same line separates computers from telephones. The "tube" is now a High Definition video screen, or handheld touch screen. </div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">Does our modern digital access to the people we care about strengthen our connections with them? Do we better understand our friends based on words and photographic updates on their social networking sites? There's no right answer to this question, but it's well deserving of our attention. </div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">Imagine a polar graph; concentric circles each at a uniformed distance from a central zero point. The center represents face to face human interaction, the original form of personal communication. The first ring from center represents telecommunications; either traditional telephone or "skype" style video conference calls. The next represents a hand written letter personally delivered by the postal service. The 3rd ring represents computer generated e-mail's and cell phone text messages. The 4th and final ring represents communications via Facebook, Twitter, and the like. The further you get from the center, the less personal the connection. It feels like the further your message is broken down to ones and zeros, the less heart-based emotive is transferred. </div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">Society's addiction to personal communication devices has been well documented here; the way in which a screen becomes an entity held on the same plateau as a living person. In many cases, these devices take precedence over physical human presence. Do you ever engage in drawn-out text message dialogues? Do you feel a certain protective "shield" provided by having a conversation in such a fashion? Have you experienced any changes in the fabric of relationships with family members or friends by moving communications further towards the outer rings of our polar graph? </div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">Most of us have access to computers at home and at our places of work. It's amazing when you step back and take inventory of the people in your field of view focused on phone in hand; in the city it hovers around 50%. I understand the comfort humankind finds in its handheld communication and GPS systems, but what if some outside force, perhaps in the form of solar storms were to disrupt the operation of satellites responsible for this personal guiding light?</div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">Several years ago I had a conversation about the impending age when our telephones will contain all information and media that make us. Our entire music and movie collections, rentals, internet, books, magazines, and cable television. Facebook like interfaces, or "dashboards" become the operating system of this "all-in-one." All of our preferences, tastes, and property will compile a personality profile. All of our web activity, purchases, and general consumption will be monitored and calculated to paint a clear definition of us. Like the scene in <i>Minority Report</i> when Tom Cruise's character walks through the mall barraged with holographic advertisements making sales pitches directly at him based on his shopping history and habits. This happens currently in the virtual arena. The web monitors sites you've seen and literally caters its ads to places you've been. An obvious example of this is Facebook advertising, generated uniquely for you based on your "likes" and your friends.</div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">We are now on the dawn of this "personal pod" era. With the invention of the "iPad" and exponential advancement in digital technology, within a few years our cell phones will be the epicenter of individual existence. </div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">Imagine a dock at home, in your car, and at work. Plug in at home to set your lighting and heating preferences, your music or television, movies or sports. You're driving down the highway with your phone plugged in, the advertising on the radio, the billboards you drive past changing as you move along; catered to your preferences. Every thing you buy, every word you say or type placed into a database designed to make you a perfectly predictable consumer. Of course the device is also a telephone and video camera, easily activated when deemed necessary. Think of the scenes in <i>The Dark Knight</i> when Bruce Wayne hands Luscious Fox a comprehensive digital map of Gotham, created by harnessing every phone receiver and using the sound to build a sonar grid of the city.</div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">This example is no longer far-fetched or science fiction. It's simply an example of the possibilities we face in our world of ever increasing technological advancement. My dialogue on the "pod" topic was more mathematical than imaginative. Most trends can be predicted with a quick study of history matched with popular culture. The big brother scenario has evolved from fear of privacy in our homes, to fear of willingly turning ourselves into open books; predictable humanoid consumption units. </div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">This is not intended to be a lecture on technological dependence, but a commentary on social evolution. The question is are we better off with our modern tools of communication? Are our relationships more complete and fulfilling with the abundance of access we currently enjoy?</div><div style="font: 12px Georgia; margin: 5px 0px;">I will continue to reach out through this medium, but know if I had my choice, I'd prefer to keep it in the center of the graph.</div>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-88803747966342138272011-01-15T03:22:00.028-06:002011-01-15T16:31:45.529-06:00COGNITIVE DISSONANCEAre people out there evolving and learning to read between the lines? Is the media still operating at it's same old speed, up to its same old tricks? Does it seem like people are beginning to come around on the reality of our circumstance? Have you felt a weakening in the official story? Is there hope that people will learn to start brushing away the clouds created to distort their vision?<br />
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Though news stories and mass media continue to guide public perspective, times like these encourage people to reconsider the ancient laws of nature and common sense. As political, economic, and military movement continue down their dark path, people have started their transition back into classical, rational lines of thinking. I'm not speaking of the population represented in print and television interviews/surveys . . nor the hoards of people moving through the streets and popular trends like a flock of sheep.<br />
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I'm speaking of the people I meet.<br />
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More often than not, the people I meet are already halfway to understanding. Those who are oblivious to the information I share with them are almost without exception open and eager to learn more. The common response, which brings me great comfort, is the question of what can we do about it, and how can the word be spread most successfully . .<br />
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It's funny how easily people gravitate to truth when it's made available. It's almost like a secret handshake, a symbol of belonging to the group on the just side, not yet able to go public with it.<br />
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What a look of relief on the faces of like minded individuals presented with grounded perspective . .<br />
Eyes wide open; freedom found within, unlike anything they've ever felt . .<br />
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The mental conflict experienced when people are presented with evidence that their beliefs or assumptions are wrong is known as cognitive dissonance.<br />
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On Columbus' first landing in the new world awestruck natives inquired how he and his men traveled to their land, they gestured to their fleet of ships. The natives looked out on the water, squinted, adjusted their vision; all the while looking directly out at the ships. The natives were looking exactly where advised, ships plainly in sight, but invisible to them. The concept of such tremendous vessels, traveling across such a mass of water, was so foreign to these people, their minds could not translate what was directly in front of them.<br />
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Many souls exist under these same conditions today . . seemingly impossible to register reality as it unfolds . .<br />
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Recognition = <a href="http://cognitive-dissonance.behaviouralfinance.net/"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Cognitive Dissonance</span></a>.<br />
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It's only a phase.<br />
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An uncomfortable state of limbo between two roads.<br />
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One road has been traveled by the overwhelming masses since the dawn of the age. The other is uncertain; yet rich with opportunity clamoring for discovery. <br />
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Understanding a problem is halfway to its solution.<br />
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The road less traveled has plenty of room for travelers; fresh air and water, no traffic, no deception or confusion, no destination; just the promise of a peaceful future . . a balanced, fruitful age of clarity and growth . .<br />
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. . and transition.<br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">I have lived on the lip of insanity</span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Wanting to know reasons</span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Knocking on a door, it opens</span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">I have been knocking from the inside!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī</span>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-32415555544724684282010-12-13T15:39:00.012-06:002010-12-16T12:45:14.902-06:00A NEW TRADITION<div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">"Christmas was close at hand, in all his bluff and hearty honesty; it was the season of hospitality, merriment, and open-heartedness; the old year was preparing, like an ancient philosopher, to call his friends around him, and amidst the sound of feasting and revelry to pass gently and calmly away." <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>CHARLES DICKENS, </b></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Pickwick Papers</b></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>, 1836</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">I vividly remember the feeling I had as a child, driving to and from church on Christmas Eve. From the dark and windy Daniel Webster Highway to downtown Nashua, Main Street lined with trees elegantly lit with white lights. All radio stations' holiday music catalogs wide open, cheerful spirit across the board. A light snow falls from above, illuminated by headlights and streetlamps. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">Entering church; "halls" decked, large advent wreath with a single white candle hangs front and center wrapped in a large white bow. Stained glass windows back lit by floodlights, cast iron candle holders fashioned at the ends of each pew, 3 glowing white candlesticks in each. The full choir uniquely accompanied by the young bell ringers; pipe organ full tilt in the front, brass horns in the back. The musky scent of incense throughout the cathedral.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">It had been nearly a decade when I attempted to recreate this scene last December 24th. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">I've made quite a habit; indeed a ritual, of walking down memory lane as much as possible when visiting home. I suppose the older we get, the more we cling to those memories that want to fade as the years roll by. Lately, the Christmas season has assumed a different shape than the one built by the post-WWII baby boomers. The loving couple with their adoring 2.5 children remains the idealistic American vision; however with the changing times come changing traditions. As with most evolving traditions, it's best to recognize the motion of the times, and adapt . .</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">All things exist in cycles, the calendar year is a prime example. The energy felt in our daily lives is shaped by the days, weeks, months, and seasons constituting our year. I was just commenting the other day about how much our lives are geared around visits from, and to, our friends and family. As the years progress, relationships grow better defined, as does my appreciation. Time, distance, maturity, and evolution combine to generate understanding as traditions continue to spring fourth . .</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">It's a Wonderful Life, The Nutcracker, Bing Crosby, Charlie Brown, A Christmas Carol, Home Alone, The Polar Express, Nat King Cole, Star Wars, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Grinch, The Messiah, The Night Before Christmas, 24 hours of A Christmas Story, Die Hard, Elf; the list has no end . .</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">Traditions come about in all shapes and forms at all different times. What constitute holiday traditions in some homes are the furthest from in others. For me, the trick to keeping Christmas time special is the practice of separating the commercial from the genuine. When holiday goods are displayed in stores at the beginning of October, I smile and recognize the comedy of our economy. As cashiers continue to be replaced by automated self-checkout machines; as the morale of those who remain continues to decline; I relax and take peace in the fact that it's only capitalism.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">It's not real.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">As you watch the classic, golden tungsten Christmas lights steadily replaced by the futuristic, bluish "long-life" fluorescence around town; please remember that the true value of the holiday season is not found in external materials, but in the hearts and memories of all people.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">While much of the world finds great comfort in the religious, faith-backed causes for the season; and they should . . </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">I suggest a new tradition . . </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">Let's recognise and dissolve all categories which separate us for this brief period of time; and recognise how easily this experiment could be stretched out over the entire year. Let's recognise the true value of our time and those most deserving of it. Let's look through the superficial, man made classifications which plague most of us . . and celebrate the unlimited opportunities available to us if we could only evolve to our true capabilities. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;">Peace and Love to each and all of you.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>A Christmas Carol</i>, 1843</b></span></span></div>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-3008284195086351932010-11-23T02:19:00.011-06:002010-11-23T11:40:25.820-06:00LINCOLN FRAME OF MIND<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Though less traditional as the years advance; I am pleased once again to watch the seasons progress as the holidays approach.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To begin most bike rides, I head a mile north, then east to the lake. I do this because of the Lincoln statue that stands behind the Chicago History Museum. The foliage surrounding the monument is a beautiful indication of the seasons; the statue itself is a marvel; and the man represented is one of the finest this nation has ever produced.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Upon approach, I develop a feeling of reverence; I adjust my energy, music, and imagination to embody the feeling a Union Soldier might have felt around the Commander in Chief during the Civil War. I catch first glimpse of his silhouette 50 yards out; keep my eyes trained until I coast to the base of the monument . . 5 miles per hour; eyes fixed; I speak.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I'm trying".</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lincoln's integrity resonates so deeply that knowledge of his very existence ennobles all willing to follow his example. His legacy and influence bear such strength that those willing to recognize right from wrong and let their actions be motivated by the difference, should be considered equals.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Through reason and force, Lincoln unified the nation.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Veteran's Day has just past,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanksgiving is just around the corner . . </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The men and women of the United States Armed Forces are cherished for serving our country. More accurately we salute the soldiers for fighting, risking their lives for the stars and stripes, and what they represent. We express gratitude, feel remorse for their sacrifice, our hearts bleed for their pain and distress . .</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yet, we seldom ponder the roots of armed conflict; causes that lead us to perpetual battle on foreign land. We honor those who have fallen, we commemorate some wars by name and the years in which they took place. The bloodshed and young lives taken make discussion of why we were involved in these affairs irrelevant. When the topic does see the light of day, the reasons for our involvement are black and white, without room for interpretation. Indeed, our nature has led us to a line of thinking where a human casualty strengthens a cause, and nullifies reason.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This entry was inspired largely by an idea that sparked in my mind a few weeks ago. I realized that only through the invention of gun powder, and all technological advancement since, has this empire had the ability to reign over all nations. Only through achievement in science does the current ruling body maintain control. All styles of combat, all forms of martial arts from all nations and times were rendered obsolete once war was mechanized. This isn't to say that the nation with the most toys wins regardless of circumstance; Vietnam was more than a lesson in this. However, what it does say is that thousands of years of hand to hand combat techniques are brought to a level playing field when Uncle Sam opens his tool shed. Men and women who've known nothing of war, nor their forefathers, are combat ready warriors with 6 months of training, and an automatic weapon. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We've gone so far in advancing military technology; advertising for war based video games is nearly indistinguishable from that for the US Armed Forces . .</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Call of Duty: Operation Enduring Freedom?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I propose that if President Lincoln had not been shot; had he lived to see his 200th birthday last year, he would have been strictly against all foreign intervention since his term in Washington. He would demand an end to all comparison between him and the current president. Abe Lincoln's name and image have been celebrated and honored for more than a century, yet few acknowledge how vehemently he would oppose the state of the union since his untimely passing.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A man like Lincoln, under no circumstance, would authorize the construction of an Atomic Bomb.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Or its use.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I would not presume to claim personal insight to the deepest thoughts of Lincoln. Yet, I can say he was a man of reason; and based on the historical record, reason may have left the White House the same time he did. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is why I seek the Lincoln frame of mind.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Every time that we state a truth, we must know that truth destroys all that is unlike itself and frees the thought of the one whom we wish to help and heal . . . Truth is, just as much as God is; and the whole world is coming gradually to the realization of it. Keep the truth within your own soul, lift your own self above the confusion of life, and then people will believe</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cfe2f3;">"</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cfe2f3;">Ernest Holmes</span></b></span></span></span>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-24352690590223309262010-10-21T14:41:00.017-05:002010-10-22T14:00:23.677-05:00PREVENTATIVE MEASURES<div style="font: 9.0px Georgia; margin: 5.0px 0.0px 5.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Focus on the positive. The glass is half full. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> We are in a rough patch, it will pass . . .<br />
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Throughout the month of October, the most respected skyline in the western hemisphere is accented with pink highlights. Pink floodlights fixed on the tallest antennae, projection lighting panels switched from white to pink throughout the city.<br />
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America's modern distraction of preference, the National Football League, is also accessorized from head to toe with pink throughout the month.<br />
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I assume all who read this recognize that this "pink" represents breast cancer awareness in American culture, much like "red" represents aids awareness; and as of this year, "teal" represents ovarian cancer awareness. <br />
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For the sake of argument, please think of this white text on black background as awareness awareness.<br />
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As I grow older, the writing on the walls around me gets easier and easier to decipher. Some techniques are obscure, sometimes making me smirk with their clever deception. Others clamor so loudly, reek of such "bait and switch" corruption, that I can't avoid frustration. </span> <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
The inception of this interpretation, and perhaps strongest example of this technique was the implementation of American flags on automobiles after the attacks of 9/11. The way in which "patriotism" was bolstered by such a disgusting, improbable operation deeply frustrated me. Each sticker represented another lost soul, clueless to the ramifications of that day, and who was truly responsible for those unspeakable acts. <br />
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The motivation for this entry was the influx of pink as I look around my city, and around the NFL. This is such a blatant shell game that it boggles my mind. Like the yellow "Live Strong" bracelets, Gap's "Red" initiative, and America's short lived "Text money to Haiti" craze . . . pink October reeks of yet another misappropriation of funds. While there's plenty of discussion about looking for a cure, in this instance, "awareness" indicates early detection followed by treatment. It goes without saying that I look forward to the eradication of all cancer; the principle argument is how we are best equipped to go about this. <br />
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Preventative measures are our strongest weapons against such afflictions. But there can be no nationwide rally around such a concept. If simple, straight forward diet and lifestyle advice were proven effective, would the powers that be broadcast these remedies? (please see attached link) If a cure were developed, would it be made available and spread to all people infected throughout the world regardless of cost? How many billions of dollars are spent each year in the US alone to treat infected patients? How many hundreds of thousands are employed exclusively due to this process? How long until we recognize that money thrown at a problem is not converting to tangible work the way it's advertised?<br />
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Our perception is guided by cameras and computers, imagery and popular opinion. Our reality is, and has been, manufactured by architects of history far beyond comprehension, well beyond any traditional education. Promotion of free thought is all but lost in American society . .<br />
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The causes our nation rallies behind are determined by committees comprised of unelected officials. There is no vote, or quantifying measure to decide which challenges are worthy of our attention and united efforts. There's no convenient explanation why, for example; the earthquake that ravaged Haiti earned our genuine concern, while just a few years prior similar circumstances devastated island nations of southeast Asia yielding little more than media coverage . .<br />
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The truth is, there is an agenda. Causes that fit the agenda are embraced, exploited, and paraded from sea to shining sea. Events are fabricated and exaggerated to promote this Agenda. </span> <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
The Agenda is Profit. <br />
Profit equals Wealth. <br />
Wealth equals Control. </span> <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The great awakening has begun . . </span><br />
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It's Black & White.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/030020_breast_cancer_awareness.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.naturalnews.com/030020_breast_cancer_awareness.html</span></a></div>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-63054060093453233852010-09-01T19:56:00.002-05:002010-09-01T23:03:24.073-05:00EARTH<div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/sagan_cosmos_who_speaks_for_earth.html">"We depend upon free inquiry and free access to knowledge. We humans have seen the atoms which constitute all of nature and the forces that sculpted this work and others. We have found that the molecules of life are easily formed under conditions throughout the cosmos. We have mapped the molecular machines of the heart of life. We have discovered a microcosm in a drop of water; we have peered into the bloodstream and down on the stormy planet to see the earth as a single organism." -Carl Sagan</a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I was up late the other night working on some music, studio monitor headphones plugged into my computer. I paused the music and removed my headphones to discover an electrical buzz ringing throughout the apartment. I checked the television: it was off. I checked the stereo: also powered off. Vibrations in the walls are sometimes generated from the building's heating and cooling system; I checked them: nothing. Finally, I walked over to check the seal of our large, metal-framed windows, turned the latch, and the sound stopped. Puzzled, I re-latched the window, began to step away as the buzz came back: sharp, piercing . . I looked up, eye level out towards the city, there it was . . </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Nearly 100 yards above the earth, on a window outside the 29th floor, a green, grasshopper-looking insect 2" in length. I peered in for a closer look, flashlight in hand. Antennae oscillating in circles, the sides of the torso pulsing rapidly in and out like the lungs of a fatigued runner . .</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Have you ever watched an insect breathe? </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">My last entry focused on changes in nature, many from our influence. Much of the reading and research I've done since my move to Chicago has centered around the interconnected nature of existence . . the energy that surrounds and binds us to everything else. I've also been learning about the connection between nature and time-- cycles and behaviors of life that we're only now beginning to recognize. The unexpected and surprising habits of insects and animals have been clamoring for attention of late; what their actions are pointing towards is not yet clear . . . but certainly worthy of a closer look.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The idea of our entire planet forming a single organism flooded my head last Sunday morning. I had embraced the notion years ago, but for some reason, on this particular morning, a crystal clear vision and understanding of this concept formed in my mind. I was driving back to the city from a friend's lake house in Wisconsin when it came to me. Perhaps spawned from some time spent away from the urban scape, or maybe thinking of new friends and my connection to them . . . probably a mix of the two. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The literal concept quickly turned visual as I began to imagine positive energy created between my friends and I as glowing light. I saw a moving image of dots on the globe, creative souls gathering together working towards a common goal, more and more light radiating as the dot collective increased. This light represented positive change, healing, solving of problems, solutions to the planets ills. The vision was the result of recognizing our capabilities as a human race unified . . . </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">a greater understanding of "harvesting star light" as Carl put it. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Imagine each earthly element playing the role of a single cell. Just like cells of the human body, earth elements unite to create forms, perform specific functions, and combat obstacles. Imagine an infrared satellite image of Earth from orbit . . telescope in and focus on individual regions or bodies of land . . imagine the light you're zooming in on representing positive, nurturing activity and the people responsible for it.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The light in our model is only a stimulating symbol for an actual field of energy. I'm not aware of any device capable of physically capturing an image of this energy, but its existence is concrete. This force is perhaps the least understood and most important layer of existence. The concept has been around since the earliest civilizations but like so many other great understandings, has yet to receive popular embrace in the new world. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">As darker, less predictable times approach it will become more and more important that we farm and harvest this star light . . .</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Our destiny has our children, and children's children inheriting a planet requiring their illumination . . . </div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">We must work to understand our responsibility for this moment in time . . . and shine.</div>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582526032511520867.post-31966856429425689232010-08-18T00:51:00.000-05:002010-08-18T00:51:11.436-05:00MODIFICATION<div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The formation of the universe, creation of planets, and origin of life have been interpreted from varied perspectives since the dawn of time.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">From whichever school of thought you hail, one thing must be held as universal truth; Earth's complex systems of life are our greatest examples of perfection. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The solutions to our most challenging obstacles are more and more often solved through natural means. The further our technological advancement reaches, the more it replicates nature. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Nature is perfect.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">As our planet evolves, obvious visible changes in nature are present all around us. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Visible; even through insects. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The variety and volume of low-altitude spiders in the South Bay was astonishing. I often recount the scene at a late summer game at Dodger Stadium a few years back. Freakishly large, incredibly fast moths, with what looked like a protective exoskeleton were flying around the park in huge numbers. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced, and something I knew I'd never forget. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The Windy City has showcased countless high-rise window spiders, massive groups of dragonflies along Lake Michigan, and the deafening siren-like buzz of male cicadas from the tree lined parks. I've read about the cicadas natural cycle, they historically appear en mass once every 17 summers. However this year, due to extremely hot conditions without much rainfall, they've appeared 4 years before scheduled. There was another scene months back on my building's roof deck; the air had an automotive exhaust like smell and feel to it. Small, fly like bugs were hovering in swarms while hundreds of small birds darted around the theater, presumably feasting on the insects. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Years of air and water pollution have provided great assistance in creating our current conditions. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">From ecosystems, to weather conditions, to physical human features, alterations throughout nature have made significant impact throughout our world.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">This is one of the most ominous signs of our time.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Aside from unfortunate cases of birth defects/deformities, humans are compiled of elements handed down from family members who came before. Features of the face, body shape, hair pattern, skin tone; all derived from generations past. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The first notion that some natural born feature of the young woman, or young man, does not fit the parameters society has agreed upon . . . medical science has a solution for sale.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Modification.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">This is an alarming step in our "evolution".</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The further society leans towards appearance over substance, the greater the demand for cosmetic modification. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The complexities of nature and the time in which we live make it difficult for us to break down the events and advancement around us into pieces of a great puzzle. However, the more you allow yourself to accept, the easier it is to digest.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The population in American/European influenced world has agreed upon an ultimate image of beauty. Celebrity has set the tone for attractive versus ugly. When young girls are born nearly perfect in this day in age, the one feature out of proportion can be surgically modified.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">This single move is a blatant disrespect for natural order.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">In all cases I've been witness to, there is no such thing as singular surgery when it comes to personal modification. Please refer to the greatest celebrities of our time as the years progress . . . notice the changes in their appearances . .</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">It becomes as regular as a fitness routine, or a drug addiction.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">There is born an unquenchable need for approval, and an unending quest for "beauty".</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">These are the circumstances we are faced with.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The notion of "man playing god" is far more than a popular cliche. It is a concept that holds world changing implications. There is no way to quantify exactly how or to what degree order is disturbed; there's simply a feeling that something is out of place. The greater influence children have on their parents, the more adults try to preserve appearance of youth; the more artificial relationships become. The old adage "it's what inside that counts" seems to be yesterday's news. I often muse at how awesome movies were when actors were picked for their talent before their looks. These days the most evil characters you'll find on the screen are just as beautiful as the male and female leads. We are so focused on the surface of our reality, depth is all but ignored.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">As has been the overall theme of the Smog Chronicles since inception; substance is forever greater than appearance. Creation is the example; all we must do is pay attention, and follow her lead. Harmony between man and his surroundings is essential to the survival of both. Alterations to the landscape, or the human face, are a disruption to life in session. What seems like an insignificant alteration creates a disconnect that can never fully reconnect.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">As part of nature, we are perfect exactly the way god created us.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O8AyJ2rvy8">Digital Underground - No Nose Job</a></div>Benjamin Strawbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06684451346371248164noreply@blogger.com1